I am MisterJim

I had a great time tonight at TeachMeet X, organised by Jan Webb (@janwebb21) Helen Morgan (@NellMog) & Zoe Ross (@zoeross19). The presentations were great. All informative, all of benefit. This didn't feel like a course tonight. It felt like one of those staff meetings where everyone actually listens & actively engages. I was up near the end of the night and, to be honest, was feeling outclassed by the brilliant presentations that I had watched over the course of the evening. The redoubtable Peter Richardson (@primarypete_) kicked off proceedings with 4 tools to use in school. I specifically liked the way he used posterous to create a weekend diary for his class teddy. Very good way of embedding awareness of technology & also a good way to reinforce to other adults that children simply accept that this is how to communicate these days (even with Year 1s) He was followed by a plethora of great presentations, Ian Addison's (@ianaddison) Voki presentation showed...

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.  ~Anatole France   Wow. A deep quote for the start of a new year. I think that this year more than any it is time to leave behind a part of my teaching self. As a result of this, I have purposely removed previous planning or ideas from my teaching and am starting from scratch as of now. Change isn't something that you undertake painlessly, but the outcomes will be worth the graft. I am in the process of changing from teacher to middle leader and there are elements of my personality & style that will have to take a back seat - especially when it comes to voicing my opinions (which those of you who know me will realise I have no problem with!). I think that, for the last few days, I have been trying to fit in what I used to do at my old school, with what I must do at my new school. Big Mistake Number One...

He who rejects change is the architect of decay.  The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.  ~Harold Wilson. This afternoon I started to join in to #edchat on Twitter. The conversation was heavily leaning towards the emergence of online learning and it's potential impact on education in the future. A lot of people were voicing the new regime of online or virtual learning, against the more conservative, traditional view. This got me thinking about jumping on the bandwagon before the path has been thought out. I am of the opinion that the best changes often happen slowly, affording seamless transitions between sections. This, in itself, is a great management technique, although there is, on occasion, the need to rip out bad practice quickly and noisily. But I digress, as usual. Where was I? Change. Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. Bertold Brecht Trust a playwright to sum things up so well. I welcome change, b...

It’s funny how quickly 5 years passes in the blink of an eye. On Friday, I’ll leave Hawes Side Primary School, in Blackpool, the school that I started my teaching career at. It’ll be strange, starting at a new school – with different coloured uniform for a start off! There’ll be new expectations, roles and colleagues too. Like anyone would, I worry that I won’t be what they are expecting; some strange unknown quantity who’ll park in the wrong car parking space and use their  cup to make a brew at break time. I worry about my way of thinking in regard to education. Has it been rigidly shaped by the organisation I work for, or is it flexible; able to settle over the unfamiliar new routines with aplomb? I am fortunate, too, to have created some fantastic links with people in different schools and authorities with whom I can talk to. I believe that communication is a pivotal to staff development as anything & affording ourselves opportunities for professional dialogue is a priorit...

Well, the nerves have cleared now and the day is done. The morning started off well at a fantastic, newly built school called Murton Community Primary School (or 'The Ribbon' as it's known locally). Their resources are phenomenal. Loads of iMacs, Dell notebooks & plasma screens instead of whiteboards. I started off with twitter, displaying the fantastic response from my PLN and their tips as to why you should use twitter. The staff were all geared up to signing up, when twitter reported being 'over capacity'.. grrr! Still, most people said they would go away and sign up. A fantastic response about the generosity with which the people I know on twitter share. Thank you, for convincing others of how beneficial it can be. We then looked at primarypad. A great piece of kit, I'm sure you'll all agree. I went down the road of explaining that technology - however fancy - needs to be used in the correct context, in a structured and beneficial way. There's...

Tomorrow I am working with a group of teachers at Murton Primary School, Co. Durham, who are coming to learn about engaging through technology. It's a big leap for me as I've never really done any sort of teacher training before. The usual questions leap to mind. Will I be any good? Will they get anything out of it? That sort of thing. I also think of the cost of getting me here, accomodation, day rates, supply cover for the teachers attending. It starts to make me nervous. Am I really able to provide good value for money? In my worrying, I turn to the content of my day's work: I'm introducing Twitter as a way of creating additional communication for students in the classroom and also for teachers to expand their professional learning network. I'm looking at PrimaryPad and the impact it can have when used correctly. After that, I'm talking about storybird & voicethread. Two fantastic tools that can be used in creative and effective ways - and that can be...

Right, this week I've been having a play with some different things that I can use in classroom situations. I've interested in storytelling at the moment and affording children an opportunity to share their work. 1.  Storybird This is by no means new, but I've found it really useful for a range of topics and year groups. It's ability to pitch at specific age ranges is great for focusing upper juniors into writing for an audience. The pictures are emotive and the vast selection of topics ensures individuality in the finished product. It's really easy to make an account &  the kids get loads of enjoyment out of it. 2.  Zooburst I've only had a quick play on this, but the possibilities of this for classroom use are quite varied. To sign up for an account, you simply fill in a quick form and Craig, who I think created it, emails you back within a day. The bit I like is that you can use your own pictures or photos so, combine this with a visualiser ...