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4 posts so far today

  1. A successful work day!
    → Prestonpans Infant and Nursery School | Sun Feb 05 18:52:37 +0000 2012

    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 ?

  2. Off the beach ...
    → blethers | Sun Feb 05 17:42:31 +0000 2012


    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 BOn 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 ...

  3. Primary 3/4 Maths Homework
    → Athelstaneford Primary | Sun Feb 05 15:41:53 +0000 2012

    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 [...]

  4. Links for 2012-02-04 [del.icio.us]
    → edu.blogs.com | Sun Feb 05 08:00:00 +0000 2012

    • 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.

  5. Katie Morag
    → Prestonpans Infant and Nursery School | Sat Feb 04 22:19:09 +0000 2012

    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 ?

  6. The Impact of Writing Online
    → Trails Optional | Sat Feb 04 16:58:47 +0000 2012

    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 [...]

  7. The Impact of Writing Online
    → Writing and the Web | Sat Feb 04 16:45:12 +0000 2012

    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 …

    Read more »

  8. Gas supplies shortage in Europe
    → Mr McGowan's Learning Blog | Sat Feb 04 16:08:43 +0000 2012

    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.

  9. BT cuts costs
    → Mr McGowan's Learning Blog | Sat Feb 04 15:58:44 +0000 2012

    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.

  10. US jobs boost
    → Mr McGowan's Learning Blog | Sat Feb 04 15:58:07 +0000 2012

    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.