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A successful work day!

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:52:37 GMT

It was a bright crisp afternoon for our grounds work-in. We were delighted to have so many helpers, and were especially pleased to welcome families that are new to the area. With so many helpers, we were able to do … Continue reading ?

Off the beach ...

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:42:31 GMT

Fort among the palms:al Bitnah
Originally uploaded by goforchris.

Eight hours after arriving at Dubai airport, we set off on a trip to the Eastern Emirates. Yes, the shock of getting only 4 hours in bed made it feel a bit like Christmas morning, but I'm glad we did this first, on what turned out to be the coolest weather of our week, for we learned a great deal from our German guide and saw a very different side of life from the luxurious lazing of the rest of our holiday. The fort of Al Bitnah, one of the foremost heritage sites in the country, sat among palm trees far below where we stood, but the dusty colour of the stone and the brown hills were a far cry from the blue-green sea that dominated our view from the hotel, and the Al Hajar mountains were as high and as rocky as you could wish for (about 3,000' ; the name is Arabic for 'stone mountains'). It was there that we heard our second call to prayer that day - the first had echoed over the fish market in Diba al Fujeirah at midday - and the sound, mingling with the wind, was strangely enough a moving reminder of what united rather than divided us. You can hear a bit of it on the short clip that sits next to this photo on flickr - click through to find it. At another fort, Fujeirah, I saw four green parrots fly past.

It was on this trip that I found out that fewer than 20% of the population of Dubai are native emiratis - everyone else is a foreigner, and we heard English all over the place as the common means of communication. We realised even sooner, in the car that took us from the airport to the hotel, the dire working hours of many of them; our driver, from Nepal, often worked 18 hours a day. But out here at the foot of the mountains we saw a man herding goats among the palms, and you can see vegetables growing on the bottom left of the photo. And I learned the origin of the double rope that forms part of the Bedouin headgear: it was used to hobble a man's camel in the desert.

Camel in pickup, courtesy of Mr B

On the road back to Dubai, we were told that the fences along the side of the road were partly to restrain wandering camels - we saw some, grazing on bits of scrub - and partly to protect the desert from - wait for it - picnickers. Apparently the natives of Dubai like to return to their desert roots every now and then, so pile into their big 4x4s and head out of town, to park just off the road and fire up a barbeque. The story went that they aren't too careful with their rubbish, and it's easier to clean up after them if it's not scattered over acres of empty sand. Talking of camels: you may think of the ships of the desert and all that stuff, but did you know they tend to be flown in to the UAE from the Sudan? Or that they sometimes travel rather like sheepdogs, in the back of a pickup?

I fear I may be becoming a bore. I shall desist. I couldn't live there, for all sorts of reasons - forget the clothes restrictions: they have no home postal delivery, for heaven's sake. Imagine having to go for your mail and finding it full of Orvis catalogues ...

Primary 3/4 Maths Homework

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:41:53 GMT

In Maths for the last few weeks we have been working on recognising coins and notes, understanding the value of each coin or note, making amounts in different ways, finding totals and giving change. We’ve also talked about where money comes from and discussed topical money stories in the news, some of us have very informed views about [...]

Links for 2012-02-04 [del.icio.us]

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

It's Not Time For Imagination? | Canadian Education Association (CEA)
Imagination and creativity cannot simply be inserted into our school systems as a “value-added” feature. It’s not about developing a curriculum that teaches imagination, and its certainly not about creating a box on the report card that accounts for imaginative thinking.

Katie Morag

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:19:09 GMT

We have been reading and learning about a little girl called Katie who lives on an island in Scotland. We thought about what we might want to find out about her. Emma suggested learning about Katie’s family so we read … Continue reading ?

The Impact of Writing Online

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:58:47 GMT

Having long been a subscriber to the idea that writing using a computer is much more than typing text on a keyboard it seems obvious to me that learners should be given the opportunity to write in a modern medium where writing takes on new dimensions, audiences, and forms. When the impact of writing in [...]

The Impact of Writing Online

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:45:12 GMT

Gas supplies shortage in Europe

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:08:43 GMT

Freezing weather sweeping across Europe has led to a shortage of vital Russian gas supplies to several countries, officials say.

An EU energy spokeswoman said eight countries had seen a reduction in gas due to increased demand in Russia.

She said the situation was not an emergency but was being monitored.

The cold snap is being blamed for scores of deaths in eastern Europe where temperatures have plunged to below -35C.

BT cuts costs

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:58:44 GMT

Telecoms group BT has reported a rise in profits, thanks to cost-cutting and an increase in broadband users.

Pre-tax profits for the three months to the end of December were £652m, 48% higher than a year earlier. Revenue fell 5% to £4.77bn.

Excluding one-off items, profits increased by 18%.

The company said it had expanded the availability of its fibre-optic broadband to seven million homes and signed up 95,000 customers to it.

US jobs boost

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:58:07 GMT

The US economy created 243,000 jobs in January, the highest total for nine months, official figures show.

The rise was much more than expected. Analysts had forecast an increase of about 150,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate dropped to 8.3%, which was the lowest rate in nearly three years, and down from a revised rate of 8.5% in December.

News of the jobs growth caused shares to rocket up, with the Dow Jones index up 156 points at 12,862, its highest level since May 2008.

The Nasdaq index, which specialises in technology companies, soared to its highest level since December 2000 by the close of trading on Friday.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index hit its highest level since July 2011 rising 1.8% while Germany's Dax closed up 1.6%. The Cac 40 in France was 1.5% higher.

Global Warming... Fact or Fiction?

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:57:19 GMT

I do not know what to believe!

Al Gore made a good case for Global Warming in the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" which really made everyone think.

But now and again there are many experts and scientists who do not believe it at all.

James Delingpole is one such critic of the automatic acceptance of global warming.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100129892/global-warming-red-faced-climatologist-issues-grovelling-apology/

and this one here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096277/Global-warming-James-Delingpole-claims-green-zealots-destroying-planet.html

What concerns me is that perhaps we are all the victims of stealth tax. What better way to bleed more money out of the poor consumer by making them feel guilty about the damage we are doing to the environment.

I do wish they would publish figures one way or the other and settle this once and for all. If global warming is real and caused by man then let's do something now, but at the same time not at the expense of people living just now. There has to be smarter ways to save the planet by using technology rather than just taxing everyone.

I would love to hear comments and data from people who actually know what they are talking about as we only read or see snippets and information that has been tarnished with propaganda!

Tell us the truth. Please.

Is independence the priority right now?

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:24:00 GMT

With the future of Scotland potentially at stake with the upcoming referendum over the break-up of the United Kingdom, who would get the oil in the North Sea?

95% of the oil the UK drills is on Scottish water, but it would be unlikely that Scotland would get it keep all of the revenues as UK money has been spent on machinery, equipment and research.

Plus when the oil was discovered it was as the UK and not just as Scotland.

But surely we need a concrete agreement of what would happen as this seems to be the SNP's main argument for a successful financial future.

There are also many entanglements to be sorted, not least Defence. Would/could we afford a Scottish army, navy and air force? Would we have military service for everyone as do many of the Scandinavian countries often cited by First Minister Alec Salmond as the financial role model for an independent Scotland?

We would keep the Queen as head of state (baffling that after 300 years of wanting independence it would not be a clean break...why not become a republic?) and keep the pound as the currency, though up until the Euro crisis John Swinney the SNP Finance Minister was keen on joining the Euro.

And would Scotland take our share of the UK debt? Scotland would not have a central bank which can bail out nations when in severe trouble by printing more money.

Then we have the thorny issue of Shetland and Orkney. My Uncle lives in Shetland and I know only too well that Shetlanders do not see themselves as Scottish but rather as Shetlanders and have more in common with the Faroes and Oslo rather than Edinburgh.

And as a marketing graduate I was humoured by the fact that the question favoured by Mr Salmond was: "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country". Any first year business student who studies Market Research would tell you that it is indeed a leading question and quite frankly laughable.

I am patriotic to be Scottish and British, but I do think before any such referendum takes place, Scots deserve the details to be planned out before us because this is the most serious vote we will ever face in our lives.

I would also urge the Parliament at Holyrood to actually postpone independence talk and concentrate on the economy and the futures of our young people, many of whom will have no jobs and possibly few places on college, university and training courses. Added to that my own belifef that Scotland needs massive, MASSIVE investment in our transport system to bring us up to date with the rest of Europe there we have two or three issues I believe the politicians should be focusing on. It would be nice to have more motorways, better bus services, high speed trains linking our major cities, and airports that can handle passenger volume and indeed have excellent transport links to the cities (i.e. the GARL).

Politicians should remember their main job is to improve the everyday lives of the people. To raise living standards. I believe both the SNP and the Coalition in Westminster should take heed or they may not be in power when the next election comes along.

Holocaust remembrance in Scotland

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:46:29 GMT

Last week we commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day 2012 with events all over the country in communities and schools. This annual occasion is an opportunity to remember those who died in the Holocaust of World War 2 and in the genocides since, and to challenge the prejudice and discrimination which can lead to such horrors.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) takes a lead in facilitating such commemoration, and it picked the theme of ‘Speak Up, Speak Out’ for its 2012 campaign. It created education resources and material to help local organisers such as teachers and librarians to create activities which increased public participation.

Each year in Scotland one local authority hosts a national event. In 2012 Dundee City Council took the lead, working with partners such as the Scottish Inter Faith Council, HMDT, and the Anne Frank Trust. The event included participation by John Swinney MSP on behalf of Scottish Government, a local disabled dance group, students from Dundee schools, and visiting speakers from Denmark, Japan and Canada. A unique element of the evening was focused around ‘Inside Hana’s Suitcase’, the story of one victim of the Nazis, her family and how a suitcase stimulated learning about the Holocaust in many countries.

Two Grove Academy students presented personal views of the impact of their participation in the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ programme managed by the Holocaust Education Trust. The Scottish Government recently confirmed that it will continue its support for this programme for another year, enabling more Scottish school students to learn from the experience.

In East Renfrewshire students from all the local secondary schools were involved in a commemorative event at Eastwood Theatre, covered by one of the local newspapers.

In Edinburgh the public library service launched its Ernest Levy archive at an event hosted by Portobello High School. Ernest Levy was a Holocaust survivor who made his home in East Renfrewshire and then dedicated a great deal of time to working with schools to spread a message of tolerance and respect.

Educational Technology Bill of Rights for Students

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:48:29 GMT

I have the right to be taught by teachers who know how to manage the use technology in their classrooms. These teachers know when to use technology and when to put it away. They understand that I need to be taught how to balance my life between the online and offline worlds. They do not [...]

Lure of the Labyrinth

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:21:54 GMT

Lure of the Labyrinth is a multimodal text combining illustrated comic style text, and problem solving puzzles. The character is on a quest to find their missing pet but must disguise themselves as a monster to fit in and go …

Teacher Leadership in Practice

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:03:22 GMT

This is the presentation that myself and two colleagues from my school shared today at a workshop at the ACTS Winter Conference on Teacher Leadership. We shared our own collaborative

#edtechcc Assignment 3 – Comic Timing

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:11:00 GMT

Assignment 3 – Comic Timing – #edtechcca3 « Ed Tech Creative Collective

Make a comic-strip style set of instructions for a practical task. The task you choose is entirely up to you. It could be something that relates to your subject area, or alternatively you can do something more generic like starting up and shutting down a computer, how to set an alarm clock, or how to use the office photocopier.

I've always liked making comics both with with pupils and for myself, a few years ago I made this set for my daughter when she went to university: Recipe Comics - a set on Flickr.

For this assignment I decided to use ComicLife on the iPad, I've used ComicLife on the desktop a fair bit but not done much more with the iPad app than quickly demo it. This looked like a good opportunity. I've been doing a fair bit of iPad workshopping this week, and one of the things I've been showing teachers is some map activities. These are based on ones I've carried out a few times with pupils on an iPod touch. Basically taking screenshots of the maps app and using them for Maths or literacy. So the comic was made with the techniques shown by the comic.

Software Thoughts

Although there has been suggested web apps for each of the edtechcc assignments I've used desktop applications for the first two (Fireworks, audacity) and now an iPad app. I have used web image and audio editors in the past but never found a compelling reason to use them before a desktop app other than price. I am editing this post in TextMate and will post to my blog via the MetaWeblogAPI rather than by using a browser. The problem with browser applications is with, imo, workflow and integration with other application which is not as mature as desktop or as simple as iOS. ComicLife on a mac is a good example of this, easily showing your images to ad to your comic without having to upload them. Or TextMate, here to add an image to a post I drag the image from the desktop onto the document I am typing in, it uploads it to my blog and inserts the code.

Design Thoughts

I had planned to try planning a bit with pencil and paper for this assignment after watch other folk go through the notes/mind-mapping/sketching process. But again I just got started and played about as I went along. I've noticed my 'planning', if you call it that, occurs when walking, driving or doing some other activity so I have some idea of what I am hoping for when I sit down. No excuse really and I will try a bit harder on a future assignment.

There was not much thought in this one anyway, I've stuck to ComicLife defaults, perhaps over familiar but they do the job I think.

Links for 2012-02-03 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Hotel en Reino Unido, H10 London Waterloo - H10 Hotels
Free wifi

Links for 2012-02-03 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

changing focus from examining to the curriculum
Some interesting proceedimgs on our obsession with assessment - more pronounced in England

How to Make a Fractal Dragon with Sticks

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:13:53 GMT

Now that the Chinese New Year has arrived, 2012 is officially the Year of the Dragon. This is extremely exciting and for an interesting maths challenge, one has to try making a fractal dragon.

First all all your need a flat open space. My back garden was fine. And you need lots of sticks. Fractal dragons are expansive creatures so I would use 30cm sticks. (I started out with 60cm sticks and had to redo as the dragon was too big for my garden).

Take a stick and place it on the ground.

Take another stick and put it perpendicular to the first one.

Are you beginning to see how the dragon is formed. Look at the shape. Count the number of sticks. Try and look for the pattern's rule.

You've probably worked out that each move involves doubling the numbers of sticks. The sticks are called "line segments". Below it is easier to see that another rule is that the pattern is rotated through ninety degrees at each stage.

I did not make this fractal dragon from the brilliance of my mind. It's taken me until now to really see the pattern. I had to have repeated attempts before it began to click and I understood what was going on.

I think children and young people will find the same thing. Begin by just making it. I took photos using my iPhone at each stage in this YouTube video which gives a step-by-step guide.

I also found this video helpful too. What both clips show is how, as the dragon grows, the right angles seem to become lost as the dragon becomes increasingly curvy.

My final fractal dragon was made using 64 sticks. It is a baby in fractal terms. However, it was an interesting challenge. I'm now curious to know if it is possible to walk the length of the dragon without covering any line segment (stick) more than once. Hmm....

Why we’re trying twitter

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:13:13 GMT

I mentioned on #PedagooFriday… Some folk were asking for a blog post on this, so I thought I’d try my first ever screencast! The very helpful post I mentioned is