For one week only, the Bloodhound Super Sonic car is coming to Enfield!
Metaswitch, in association with the BloodHound SSC Project Team is proud to announce that the actual Bloodhound supersonic car will be visiting the London Borough of Enfield at the following venues:
This project is a cutting-edge engineering adventure which is hoping to break the world land speed record. Education is a key element of the project and Metaswitch are joining with the Bloodhound team to use the project to capture the imaginations of young people to inspire more school pupils in Enfield to continue with STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and to become ground-breaking engineers of the future.
It’s going to be a fun and fantastic opportunity to celebrate STEM activities and every school in the Borough is being invited to attend. There will be a number of events – including a Launch Evening, a Business Breakfast and two Community Events, as well as interesting projects and activities for the schools.
If you have any queries or questions, please contact us on bloodhound@metaswitch.com
Find out more about the Bloodhound project by checking out www.bloodhoundssc.com
To support Microsoft’s Youth Spark, we are pleased to offer free places on TakingITGlobal’s online e- course "Empowering Student Voice in Education."
This graduate-level, accredited course is designed to help educators understand the value of cultivating and engaging student voice both inside and outside the classroom. Participants will critically examine a set of agreed principles which underpin the development of all student voice work regardless of the initiative and seek to design a project that enables and enhances student voice in their own schools.
Course material draws on:
How does an online e-course work?
When does it start?
For more information about the e-course, please email me with initial interest at v-matwal@microsoft.com
With the recent launch of the new James Bond film and in many people’s opinion the best James Bond was Scottish. Then is seems a good time to tell you about a great resource launched recently in Scotland.
Polybius Games are providing their award winning Spy Quest educational game to all Scottish primary and secondary schools. Under the scheme up to 750,000 Scottish pupils will benefit annually by learning core skills in a fun and engaging way.
Schools in Scotland only have until 9th November 2012 to register their interest at schools@polybiusgames.com.
Two teachers from each school will be invited to attend a 3 hours local training event. Prior to them attending Polybius will liaise with each school and have their game constructed so that they can ask relevant questions on the day and start straight away with their new game.
Through gameplay learners develop knowledge and understanding of a variety of curriculum areas. Importantly, learners also develop a range of transferable skills to better equip themselves and prepare for future situations in school, at home and life. They also have great fun.for learning, life and work. These are encapsulated in four key areas of successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.
Spy Quest embodies the aims of the Curriculum for Excellence and each game is designed to develop a range of transferable skills, some of which are listed below.
■ Motivation - Spy Quest is motivating for children as it links suspended disbelief with real world problem solving with the competitive but non-threatening world of a computer game.
■ Communication - Spy Quest encourages learners to communicate using verbal and non-verbal
Partners in Learning’s very own ‘James Bond’ , Ollie Bray, formerly Senior Policy Advisor & Consultant for Scottish Government & National Adviser for Emerging Technologies in Learning wrote a white paper on how games such as Spy Quest epitomise how valuable a playful approach learning is.
You can find out more about SpyQuest in this TESS article
But, don’t despair if you are a school not in Scotland , Polybius Games intend to extend the offer to all UK primary and secondary schools in 2013.
Free to schools, Microsoft Office 365 is great for providing educators and students new ways to connect, collaborate and engage. With free email, instant messaging, group video and voice chat, and online document viewing and editing; it’s not surprising that we are quite excited to see how schools are taking advantage of cloud based learning.
This month two Derby schools, Ravensdale Junior and Oakswood Junior have welcomed us into their schools to demonstrate exactly how they are using Office 365 in the classroom.
Oakswood Junior has set up an online numeracy support group. Making use of Lync students are using the chat feature to provide support to one another on homework issues. Lync can be accessed by students at home and in school and teachers are using the status tool feature as an ‘Assessment for Learning’ strategy to monitor progress. Hence, if students set their status to red they require assistance, if they show green they know the answer and are available to help others and if they display amber they are still working on the learning activity.
Oakswood Junior is also using Lync to bring classes together. Two year 6 groups are working collaboratively on projects even though they are located in different parts of the school building. Taking the meaning of group work to a whole new level, students from the two classes use the group video tool feature to work on problem solving activities and joint presentations.
Ravensdale Junior is no exception. Teachers have used the class and group site features of Sharepoint 2012 to deliver lessons to students of different abilities. The class discussion tool is often used as a starter activity to get all students contributing to questions and ideas that shape the basis of the lesson. Wiki pages are used to help deliver differentiated learning resources, and students are given opportunities to work in real time on assignments and group projects using the office web apps. Students at this school have created their own learning journals using the online features to share their classroom experiences with parents at home. Ravensdale Junior have found that this method of working motivates students to achieve their very best as work is published online for all to see.
These are some great examples of how Office 365 can be used by schools to help impact and inform learning.
You can find out more about Office 365 by joining for free at www.pil-network.com
The world stands at a crossroads. While there are more young people on the planet than ever before, youth unemployment is double that of the adult population. Countries are struggling to develop modern workforces due to the growing gap between the skills of unemployed workers and the skills needed to perform the jobs of today and tomorrow. Today’s young people face an opportunity divide – a gap between those who have the access, skills and opportunities to be successful and those who do not. Closing this opportunity divide is one of the most important actions we can all take to secure the future of our youth and the future of our global economy.
Microsoft YouthSpark is a companywide initiative designed to create opportunities for hundreds of millions of youth around the world. Through partnerships with governments, non-profits and businesses, we aim to empower youth to imagine and realize their full potential by connecting them with greater education, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities. We want to empower youth to change their world.
Microsoft YouthSpark marks a new focus for our philanthropy efforts. Given the size and scale of the crisis we are committing the majority of our corporate cash giving to support non-profit organizations that serve youth. While the focus is new, we are building on 30 years of philanthropic experience and our commitment to strong community partnerships that drive our work.
Opportunities to change your world are within reach. Whether your goal is getting new skills, a better job, or a better planet, we have tools and programs to help you get there. Dream it. Learn it. Live it. To get started please visit some of our new youth-focused Citizenship initiative, including:
Give For Youth: a global micro-giving marketplace focused specifically on raising funds for non-profits that support youth causes around the world with Microsoft’s support, harnessing the power of technology and the passion of the global community to connect donors with beneficiaries;
Microsoft YouthSpark Hub: an online space where young people can explore and access all of the services, programs and resources provided by Microsoft and select non-profit partners for education, skills, employment and entrepreneurship. We know these programs work and we want to ensure that every young person can easily find the opportunities they need;
Innovate For Good: a global online community enabling youth to collaborate, inspire and support each other while using technology to make a difference in their communities. We know one of the most powerful catalysts for change is young people themselves and bringing this community together across borders and boundaries is a powerful driver of change and opportunity.
For more information about YouthSpark and how to get involved, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/youthspark
You can find out more about the range of programmes Microsoft Partners in Learning offers by joining for free at www.pil-network.com
Looking for some great advice, examples and best practice in the use of the wide range of Microsoft technologies and programmes in schools? Then this series of events hosted by some of our school partners could help. Each month we will publishing a list of events being held around the country.
To attend any event, please contact the school directly or by the email contacts listed here.
Sign up for one of TakingITGlobal’s accredited e-courses that aim to empower teachers around the world to utilize technology to create innovative and transformative global learning experiences.
TakingITGlobal (TIG) empowers educators to understand and act on the world's toughest challenges through a multilingual online learning community (at www.tigweb.org) and innovative education programs (through www.tiged.org). These education programs are framed by the three pillars of global citizenship, environmental stewardship, and student voice in education.
Educators can choose from the following e-courses and dates to suit them: Project-based Learning for Global Citizenship • September 17 - October 22, 2012 • October 29 - November 26, 2012
Education for Environmental Stewardship • October 9 – November 9, 2012 • November 13 - December 11, 2012
Empowering Student Voice in Education • October 11 – November 8, 2012 • November 15 – December 13, 2012
A typical e-course will feature:
• Weekly classes facilitated online, in real time, by an experienced global educator and recorded to ensure full flexibility and access;
• A private virtual classroom space that allows participants to connect between classes to share ideas, collaborate, and engage in meaningful dialogue;
• Challenging and engaging readings, assignments and projects; and
• An approach to learning that encourages personal reflection.
For more information about TIGed’s e-courses and to register today, visit http://www.tigurl.org/ecourses
Microsoft Partners in Learning not only works with teachers, but also has a Schools Programme that can help and support a school in achieving it’s vision towards 21st century learning. This global programme connects schools around the world to share best practice on how technology can help deliver a 21st century learning experience for their students. You can find out more about the Partners in Learning Schools Programme at www.pil-network.com
I am pleased to announce that the two UK schools accepted on the programme for this year, as part of a global group of 60 schools are :- Willows High School in Cardiff and Havant Academy in Hampshire.
Willows High School are the first school in Wales to be accepted in the programme, and are looking for help in engaging the number of students who opt out of school. Ian Whittaker, Deputy Headteacher, said ‘the solutions that we think we need are difficult to achieve. To be able to explore strategies from schools around the world is a unique opportunity, we are convinced will help achieve our long term goals’
Havant Academy are in the process of a complete school redesign. Building learning spaces around the needs of learners and identifying how technology can allow them to do that. Julie Taylor, Headteacher said ‘ The opportunity to work with experts from Microsoft, not just in terms of technology, but world experts in teaching and learning, is exciting and highly motivating for staff and students alike’
To highlight the importance of entrepreneurship, education and technology in achieving positive social change, Microsoft and the British Council would like to recognize three outstanding Young Education Leaders from around the world who have contributed significantly to the development of globally awareness and globally competitive young people through the innovative use of technology.
We are looking for individuals who have made an impact in solving a non-commercial problem within the education space, using Information and Communications Technology not only within their institution but also at a wider, more systemic level – either nationally or internationally.
The three finalists will be celebrated at an Education Leaders Briefing, taking place alongside Microsoft’s Partners in Learning Global Forum in November, 2012, the Education World Forum ministers conference and linked Education Leaders Briefing, and will also be invited to participate in a study tour in the UK, organized by the British Council. We will also involve them in PR and Social outreach. In addition to that the best ten applications will be eligible to an online course on Social Entrepreneurship through Taking it Global; one of the leading organizations around social entrepreneurship and education.
You can find out more and apply at - http://www.pil-network.com/pd/youngeducators
Our Microsoft Partners in Learning teacher training camps continue to be a huge success. We are holding these across the UK this year and our next stop will be London. A day of simple, but effective professional development that will leave you with loads of resources, and creative ideas for the classroom, along with new friends to connect with.
So, if you work in anyway with Primary schools, e.g. as a teacher, advisor, assistant or NQT and want to spend time with other great innovative educators, then this is the training event for you.
Camp London will take place at
Microsoft Offices – Cardinal Place , Victoria London (map)
Friday 5th Oct 9.30am – 4.30pm
Lunch & refreshments will be provided
This event is free to attend.
What will I be doing at Camp?
We will give you training in using free Microsoft curriculum apps to create teaching and learning resources for the classroom. You will have time to design, create and evaluate those resources and collaborate with others. We will preview our latest free offering of ‘Office 365’, and leave you with the sound knowledge of how you can get it and other apps for FREE to use straight away in your school. You will also get the chance to speak to experts and award winning teachers about our technology and how it can enhance learning for your pupils.
How do I apply?
To apply for this free event simply email v-matwal@microsoft.com before the closing date September 24th. Please include details of your school, subject expertise and pupil age range and how many places you want. Places will allocated on a first come first served basis. So, it could for yourselves, you and your colleagues or if you have a training day planned , why not use this day and bring the whole staff! This is free CPD at it’s best. You will be notified by September 25th if you have been allocated a place or places.
I am not an ICT teacher is it worth me applying?
Absolutely, this is event is targeted at all primary educators in and around London, who are interested in teaching and learning, and how technology can support that, rather than the technology itself. This event is for ALL subject specialists including, Special school settings. The only criteria we have is a willingness to learn!
What will I need to bring?
We expect you to bring some of the tools you are using already:-
-A laptop running Windows Vista or Windows 7
- A headset with a microphone or Headphones and a Microphone (if you have one)
- Office 2007 or 2010 (not essential)
What next?
You should join the for free the Partners in Learning Network now, here you can access the the types of resources we will be creating, along with a vast array of free applications, many of which we will explore at London Camp. The site also provides you with the tools to share ideas about how to enhance pupil learning through the use of technology with teachers across the world.
So don’t delay apply now, looking forward to seeing you at Camp London #mscamplondon
Join today for free the Microsoft Partners in Learning Network, 4 million global educators can’t be wrong…