Thursday, October 28, 2010
Diversity Assembly: Emmeleine Pankkhurst
Miss Oakley spoke in assembly this morning the work of Emmeline Pankhurst, the Suffragette who campaigned for votes for women. This tied in very well with our House Captain elections tomorrow! Pupils were encouraged to be inspired by such people as Mrs Pankhurst, to overcome the odds and fight for what they believe in!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Heartstart 2
Today after school we were privileged to have Angela from the British Heart Foundation to complete our HeartStart training. This mean that a number of staff are now trained instructor and we are able to build a Heartstart programme that Cedars children can participate in. Many thanks to Angela!
Kits for Kids
Primary 4/5 will be supporting the Kits for Kids charity this term.
Kits 4 Kids are collecting your old and outgrown football kits to bring smiles to 10,000 Football daft kids this Christmas.
The Katha Day Care Centre - just outside Johannesburg - provides vital support to families left without parents after being affected by HIV/AIDS.
These kids don't have parents to put smiles on their faces this Christmas
- BUT YOU CAN!!!
Bring P4/5 your old football kits and help us make 10,000 smiles this Christmas morning.
Many thanks for your support for Kits 4 Kids.
the Katha Day Centre is a Registered Charity in South Africa.
Charity Number 031-394 NPO
Kits 4 Kids are collecting your old and outgrown football kits to bring smiles to 10,000 Football daft kids this Christmas.
The Katha Day Care Centre - just outside Johannesburg - provides vital support to families left without parents after being affected by HIV/AIDS.
These kids don't have parents to put smiles on their faces this Christmas
- BUT YOU CAN!!!
Bring P4/5 your old football kits and help us make 10,000 smiles this Christmas morning.
Many thanks for your support for Kits 4 Kids.
the Katha Day Centre is a Registered Charity in South Africa.
Charity Number 031-394 NPO
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Internet safety
S3 - 5 pupils took part in an afternoon led by Miss Rukin about internet safety, cyber bullying and online etiquette. It very informative and well received. The powerpoint presentations will be available soon from the school website.
WIPTE 2010
I'm currently in Blacksburg, VA at the Skelton Conference Centre at Virginia Tech university. The 2010 Workshop on the Impact of Pen-based Computing in Education started yesterday and finishes today. My session is the last one of the conference.
The session revels in the wonderful title of "Tablet PC vs. iPad Education Smackdown"!. I will do my best to uphold the school's honour and not smack anyone down too hard.
For all the talk of a face-off, I think I and my new Tablet PC-using friends are really on the same side of the technological street. The WIPTE attendees have experience in delivering 1:1 technology in classrooms all over the world. I am similarly of the opinion that the cornerstone of our experience with the iPad is the fact that everyone has their own.
We have never tried to say that the iPad is the only way to deliver technology in the classroom. Indeed, we have never said that "technology in the classroom" was our goal. What we have tried to do is recognise the role of digital resources in the modern world and adapt our teaching and IT provision to reflect that.
You couldn't imagine a school where pupils only had access to books for one or two hours each week, or where there is one book to share amongst a class of 25 pupils, yet that is the position of digital resources in many schools. Before our iPad deployment we had just one computer for every four pupils. I don't think that mode of teaching reflects the modern world. In many households, there are more computing devices than people (don't forget to count your smartphones, iPod touches and games consoles!).
Whether iPad or Tablet PC, we have to recognise that the world has changed irrevocably. We can't prepare students for the world of tomorrow by teaching them with the paper-only classroom resources of the 1970s. Everyone at this conference already sees this and I hope we're not going to get too hung up on whether you touch the screen with your finger or a pen.
The session revels in the wonderful title of "Tablet PC vs. iPad Education Smackdown"!. I will do my best to uphold the school's honour and not smack anyone down too hard.
For all the talk of a face-off, I think I and my new Tablet PC-using friends are really on the same side of the technological street. The WIPTE attendees have experience in delivering 1:1 technology in classrooms all over the world. I am similarly of the opinion that the cornerstone of our experience with the iPad is the fact that everyone has their own.
We have never tried to say that the iPad is the only way to deliver technology in the classroom. Indeed, we have never said that "technology in the classroom" was our goal. What we have tried to do is recognise the role of digital resources in the modern world and adapt our teaching and IT provision to reflect that.
You couldn't imagine a school where pupils only had access to books for one or two hours each week, or where there is one book to share amongst a class of 25 pupils, yet that is the position of digital resources in many schools. Before our iPad deployment we had just one computer for every four pupils. I don't think that mode of teaching reflects the modern world. In many households, there are more computing devices than people (don't forget to count your smartphones, iPod touches and games consoles!).
Whether iPad or Tablet PC, we have to recognise that the world has changed irrevocably. We can't prepare students for the world of tomorrow by teaching them with the paper-only classroom resources of the 1970s. Everyone at this conference already sees this and I hope we're not going to get too hung up on whether you touch the screen with your finger or a pen.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Mr. Speirs Goes to Washington
Hello Everyone,
I'm currently in Washington DC, ready to drive down to Blacksburg, Virginia tomorrow to take part in the Workshop on the Impact of Pen-Based Computing in Education.
I was invited to the conference to participate in a debate and to share our experiences with deploying the iPad in 1:1 education.
I spent the day doing a little sightseeing around the Mall.
I'll write some more as the week goes on. Later, I'll be travelling to Savannah, Georgia to visit another school.
I'm currently in Washington DC, ready to drive down to Blacksburg, Virginia tomorrow to take part in the Workshop on the Impact of Pen-Based Computing in Education.
I was invited to the conference to participate in a debate and to share our experiences with deploying the iPad in 1:1 education.
I spent the day doing a little sightseeing around the Mall.
I'll write some more as the week goes on. Later, I'll be travelling to Savannah, Georgia to visit another school.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Costumes
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to find such great costumes for our history day. All the children looked great.
Scotland the Brave!
Our first history day has been a roaring success! Thank you to all parents for your efforts with costumes- the children looked fantastic!
Today we have learnt lots about heritage from one another, and feel inspired to learn more! We are proud to be Scottish!!
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Today we have learnt lots about heritage from one another, and feel inspired to learn more! We are proud to be Scottish!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We are successful learners...
Finally, Mrs Speirs explained the significance of settlers in Scotland, using our own Romans, Vikings and Victorians...
We are excellent!!
The drama continued on our history day as pupils showcased their learning and helped one another make links between the periods we are studying.
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
The invasion continues!
Following our living timeline, pupils performed plays demonstrating their learning across the curriculum this term. Lots of confident individuals and successful learners here!
History day!!
Watch out if you are in Cedars School today- we've been invaded! Pupils from P2-S2 are dressed up in costume from the time they are studying! Look at the photos and see if you can guess who we are learning about this term....
We are improving our chronological understanding and making links between the different periods in history.
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We are improving our chronological understanding and making links between the different periods in history.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, October 7, 2010
S5 Broader Curriculum
S5 girls were doing some home economics yesterday - filling and icing profiteroles and stacking them up in a tower - yum! I think the best part was eating the icing! They did a great job!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Heartstart CPD
Today after school the staff had a CPD session from Angela who works with the British Heart Foundation. We are going through the Heartstart programme and most staff will be qualified as instructors at the end of the course. It was nice to meet Angela and an interesting course which helps prepare us for emergency situations.
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