Video today!

Another busy day. Today I was trying to get a quiet space to video some children as part of the Associated Schools Group project using the MP3 players - not always easy in an open classroom when there is nearly always something happening in the open area. (Whoever designed open plan schools never had to teach in one!) The children were a bit self-conscious at first, but were able to answer questions - not bad for their first time! Still got a bit to do tomorrow, as a guide to how well children are able to give feed back on someone else's work. They will be filmed again after having done some work on AifL, hopefully improving at the end of the trial time.

Recording our story

Today the pupils in my Primary 3 class used MP3 players to record section of our version of 'The Three Little Pigs'. There were some dramatic voices from the Big Bad Wolf and Little Pigs! Just a few gaps to fill now! The Illustrations were started today too, so hopefully we'll have something to share by the end of the week!

New project on eTwinning

I am working with partners from France, Malta and Poland on a new eTwinning project called 'Fairy Tales Across Europe'. After introducing my pupils to our new MP3 players last week - they had a great time saying nursery rhymes and singing - we are all set to tell our version of 'The Three Little Pigs'. We read several different versions,including the one in Scots by Matthew Fitt, and chose the bits we liked best! Tomorrow is recording day - the chidren were practising their character voices today -and we'll be doing illustrations in the afternoon! The children are enthusiastic about reading to each other and getting the voices right! I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with!

Where has the time gone?

It's now November. How did that happen?? I'm now back in my own classroom - the last year in an open classroom! (We move into our new building next August!) Since the eTwinning Conference in June, I've been busy. On a school visit to Paris, I met up with my eTwinning partner, Isabelle, and exchanged our toys, Hamish and Boule de neige while we were in Disneyland!
I gained my Chartered Teacher status on June 20th and was ready for the summer holidays! We didn't go away, but caught upon a few jobs around the house, painting etc.
The big event which has taken up much of my time was my elder daughter's wedding! This took place on 2nd November and was a fantastic day! I know everyone thinks their day is the best ever- we certainly did! We even had the bonus of Ayr's firework display at the Racecourse, timed perfectly for just after the first dance - the photos looked great!

As this blog has the schoolname, I will try to keep to school related events from now on. Maybe I'll get myself organised for a personal blog as well!

eTwinning again!

Here I am, many weeks later, eventually writing something new!

I am in Nottingham at the etwinning Conference learning more about blogging! I even remembered my login name without having to check my diary!

You always learn something new!

Holidays?

Here we are, half way through the second week of the Easter Holidays and what have I done? I've spent most of my time sitting right here, typing into this computer! I'm less than a couple of weeks away from the hand in date for my Chartered Teacher Submission. I thought it was going to be so difficult to write enough, but no! I'm nearly two thousand words over the limit! Get out the red pen! (Who said 'Typical!'??)
Even though I still have lots to do, I now feel that I can see the Finish Line away in the distance! It'sprobably just as weell that I don't know exactly how much I still need to do! It's those fiddly admin bits that always take more time that you think!
I've also managed to do this on my PC after weeks of not being able to get on! Youpi! as my French friend Isabelle says!

And another thing!

We've just got some lovely new MacBooks in school. Our Programme for teaching ICT skills is based on the Appleworks program, so I was so disappointed to find Macs no longer come with Appleworks as standard. We'll have to fork out for licences until we have managed to change our package to suit Microsoft software.

Mac also have stopped supplying the wee connector to link to a data projector - these now have to be purchased separately. Just as more people are using them on a more regular basis too - or is that the point? We have to have them! Or am I just being cynical?

The badge is back!

Well I've got my clock and Flickr badge back on my new template. I've had quite a few problems though. I can't get on to Blogger in school - another job for the technicians to get that unblocked! I can't get on to it on my PC either! What am I doing wrong? I know it gets harder to remember things as you get older and I've got too many login names and passwords, but how can I help other people to use blogs when I can't get things to work myself?

At Last!

Ever since I changed to the new login, I have been unable to get into post a new blog! I was using my PC rather than my trusty Mac and for some reason, couldn't get past a message to "click here to continue"!

Having spent the weekend in Brussels at an eTwinning Conference, I consulted with the expert - Ewan McIntosh - and here I am, on my Mac of course! The Conference was really good! I met up with a lot of old friends as well as making many new ones. Two of my eTwinning partners were there, Isabelle form Nancy, France and Maria, from Hamrun in Malta, so we had plenty to talk about! We made some plans for future developments to our projects as well as general socialising!

Brussels is a lovely city and we managed to get into the Grande Place a couple of times and buy the obligatory Belgian chocolates. I sampled the raspberry beer and the cherry beer which are more to my taste than the other Belgian beers - much sweeter!

The journey home was not so good though! Instead of flying to Glasgow from Birmingham, we were taken to Edinburgh and then put on a coach to Glasgow. Right up till the plane landed, we were told we would be flying on to Glasgow. However, the ground staff said that was never happening. Why didn't British Airways just tell us the truth from the start?