Podcast finished

The podcast is finally complete!

The pocast has been recorded and is know complete and ready to hand in to Anne. I have enjoyed this porject as it has helped me understand the role an out of classroom setting can enhance learning. I feel that this assignment has helped me prepare for when I eventually become a teacher and how I can use unusual settings to enhace childrens learning and understanding of a topic. What this assignment has also taught me is how one trip can lead to developing your understanding of many different topics.

Podcast interview

We decided to base our podcast on an interview style. Luke and myself decided to do it this way as we both have gathered a lot of research on St Fagans and felt that an interview format is the best way to showcase the research.

We decided to split the podcast into four areas these are: St Fagans; Foundation Phase; science at St Fagans and St Fagans and the National Curriculum. We decided to spit the interview into different areas because we felt it would be easier for the listener to understand what we were talking about and for them to understand how St Fagans or any outdoor environment can have a major impact on a child's development.

I was responsible for gathering research on St Fagans and and the science that I witnessed there and how that can implemented into enhancing children's learning. I decided that I would start out by discussing what stood out the most from my visit there. From this I considered how this environment helps in a child's development by looking at the current framework for the Foundation Phase and to examine how the science I witnessed at St Fagans could be implemented in the current curriculum in the Foundation Phase and it's seven areas of learning. I was surprised by the amount of work that could be done by just using one outdoor setting and I was surprised by just how many of the seven areas of learning I could cover from just one trip. It was also easy to see how the trip could also be used to relate to the Curriculum Cymreig.

The podcast has really helped me realize just how important outdoor environments can help develop a scientific idea and how this can be done with a cross curriculum approach.

Podcast update!

The podcast is almost done. We just have to record it now off our script tomorrow before we hand it in tomorrow so it's going to be a busy day!

From all the ideas that we had about what scientific idea to use to base our podcast on after much discussion between Luke and myself we decided that we had more information on Habitats and Adaptivity and more specifically how an outdoor environment can be used to support learning of Habitats and Adaptivity in the Foundation Phase. Since I last posted we have both been extremely busy researching our ideas and how to structure the podcast. The hard-work seems to be done however as after we decided on a script and gathered our research we completed the script for the podcast and all that's left to do now is record it tomorrow.

I shall post again with the details of the podcast.

Science podcast mindmap

This is some of the ideas I have thought of for our project on St Fagan's. From just one trip there's a lot of options for us to choose from we just have to narrow our ideas down now.

Science podcast

As part of our model studies in scientific and creative learning we went on three trips throughout the year to the National Botanical Gardens, the National Museum of Wales and St Fagan’s. For our final assignment we were then asked to produce a podcast on how an out of classroom environment can develop an innovative scientific idea. For the assignment we are allowed groups of no more than two, Luke was my partner for this assignment.

After visiting all three places we both felt that St Fagan's provided us the most opportunity to explore an innovative scientific idea in an outdoor environment. We both felt that St Fagan's offered us many options when deciding on a topic to base our assignment around.

I'll keep you updated on our progress over the coming days.

Assignment complete

My ICT assignment is finally complete. I completed my main assignment over the last few days. My main assignment is a timeline of the history of the club with music related to the club playing in the background with plenty of pictures throughout the presentation. I intially wanted to make the movie through windows movie maker but found that it would be more practical to create the timeline through microsoft power point instead because I could put all the information that I have gathered onto a powwer point presentation where as I struggled to get all my research into move maker.

I have enjoyed doing my assignment which is strange but this is not like any assignment that I have done before as I chose what I wanted to base my assignment on. I feel that I have learnt a lot of the benefits of using ICT software and the different types of software that is available and how to be able to express myself through the use of ICT.

ICT assignment update

Hello

My scrapbook is eventually completed. It has taken me longer than expected to finish the scrapbook but I got there in the end. The main reason it has taken me this long to complete the scrapbook is simple......I did not know when to stop. As I was doing my scrapbook other ideas kept coming to me and I would then add them to the scrapbook as well. I thought I completed my scrapbook a few days ago but then I realised I have not even mentioned who were my favourite players were and why as well as my most memorable games. So I went back to my scrapbook and updated it to include all of the above.

I will now go and complete my final presenattion which is going to be a powerpoint movie of the history of Liverpool FC with music related to the club playing in the background.

I shall keep you updated!!!!

ICT assignment

I have also decided to us bubbl.us to create a mind map about the Heysel stadium disaster for the same reasons as the Hillsborough diasater.

Assignment update

Hello

I want to add the Hillsborough stadium disaster to my scrapbook but I wasn't sure how the best way to go about putting it in. I knew that before I even started to add anything Hillsborough related into my scrapbook I had to do a lot of research and fact finding before I start because there is a lot wrong information about Hillsborough out there. I decided the best thing to do was to create a mind map of what I already know about the disaster and work from there.

I have used a mind mapping ICT programme called bubbl.us to help me with my mind map.

ICT Project

Hello

I thought I completed my scrapbook after adding all my research in and the quotes that I have used. But then I realise that I have not even mentioned two tragic disasters that have happened to the club that has had a major impact not just on Liverpool but all football. I have now added research about each tragic event into my scrapbook and with regards to Hillsborough I've done some research into what has happened since as the fight for justice continues. When this is complete I can then completed my final presentation.

I have also used Graffiticreator.net which is a internet web site where you can create words in graffiti style. Below is one I created of Liverpool.

ICT project update

Just a quick update on how my ICT project on Liverpool fc is coming along. Well since the last time I blogged about the project I've put a lot of time and effort into my research and have now almost completed my scrapbook as well as completing my mission statement. At first I was not sure about where to start about the club and my own feelings towards the club. But once I got started it was difficult to stop. So far I've put in the scrap book my own photos of the memoribilia that I own and some mind mapping that I done and I have drawn out the timeline which I am going to use for my main part. I'm also in the process of adding all of my research that I have used from the club website and some qoutes I have got from the books that I have.Once I've completed this then I will move on to my main part of the project.
I'll keep you updated !!!!!

Guest Lecturer Jane Davidson

We had a guest lecture from Jane Davidson who was formely the national assembly education and life long learning minister from 2000 until 2007. She talked to us about the history of education in the UK as well as her own role when she was in parliment and her own books 'The learning country' and 'The learning country vision into action'.

Prior to the curiculumm brought in, in 1983 children were put into a O level stream at school or a GCE stream and the teacher decided what to teach. The National curiculumm was brought in because Margret Thatcher wanted all children to learn the same subjects and have the same experiences regardless of where they were in the country.

1983- National Cuuriculum introduced in UK by Thatchers goverment. The curriculumm came with new sets of tests the SATS which were to be taken at 3 stages of your life at the age of 7, 11 and 14. This new curriculumm was treated with a lot of anger from teachers because of the lack of freedom for the teacher within the new curriculumm.

1997- Change of goverment to Labour and Tony Blair's "Education, Education, Education" speech. Labour were concerned that the curiculumm was to structured and did not widen pupils learning enough and that some pupils were actually going backwards. So decided that change was needed. Wales had a referendum for the National Assembly and was put into place for 1999.

1999- Welsh Assembly came into place and set up two education committees pre 16 committee and post 16 committee. Each committee had their own education minister. In 2000 Rhodri Morgan became the first minsiter of Wales and Jane came in also in 2000 and began her book 'The learning country' as the current system needed change. The book was a framework for helping learners for the next stage and what to do with their life and aimed to pick up standards in schools. It was a 10 year plan and many of the initiatives are still used today. She also brought class sizes down and introduced free school breakfasts for all.

Jane also gave us some facts and opinions on education in Wales some of these were:
* Devolution has had a massive impact on education in Wales.
* She believes education is the way out of poverty as the more educated a country is the more wealthy they become.
* Weslh Back course was intrdoduced to wider access under her.
* Wales has less people than the rest of the UK with degrees.
* Wales earn less money than the rest of the Uk.
Goverment now introduce new regional pay which could result in teachers in Wales earning up to 10% less than teachers in England.
* Sickness and disability is higher in Wales than anywhere in the UK.

She talked about the foundation phase and the aim of the foundation phase was to create a new curriculum which encouraged children to be more creative.

All in all a very interseting lecture. Thats all for now.

Guest Lecturer Mike Day

We had Mike Day who is a cabinet member for education in Swansea in to give us a lecture on the role of education authorities, policies and politics. Mike gave us a outline of the education policy and described education policies as guidlines for actions to achieve goals and objectives. He went on to say that education policy reflects on political opinions, tradition and values and socio-economic objectives and that each policy is set over a long time scale.

Why is education policy needed?
* To guide operational decisions and actions.
* Teachers in classroom, What to do?
* Guidlines or straight jacket?

Who should develop it?
* Politicians or practitioners?
* Politicians elected to represent the people.
* Politicians hold the purse strings.
* Politicians are not subject experts.
* Practitioners know how it works in practice.
* Practitioners see things from their perspective.
* Practitioners unable to take the wider view.

The answer is that there should be a stakeholder engagement leading to meeting of minds.

Where is it developed?
* UK level.
* Welsh Goverment.
* Local authority.
* School and governing body level.

UK Level
* Compulsory school ages (5-16)
* Teachers pay abd conditions.
* Responsibility of local authorities, parents and schools.

Welsh Goverment
* Welsh medium.
* Foundation phase.
* No SATs.
* No academies and free schools.
* HE tution fees.
* Pupil deprivation grant.

Local Authority
* Organisation and number of schools and places.
* Improving standards.
* Advice and guidance to schools.
* Making arrangements to identify children and young people of compulsory school age.

School Governing body level
* Uniforms.
* Start and finish times.
* Raft of policies on personal and social education, child protection, changing, equal opportunties.
* School improvement plan.

Key princilpes
* Stakeholder engagement continuing openness and partnership working.
* Coherence consistence with wider education stratergies and support.
* Flexibility.
* Cost effectiveness.
* Resourced.

Thats all for now.