John Simkin
-
Posts
15,705 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Store
Posts posted by John Simkin
-
-
I know that we have several members who work in International Schools. There are also several members who will be considered the possibility of teaching in International Schools. I thought it would be a good idea for members to write something about their experiences of teaching in a foreign country.
-
A recent survey revealed that one in five people in Britain have a credit card debt of more than £2,000. It seems that most of these people are unaware of how this is a very expensive way of borrowing money. Edward Mayo, chief executive of the National Consumer Council, recently stated that companies using sophisticated sales techniques to persuade people to take out credit cards are just as dangerous as drug pushers. The analogy is a good one as many of these people are said to be “addicted” to the use of credit cards.
The situation is now extremely dangerous. A slight downturn in the economy will result in large numbers being trapped in over-indebtedness. As well as creating a great deal of individual misery it will also severely damage the country’s economy.
I would like to pose two questions: (1) Is this situation in Britain being reflected in other countries? (2) Is there anyway that schools could help with this problem?
-
A recent survey of 500 British primary and secondary found that less than half (47%) could name the Education Secretary. Only one in five under 30 could name him whereas two-thirds over 50 successfully knew his name. This is very surprising as Charles Clarke has received a great deal of publicity over the last few weeks as he has been seeking support for highly controversial policies concerning the funding of higher education.
These statistics suggest that most teachers are not very informed about this very important issue. As one of those teachers who believes it is vitally important to have a good understanding of political issues in order to be a functioning citizen, I am extremely concerned by these statistics. It is part of a trend that has been illustrated in the fact that the majority of people under 30 in Britain are not voting in elections.
I would like to pose two questions: (1) Is this situation in Britain being reflected in other democratic countries? (2) Is there anyway that schools could help with this problem?
-
At the moment I am administrator of an eun community with more than 150 members from all over europe. One of the topics we are discussing is the use (or not using) of ict in the classroom.
I am curious at the experiences of the members here.
In Britain we have a major problem with persuading teachers to use computers in the classroom. It is not a problem with them using a computer. Most teachers now have a computer and many use the internet to prepare materials for the classroom. What they have a problem with is using the computer in the classroom. I have been involved in training teachers to use computers in the classroom since the early 1980s. The major problem concerns their fear that the students will know more about computers than they do. They are also very concerned that the computers will go wrong during the lesson.
Research shows that it is possible to train teachers to feel confident with computers in the classroom. However, it is necessary to constantly update that training. After a gap in time the teachers tend to think that once again the students have left them behind with knowledge about ICT (students sense this fear and usually tend to exploit it).
In my view INSET training should be about giving teachers the skills necessary to update themselves about technological change. One way of doing this is by helping them become involved in the process. For example, helping them create their own website. I think it is a scandal that students are leaving PGCE courses without this ability.
Another important factor is the provision of good technological support in the classroom. I have yet to teach in a school where this has been done to a satisfactory standard.
-
BETT is the annual international event that encourages and extends effective use of ICT in education. There are numerous opportunities for professional development including the seminar programme and the Policy in Practice area offering practical advice on implementing education policy and funding. Next year's BETT show is taking place at Olympia, London (7th-10th January, 2004). Seminars include: Transforming Teaching & Learning with ICT (Lesley Price), The Learner of the Future (Bill Howe), Creating an e-Confident Education System (Tony Richardson), ICT and Learning Style (John Galloway), World Ecitizens (Christina Preston), Research & Evidence in an eLearning World (Malcolm Hunt), History Online - What are the Cultural Content Providers Doing? (Tom O'Leary) and Effective Pedagogy & ICT (Neil McLean).
I will be there on Friday. Anybody else going?
-
Was it Jefferson Davis?
If it is, it could help to explain why all the books have referred to him as J.D. Tippit. One theory is that Tippit was part of the conspiracy. His job was to kill Oswald while he was resisting arrest. However, Oswald realised what was going on and killed Tippit first. Jefferson Davis was of course president on the Confederacy during the Civil War. People with right-wing racist views in the South often called their sons Jefferson Davis as an act of rebellion. Maybe he called himself J. D. because he was embarrassed by the political beliefs of his parents. Or maybe he just wanted to disguise the fact that he held these opinions. This would support Jim Garrison’s theory that Kennedy was killed by a right-wing white supremacy group based in New Orleans and Dallas.
-
According to the BBC geography and history could be turned into a single GCSE subject in a bid to ensure pupils learn some of both. The Historical Association and the Geographical Association are involved in developing a new course called "Making Sense of the Modern World".
The HA and the GA have spoken to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the government's exams watchdog, about the proposals and a provisional curriculum has already been submitted.
Are geography teachers concerned about these developments?
-
Using a cross-section of secondary school history textbooks, it informs on the general developments in the presentation of history over the last decades, and provides an overview of how certain aspects of European history are dealt with. Some of the topics discussed are taken from the darker side of Europe's past, such as occupation policy, the Holocaust, genocide and war.
What a wonderful resource. This could provide the base of a good discussion about history textbooks in Europe. I remember a few years ago reading about a group of historians from a wide variety of different nationalities getting together with a plan to write a joint history textbook. Did it ever get published? Is the writing of a non-nationalistic history textbook possible?
What happens in those countries with a divided past? For example, how is the Spanish Civil War dealt with in Spanish textbooks? Are there any other examples where these issues cause problems in the history classroom?
-
It might be an interesting experiment for people from different nationalities to make their claims for playing an important role in aviation.
For example, the British could claim that it was an Englishman who made the first successful flight in 1853. He has not received the recognition he deserved because he was a humble servant living in England. The man worked for Sir George Cayley, who lived in Scarborough. By 1853 Cayley had managed to build a triplane that could carry the weight of a man. He was unwilling to take the risk of it crashing and instead ordered his coachman to be the pilot. On its first flight the plane flew 900 feet (275 m) across a small valley. This was the first recorded flight by a person in an aircraft and Cayley has been described as the "true inventor of the aeroplane". However, Cayley never bothered to record the name of the pilot and he has therefore not become an important figure in history.
What about the achievements of Alphonse Pénaud, Otto Lilienthal and Alexander Mozhaiski. Have we any French, Germans or Russians willing to comment on their role in the history of aviation?
-
I am currently working on some materials on the Kennedy Assassination. I have 32 books on the subject. Each one describes in detail how Lee Harvey Oswald killed J.D. Tippit. However, not one tells you what J. D. stands for. Nor can I find it on the Internet. In the American National Archives I have even found a telephone conversation between Lyndon B. Johnson and Mrs Tippit and the death of her husband. Even Johnson called him J.D. Anyone got any idea what the initials stand for?
By the way, I am willing to try and answer any questions people may have on the subject.
-
I have been a history teacher since 1977. In 1979 I was a founder member of the Tressell Publishing Cooperative and in 1984 established Spartacus Educational. Since 1997 I have run the Spartacus Educational website. I have also produced electronic and online resources for a wide range of different organisations including the Guardian (Learn), the Daily Telegraph (Electronic Telegraph), British Library, Historical Association and Becta. I was also a founder member of the Association of Teacher Websites and an early member of the European Virtual School.
-
The idea behind this section of the website is to provide an opportunity for student teachers to communicate with each other about their experiences. Students are also invited to ask questions that qualified teachers might be able to answer.
-
The Rough Guide to Rock Music was first published in October 1996. It is currently being revised and expanded and the publishers have decided to make this major work in progress, available online. The Rough Guide to Rock Music website currently contains details of the careers and recordings of more that 1200 bands and artists. If you discover that your favourite musician is missing, you can either request it to be added or you can write and submit your own entry. If it is good enough, it will be added online and will appear in the next edition of the book.
-
At the moment I am administrator for an EUN community for teachers from all over Europe. The membership of that community is more than 150. Even the structure is very similar (subjects etc). Perhaps there can be some co-operation between our two forums/communties? Please let me know what you think.
Of course. Why don’t you provide information about how the forum works and where people can find it.
-
Europe's first website devoted to the conservation of European Sea Turtles. The website is divided into two sections - one for Education and the other for Conservation.
Very impressive. I have given the website a review in today’s Education on the Internet.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/internet101.htm
The newsletter currently has over 42,415 subscribers and so should help increase the number of visitors you get.
-
Sorry but there seems to be an error in that url:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/digital...urriculum.shtml
I tried to get access but I'm sent to the BBC mainpage.
Try
-
It is 100 years ago today that the Wright brothers made history at Kitty Hawk. However, some people have claimed that this is just another example of Yankee imperialism and that the first person to fly machine through the air by its own means of propulsion was Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Brazilian who made this record breaking flight in Paris. It is claimed that he committed suicide in 1932 because he was wracked with guilt by being involved in creating a machine for military purposes.
-
Just started, do not have ability to add photo. Says I do not have permission.
You need to have a photograph of yourself on your computer. Then go to the Education Forum website. Select ‘My Controls’ at the top of the page. On the left-hand side you will see a column. Under Personal Profile select Edit Avatar Settings.
Go to the bottom of the page where it says “Upload a new image from your computer”. Press Browse and you will eventually find your way to where you have your photograph. When you find it press “Open”. Then click “update Avatar”. Your picture will then appear every time you make a posting.
-
Join us again for Spring Day in Europe in 2004! This year, we will be focusing on the englargement of the European Union.
The European Union is on the verge of a historic moment. Ten new countries are set to join the EU on 1 May 2004 and three candidate countries are preparing for membership.
Spring Day in Europe gives schools the opportunity to debate and celebrate the enlargement of the EU. The future of an enlarged Europe belongs to its youth, and with this in mind, Spring Day in Europe reaches out to teachers and pupils across the continent.
Every school in Europe is invited to take part in Spring Day in Europe 2004, an event where schools hold their own 'Spring Day' on Tuesday, 23 March 2004 or around that date.
To register, go to the new Spring Day in Europe registration page at http://futurum2004.eun.org/. The new Spring Day in Europe website will be launched at the end of November.
-
ENIS is the European Network of Innovative Schools. ENIS schools have been selected as some of the most innovative schools in their home countries when using information and communication technologies for teaching and learning. Each ministry has a ENIS Coordinator who is responsible for the national network of innovative schools. This person lays out the agreed European criteria and procedures in his/her own ministry, and identifies how they can be integrated into national policy.
http://www.eun.org/eun.org2/eun/en/enis2/e....cfm?id_area=18
-
Undertaking a medieval pilgrimage was one of the rare occasions that allowed the peoples of medieval Europe to experience communities different to their own. Pilgrimage was perhaps the first truly European experience. Students across Europe will be invited explore the pilgrimage traditions of their own communities and to share their research with a wider European learning community.
-
Some members of the Virtual School are currently working on a cross-curricular project on aviation. We would welcome the involvement of other members of the Virtual School. Details can be found at URL below.
http://vs.eun.org/eun.org2/eun/en/vs-Desig...ang=en&ov=31717
-
BETT is the annual international event that encourages and extends effective use of ICT in education. There are numerous opportunities for professional development including the seminar programme and the Policy in Practice area offering practical advice on implementing education policy and funding. Next year's BETT show is taking place at Olympia, London (7th-10th January, 2004). Seminars include: Transforming Teaching & Learning with ICT (Lesley Price), The Learner of the Future (Bill Howe), Creating an e-Confident Education System (Tony Richardson), ICT and Learning Style (John Galloway), World Ecitizens (Christina Preston), Research & Evidence in an eLearning World (Malcolm Hunt), History Online - What are the Cultural Content Providers Doing? (Tom O'Leary) and Effective Pedagogy & ICT (Neil McLean).
I will be there on Friday. Anybody else going?
-
Last month the European Commission approved the government’s plans to give £150 million to the BBC to produce free teaching resources. The new service will act as a central repository, allowing teachers to select, organize and personalise materials.
There is no doubt that this initiative will dominate e-learning in Britain over the next few years. One of the reasons that the European Commission has approved the plan is that at least 50% of this material will have to be produced by non-BBC organizations. Although it will be difficult to organize, it is vitally important that classroom teachers play a significant role in the development this material.
The BBC is holding two one-day for independent producers on the 24th and 25th November 2003 in west London. For further details see:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/digital...urriculum.shtml
The e-omogeneia project
in E-Learning
Posted
This sounds an interesting project. Are you involved in this? Is their any plans to introduce this into mainstream schools in Greece? Or is the system restricted to only a few schools at a time. I have been involved in a couple of online seminars on using computers in the classroom. However, this sounds a more sophisticated idea.