Recently the Cyberschools column has concentrated on the way the
Web can enhance the curriculum and there's still a lot more to
consider but the Web's not the only facility that the Internet
has to offer.
Increasingly I.T. is being referred to as I.C.T., Information
and Communication Technology. The new jargon highlights the interactive
nature of the Internet.
E-mail's a great medium. Financially it's a sound investment for
schools. Nevertheless its efficiency is not its greatest attraction.
Rather, it is the way it leads to direct contact with people,
places and ideas which would otherwise have remained out of reach.
Glasgow schools are already using e-mail to reach the parts that
other methods can't.
Richmond Park Primary School in the Gorbals uses e-mail as a means
of addressing the targets of 5 - 14 Environmental Studies.
Pupils are told four swans have flown one kilometre East, West,
North and South of the school. The youngsters investigate these
areas to find out what the swans would have seen on their travels.
They discover "Greek" Thomson's church building, the
Citizen's Theatre, the Mosque and more but in Richmond
Park their findings make up more than a wall display, the
pupils have also posted them on the school Web site.
For the children the really interesting stories are about a fifth,
maverick swan which flew away. Readers of their Web site are asked
to send in details of "sightings" of this swan.
The Richmond Park children only hear about the wandered swan when
other people e-mail them to tell them what the swan found on "arrival"
in their countries.
They have had responses from all over the world including America,
Estonia, South Africa and more. It has been an ideal way to consider
People and Place.
The correspondent from South Africa has also agreed to help with
background details about the children's next reading book, Journey
to Jo'burg (where he lives).
When e-mail messages arrive at the school, the older pupils read
them to the younger ones and there's great excitement when each
instalment arrives. Paired reading was never so interesting!
In the secondary sector e-mail can be used in a similarly innovative
fashion. Richard Callanan, a producer at Yorkshire Television,
is now a regular contributor to Media Studies lessons at Mearns
Castle High School. He1s never been there and has never met any
of the staff nor any of the pupils. From his office in Leeds he
provides a direct insight into the role of the television producer
by e-mailing a production diary to the school.
He is currently explaining the production of a children1s programme,
Adam's Family Tree, while it is actually being made.
The link between the television company and the school came about
because of one teacher's involvement in a mailing list. Such lists
are similar to newsgroups. People who are interested in a particular
topic debate the issues by sending their own comments by e-mail
for everyone to read. With a mailing list other people's comments
are then e-mailed directly to all participants.)
Stuart Mitchell, a Senior Teacher, noticed Richard Callanan's
comments at the list about children and television and e-mailed
to ask if he would be willing to explain what his job involved
to the Media Studies class . It's the kind of request that media
specialists receive regularly but in this case the medium made
the difference.
Callanan said, "I have in the past had frequent requests
from students the gist of which were: 'Please write my essay for
me.' I usually refuse.
"E-mail has several advantages. It's immediate and informal.
I can write off the top of my head which makes it easier for me
and - this is equally important - I believe it will be received
by students with a grain of salt as just a personal account.
"To go on-line for two hours in a month, to put forward an
argument and then answer questions is so much easier than making
even a single school visit."
Stuart Mitchell is also convinced that it is effective learning,
"It's important that students talk to media professionals,"
he said. "In the past our students have benefited from visits
by specialists but Richard Callanan is able to describe to us
here in Glasgow the day to day work of how he is shaping the television
series and the challenges and pressures he1s facing.
"He sent us scripts of the episodes. These and the production
diaries are a very rich resource. It's a no-nonsense insider's
view of the realities of television production."
OtOther departments in the school are also making use of e-mail.
In Technical classes pupils take part in e-mail discussions at
the Girltech Web site which
encourages the use of technology by girls. Using technology to
hold such discussions reinforces the point and pupils can access
the facility in their own time at the school's after hours PC
Club
E-mail is also being used at Mearns Castle to support staff development.
It's not just the pupils who're interacting with others.
Like all Principal Teachers of Technical Education in East Renfrewshire,
John Irvine has a laptop and an e-mail address.
For a year the Technical departments in all seven of the authority1s
secondary schools have made use of e-mail to pool resources. The
portable nature of the equipment means e-mail is sent and received
when it suits each teacher.
John Irvine is keen to explain the advantages, "The main
benefits are the flexibility of using it when it's convenient
without disturbing other teachers while they have classes and
being able to swap worksheets and resources online," he says.
"It's no problem to send a powerpoint show for use with pupils
and parents or to get a copy of 3D shareware for CAD use."
The e-mail link has also enabled rapid discussion of Higher
Still proposals and other relevant issues without the need
to travel to meetings and contact has been established with teachers
in other authorities in order to access their expertise and resources.
Departments customise the materials when they arrive so that they1re
used effectively in their own schools.
Cyberschools columns are now available on the Web so if
you missed the ones about English
, Modern
Languages , Modern
Studies , or Business
Studies they can be found at Media
Matters and you can e-mail your comments from there.
