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I have just received this from Jean Maund at WMnet:

Dear Colleague

Some time ago you trialled the JISC Collections for Schools online resources so I am writing to let you know that the opportunity to join a buying group has arisen. A number of schools in the West Midlands area are keen to take out a subscription to some of the resources so the more schools we can get to join the group the lower the prices will be.

Jean Maund at the West Midlands Broadband Consortium (WMnet) has agreed to coordinate the buying group so if you had been thinking about taking out a subscription to one or more of the online resources but weren’t sure your school could afford it then this buying group could well make it possible.

To remind you, the resources currently available via JISC Collections for Schools include:

• The Education Image Gallery
• Grove Art Online
• Grove Music Online
• The Guardian and Observer Digital Archive
• History Study Centre
• Keesing’s World News Archive
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• Oxford Language Dictionaries Online
• Oxford Reference Online
• Science Resource Centre
• The Times Digital Archive

Our website (http://www.jcs.nen.gov.uk/) includes a PowerPoint presentation which provides a clear overview of the initiative, the resources and the pricing model – which you might find useful to share with colleagues to gain support. Pricing information is also available on the site, and Jean will be using our dynamic spreadsheet to track the price savings as schools register for the buying group.

We have set a deadline of Friday 19 June for the creation of this Buying Group which allows time for new trials to be taken up if required. On that date Jean will be able to tell all schools in the group how much their selected resources will cost. All she needs to know now is the name of the school, the total number of learners and the resource(s) that you would like to subscribe to.

If you would like any further information about the resources or the pricing please don’t hesitate to contact Jon Woodward at JISC Collections via jcs-info@jisc.ac.uk or Jean Maund at WMnet

With the changes to the Shropshire internet feed I have received an email from Steve Horsfield of WMnet to remind me about the NEN facilities regulated by IP address i.e. access is only available from a recognised schools’ IP address.

The London Grid for Learning, working in partnership with Redbridge Ethnic Minority Advisory Team and ICT team, would like to invite schools to take part in a videoconference  for KS2(student age 7-11) during Black History Month – ‘People of Achievement Past and Present’ on October 1st starting at 8.50 am and ending at 12.10pm.
 
There is now a `new` updated programme – so please go to: http://www.lgfl.net/lgfl/sections/blackhistory/homepage/programme%20final/?verb=view
 
Schools can take part via video conference or via the live stream and using the live forum. 
 
We have celebrities……. DJ Spoony <http://www.djspoony.com/biography.aspx>  , Dr Funke Baffour <http://www.acepsychology.com/directors.htm>  and Sandra Agard <http://www.lgfl.net/lgfl/sections/blackhistory/homepage/sandra%20agard/?backto=/lgfl/sections/blackhistory/homepage/>  presenting on the day.
 
Please register before the 26th September on:  http://www.lgfl.net/lgfl/accounts/forms/web/forms/BHM_booking.htm

Are your teachers using and sharing
digital resources for learning and teaching?

Becta and the NEN invite your school to join this programme to:

§  exploit online digital resources

§  create new materials to support learning and teaching for secondary aged students using those online digital resources

§  work with your RBC (and possibly its Local Authority and other schools) to produce these materials and then share them across the NEN.

Projects last from April to December 2008.  Funding will be up to £25,000 per project. Bids are required by Friday 22 February 2008.

Further Details

JANET Collaborate is a ‘one-stop-shop’ for teachers and lecturers looking for opportunities to work collaboratively, especially using videoconferencing.

The website is free to join and use. Members can search through the catalogue of Opportunities to collaborate:

• with museums, galleries, archives and other content providers
• with other teachers in schools in the UK and further afield

The site is arranged in three main sections: Find, Share and Organise.

Read the rest of this entry »

WMnet have put together a page with details about the Becta SRF and the ICT Mark.  There are details on the page about local training events for the SRF, the next two events are:

Improving your school with the Becta Self Review Framework

Who: School managers, ICT Co-ordinators, Heads of Department, All phases/types of school

When: Monday 15th October 2007, 9.00am – 3.45pm

Where: Sandwell Training and Development Centre, Popes Lane, Oldbury, B69 4PJ

Improving your school with the Becta Self Review Framework
Who: School managers, ICT Co-ordinators, Heads of Department, All phases/types of school
When: Thursday 1st November 2007, 9.00am – 3.45pm
Where: Sandwell Training and Development Centre, Popes Lane, Oldbury, B69 4PJ

You can register for both events on the website.

Colleagues

You may be interested in bringing this site to your colleagues and schools attention. It is about World Environment Day, which this year is taking the theme of climate change.  World Environment Day is promoted in the UK by the Environment Agency.

www.mendoftheworld.org

The site includes resources, such as web banners and posters and incorporates a mass survey to find out what people are doing, what else they could do and what is stopping them.

The approach they have taken, especially the animated introduction, may give schools ideas they could incorporate into their own websites and activities to raise awareness of climate change.

Regards

Margaret

Project Manager
WMnet Young People’s Climate Change Messages Project
climatechange.wmnet.org.uk

Dear all, As you maybe aware today Defra and the Department for Educations and Skills have sent out to all secondary schools in England a resource pack to help teachers and pupils explore and understand the issues surrounding climate change. ( www.defra.gov.uk/news/2007/070502a.htm ).

This pack contains the Al Gore film An Inconvenient Truth as well as our new multimedia disk which includes:

• Tomorrow’s Climate, Today’s Challenge (our first film)
• My CO2 (our new film) Diaries of the Climate Change Champions
• The Carbon Cycle animation by Climate Change Champion Sofia Selska.

It also contains a leaflet on the Sustainable Schools Year of Action and links to comprehensive online guidance on how teachers can use these resources in the classroom.Our new pack with this multimedia disk and our revised booklet which is intended to have a community level audience will be available to projects very soon.

In the meantime, if your project is specifically focused on children or schools we have a very limited number of Schools packs we can give out.

If you would like to book ahead for copies of our new pack please email Sheikh ( sheikh.miah@defra.gsi.gov.uk ) and he will add you to our spreadsheet.

If you would like a schools pack please also email Sheikh. We will try to send packs out to all those who ask but we do have a very limited number.

The Rock IT 2007 website has just come online at: http://www.rockit2007.org.uk/ You can view this years finalist online to give you some inspiration for entering.
Rock IT is a competition for school bands in the UK and Europe.

When registration is open you will enter by submitting a video of your band performing an original song.  If you get through the regional heats which will mostly be run via video conferencing you will be invited to the grand national final in Birmingham.

The London Symphony Orchestra is offering video conferencing opportunities to schools across the UK. Could you please post the following information on your websites and/or email eachers and schools who might be interested in participating. Pictures attached for your use.

Introduction to the orchestra
This workshop will cover orchestral instruments and sections. The video conference is hosted by an LSO player who will also perform a short piece on their instrument for the class. Pictures of instruments are shown and short orchestral excerpts are played across the video link. The presenter will also engage your class in a discussion about the instruments and sounds of the orchestra.

Education level: Key stage 2 and 3
Duration: 30 minutes
Cost: Free to UK schools
Dates:
Wed 9 May 2007
Thurs 10 May 2007
Mon 14 May 2007
Tues 15 May 2007
Requirements: Your school must have video conferencing facilities
Contact: Email or phone Ajax McKerral (ajax.mckerral@lso.co.uk 020 7566 2878) for more information and to book
Website: lso.co.uk/schoolsteachers

Instrumental masterclasses
(Suitable for instrumentalists from beginner to level
Inspire your students through masterclasses with players from the LSO. Suitable for small groups, ensembles and individuals. Instrumental and ensemble masterclasses available for trumpet/brass, clarinet, violin/string ensemble, and percussion (snare drum and xylophone). This workshop lasts 30 minutes and is available to schools across the UK with video conferencing facilities.

LSO players can guide young musicians through GCSE, A-level and ABRSM or other syllabi, or provide inspirational workshops. Sheet music of all works that students will be playing must be forwarded one week in advance of the video conference.

Duration: 30 minutes
Cost: Free to UK schools
Dates and instruments:
Wed 9 May 2007 Percussion (snare drum and xylophone)
Thurs 10 May 2007 Trumpet (brass ensemble)
Mon 14 May 2007 Violin (string ensemble)
Tues 15 May 2007 Clarinet
Requirements: Your school must have video conferencing facilities
Contact: Email or phone Ajax McKerral (ajax.mckerral@lso.co.uk, 020 7566 2878) for more information and to book
Website: lso.co.uk/schoolsteachers