Becky Wilding

Hi everyone, I wanted to tell you all about ‘Next Generation Learning’, a campaign backed by Becta, the government agency for technology in learning. It has been initiated to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology throughout learning and education. I thought that, as ICT teachers, you might be interested in hearing about a piece of research commissioned by Becta to support its Next Generation Learning campaign. The survey of 1,000 children (aged 7-14) and 1,000 parents revealed that there is a clear communication challenge between parents and children, with almost half of children (44%) claiming they don’t like sharing information with their parents about school, and over a third (37%) saying they find it quite or very difficult to speak to their parents about their education. Other key findings of the report, which can be accessed in full at http://www.nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/ohnothingmuch include: • A third of parents feel excluded by their children • Only 16% of children proactively talk about school day • Children admit they want to keep ‘hassling’ parents away from school life • 82% of parents want schools to keep them better informed Professor Tanya Byron, clinical psychologist, well known for her work on TV programmes such as Little Angels or the House of Tiny Tearaways, will be blogging for the next four weeks on behalf of Becta / Next Generation Learning, offering simple, practical solutions to help improve and enhance communications between parents, children and schools using technology in addition to more traditional methods. Tanya’s posted her very first article this morning and you can read her blog at: http://www.nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/o...ch/Tanyas-Blog/ We would love to get your thoughts on this campaign, so please feel free to post your reactions.

Hi, Andy has kindly given me permission to tell you all about Shine Week, the national youth talent programme. Shine aims to celebrate the talent in every child and young person. Last year, more than 2,500 schools and youth organisations joined in, representing over a million young people. Shine featured in the national press and on national TV every day of the week as well as in regional broadcast and print media. Shine 09 is expected to generate even more publicity. Last year’s Shine was supported by many high-profile celebrities including singer Alesha Dixon, Peter Jones CBE and TV presenter Konnie Huq. Organisations such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Southbank Centre in London also joined in. Shine 09 will run from 6th-10th July and registration is now open. Teachers can sign up today to get their school involved and start planning. Registering at http://www.shineweek.co.uk/ will give you ideas for your events, access to free resources (a creative kit of posters, which you can tailor to suit your Shine events, certificates and stickers), free downloads and free web space to help you organise and promote some really memorable events. Once registered, you and the young people involved can upload web content in word, sound, movie or picture files. You will also get tips on how you can promote your Shine event, blog your thoughts and invite others to join the Shine network. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions. Becky

Hi, I'm Becky, and I'm not a teacher, but Andy kindly gave me permission to join the forum anyway. I work for a PR agency called Shiny Red, which you can find out more about at http://www.shinyred.tv if you are interested. At the moment I'm working with the DCSF on Shine Week 2009, which is a national festival for schools that aims to celebrate the talent in every child and young person. I'll be talking more about this in the forum, but you can visit them at http://www.shineweek.co.uk if you would like. Becky