Web3.0 already?

I dont have the transcript but I do have this: -

Web 3.0: The way forward?

View more presentations from Steve Wheeler.

Illuminated by Elluminate.

Wow. What an amazing few days. 2 days MLE training followed by time for thought and ending with a session using Elluminate!!! I saw this first on Fronter, our MLE, and I've been keen to try it. Tonight came my chance. Ian Addison, @ianaddison on Twitter, co-hosted a session talking ICT stuff (Use of netbooks and ICT suites and their potential direction) on Elluminate. I am impressed by it BUT my mic is on my webcam in the main room of the house. If you want to use this aplication, make sure you're in a quiet room and the technology works!
What did I find out? Well the text side and what I heard tells me that some schools are preparing to let families 'borrow' netbooks. Depends upon where you teach. Not around us!!! Maybe have drop-in sessions in the IT suite!
I suppose I have a cynical view of the area but quite often that is justified. Fragmatory families might mean siblings, cousins, step this and tat relavives and even parents with sustance reliance might mislay some of these. Budgets are tight or gone. All parents have TVs and alot have game systems so why not computers and internet? Maybe we have to hook parents into realising the potential for use of the internet. What do you think?

Are you bitter Andrew Marr?

In case you hadn't heard, Andrew Marr made a speech the other day where described bloggers as spotty socially inadequate youths who rant anonymously in their parents basements! I have a wife, children and have been in this relationship for nearly 25 years. I don't have a basement and my parents live in a different country.
What blogs is he reading? Not this one but then dear reader you may be the only one. I hope I don't rant. I hope I provoke people into thought and I hope I might give some inspiration even if second or more hand.
Relax Andrew, most bloggers are not like that. An awful lot of us have something to say. Maybe you need to mix with ordinary folk a bit more and then you'd get it!

Hope yet for my screaming soul

For the last few years I have been feeling a sense of frustration. No, not that! As first a parent, then a governor and now a teacher I have observed how schools have become increasingly shackled by government who have realised that people can tell it's not working. So what did they do? They decided we should all sing from the same hymnsheet and gave us the national curriculum. OK. Then they decided we should see how schools are managing childrens progress an gave us SATs. Has this improved learning though? I don't think so.
When I studied for my degree, which was late in life, lecturers complained that schools and colleges were churning out children that couldn't think for themselves, had little deep learning and couldn't accept failure. I wonder why?
Recently I have broadened my horizons by sitting in front of my computer. (Yes you can do this) By using Twitter, reading blogs and actually using the technologies I have such faith in, I have found that there are many people like myself out there. My one worry is that these people are on the fringe with such radical ideas that nothing will come of them. But are they? Or are they very well informed people with vision to see our education system holistically and temporally and understand what needs to happen? I think it is the latter.
One such person is Sir Ken Robinson. Yep him.
The following speech he made was first brought to my attention by Doug Dickinson. (http://www.dougdickinson.co.uk/blog/) Another one of those well informed types by the way. See what you think

Hello World from New Zealand

Last week was the Ulearn10 conference in New Zealand. OMG I thought, I'd love to be there. As it happens Web 2.0 technology allows me to nearly be there. We are now able to see the presentations and have feedback as to what was said and done. BLIMEY!
I was also very surprised to see so many aplcations that can be used to share events. (http://blog.core-ed.org/ulearn/2010/10/crowd-sourcing-initiatives-at-ulearn-you-can-tap-into-for-excellent-resources.html) These are just a few.

Recognition?

I have been plugging away for the last 18 or months to get some recognition at school. It may be just starting! It could be the upcoming MLE installation and training or the e-safety stuff I have had to plug away but quite alot is down to my technician. A gem! (Programmer by HE training. Deep joy.)
If you are in any way connected to SLT, Please ensure that you give good recognition to those who do. You guys get paid for it. Us mere mortals get paid for teaching unless we have a TLR point.
I'll make sure that my technician is aware of what recognition is there. He needs it.

Are we professionals or what?

I was struck by a programme that I watched last week on the clinical use of hypothermia for brain preservation in acute conditions. I was entranced by stories of miraculous recoveries following long periods where the brain had no oxygen. I'm talking nearly 3 hours in the most extreme case.
Doctors around the world have siezed upon this to use for their advantage. It is used to treat what was, 30 years ago, the untreatable condition, an anyerism on the aortic arch. It's also used in conjunction with xenon gas to treat very premature babies with poorly developed lungs. Head injuries is a more common use.
What intrigued me most though, was the fact that the doctor presenting this, went to his own hospital base in London, and as all good professionals do, gave professional development to his colleages. What was their reaction? Well it seemed quite positive and they were all talking about how they might introduce the ideas in their hospital!
My point? In very few schools today would a similar thing occur. Why? Are we scared of change? No. From those who I have spoken to we are more than ready to accept change, and if you're like me, you can't wait. What the problem is that successive governments have cornered us with targets, against which OFSTED measure our, for want of a useful word, 'effectiveness'. Are SLTs running scared? Are they brave enough to say, " Hang on. We can use this, tried in such and such a place. See how effective it is!" Or "No we'll do it this way." Surely as long as we tick the curriculum boxes, (That is what this government loves) then we're Ok aren't we?
A bit too simplistic I hear you cry. Maybe that's because it is that simple. Time to stand up to the LAs. Their days seem to be numbered. It won't be long before schools are directly funded from central government.
When the day comes, people may be forgiven for thinking I'm on drugs!!!!

Photo courtesey of  mr.beaver - Creative Commons license

Frustration

I spent today working. For 6 hours I sat here on my computer being hugely focussed and even passing up my sons weekly rugby match to get on. (I must be ill!!) I completed a full and comprehensive redesign of my ICT action plan and adapted 5 policies for our e-safety policy documentation along with 4 forms to support those policies. A good days work you might imagine. Not on your Nelly! I know there is more to do but I now feel as if I have achieved even less than before.