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TEACHNOLOGY

Ann Logan introduces a site to help you find a job and schools to fill vacancies more easily. She also recommends two sites to help you improve your use of technology for learning.

Finding teaching jobs online

The Schools Recruitment Service is a free online tool that helps you develop your career, including applying for jobs. Developed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, you can use the service to create a personalised account to store all your job searches, application details and any messages posted to you. You can also create a talent profile which will:

make it easy for schools to alert you to vacancies, even before you have searched for them
store details about your employment experience so that you can let workplaces know the type of job you are seeking
record details of your last application so that new ones can be filled automatically to save you time.

The service is part of a government plan to save schools up to £30 million a year – if all schools in England join. The government estimates that schools spend some £46.7m annually on job advertising in England. This service will lower costs in terms of staff time, admin and re-advertising posts.

Data encryption will prevent anyone else from being able to read your information.

Some 8,000 schools have joined. To get started, just register at www.schoolsrecruitment.dcsf.gov.uk.

Join the ICT Register

The ICT Register is a free resource where you can find good practice in using technology for learning. Find information on using interactive whiteboards, videoconferencing, assessment, learning platforms and more. Get the latest news and events.

If you find a school that could help you, contact them directly through the register. If you need help quickly, the ‘Ask the schools’ feature will circulate your question to everyone. Currently, there are 631 schools and learning centres involved.

www.ict-register.net


Become an agent for change

Merlin John is a journalist who has worked in the field of technology for learning for many years. Using his expertise, he has created Agent4change, a website bringing together the latest news on technology and learning.

Find out what is happening at BETT 2010. Discover the latest ICT resources and online services. Read thoughtful features about policy issues and developments in the industry. Learn what other schools are doing to take their technology use forward, including taking part in digital theatre projects and using mobile phones.

agent4change.net


My ICT favourites

Vanessa Heron is head of art at Rainham Mark grammar school in Gillingham, Kent.

Favourite software
Photoshop, as it’s easy to use and quick for students to try out different ideas. They can layer images, produce different colourways, design graphic work and generally experiment. You are guaranteed to find some students who can use it better than you can.

Favourite gadget
Digital cameras and rechargeable batteries. The camera is always in use, photographing students’ work step by step as evidence of progress and taking pictures to work from. Make sure you have plenty of charged-up batteries – where do they disappear to?

Favourite websites
http://nmolp.tate.org.uk/webquests
The national museums online learning project uses resources from the Tate, National Portrait Gallery and Imperial War Museum, among others. It aims to encourage purposeful and independent research. ‘Talking techniques’ is a useful KS3 project on drawing materials.

www.tate.org.uk
Full of useful information. ‘Exam help’ in ‘Young Tate’ gives a series of ‘current and popular themes’, each with a dozen or so images from Tate collections. These include ‘expressive faces’ and ‘issue-based art‘. I use the ‘still-life and objects’ with Y10 GCSE students.

www.nga.gov/kids/kids.htm
Part of Washington National Gallery of Art‘s website. The kids‘ section has fantastic interactive art activities which I use with whole classes in a computer room, particularly at KS3. Much more interactive than the British gallery websites, and the background information on artists is good too.