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Here is my website.

This is a fab student video

The problem with technology.....

The problem with technology is that it can take an age for it to become fully understood and accepted by the majority of the public.

As this rather entertaining sketch shows, it's been a problem right the way back to Gutenberg.

Web 2.0 and education

An interesting presentation exploring what Web 2.0 might mean to educators. There are some excellent links to online resources included. Well worth a look.

Web 2.0

View more presentations from Sandra Hines. (tags: technology classroom)

Time for a change

I have been teaching since 2002, when I left the world of broadcasting, writing and multimedia, to pursue a more 'worthwhile' career in education.

Throughout the last six years I have used media technology to make resources, communicate with students, parents and colleagues, and have embedded ICT into most of what I do.

I've also lectured on the use of ICT to students on the PGCE Classics course at King's London, contributed to a book about the craft of digital editing, consulted on the use of IT in a London primary school, and taken thousands of photos and made dozens of films. 

My main subject is Media Studies and its associated literacies, but I also teach Classics and some English.

Now, I've begun an MA in Online and Distance Education via the Open University. There are a number of reasons for this, and for my choice of institution. 

Firstly, I've been using e-groups and forums for years. Last year, I began to use them, plus Wikis and interactive quizzes, on my school's learning platform. It made a huge difference and I'd like to share those skills on a whole-school basis. There's far more that I'm hoping to try in both formal and informal settings, in order to inspire students to become independent and collaborative learners, equipped to think and navigate their way through the techno-maze that is the 21st century.

Secondly, I'd like to specialise in e-learning for secondary schools. There are a lot of companies selling a plethora of products to schools, but there isn't a great deal of guidance aimed at helping teachers (a) know what's out there and (b) consider how best to use it.

When I was looking for an MA it was virtually impossible to find an e-learning MA that focused on secondary education. Something's wrong there! So, in the end, I opted for the OU because I liked the look of the course, I could do it while I worked, and I figured that an institution that specialises in distance learning ought to be expert in this field. When I looked at the work of its Institute of Educational Technology I thought, yep, this is the place for me.

Over the coming weeks, months and years (it will take me until 2011 to finish) I will post on what I've learnt, share resources and best practice. However, I hope you'll appreciate that a lot of the frank discussions between myself, colleagues and tutors may not be suitable for public repetition, given the fact we'll be discussing strengths and weaknesses of systems and institutions. Rest assured, wherever possible I will provide as much detail as possible.

So, those are my motivations in a nutshell. Let the journey commence!