Friday 30 March 2007

Revision Podcast Lessons

Do you ever find yourself repeating things in class? Do your pupils need further encouragement or a different way to learn when they have their heads in books revising hour after hour?

We’ll now with the internet revolution and the wide adoption of broadband in schools and homes pupils can listen to your very own teaching podcasts. Revision podcasts can add a new dimension to learning and in fact can make it more real and more interesting! Podcasts also fit in with the personalised learning agenda set our by the government.

But how easy is it to produce a podcast?

The answer is you would probably be able to produce a podcast faster that it would take to write the material down! This makes podcasts a valuable alternative for revision for both teachers and pupils.

You can see example school podcasts at the below address:

http://www.radioanywhere.co.uk/stations.php

We offer a service to allow your teachers to enhance learning within your school by the use of revision podcasts. RadioAnywhere provides training, software, hardware and support to get your teachers producing MP3 lessons which can then be download easily over the internet. The power of this is unbelievable and this type of approach is part of the personalised learning agenda with the need to cater for different styles of learning. Some pupils actually learn better through listening rather than reading and writing!

You can register your interest in our fantastic service by filling in the form here:

http://www.radioanywhere.co.uk/

P.S. Pupils can listen to your podcast revision lessons either using a computer or they can download your MP3s onto iPods to revise on the bus or in the car!

You can call us on 01535 604026 for more information or a brochure.

Wednesday 14 March 2007

Online Surveys and Questionnaires

Schools are under an immense amount of pressure from the government to survey not only the needs of their pupils, but to also engage with families and even their local community.
Surveys are now being held as the answer to bullying. They are a means of finding out where, when and why bulling happens. Bullying has hit the headlines over the past few months and pupil questionnaires every term can help find the solutions to bullying. It will become an essential part of your school anti-bullying policy.

- A permanent online pupil anti-bully pledge

- An efficient bully reporting system that deters bullies

- A continuous ranking of bullying issues and opinions

Extended Schools are also high on the government agenda. Schools are required to conduct needs surveys in order to become a Full Service Extended School. Surveys are issued to every family in every local school, all parents of the pupils and many hundreds of local residents and employers to gauge their reactions to the schools proposals and plans for the future.

Such governmental requirements pose schools with a great many challenges, including finding time and the administrative resource. The trouble is designing and administering surveys is recognized to be time consuming. This is where online surveys for schools gives you better feedback and lessens the administrative costs of processing the raw data.

Some of our online survey templates are listed below:

- Ofsted health check surveys- Run online school council elections with automatic vote counting

- Run anti-bullying polls- Invite students to vote on social issues as part of citizenship education

- Produce post lesson feedback surveys on every topic covered

- Show that every child matters by giving every child a vote

Our online surveys are easy to use and are offered at affordable prices to all schools. Full automatic reporting of all surveys and polls are available in real time including graphing facilities.

You can gain further information by visiting our website below and filling in the enquiry form:

http://www.feedbackanywhere.co.uk

Or call us direct on 01535 604026 to discuss the possibilities further.

"This has been extremely beneficial to us. It has enabled us to celebrate successes and to recognize areas for development. We can plan actions based on the opinions and views of all stakeholders at school.” (Headteacher, Bradford)

Friday 9 March 2007

Example School Radio Stations

Example School Radio Stations - For more Podcasting Stations visit:

http://www.radioanywhere.co.uk/stations.php

LIST OF SCHOOL RADIO STATIONS

Our Lady Of Victory's Catholic Primary School, Keighley
Bradford
The latest podcasts from our media team

Norris Bank Primary School Radio Station
Stockport
Welcome to Norris Bank's Internet Radio Station!

Welcome to Radio Robinswood
Gloucestershire
Listening and Learning along with Radio Robinswood

St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School Radio Station
Lancashire
Listen to our groovy podcasts! To listen to the podcasts please click on the tab 'Hi' next to the cast you want to hear.

TTC Techno Podcasting
Essex
Podcasting Student Voice at Tendring Technology College

Radio Caroline
Milton Keynes
Welcome to the Caroline Haslett Primary School Radio Station.

Radio WG!
Birmingham
Welcome to the Wylde Green Primary School Radio Station.

Batley Girls High School
Kirklees
Batley Girls High School online radio broadcasts

Fir Tree Junior School Radio Station
Oxfordshire
Welcome to the Fir Tree Junior School Radio Station!

Lytchett Matravers Primary School Radio Station
Dorset
Welcome to the Radio Station for Lytchett Matravers Primary School.

Bushy Hill Junior School Radio Station
Surrey
Welcome to the Bushy Hill Junior School Radio Station!

WebAnywhere Radio
Bradford
WebAnywhere Schools Advice Radio Station

St Mark's CE Primary School
Stockport
Welcome to our Podcasts! Click on the 'Hi' icon to listen. You may need to install Adobe Flash Player first. There is a link on our web site

Yeo Moor Junior School
Anglesey
Welcome to the Yeo Moor radio station

Mowbray Special School Radio Station
North Yorkshire
Welcome to the Mowbray Special School Radio Station.

Lordswood Girls School Radio Station
Birmingham
Welcome to the Lordswood Girls School Radio Station!

Radio Ravenshead
Nottinghamshire
Podcasts produced by year 6 children from Ravenshead C of E Primary School.

Lent Rise Radio
Buckinghamshire
Welcome to the Lent Rise Radio Station!

St John the Evangelist CofE Primary School Radio Station
Oxfordshire
Welcome to the St John the Evangelist CofE Primary School Radio Station!

Our Lady Queen of Peace Radio
Our Lady Queen of Peace Radio Station

St Thomas More Catholic College Radio
Stoke-on-Trent
St Thomas More Catholic College Radio

St Anne Line Radio
Essex
Welcome to St Anne Line radio station!!

Childs Hill Radio
Barnet
The latest podcasts from our school

Why have a school website?

Having a website is an effective way of communicating with your school's wider community, including parents, pupils and prospective pupils, including international students.

Properly constructed websites are information systems. They efficiently structure content to provide visitors with knowledge and insight.

Your School Website can:

- Introduce visitors to the school
- its mission, its character, its offerings to children and its overall spirit.
- Point to excellent information on the larger web - linking to websites that support the curriculum and the community
- Offer an opportunity for the publishing of student works
- whether those works be art, music, or writing
- Some parents have actually started to 'shop' for schools by visiting websites and comparing features. Many schools have seen the value of outlining the school mission and the kinds of learning available while sharing valuable items such as calendars, latest news, etc.

For a quote please follow the link below and submit an enquiry using the form provided:

http://www.webanywhere.co.uk

All WebAnywhere school websites are produced from scratch by our team of professional graphic designers. We aim to combine striking design with intuitive navigation to provide a professional and attractive website for your school.

We support you and your school throughout the production process. Each project has a dedicated project manager who will support you throughout the project, providing guidance and advice where required.

Online learning for all pupils by 2008

The government has recognised the benefits of online learning and has set a target of Spring 2008, by which time it hopes all schools will have a Learning Platform in place to ensure their pupils benefit from access to anytime, anywhere learning resources and activities.

If you are interested in piloting the Moodle Learning Platform for FREE please click the link below and submit an enquiry on the School Anywhere website:

http://www.schoolanywhere.co.uk

Alternatively, please send us your school logo and colours and we will setup a test Learning Platform for your school for free.

Please do not hesitate to contact me or one of the team on 01535 604026 for further information regarding the School Anywhere service.

Log on to a wealth of resources - Moodle

The latest studies show that pupils who used ICT-based revision and question materials achieve better results than their teachers predicted.

We offer premium websites powered by Moodle which allow your pupils to login anytime, anywhere.

Your pupils can:
- discuss with fellow pupils and teachers matters of educational importance
- download useful educational resources to help in revision e.g. powerpoints, worksheets
- take part in quizzes to test their knowledge of a particular area

Teachers can:
- see which pupils are logging on and making the most effort online
- see which subjects and topics pupils struggle with from the results of self marking tests and address those weaknesses in class
- add their own educational resources, links and quizzes as they please.

If you are interested in trying Moodle for FREE and upgrading your website please follow the link below and fill in the enquiry form:

http://www.schoolanywhere.co.uk

Or if you would like a FREE online demonstration please call me on 01535 604026.

We are an official Moodle partner within the UK and Moodle helps to deliver in the DfES personalised learning agenda for this year. The Open University used Moodle to deliver personalised learning for thousands upon thousands of students.

Examples School Moodles





SchoolAnywhere Learning Platform Clients

We have recently worked with the following schools to create Moodle sites:

Barnet
St Mary and St Johns CE Primary School
Barnet
Holy Trinity C of E Primary School
Barnsley
Heather Garth Primary School
Barnsley
Worsbrough Common Primary School
Birmingham
Wylde Green Primary School
Birmingham
Marston Green Junior School
Birmingham
St Thomas More Catholic Primary School
Birmingham
St Dunstan's Catholic Primary School
Blackburn with Darwen
St Michael with St John CofE Primary School
Bolton
SS Osmund and Andrew's RC Primary School
Bolton
St Bede CE Primary School
Bolton
Bolton Parish Church Primary School
Bradford
Burley and Woodhead C of E Primary School
Bradford
Greengates Primary School
Bradford
St Anthony's Clayton
Bradford
Atlas Community Primary School
Bradford
St Anne's RC Primary School
Bradford
St Francis Catholic Primary School
Bradford
St. Matthew's CofE Primary School and Nursery
Bradford
Thackley Primary School
Bradford
Lister Primary School
Bradford
St Josephs Catholic Primary School
Bradford
Trinity All Saints C of E Primary School
Bradford
Clayton Village Primary School
Bradford
Copthorne Primary School
Bradford
Frizinghall Primary School
Bradford
St Williams Catholic Primary School
Bradford
Girlington Primary School
Bradford
Shipley C of E Primary School
Bradford
St Matthews Catholic Primary School
Bradford
Clayton C of E Primary
Bradford
Ashlands Primary School
Bradford
Riddlesden St Mary's CE Primary School
Bradford
East Morton C of E Primary School
Bradford
Long Lee Primary School
Bradford
Nessfield Primary School
Bradford
Glenaire Primary School
Bradford
High Crags Primary School
Bradford
Oldfield Primary School
Bradford
Grove House Primary School
Bradford
Greenhead High School
Bradford
Feversham College
Bradford
Nab Wood Grammar School
Bradford
Oakworth Primary School
Bradford
Our Lady of Victories
Bradford
Addingham Primary School
Bradford
Worth Valley
Bradford
Worthinghead Primary School
Bradford
Buttershaw Primary School
Bradford
Shirley Manor Primary School
Bradford
St Josephs Primary School
Bradford
Russell Hall Primary School
Bromley
Oak Lodge Primary School
Buckinghamshire
Lent Rise Learning World
Buckinghamshire
St Bernard's
Buckinghamshire
West Wycombe Combined School
Buckinghamshire
Curzon CE Combined School
Buckinghamshire
Buckingham School
Buckinghamshire
Aylesbury High School
Buckinghamshire
Wendover House School
Buckinghamshire
Caroline Haslett Primary School
Calderdale
Whitehill Primary
Cheshire
St Edwards Catholic Primary School
Cheshire
Saighton CofE Primary School
Cheshire
William Beamont Community School
City of Derby
St Mary's Catholic Primary School
Cumbria
Staveley CofE School
Devon
Marwood Primary School
Doncaster
North Doncaster Technology College
Durham
Wingate Junior School
Durham
Newbuildings Primary School
Durham
St Davog's Primary School
East Riding of Yorkshire
St John of Beverley RC Primary School
East Riding of Yorkshire
All Saints CofE VC Junior School
East Sussex
Polegate School
East Sussex
Pells Church of England Primary School
East Sussex
Holy Cross CofE Primary School
Essex
Horndon-on-the-Hill CofE Primary School
Essex
Scotts Primary School
Essex
Cedar Hall School
Gloucestershire
Chosen Hill School
Hackney
Woodberry Down Community Primary School
Hampshire
Milford On Sea CE Primary School
Hartlepool
Rossmere Primary School
Havering
Scotts Primary
Kent
Palace Wood Junior School
Kent
St Benedict's Roman Catholic Primary School
Kent
St Georges Middle School
Kingston
Westcott Primary School
Kingston
Endlieigh HC
Kingston
Endsleigh Holy Child Primary School
Lambeth
Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School
Lancashire
Barrow Primary School
Lancashire
Ansdell Primary School
Lancashire
Winmarleigh CE Primary School
Lancashire
Sacred Heart R.C. Primary School
Lancashire
Slaidburn Brennands Endowed Primary School
Leeds
Shakespeare
Leicester
Montrose School
Leicestershire
Sheepy Magna CofE Primary School
Leicestershire
Loughborough High School
Lincolnshire
Waddingham Primary School
Lincolnshire
Leasingham St Andrews CofE Primary School
Manchester
St Patrick's RC Primary School
Manchester
St Anne's RC Primary School Crumpsall Manchester
Merton
Gorringe Park Primary School
Middlesbrough
Corpus Christi RC Primary School
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
St John Vianney RC Primary School
Norfolk
Parkside School
Norfolk
Mendham Primary School
North Tyneside
Glencryan School
North Yorkshire
Skipton Parish CofE VC Primary School
Northamptonshire
St. Lawrence C of E Primary School
Northamptonshire
Millway Primary School
Northamptonshire
Bracken Leas Primary School
Northamptonshire
Blakesley CofE Primary School
Northamptonshire
Ashton CofE Primary School
Northumberland
Burnside First School
Northumberland
Milfield Community First School
Northumberland
Milfield Community First School
Nottinghamshire
Holy Trinity School
Oxfordshire
Barley Hill Primary School
Oxfordshire
Langford Village Primary School
Peterborough
Ken Stimpson Community School
Redcar & Cleveland
Lingdale Primary School
Rhondda
Hawthorn High School
Rhondda
Hendreforgan Primary School
Rochdale
Hollingworth Business and Enterprise College
Salford
Holy Cross and All Saints RC Primary School
Sefton
St John Bosco CPS
Sheffield
Mylnhurst Preparatory School & Nursery
Slough
Godolphin Junior School
South Tyneside
Monkton Junior School
St Helens
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School
Staffordshire
St Edwards CofE First School
Staffordshire
All Saints CofE First School
Suffolk
Beccles Middle School
Suffolk
Fressingfield CofE VA Primary School
Suffolk
Stradbroke CofE VC Primary School
Suffolk
Wilby CofE VC Primary School
Suffolk
Worlingworth CofE VC Primary School
Suffolk
All Saints CofE VA Primary School
Surrey
Tolworth Girls School
Surrey
St Polycarp's Catholic Primary School
Swindon
Catherine Wayte Primary School
Swindon
Ruskin Junior School
Swindon
St Lukes School
Wakefield
Knottingley Throstle Farm Junior and Infant School
Wandsworth
Graveney School
Wiltshire
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Purton
Wolverhampton
Oxley Primary School

Pupils taking ownership of their learning - 2020 Vision Review Group Report

"Pupils are more likely to be engaged with the curriculum they are offered if they believe it is relevant and if they are given opportunities to take ownership of their learning." (2020 Vision Review Group)

Reflective schools view ‘pupil voice’ as far more than establishing a pupil council. They are engaging pupils actively in shaping learning and teaching, for example, by:

- inviting pupils to work with teachers in curriculum teams to review schemes of work and develop plans for improving learning and teaching
- asking pupils to provide feedback on particular lessons, either through general surveys or by training them as observers of lessons
- conducting regular surveys experience and how it could results with all pupils
- involving pupils in the selection process for new members of staff.

Online pupil surveys are the most cost effective and efficient way to gain rapid feedback from your pupils to help drive personalised learning in your school.

You can find out more about pupil feedback questionnaires by visiting the FeedbackAnywhere website below and filling in the enquiry form:

http://www.feedbackanywhere.co.uk

Or if you have further questions you can call us on 01535 604026.

"Schools should undergo self-evaluation to draw on pupils’ feedback, specifically on learning and teaching."(2020 Vision Review Group)

We can tailor pupil surveys to meet the needs of your school's teaching and learning the results of which can be used by your leadership team to address areas for improvement or areas of concern.

Moodle and the Personalised Learning Agenda

One of Moodle’s unique selling points is that it’s underpinned by a social constructionist pedagogy. But what, you may well ask, does that mean, and why should it matter?

Constructivism is a view of learning, and pretty much the world, which says that knowledge is something which the learner needs to create, or construct, for themselves, rather than receiving it passively from some fount of authority, like a text book or a teacher – in other words, sitting in class or reading a book isn’t enough – as a learner you’ve got to make it mean something for you personally. Now, social constructivism goes a bit further, and says that this really isn’t something that you do just on your own – it’s by being part of a learning community, and through conversation and the interchange of ideas that this knowledge gets constructed for the learners as a group.

There’s an increasingly broad, international consensus across a whole host of disciplines and in all phases of education, that good learning is really all about this guided process of knowledge construction, and that effective education is going to be characterized by ideas like reflective thinking, collaboration, intrinsic motivation, a well constructed knowledge base and an emphasis on problem solving. Moodle supports this sort of learning online.

So reflective thinking is encouraged through journal type assignments, in which learners can privately reflect on their learning with the encouragement of their teachers, or through Moodle’s discussion forums, in which this reflection can be shared with other learners.

Moodle provides plenty of opportunity for learners to enjoy their subject for its own sake, by providing links to other resources, further reading, opportunities for learners to upload their own discoveries and immediate feedback on online quizzes.

Not only does Moodle do all that a personal learning space should, it actually empowers the learner by giving them the autonomy to make choices about their learning and still lets them communicate and collaborate with one another – it offers a model of personalized learning in which the learner is valued as a person and their own unique contribution to the community is acknowledged.

Learn more about how your school could use Moodle by following the link below and filling in the enquiry form.

http://www.schoolanywhere.co.uk

Moodle Services for your School

56% of UK further education colleges use Moodle as a Virtual Learning Environment.

What is Moodle?

Moodle emerged in 1999 from the Australian higher education community. Most of its rise to fame has been in the last two years, and as of December 2006 there are 19,000 registered Moodle sites serving 7.7m learners in 160 countries. It is designed to support social and collaborative learning which comes at a relevant time as the industry refocuses on informal and blended learning models. Moodle comes with an impressive array of features and is highly configurable and extensible. And, of course, the bit that is on everybody’s lips: Moodle is free.
Many more schools have been keen to talk about the possibility of using Moodle in the future.

Please follow the link and complete the form on our website to register your interest in Moodle.

http://www.schoolanywhere.co.uk

We will then contact you by phone shortly to discuss further your interest.
Or you can call us on 01535 604026 to discuss personalised learning in your school.

EXAMPLE SCHOOL MOODLE LINKS (follow the links to see each example):

Wylde Green
http://www.vle-westmidlands.co.uk/leas/bir/wyldegreen/

St. Lawrence
http://www.vle-eastmidlands.co.uk/leas/nhs/stlawrence/index.php

Greenhead High
http://www.vle-yorks.co.uk/leas/bfd/greenheadhigh/

Tolworth Girls
http://www.vle-southeast.co.uk/leas/sur/tolworthgirls/index.php

We offer training, support, hosting, administration, branding and content management for your school's Moodle and we are an official UK Moodle Partner.

Personalised Learning - Tailoring lessons for every pupil

There is a very tricky question which is bothering many people involved in schools today, namely: "What is personalised education?"

The question is important because "personalisation" is the current buzzword in the Department for Education and in schools.

So, behind this confusion, the truth is that personalised education could be the biggest change to teaching and learning for many decades. It has the potential to re-engage the interest of thousands of uninterested pupils.

Learning may take place outside the classroom, either at home or during after-school activities. It may be delivered by means of ICT such as the Moodle learning platform. Moodle allows teachers and pupils to log onto classroom resources and activities from the comfort of their homes. Pupils can interact with each other using forums to discuss work and teachers can monitor homework effort and attainment remotely without having to carry books home!
School Anywhere is the official Moodle Partner for Primary Schools in the UK territory.

If you would like to try out the Moodle Virtual Learning Environment for FREE please click the link below and register:

http://www.schoolanywhere.co.uk

If you have further questions regarding extending your classrooms outside school hours to raise standards please call me on 01535 604026.

Radio Station of the Week - St Mark's CE Primary School, Stockport

This week’s Radio Station of the Week is St Mark's CE Primary School, Stockport.

You can listen to the following podcasts produced by the school by clicking the link below and then clicking on the iPod icons (please make sure your computer has sound turned on):

- Class 8 - Spring Term Topics
- St Mark's School Council
- St Mark's Nursery School
- Teddy Bear Poems
- Manchester Art Gallery Review- Class 4
- Poems by Walter de la Mare- Reception Class
- The Wheels on the Bus
- St Mark's School sing 'Shine on Me'- Class 7
- Myths and Legends

http://www.radioanywhere.co.uk/displayStation.php?station=15

If you are interested in running a radio station similar to St. Mark's please follow the link below and fill in the enquiry form:

http://www.radioanywhere.co.uk

You can call Ciaran Gilligan (Customer Services Manager) on 01535 604026 for more information on RadioAnywhere and find out how pupils love producing radio content as part of the curriculum!

School Website Redesign

The Internet is a very fast moving environment and it is important that your website remains up to date with current internet trends and surfer expectations. An out of date website can have a negative effect on how your school is perceived by potential parents and pupils. If you are looking for a website redesign we are the perfect choice.

Changing the look and feel of your site is an important aspect of a website's maintenance.
We have over 2,000 satisfied school customers and many of these people chose WebAnywhere for our website redesign services. We also have an iron clad money back guarantee!

You can see new example website designs and make an enquiry on a redesign by following the link below and filling in the form:

http://www.webanywhere.co.uk/index.php?tab=2&secondary_tab=6

Or call our sales and support line on 01535 604026.

One of our account managers and a website design team member will provide a no obligation assessment of your website and recommend any appropriate enhancements for your consideration. These enhancements along with your ideas can then be applied to the redesign of your website.

Give your school a voice with podcasting!

Teachers can add a new dynamic across the curriculum by the use of radio to empower pupils. Radio over the internet is a fantastic way to engage all pupils even those who lack motivation. Ultimately this leads to pupils taking greater pride in their work since it is going out to a global audience! RadioAnywhere makes learning fun!

If you are interested in setting up an internet radio station at your school or you would like to
learn more please click the link below and fill in the enquiry form:

http://www.radioanywhere.co.uk

RadioAnywhere can be used in school to meet various objectives including:

- Personalising Learning
- Speaking and Listening
- Better relationships with peers and teachers
- Independent thinking skills
- Media Literacy
- Writing for new reasons
- Enhancing different learning styles

If you would like more information please do not hesitate to contact us on 01535 604026

Top 10 School Websites (March 2007)

Please click the links below to see the current top 10 school websites for this month:

http://www.st-peters.kent.sch.uk

http://www.crumpsall.manchester.sch.uk

http://www.stjohnboscoprimary.co.uk

http://www.ourladysjun.cheshire.sch.uk

http://www.badby.northants.sch.uk

http://www.shakespeareleeds.org.uk

http://www.hallbrook.leics.sch.uk

http://www.kingwilliam.swindon.sch.uk

http://www.kirkiretonprimary.co.uk

http://www.waddingham.lincs.sch.uk

If you are interested in getting a school website which is similar to the top 10 please follow the link below and fill in the enquiry form:

http://www.webanywhere.co.uk

Or call us direct on 01535 604026 to learn more.