Twitter is an amazing way to discover new and interesting information. Here are links to some of the things that I have found recently:

• Design 2010 – An online exhibition celebrating the achievements of students in Design and Technology. Shared by Gareth Davies.
• Aviary Education – Aviary, who produce lots of fantastic online tools, are now offering a free service for education users. Shared by Paulo Simões.
• History Pin – A digital time machine that allows users to pin their own old photos onto modern Street View scenes. Shared by Claire Jones. Here’s a Youtube video which explains more:

• Diary of an Ofsted Inspection - Michael Shepherd recalls his recent experiences with Ofsted! Shared by Simon Haughton.
• Open ClipArt Library – An archive of clip art that can be used for free by anyone. Shared byProfteresa.
• Augmented Reality – If you’ve heard what augmented reality is, but you’re not quite sure what it does, watch this Youtube video, shared by CommonCraft:

What have you found on Twitter recently?

Image – Run!

Here are some links to a selection of education-related news articles from this week:

• Teacher cleared of attempting to kill boy – A teacher who struck a pupil with a dumbbell has been acquitted of attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Following this acquittal, the NAWUWT called for tighter controls on use of mobile phones in schools.
• Schools in Scotland may strike for first time in 20 years – The largest teaching union in Scotland is considering a one-day stoppage over cuts in school spending.
• Banish Ofsted inspectors from schools – The annual conference of the National Association of Head Teachers hears that headteachers should prevent inspectors entering their schools until the government changes the inspection regime.
• Bad sportsmanship affects school sports – A pupil survey has revealed that bad sportsmanship is regularly witnessed in school sports matches, with many pupils willing to cheat in order to win.
• Many parents failing to read to their children – A survey shows that many children are starting school having never been read a story.
• Computers for primary school children in East Africa – The One Laptop Per Child scheme hopes to deliver 30 million laptops in the area.
• High Tech High School pupils build robots and develop games – Teenagers at this San Diego school write video games, film sketches, make robots and use heavy duty power tools to build a boat.
• Primary schools under pressure for places – Schools in some parts of England are ‘full to bursting’.
• Online school reports – This article shows some of the steps that schools are taking to prepare for the provision of online reports for their pupils.
• New NSPCC resource helps schools meet safeguarding standards – The NSPCC has launched ‘Improving Safeguarding in Schools’, the first online self-assessment and development resource to help schools improve children’s safety and well-being. Here is a Youtube video which explains more:

Image – Newspaper

A report from Ofsted claims that some schools in England are struggling to teach citizenship properly. From the BBC report…

“…in some secondary schools, pupils have “important gaps” in their knowledge. However, inspectors say lessons have improved since they were made compulsory seven years ago.

The article goes on to say that…

“Often citizenship shared a timetable slot with Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, but the time allowed was “too little to do justice to either subject”, inspectors say.”

Image – Writing Exams

However, on the positive side…

“Ofsted chief inspector Christine Gilbert, said: “Citizenship is becoming a well established part of the school curriculum and this report highlights the ways in which schools are successfully promoting social responsibility, community involvement and political understanding.

“It is important that the good practice featured in the report is replicated more widely.”

How do you feel about the teaching of citizenship? Do your pupils have ‘important’ gaps in their knowledge? Is there too little time to do the subject justice?