26 replies to this topic

[Andrew Field]

What I will say is that if there is anyone else who would like to get their pupils involved in this, please do so. You either need to get them to register on the forum and I'll upgrade them, or send me a list of their names and I'll do what I can.

[Richard Jones-Nerzic]

I am very optimistic. Got the kids registered today and we have already had a number of contributions, without giving any lesson time to it.

Even more bizarre, I have had a number of online discussions with my own students tonight (despite all the other more interesting chat rooms available) about issues such as European enlargement and common European defence policies. Have even found myself teaching the history of the EU, (how that caught me out I don't know). Just seems so much easier with a glass of the local wine to sip between sentences!

If anyone else out there does want to get involved, please do, it promises to be a very interesting experiment.

Go here for the latest...

[Carole Faithorn]

If anyone else out there does want to get involved, please do, it promises to be a very interesting experiment.

Have just had a quick skim through the posts. Brilliant, this is really taking off already.

I am seriously interested in getting some of my kids involved too, but am not sure what reaction I might get from them. I'll ask on Friday and then be in touch with Andrew.

I teach quite an international bunch so it might introduce some different perspectives which would be interesting.

[John Simkin]

Becta has commissioned some resources designed to address the issues from a UK perspective. Linked to the requirements of the National Curriculum for citizenship, activities include:
- a desert island simulation on human rights;
- resources to hold a debate on whether Europe should open its borders to immigrants;
- an interactive investigation into what it means to be British today;
- on-line voting on many of the questions raised;
- links to other citizenship resources.
You can access these resources at:

http://www.ddluk.com/mle

Log in with user name - becta
And password - becta

[Richard Jones-Nerzic]

Assuming these resources might of use to the students, I could put some relevant links on the page I created yesterday and maybe 'pin' some on the debate page. Presumably, we face a problem with the password though.

I expect that the debate will need some refocussing at the beginning of next week, so something like this might be quite useful. Might we persuade Becta to loan us the resources?

[Andrew Field]

I think John's certainly helped with the 'loan procedure' with the contents of his message.

[Dafydd Humphreys]

I second what Carole said about this - would you mind if I sought out willing students at my school to participate - you know, stick up a few posters, and get the geography teacher or citizenship teacher to promote it?

[Andrew Field]

Not at all - that will be great. They can register for it or names can be sent to me to register them. I'm not going to open it up to all members, instead promote those who have been allowed to use it by their teachers. This is just to keep control over it.

[Richard Jones-Nerzic]

The Spring Europe debate on the student forum comes to an end today. Although only a very limited experiment in this first instance it has been, I think, a phenomenal success. As I write, there have been 388 replies in 7 days, many of which were of a surprisingly high quality.

Clearly, the ICT/internet access of the students has been critical. My students were only given 2hrs of lesson time during the whole week and I estimate that about 80% of contributions were made in their own time. Even though our school day ended an hour ago, there are still three students who were active in the last 15 minutes.

The telling comment from one of my students as they left the lesson today was 'why does it have to end tonight?'

Edited by Richard Jones-Nerzic, 28 March 2003 - 02:26 PM.

[Andrew Field]

It has certainly been a real success, but you are entirely right about the ICT / internet access. My lot were given the same time in lessons, but had great difficulty loading the site and waiting for it. I hasten to add this isn't due to the site, rather the internet access in College. Yet even from this, the kids were excited, interested and amazed - and it shows the real potential.

When the forum closes tonight we'll look at the overall picture - even this could be a task for pupils to consider. We can see how things can be done better or developed in different ways and then try it again.

Very interesting. Disappointing from my end that we weren't able to do more, but an indication of possibilities.

[bemused1]

I was impressed with the forum and the replies on it. I was 'given' a Yr 9 lesson in an IT room on Thursday morning and I allowed the students to have a look at the forum. They were really interested in the posts and I'm sure another time (allowing for access to IT room) they would be willing to join in discussions.

[Richard Jones-Nerzic]

I was 'given' a Yr 9 lesson in an IT room on Thursday morning and I allowed the students to have a look at the forum. They were really interested in the posts and I'm sure another time (allowing for access to IT room) they would be willing to join in discussions.

Interesting, you highlight one of the less obvious successes: how my students felt a changed sense of audience for their 'work'. Most of my students have at least half a dozen pieces of work published on the department website and they are conscious that they often produce for a 'wider' audience than would normally be the case. But this was different. At any given time there were usually more guests than registered users. The atmosphere of the discussion stayed relatively formal because they knew teachers were watching, but they (often) considered their ideas more thoroughly because of the unknowns who were watching. Interestingly, they wrote more carelessly when in a real classroom situation; when the person they were replying to was physically in the same room.