This blog has now moved to our new secure Learning Platform and is viewable by Derbyshire teachers/ICT subject leaders.
Click here to go to the new blog

If you are unable to view this, and feel that you should be able to, then please email me at john.legood@derbyshire.gov.uk with your Kaleidos username, preferably from your offical school email address.

Thanks for reading.
John

Derbyshire Schools Birdcam Project

If you love Springwatch, then head over to the Derbyshire Schools Birdcam Project web site, which features live images from 35 nest boxes in schools around the county. In addition, the project has a Kestrel Cam located in a barn near Dronfield. To date, three schools have boxes with chicks in and a number of others have birds incubating eggs. Even the ICT Curriculum Support Team have eggs in their box this year!



The project has a blog and a shared picture/video gallery for all the latest news and images, with each school also having their own individual blog. There is some fantastic blogging going on within schools, between schools as well as good home/school links being demonstrated.

Real time collaboration on the web using EtherPad

Has anyone tried out EtherPad in the classroom, could be a lot of fun! Have a go on my example. Just click on "edit name/colour" next to the unnamed person in the right hand toolbar to start adding your adjectives, which will highlight in a different colour showing your contribution. Add your ideas for a collaborative project. Up to 8 people can collaborate at any one time.

If you start your own EtherPad, you can collaborate with others simply by sharing the "Share this URL" info at the top of the EtherPad screen or invite others via email.

Next briefings-now cancelled

Unfortunately the weather affected our first four briefings, leading to them being cancelled. With more snow likely to affect briefings later in the week, we have taken the decision to cancel them all. It was not possible to find venues or dates to rearrange so many briefings, and therefore we felt that it would be unfair for some schools to receive the briefings, when others couldn't.
We share your disappointment, but feel that everyone's personal safety is more important - the less travel the better!
We look forward to seeing you all at our summer briefings, being held in May/June.