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One of my new Year’s resolution is to get fit again; I suspect many of you have a similar resolution. Well, it's not going to be workout videos for me. No, I’m going to endure the annual marathon that is the 2010 BETT show. If last year's event is anything to go by, I should lose loads of weight, or...

My favourite part of the Microsoft Innovative Education Forum is meeting the teachers that have submitted Virtual Classroom Tours to share with their colleagues. I’m lucky enough to have been asked to be a judge at this year’s Forum, which is a lot of work, but also means that I get to speak in-depth...

This is how Wordle sees this blog if we use it to analyse the content we've written over the past word. We are really pleased to see that we are clearly focussing on teachers, but also, we are really pleased to see the prominence of teaching and learning, resources, community and the word innovative...

Have you seen those yoghurts that contain an unpronounceable micro-organism that has a beneficial effect on the well being of your digestive system? Stay with me here and you will see where this is going. A recent experience -- not with yoghurt I hasten to add, but with digital images -- got me thinking...

From our recent posts you will know that last week we attended the European Innovative Teachers Forum in Vienna. I thought I would spend a little time reflecting on what was a great event. This time last week I was presenting part of a keynote with the team from FutureLab, Sarah Payton and Professor...

It’s Monday morning, we’re all back at work, and the gala dinner on Thursday evening in the rooftop of the Hofburg in Vienna seems like a distant memory. Stuart and I were so proud of all the teachers we brought with us to Vienna – Chris, James, Mandeep and Ollie had some of the most innovative projects...

Chris Henderson is the final teacher accompanying us to Vienna later this month for the European Innovative Teachers Forum. Chris is from Saltash.net Community School , which you've heard us talk about many, many times at this point. Dan Roberts (aka, the 6-foot chicken), our award winner in Hong Kong...

Listening to the views and perspectives of students was a central recommendation highlighted in the in the 2007 Diversity and Citizenship Curriculum Review . Technology has had a major impact on allowing schools to successfully meet the recommendations our students have made. Mandeep Atwal from Shireland...

Representing Scotland in Vienna will be Deputy Head Teacher Ollie Bray, from Musselburgh Grammar School outside of Edinburgh. As Ollie mentions in his own blog , he's not new to the Innovative Teachers Network, having joined back in 2005. Ollie's Virtual Classroom Tour is called Guitar Hero Transition...

James’ involvement with the Innovative Teachers Network is fairly recent. He joined a local network created by Alessio Bernardelli , a former Innovative Teachers Award winner himself. The goal of the network is to establish the Innovative Teachers community throughout comprehensive schools in Torfaen...

I think I enjoyed last Friday's Innovative Teachers event at Microsoft just a much as Stuart did. The teachers we meet are always inspiring, and this group of 12 was quite special. Like Stuart and the teachers, I was also inspired by Guy Shearer's keynote. I've borrowed the title of Guy's talk in...

After receiving the highest number of entries ever for a Microsoft Innovative Teachers Forum, I am pleased to announce the 10 Virtual Classroom Tours that will be celebrated at the awards event at Microsoft Ltd headquarters in Reading. The judging proved to be a very difficult and challenging exercise...

There are only 7 days left before the closing date for submissions for the Microsoft UK Innovative Teachers Forum . If you were thinking of submitting a Virtual Classroom Tour (VCT) yourself or know of a teacher whose work in the classroom deserves recognition. Then this is the week when you need to...

And Blwyddyn Newydd Dda to all the Welsh blog followers. So it is 2009, a new term, time to reflect on 2008, enjoy the last of the mince pies and start on those New Year's resolutions (which, if you're anything like me, you'll keep up for all of about two weeks). When we look back at 2008, we're proud...

Putting together a project for a competition is probably the last thing on your mind at this time of year, especially with so few shopping days left until Christmas! Nonetheless, I wanted to give you some inspiration over the festival period, before you finish for a well-earned Christmas break. Take...

Those of you who are old enough to remember the words of Midge Ure will get this. For those who aren't - or are American, like Kristen - stay with me here, and all will be made clear. From our previous posts you will have read about two lucky and talented teachers from the UK who attended the Worldwide...

Microsoft's worldwide Innovative Teachers Forums are about teachers from all over the world forming a community and working together. More than that, however, they are about celebration. Every teacher that attends these Forums has already won an award in their country or their region, so we're celebrating...

Obama may have won, but there is a far more important competition going on. Yes! This is what you have all been waiting for. Who has won the coveted Innovative Teachers Awards? So, if you are drinking red wine as you read this post, put your glass down. You won’t want to spill any by leaping with...

As mentioned, next week we will be blogging ‘live’, (well, almost) from the Worldwide Innovative Teachers Forum in Hong Kong. Kristen and I will be accompanied by Peter Carney and Dan Roberts whom, Kristen spoke about in her last two blog posts. They have the hardest job at the event, as they will be...

Last week I shared with you the award-winning lesson from Peter Carney of Bowring Community Sports College in Knowsley, whom Microsoft is bringing to Hong Kong to participate in our Worldwide Innovative Teachers Forum. You'll hear more from Peter when we're in Hong Kong the first week of November. ...

Luckily they are all around us working away in our school and classrooms, up and down the country in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and in my job I get to meet these people and have the privilege to work with them. I would like to share with you some their work which you can freely download...

Bear with me for just a moment, and I promise this will go somewhere. I read Don Quixote during my first year at university, when we were required to plough through the entire 1,000 pages of the 17th-century novel in two weeks. I struggled with it, and I was 19 years old and had chosen to study literature...