Last term the Council for Subject Associations (CfSA) which was set up in September 2007 and funded for three years (before it has to become a self-financing organisation) produced the first of a series of Primary Subject folders that went into all schools across England for free. Other organisations can purchase a copy for £7.50. I was asked to write the ICT leaflet for the first issue on the theme of 'Every Child Mattters'.

The second Primary Subject's theme is the Gifted and Talented strand of the National Curriculum and was sent into schools in the last week of September 2008. Although I gave a sneak preview of the text in the Summer edition of Primary Focus, I have included the PDF that will be distributed along with leaflets from the other 16 subject associations to all schools in England during the third week in September 2008. The third edition of Primary Subjects will be distributed to schools in January 2009 and it has been confirmed that the theme will be Globalisation.

Your comments (posted underneath the article) on what you think of the leaflet would be very helpful feedback!

In this article we are looking at a piece of software that has the potential to be very helpful in textiles activities at Key Stages 2 and 3. We believe that this piece of software is in the public domain and available for educational, non-commercial use. Even so, we advise you to carefully read any restrictions or conditions of use before installing it.

Why ask?

This may seem a strange and inappropriate question to ask as word e-learning is a ubiquitous term, but it is quite possible that by separating e-learning from learning, we might actually be holding back progress in the adoption of new models, and better tools for learning.
When we consciously, or otherwise, start to make a distinction between learning and e learning, we may be providing those, that are unlikely or unwilling to engage with it an escape route.

This raises some important questions; is is one form more of learning more appropriate than the other; and if so why? What are the differences in value between them? And, even more importantly; what type of learning would not benefit from, from technologies at our disposal?. Thinking about it in this way we soon realise that learning and the technology is only an enabler. In fact a great deal prescribed e-learning is likley to be relatively low level activities as pointed out by Stephen Hear. (*1)
"The experience of e-learning for many has been no more than a hand-out published online, coupled with a simple multiple-choice quiz. Hardly inspiring, let alone empowering"

In this Article, Christy outlines how ICT may be used to help teachers ensure that lessons on 'world writing' are successful. It provides a review of the range of resources available from BBC Active designed for use on a whiteboard, supporting whole-class teaching.

Earlier this term the Council for Subject Associations (CfSA) which was set up and funded for three years before it has to become a self-financing organisation produce the first of a series of three Primary Subject folders that went into all schools across England for free. Other organisations can purchase a copy for £7.50. I was asked to write the ICT leaflet for the first issue on the theme of 'Every Child Mattters'.

In the next issue of Primary Subjects the theme will be around the Gifted and Talented strand of the National Curriculum. I have included my first draft for that edition, which will also be distributed along with leaflets from the other 16 subject associations to all schools in England early in September 2008. The third edition of Primary Subjects will be distributed to schools in January 2009 - although as yet the theme has yet to be decided.

Lisa Taner, who teaches at Bowes Primary School, lead the 'Send a friend to school' project and is still very concerned that we take notice and make the powers that be aware of the children in African countries, particularly girls who do not go to school.

There has been much discussion on the value of e-portfolios, their purpose, how they are used, the data they contain and indeed whether they are worth the trouble of setting up, maintaining and developing. In this Article, Ray Tolley outlines in great detail why e-portfolios can provide meaningful evidence to their importance. He believes an e-portfolio has a number of essential characteristics: portable, personal, generic, flexible, lifelong and credible.

Jim Fanning, Assistant Head at Tideway School, has produced some really interesting ideas for what an online lesson might look like and has created a picture of what a cover teacher/supervisor might need to be aware of. Tideway School is a Specialist Technology College in Newhaven serving 700 students aged 11-16.

Imagine a world where schoolchildren are contacting pupils in schools around the world through a totally safe, virtual environment, chatting about differences, sharing pictures, and posting opinions about stories they've read and written. Their teachers are making sure skills in literacy, numeracy, ICT and communication are being improved. The children are sharing ideas about how to live more healthy lifestyles. This Article illustrates how some of this is possible through the 101+ Club Project, supported by by the Oracle Education Foundation.