Watch out for the Under Toad

Sweet Moments

2012-02-04T23:36:00.001Z

This Christmas I wanted to do something a bit more personal for my main gifts to people. I thought about cupcakes but they would not have stayed fresh for long enough. So, with a bit more thought and some inspiration from mum I decided to turn my hand to making sweets.

This was a new experience for me, having never worked with hot sugar before, but I seem to have the knack and I discovered a new skill. I chose six different sweets to make: Scottish tablet, lemon and white chocolate fudge, Turkish delight, peppermint creams, dark chocolate and rum truffles and peanut butter cups.

I was very pleased with the results and the sweets were well received. I think I might be doing the same next year as well then!

Welcoming Wicket

2012-02-04T23:01:00.001Z

Back in November I fell in love. It was instant and from the moment I heard the words 'he's for sale', I knew he had to be mine. Yes, I know - oldest trick in the book. Take cute puppy into the school playground and see who bites. Truth is, I've thought about buying a dog for sometime and until now have always pushed it aside as impractical with my lifestyle. As soon as I saw Wicket I just had to make it work.

And so far we have made it work. He is a beautifully natured Shih tzu/ poodle cross. He is learning fast and already at four and a half months old, has most of his commands down. We are still working on house training but he is nearly there, and today he experienced snow for the first time and ran, loopy, round the garden. I have a friend and a dog walker helping me out with lunchtime walks while I am at work and I can hardly remember what life was like before he arrived.

So why Wicket? Well Star Wars fans will probably be there already but for everyone else: see below!

Wicket the Ewok

Wicket the puppy

Blogging, but not here...

2012-02-04T20:37:00.001Z

Irealised recently that although I have been blogging and tweeting away my ownpersonal blog has been left looking rather neglected. It is not that I have hadnothing to say, only that I have been saying it in other places!

Forthe last term we have been trialling a set of 6 iPads int he school. Our yeartwo children have loved them and have created some excellent work with them.The results of our project can be found on the Redbridge Games Networkblog.

Inthe middle of this trial we had a single day subject inspection by Ofsted. Thesubject they happened to inspect was ICT; the subject I lead. It was a fairlyhectic run up to the inspection but we were all very confident of our good statusin ICT and I am pleased to say that the inspector agreed. You can read a copyof the report here.

Ihave also been strongly involved in the fight to keep Redbridge Drama Centrefrom closing due to council cuts. The council plan to reduce their funding ofthe centre to zero over the next two financial years (a cut was already madethis year) but the next cut may well prove fatal, and we are working hard tomake the blinkered council acknowledge this. At the moment they seem to believethat the centre will stay open regardless of core funding from them, being cut.Sadly, this is not the case. The campaign has kept me busy blogging for The Friendsof Redbridge Drama Centre and you can see our site here.

Finally,my work on the design of covers for Trifolium Books has continuedand we are currently on the verge of publishing a third book. This is also thethird author added to our little family. I am thoroughly enjoying the designwork and it gives me a good outlet to get creative. I have created a new, fresherlooking work website for myself andI will keep posting to my portfolio there.

Soyou can see that although my blog has not been busy, I have. I've said itbefore, but I will try to keep this one a little more up to date from now on.

Summer Painting

2011-08-31T01:01:00.000+01:00

I managed to get quite a lot of painting done this summer. It was one of the things on my list that I was worried would get bumped off by more mundane things, but I was fairly determined not to let that happen. I finally got painting 2 finished and I quite pleased with it considering it was inspired by a fleeting glance at a scene along a motorway. I am particularly happy with how my sheep turned out.

I have also started painting 4, from a picture of me flying a kite on Allonby beach this summer (Janine, thanks for the photo). See pictures below of my progress so far.

Painting Day 2

2011-07-17T14:47:00.006+01:00

It has been along time since I last did any painting, not since our last painting day in fact. We decided another day was well overdue and so here I am at Jo's. We are both working on new paintings. Below are our stimulus pictures and the photos of our progress. Apologies for the poor quality of the photos - only an iPad camera to hand!

KATE:

JO:

And a few shots of our 'studio' for the day. :o)

Wigton Windows

2011-04-21T18:21:00.002+01:00

Back in 2009, St Mary's Church in Wigton received three new stained glass windows, donated by Melvyn Bragg. He was a choir boy in the church as a child and gave the windows in memory of his parents. He was very specific about the details that he wanted to include in the window's designs and these included scenes from town life including the famous horse auctions and the Market Cross.

He commissioned two local artists to design and make the windows: artist and designer Brian Campbell and stained-glass artist Alex Haynes.

Since the windows went in, I have been meaning to go and see them and today I finally got around to it. I read the Cumberland News story and saw the photos in Cumbria life, but photos don't do them justice - they really need to be seen, and they are stunning. The fairly plain exterior of the church does not give a hint to the gorgeous designs inside. The other windows are really worth a look too if you ever get the chance. Below are my quick snaps of the windows. Please click on an image to enlarge.

A Little Thrill

2011-04-21T11:42:00.003+01:00

I visited the book yesterday. I knew that Bookends in Carlisle was stocking copies of Moon in Leo so I decided to take myself down there to have a look. I have to confess to having a little thrill at seeing my cover on the shelf of a book shop and not looking at all out of place.

Moon in Leo has now been published for a little over two months and sales are going well. It has also had a number of really rather excellent reviews. I read some of these out to Kathleen the last time I went to visit her and she was clearly delighted to hear that people were enjoying it.

I couldn't resist taking a quick snap of the book in situ, but I do think the woman behind the sales desk considered me a bit crackers!

Latest Bead Additions

2011-04-21T11:24:00.001+01:00

I always feel a bit guilty after a bit of a splurge, but the guilt fades quite quickly. I have now nearly filled up my bracelet. It won't be too long before I can start creating different looks combining my different colours. I'm still trying to add a few more silver beads to my collection, but being a bit more expensive this is happening a little more slowly. Yesterday I added two more beads to the collection.

Left to right: Lilac Prism, Silver Endless

The Dangers of Twitter

2011-04-19T22:48:00.002+01:00

No, it's not a tale of public embarrassment or offended followers, of hackers or meltdowns and flame wars. This is a simple a cautionary tale; Twitter is bad for your waistline! A few days ago @JustTeaching posted a link to a tempting recipe for carrot cake muffins. Well they sounded too good to miss, so today I gave them a go. They were incredibly easy to make and even easier to eat. I made them with spelt flour and three teaspoons of gluten free baking powder so that my mum (who is wheat intolerant) could try them too. Even with these amendments they were delicious. I would recommend making half the amount of icing suggested in the original recipe because it made a huge amount, and also using low fat cream cheese as it made no difference to the taste. Below is my tweaked recipe along with photo of the finished product. For those who need to know, it makes 12 muffins at 9 Weight Watchers ProPoints each.

Carrot cake muffins

Ingredients for the muffins (makes 12 @ 9 ProPoints each):

• 1 ½ cups grated carrot (about 2 mid - biggish carrots)

• ¼ cup oil

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup soft dark brown sugar

• 1 cup of self-raising flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Ingredients for the icing

• 200g icing sugar

• 100g low fat soft cream cheese

Method

1. Mix all ingredients together

2. Place in cup cake cases in muffin tin bake in oven at 160℃ for 30-35 minutes.

3. Allow to cool on wire rack

4. Beat cream cheese, add icing sugar and mix until smooth and thick

5. Pipe or spread on top of muffins

Of Transformations...

2011-04-19T17:52:00.003+01:00

It seems like a lifetime ago that my garden looked like this. It has been through dozens of transformations in the 10 years that I have lived in my flat. Below is a little photo-log of the early days, as well as the latest transformation in the shape of a vegetable patch. Please click on an image for a larger view.

Spring Beads

2011-03-27T16:43:00.015+01:00

Left to right: Chicken, Pink Desert, Dichroic Ice, Fairy

I have been very good and stayed away from the Trollbeads for a while, but yesterday I couldn't resist. I decided to start adding some silver beads to my collection so that mixing colours is a bit easier, however the lure of the glass beads was too strong! Above are my new additions.

Spring is in the Air

2011-03-27T16:33:00.004+01:00

Watering my pots today, I couldn't resist taking a few snaps of my pansies. The spray from the hose gave them all an irresistible dusting of jewels.

Latest Project Complete!

2011-02-25T09:38:00.002Z

Yet again it has been rather a long time since my last post. This is, in part, due to a new project that has kept me busy. Last year, mum and dad took on the task of getting an old friend's book published; her fourth and last novel. After rejections from quite a few publishers and agents (on the basis of the book being a one off and too much of a financial risk), they decided to set up their own publishing firm and publish it themselves.

And that's where my role started. They asked me if I would design the book cover and I was more than happy to take the job on. It was quite a learning curve, learning to use InDesign, but one that I really enjoyed.

Signing off on the cover and uploading it to the printer was nerve-racking, but on the 14th February the first print run was completed. So that's it - the book is published and available directly from Trifolium Books UK or from Amazon (also Amazon.com), as well as a selection of independent Cumbrian bookshops.

I can now add 'cover designer' to my CV.

Farewell 2010

2011-01-01T00:45:00.000Z

It was the year I made my biggest ever decision; decorated my living room; re-homed two new cats; became the cover designer for a new book; claimed twice (or was that three times?) on my car insurance; said 'hello' again to Towersey festival; reacquainted with some wonderful old friends; taught year 6 to sing in three part harmony and made my first trip to Padstow for Mayday. It's mostly been a good one. The year ahead has one main target, same as every year; this time I have no choice but to meet it.

Happy new year one and all. I hope it brings you health, wealth and most importantly, happiness. x

New beads for 2011

2010-12-26T13:46:00.002Z

It's been quite a while since I bought myself any new Trollbeads and to be honest, it will be a while yet; my car brakes had to take priority. Still, I was very spoilt for Trollbeads over Christmas and my collection grew by four. That will keep me going for a while. I also came to the realisation that more silver beads is the key to easily customisable looks, so that is my next mission.

Left to right: Black Flower Mosaic, Issey, Black Silk, Cool Dusk

Mum's Radio Premier

2010-12-23T11:11:00.002Z

I couldn't be more proud! We all sat around the computer this morning in Barking, listening to Radio Cumbria streaming live, for the world premier of Words Worth Hearing; mum's first broadcast radio play. I think it's terrific, but I accept I'm biased! So, included below is a recording (not the best quality - but I didn't want to wait for the CD they'll send later) and you can make your own decision.

Download now or listen on posterous

Words_Worth_Hearing.m4a (3765 KB)

Fireworks in Barking Park

2010-11-06T23:24:00.000Z

I've lived in Barking for 10 years now and I'm embarrassed to say I have never been to the fireworks display, until tonight. And it has left me wondering why I've never gone before. It was a great night out. My three nephews loved it and I 'oohed' and 'aahed' with the best of them! Police presence was high which was both reassuring and worrying but I saw no incidents that needed them. It was a very well run operation and the fireworks were awesome. And the boys verdict: Ted 60 out of 10, Marley 9½ out of 10 (so that he has room if he every goes to a better one, although this tops his list now) and Shay simply said 'I know, let's talk about our favourite bits...'

Sweet Temptation

2010-11-02T22:36:00.005Z

I have been coveting these for some time now and until last month, had successfully resisted all temptation to buy. As you can see from below, my will power finally ran out! Something about the Trollbeads appealed to me. I looked at Pandora too but they just felt a bit too mass produced. They didn't appeal so much. Perhaps it is partly to do with Trollbeads being a Danish company - a little connection to my family roots?

I can see that this is a collection that will grow and grow, and at a minimum of £25 a bead, I'm going to be dropping lots of hints around birthday and Christmas time (I usually don't have a response to the question 'What would you like for....?). So here it is: my embryo collection - long may it grow!

Foreground right to left: Troll Tree lock, Milan, Grey Wolf, Florence

Right to left: Milan, Grey Wolf, Florence, OOAK, Mocha, Blue Bud Flower

Centre to left: Blue Desert, White Bubbles, OOAK, Blue Fizz

Et voilà, c'est fini...

2010-09-15T21:50:00.000+01:00

Finally, the room is finished. It is lovely and I really think it was worth the wait. I am very relieved to be back to normality for sure but the memory of the inconvenience and stress fades fast.

The photos really don't do it justice!

Now We're Cooking!

2010-09-02T22:56:00.000+01:00

For one reason or another this redecorate has been a very slow job. Last week the white base coat went on and then all progress ground to a halt. It's been frustrating, and living on my bed surrounded by clutter is now getting to me. Still, today the work started moving forwards again and I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel now...which is just as well since the sofa arrives on Monday!

White base coat goes on

The gas fire in place

The green goes on

Window frame painted white

A Day to Paint

2010-08-22T22:43:00.000+01:00

Today was an excellent day. I spent the day painting with Jo. I tried out texture paste for the first time and I am very pleased with the result on my ploughed fields. My painting is not finished yet - I still have trees and sheep to add and detail on the stone walls. I should be able to finish next time. Jo also got very close to finishing her painting and it looks fantastic. Below are photos of our efforts and a photo of the picture that Jo's painting is inspired by.

Kate's painting - start of day


Kate's painting - middle of day

Kate's painting - end of day

Painting by Glynnis Carter

Jo's painting - middle of day

Jo's painting - end of day

Getting Plastered

2010-08-19T22:17:00.000+01:00

For the last few years I have opted to alternate getting away for the summer and getting a room in the flat redecorated. Since I went to Spain last year, this year it was the turn of the front room for a makeover. It is the last room in the flat to receive proper attention since I moved in. Other projects are still on the cards - the double glazing is shocking and the windows will need replacing soon, but that is the next project.

So once again I am living with half of my flat stuffed into my bedroom and spare room and I am living on my bed. I have to admit that at the end of day four the dust and disruption is starting to get to me. Still, the plastering is now finished and the walls and ceiling looks brilliant. I can see that the room is going to look better and better from this point on.

Clearing the room on day 1

It's amazing what shelves hide

New socket locations

The chaos begins

Day 2 - the boards come down...

...revealing a large area of blown plaster

Plaster board is the only answer

Walls PVA'ed

Day 4 - The plaster goes on

It's goodbye to the rustic walls

New painting

2010-07-18T23:11:00.001+01:00

I've finally started my next painting. It's been a while since I did my first one but I recently bought myself a starter kit and with the summer holidays nearing, I made a start. Below are a couple of photos of my progress. Tonight I finished my under-paint.

This time I'm not working from a photo but from a glimpsed scene in my memory. I'm going to try to make it very stylised.

New Cats

2010-04-08T23:10:00.001+01:00

It's been a couple of months now since I brought home my two beautiful new cats. After losing Molly I gave a lot of thought to whether I wanted to get another cat and even whether I could handle having a dog. However, much as I'd love a dog it just wouldn't be fair of me to have one right now. So I decided on a cat, or two. I wanted a mum and kitten if possible so that they could keep each other company while I'm out at work. There was only one place I would get them from and that was the Celia Hammond Animal Trust; the charity that tried to help Molly.

So these are the characters I ended up with. I instantly fell in love with Luna - she was so sweet natured and trusting and obviously desperate to get beyond the limited space available at the rescue centre. She had three kittens; two classically pretty, fluffy tabbies and a very handsome, almost pure black (except for the tip of his tail) male. The fluffy tabbies had already been selected by someone else, leaving just the feisty male kitten and mum; luckily for me.

I brought them home the same day. They were already chipped, neutered, de-flead and wormed. Frodo took a while to settle in, spending the first week in and out of the smallest space he could find in the flat. Luna was much quicker to settle and seemed at home before the first day was out. Both are very much at home now although Frodo is still a little nervous around strangers. He is much quicker to get used to people now though.

The big test was bringing them both to Cumbria with me - a trip I did regularly with Molly. However they have been brilliant, in spite of the large scratch on my arm earned whilst trying to get Frodo into the travel box. Lesson learnt.

So begins a new journey then - I hope it will be a long one.

Luna

Frodo

An Excellent Little Widget!

2010-04-07T00:07:00.005+01:00

This is a fabulous little gizmo that I've had on my blog for a while, but following my redesign (wider posting area to accommodate videos and photos better), it doesn't really fit on the side bar any more. So it is moving here, where it might just get a little less forgotten too!

pic2colorgreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

Avatarize Yourself

2010-02-19T23:46:00.003Z

Yes, I saw it, loved it and caught the bug! This is a little freaky but great fun. A neat tool to turn yourself into a Na'vi!

Frozen Britain and One Amazing Photo

2010-01-14T21:38:00.001Z

I have never seen a picture like this. Ok, not too new to some places on earth, but I never thought I'd see the UK in such an icy grip as this one. I had to share. This incredible photo is credited to NASA (who else could get a shot like that!) and brought to my attention by my Second Life community, Tribe.

My First Ever Painting!

2009-12-29T22:59:00.000Z

I'm surrounded by talented artists at the moment. Mum and dad both paint and attend art classes; they are getting really good. My sister is picking up her brushes again; she did A Level art at school. She has a great eye and a natural flare. I've never painted (beyond dabbling with the poster paint you get in school). I can't draw either. My doodles tend to be either eyes or leaves all basic and from my head. So when they all sat down to paint and asked if I wanted to join them, my response was the usual "I can't paint, it would be a waste of canvas".

I can take photos though, and with a bit of persuasion I chose one of my photos and gave it a go. I needed a lot of guidance, I didn't really know where to start. But around 5 hours later I finished my first ever painting - acrylic on canvas. And I'm really rather proud of myself. I won't say I can't paint again, I'll now consider myself a beginner painter!

Christmas in Cumbria

2009-12-25T18:32:00.006Z

I love this time of year. Getting back to Cumbria truly signals a break from work and brings me right back to my childhood. The garden is alive with birds who squabble and shout over the fat balls and peanuts, but are bold enough to come very close if you have the patience to stand still a while.

This year there is snow. I'm missing Molly, this is the first time I've been back here without her. She'd be hating the snow though.

I love the smell as you walk through the front door of the house and the tick of the clock. The log fire is an added bonus. Happy Christmas to all.

My Little Wildlife Sanctuary

2009-12-21T15:16:00.030Z

I recently had a visit from a council tree surgeon regarding the big Leylandii trees overhanging my garden. He concluded the trees were fine and healthy, so I'll have to live with them. However he was also quite taken with my garden. He liked the willows and commented the garden was 'lovely and a haven for wildlife'. A few days later he was proved right. This beautiful bird sat in my largest willow for long enough for us to see it, exclaim, run up the stairs for a camera, take a photo and watch it some more. I'm not yet convinced of the species of bird. We think it might be a sparrow hawk, but I welcome other suggestions!

Mum is Watching

2009-09-11T20:47:00.009+01:00

Got to love this video (thanks Anthony Evans, for sharing). Yes, it's a bit of fun, but actually it is a very real warning about watching what you put online. Since I am teaching my kids e-safety at the moment (and the whole school is also learning about it) I thought this was rather timely. So, learn your SMART rules kids (and your way round Facebook privacy settings), you never know when mum is watching ;o)

Facebook, Twitter Revolutionizing How Parents Stalk Their College-Aged Kids

Garden Restructuring

2009-08-03T19:26:00.005+01:00

It is very useful having your own Ground Force team, and mine are the best going! Mum and dad came to visit for a special garden weeding and planting week. This ended up being, as always, a much bigger job. We ended up hacking back the honeysuckle (4 birds nests hidden inside and all saved for a display in my classroom), creating a completely new bed and turfing over an unsuccessful one.

I bought a lot of plants to give summer colour and mum and dad bought me a lot more for my birthday coming up. These have made a stunning difference and the garden is now full of colour - something it desperately needed.

It was a hard but very rewarding week and the garden looks fantastic. To top it all the weather was perfect, great all week and poured on Saturday, watering in the plants beautifully!

Missing Molly

2009-08-03T19:15:00.008+01:00

It has been just under 2 months since Molly died. Although I can now talk about it I still have moments of utter sadness and anger for what happened. Worse, I still miss her terribly. I had no idea that she took up so much of my space and time in such a positive way.

On Sunday evening I let Molly out through the kitchen window. Less than half an hour later I heard her crying, not her usual mieow, but my first thought was that she had caught something and was announcing her arrival with gift. When she didn't jump through the window I knew something wasn't right and grabbed the step ladder. Molly was lying below the window with her bib and front legs covered with blood.

I couldn't reach her. She lay there mewing every time she heard me and I went into full blown panic. My amazing friends, Janine and Steve, dropped everything to come over and help get Molly off the roof but just before they arrived Molly somehow managed to jump up to the window ledge and I hauled her inside.

She was lame on one leg and bleeding but responsive. We rushed her to the vet who at that time thought she'd be ok, since her breathing and pulse were good. I left her there so they could x ray her and investigate the leg further.

On Monday the vet called to say that the x ray showed a pellet from some sort of air gun lodged against her spine. This was responsible for making her lame. It hadn't even occurred to me that she could have been shot. It takes some kind of low life to shoot a domestic pet. Worse still she was on the roof when she was shot meaning that the cretin that shot her was shooting in the direction of my windows.

She needed surgery to remove the pellet, but with my bill already at £600 and with no insurance, I couldn't afford the possible £2000 final bill from the surgery. The vet was brilliant and organised Molly's transfer to The Celia Hammond Animal Trust - a small but amazing charity which helps people who can't afford large vet bills but who fall outside of the help of people like the RSPCA or PDSA (who means test).

On Tuesday I picked Molly up and took her the Celia Hammond surgery. The vets there were fantastic and Molly was treated like a VIP, or should that be VIA? They scheduled surgery for Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday 10th June, following a successful sedation, the vets administered the anesthetic. Molly stopped breathing. Resuscitation didn't work. The vets tried to bring her back for over 10 minutes but the damage was, in the end, too severe.

And that was it. One minute she was perfect, and the next she was gone. I was shattered. I knew that writing this would be hard but I needed to tell it. I still miss her, and this is how I will always remember her.

If you would like to make a donation to The Celia Hammond Animal Trust you can do so via their website by clicking the link above.

Before and After - Theatrical Changing Rooms

2009-05-25T19:40:00.005+01:00

It is the day before our first performance of The Odyssey. We arrived at Carlow Town Hall with a bus stuffed full of set and props. Our director was first to see the venue 'it is interesting. Let's just say it is a little unloved'. And it really was. A beautiful room with high ceilings and great acoustics - it even has blacked out windows. It amazes me how such a great room is left to house a few archive boxes of 'dead files'.

So we mopped and swept and hoovered and even cleaned toilets, and by the time the set was in and the lights were up, it was a different room.

Next job was to try and drum up an audience. As far as we know, there has been no publicity for the play at all. We each picked up a pile of leaflets and hit the streets. Most people we talked to seemed interested and a few said they'd come along, but how many of those were being polite... I guess we'll find out tomorrow night.

See below for before and after photos.

Before:

After:

Junk, Dust and Floppy Discs

2009-04-18T13:16:00.005+01:00

I finally got round to clearing out the ICT cupboards in school. I say cupboards, but really I mean cupboards, filing cabinets, spaces under tables, offices and drawers. There was old ICT kit and software everywhere and I had no idea what we had.

It took a day. I went through everything and created a literal (well almost) mountain of junk for the bins. I found an old, but pristine Valiant Floor Turtle, complete with an old, huge floppy disc for BBC computer! The floppy went but I kept the turtle as an interesting antiquity!

In the process of the clear out, both ICT suites had a good spring clean, although I ended up grey with dust.

So now I know exactly what we have, and where it is, and the number of cupboards filled with kit has halved. It was incredibly cathartic and left me with a feeling of true contentment and the knowledge that I could build on what we had without duplicating resources. Brilliant. Now I need to get the server in.

TeachMeet NEL09 Part 2

2009-03-31T20:23:00.021+01:00

2DIY from 2Simple. Simple enough for year 1 to use. Children creating their own games and taking great pride in seeing them published on a school website. Great piece of software.

2Simple also looking at the potential of augmented reality. This really is cutting edge.

Now the raffle - I never win anything, but the cause is great. £550 raised for the Cuban school.

Tom Barrett: "Mr Barrett, I have got glue on my laptop"

Technology used right along with traditional classroom tools. "Giving children a permanent technology choice in the classroom makes a huge difference."

Using GoogleEarth - "...most engaging tool out there." Using Vocaroo with GoogleEarth to plan a journey in a story. Setting location marks and adding notes to tell a story in snippets.

Using IM applications in class. Most popular online tool with children.

Sharing bookmarks with kids using delicious.com. (Something Cleveland Junior and Becontree Primary are already doing).

Twitter used in class - only 95% thought he was bonkers. 5% less than last year.

Edith - Year 9 student. Does X=Y?

Talking about technology tribes and Digital Natives. Am I Native or a Bridge? Am I young enough to be Native? :o)

"Young people are helping their parents catch up (with technology)"

Are we challenging students (Natives) enough? Recent OFSTED report says no.

Ollie Bray (www.olliebray.com): Maps, Mashups and Milkfloats.

Games based learning and using Wordle.net

Using free online tools to engage children.

www.geogreeting.com

GoogleEarth - showing the world spinning. Children start to have geographical conversations.

Task in a bucket (location lotto!) - pull a location out of a bucket and fly there on GoogleEarth from your school location.

www.bighugelabs.com (be careful how you type that!)

Thanks to the organisers for a fantastic evening (Lords!), and thanks also to all the sponsors.

TeachMeet NEL09 Part 1

2009-03-31T18:59:00.016+01:00

Oh dear, I’m at TeachMeet NEL 09 at CEME with my Mac and every intention to blog live. CEME obviously doesn’t like Macs. I can see the Network but I can’t connect no matter how hard I try. So I am reverting to Word and cut and paste!

Next problem: Which room do I choose? I want to see quite a lot of these speakers but they are all in different rooms!

Rats!

Ok I’m in the main hall. Not sure if this is the right choice for me. Can I float?

Tom Whitehead: Fruit faces - use technology to be inclusive.

Oh, that's better! Finally connected to the Internet and breakout rooms moving into main hall.

Leon Cych: Speaking about BBC Learning Open Lab. He is developing a resource showing teachers using different web 2.0 resources.
Also interesting to know that Leon is passionate about Second Life as a learning environment.

Andrew Trimble: Using digital audio to enhance literacy. Pupils recording their play script dialogue. Demonstration of how to transfer their files on to computer ready for podcasting.

Jerome Monahan: Active approaches to everything.
Where hast thou been sister?
Killing swine.

Wonderful sight - a room full of teachers doing actions to text from Macbeth!
Aha! Leads to video conferencing - Global Leap.

Debbie Forster: Computer Clubs for Girls. www.cc4g.net Aimed at getting girls interested in IT. Starts from primary school. Now introducing boys! Pack going out to secondary schools www.bigambition.co.uk

Money raised by raffle goes towards rebuilding Celia Sanchez Manduley School in Cuba which was destroyed by hurricane Ike in 2008.

Break now. I need some food and a beer!

A New Lease of Life

2009-03-21T22:22:00.003Z

I finally got round to buying my first ever scanner today. It is something that I've been thinking about for several years, but never quite got around to.

Since I started to edit the school website I have thought it would be good to be able to have the ability to scan documents like the school menu, so that I could add them to the website from home. Not to mention that it is handy to be able to scan books or pages of books for use in various lessons. Of course, that is all work related and I could use the scanner at school. However, I have a large stash of colour and black and white negatives and I have wanted to be able to convert the best of these into digital images for some time now. Obviously then, my scanner had to have film scanning capabilities.

I decided on a Canon CanoScan 5600F. I wasn't sure what to expect, quality wise, with the film scan. My test scan is below. It is scanned at 4800dpi. I was pleasantly surprised by the crispness and colour of the image.

First Photos from the New Camera

2009-02-18T15:40:00.004Z

I had the perfect chance to try out my new camera yesterday. It was a beautiful crisp day in London, and a walk along South Bank gave plenty of photo opportunities. I have uploaded a set to flickr.com but below is a preview. I'm very happy and I am convinced that I made the right choice of camera.

New Camera

2009-02-02T09:31:00.009Z

Panasonic DMCTZ5 Digital Camera - Black (9.1MP, 10x Optical Zoom)

No mucking about. I can't cope without a camera, and since this one has been tried and tested in the family, with great feedback, I decided to go for it.

I have just bought 6 of these:

Panasonic DMCFS3 Digital Camera - Black (8.1MP, 3x Optical Zoom)

for school. I am hoping that they will be simple to use (reviews suggest they will) and produce a really good photo. I don't see why kids in school should settle for grainy, poorly focused photos. If you are going to do photo work - do it properly!

Molly Doesn't Like Snow

2009-02-02T07:41:00.007Z

It's been snowing hard in London and I woke up to this magical sight this morning.

I was very excited when it started settling last night, but this morning was a real wonder - I haven't seen snow like this since Christmas in Vancouver! My spirits were lifted even further by the phone call to let me know that the school was closing for the day.

So I donned boots and coat and picked up my iPhone (now my only camera since my trusty Canon PowerShot A75 died last night), and trudged out into the virgin snow.

I was loving it. Molly, on the other hand, did not know what to make of it. It took several minutes of hard thought on the door step before she decided to venture out and then it was with carefully placed paws in my footsteps.

Eventually she found somewhere she felt comfortable.

I left her there for a while but when I went to let her in I found only deep paw prints in the snow leading in a little loop of the garden, and then they vanished. That was when I heard a pitiful mewing from the other side of the fence where I can only guess she fell off! Trauma over. She is back inside and now apparently happy to stay on the sofa all day. I wish I could wake up to such amusement every day!

Last night's snow fall

The snow wasn't so deep last night - but still a little daunting!

Busy Start

2009-01-28T23:45:00.002Z

It has been the most interesting and busy of beginnings. Dropping into a year 6 class, the term before their SATs, was never going to be easy. But despite being 'tested', having 2-3 lots of marking every day and being in a new school, in a new borough and working with systems I'm not used to, I'm having a ball!

There is a lot to get my head around just teaching in year 6 for the first time, but there is also stacks to do with the ICT.

I arrived at the school with an ICT action plan in my hand, and just 4 weeks in I can start ticking things off. My first discovery was that the ICT policy is 9 years old - ancient for any school policy, never mind in a subject area in which your equipment is out of date in 18 months! So I am in the process of writing a new one (although it might have to wait until the half term).

So far I have:

written an action plan
begun developing a strong ICT team with Robert, our fabulous IT technician
bought photo editing software and 6 digital cameras for pupil use
invested in a data logger which is already being used by year 5
unearthed a 6 year subscription to EducationCity.com. 2 years gone and no one knew about it! It's being used now!
started blogging with year 6
introduced a cross curricular ICT and art topic for year 6
worked with Robert to research a server for the school - watch this space.
started to re-write the ICT policy

I feel quite proud of what we have achieved so far but there is still a lot to be done and it is going to need to be carefully prioritised. Next on the agenda is a big cupboard sort and resources purge. But that is for 2 days in the holiday. Will keep you posted!

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T19:20:00.002Z

2008 has been a bit of a mixed bag for me. I have had some great moments; creative arts week was a fabulous work highlight, as was accepting my new job and I am really looking forward to starting that in January. There have also been some real lows, especially seeing some of my friends go through very difficult times in different ways. To these friends in particular I send my love and wishes for a better year in 2009.

And wishes for my 2009? I hesitate to make resolutions as they inevitably end up broken or forgotten; I have, instead, a wish for positive fresh starts.

A fresh start with WeightWatchers and renewed commitment
A positive start in my new job
A year of good health (following nasty throat infections and 10 months of an inflamed shoulder joint this year)

So with only hours of 2008 left, I would like to wish all my readers a very happy new year and say, may the best of your past be the worst of your future.

Even More Christmas Fun.

2008-12-28T21:34:00.006Z

The latest of the Elf Yourself videos. Having introduced Ted and Marley to the joys of Twitter and Twittervision, we then moved on to the very serious business of turning them into elves. And here are the results.

Creative Arts Week - Update

2008-12-17T00:10:00.011Z

At long last I have finally finished editing my video overview of the Creative Arts Week that I was part of organising this year. Nothing very flash - just a short(ish) taster of the week, and looking back it still makes me smile. I have included two videos below - the first is the week's overview and the second is the complete Longsword performance.

More Christmas Fun - Elf Yourself

2008-12-16T23:44:00.012Z

Another silly Christmas video to wish you all a merry Christmas and a wonderful 2009.
Thanks to Anthony Evans for introducing me to this site.

The Force is Strong on the Mac Side

2008-12-13T16:40:00.003Z

After much thought and drooling over other people's, I finally bought an iPhone. I've had it for about a month and a half now and I have to confess that my conversion to church of Apple is now complete. For the first time ever all my contacts, diaries and e-mail accounts are in sync and up to date. I feel rather organised and virtuous. I have hardly switched on my PC since buying the Mac. The poor abandoned machine gets switched on periodically so that I can print but once I rearrange my network it will be visited even less frequently. Loving the iPhone but there are one or two things about it that annoy me:

To do lists do not sync from iCal - in my opinion this is a huge oversight and one that needs sorting very soon
Battery life is shocking - but I knew that before I bought it
I don't like the iPhone version of predictive text - it doesn't appear to learn your regularly used words and it is all to easy to send out a text with a random word substituted
All of the alarm tones are a bit weedy - none of them are guaranteed to wake me up

Other than that it is love all the way. May the force be with you.

Christmas Fun

2008-12-13T13:07:00.033Z

My kids at school have been taking part in a Christmas sing off this week. They chose to sing the Carol of the Bells. I love the song but as you can probably imaging it is now firmly wedged in my head. This morning I decided to play with GarageBand on my Mac and see what I could come up with. This is the end result and yes I know it is a little out of tune in places and a bit rough around the edges but I quite like the result and it provides a little festive fun to my blog! And yes, all the voices are me!

Wordle.net

2008-11-07T21:40:00.005Z

What a lovely website. Any suggestions on how I can use this in lessons?

A Door Opens

2008-10-30T18:41:00.002Z

After seven years at Cleveland I have taken the plunge and last week I accepted a new job. It means working in a new school, a new borough and a new role. It is scary and exciting all in one go but I am more than ready for the move and it feels right. I'm still going to be teaching and in class full time but my new role is ICT co-ordinator and I have plenty of ideas to get ICT integrated across the curriculum, including the use of blogging in the classroom!

In truth, I can't wait to get started - there is lots to do and big challenges ahead but I am very ready for them. I feel very guilty about leaving my current class part way through the year but it had to be done unfortunately. So, half a term to go and I'll be gutted when it actually comes to leaving but for now...... :o)

An interesting find

2008-09-12T19:54:00.006+01:00

It is amazing what you can find in a school playground. This incredible creature was found by a couple of the kids in my class. They spent their entire lunchtime gently cradling it in their hands and showing every teacher they could find. Their facination was as wonderful as the insect itself; and very understandable. This is the closest I have ever been to a dragonfly and it really was breathtaking. It is a shame that it had died but it seems to have died naturally and it provided a fantastic experience for dozens of kids and adults alike.

Bad Penny turns up!

2008-08-20T22:34:00.003+01:00

Back in 2003 I helped several of mum's 6th form students to produce a short video as part of the 48 hour film challenge (now the 24 Hour Film Challenge), run by Johnnie Oddball. Our randomly picked title was Bad Penny and our genre action/ adventure. The film had to be no longer than 5 minutes. It was a great weekend; fun but tiring, with an all night edit and a mad dash to Edinburgh to deliver the final edit, which we did with only 5 minutes to deadline!

Until yesterday we thought that we had lost all copies of the video since the only DVD we had would not play. But, after a freak discovery and a little tinkering we have rediscovered a low res copy. Not perfect and there seems to be a glitch in one of the scenes, but better that than no copy at all!

I am delighted that we have salvaged it. I still think it holds up. Be patient when you watch it; it starts about 15 seconds in.

From Babies to Boy Band

2008-08-19T13:35:00.015+01:00

It is amazing what you can achieve in one day with a popular song, three keen nephews, a video camera and a decent piece of editing kit. I'm really pleased with how this turned out. It makes Shay chuckle now but I can't help but wonder how embarrassed he'll be by it when he is 16! Still lots of fun and silliness involved and no one taking themselves very seriously!

I really enjoyed making this. It gave me a perfect opportunity to play with the video filters and effects and I am really starting to get my head around the software. However, the more I learn, the more I realise I still have huge amounts to discover. I think some lessons at the Apple store might be on the cards...

I Did That!

2008-08-09T22:27:00.004+01:00

So far I haven't really mentioned the school's creative arts week here. I played a large part in organising it this year because it was my brain child, born of a night of insomnia, and because it involved my area of (ahem...) 'expertise'. However, while starting to learn how to use Final Cut Studio today, I started to edit the video that I shot during the week. It brought home to me just how successful the week was and I thought that I should mention it here. In fact the article above says a lot really and once I finish the edit it should complete the story. But here for once I am going to blow my own trumpet and take the credit for a brilliant week - I made that happen!

Endings and Beginnings

2008-08-06T20:16:00.008+01:00

I have a new bedroom. After five weeks of hard work it is finally finished, and it is beautiful! I love it. I've gone from what felt like a cramped and cluttered hole to waking up in luxury and it just doesn't feel like my room! It leaves only one room in my little flat that hasn't been redecorated since I moved in and it is now shouting at me to be done. I guess I need to start saving.

The new bedroom has prompted all sorts of fresh starts for me. I have got back on track with WeightWatchers and I am starting to see losses again. I am clearing out cupboards and have been ruthless about throwing out a large part of my video and cassette collection (I bet the bin men love me!). I have had a new cupboard built in the front room which is big enough to hold the snake's vivarium. It is enormous so has swallowed a lot of my (now sorted) clutter. And of course the snake is home. It is lovely that he is back here finally and it seems only fair that his last days are free from the noise of a classroom. Having said that he seems robust and healthy just now and his no food fad seems to have passed. He certainly had no problem getting outside of his welcome home mouse!

All of this has left me feeling optimistic and ready to tackle the pile (literally) of organising that I still have to face in school. I am in a new classroom and I now is definitely the right time for a fresh start.

Concerts and Cupcakes

2008-07-13T17:43:00.007+01:00

No posts for a while - I have been up to my armpits in 'stuff'. It's taken a lot longer than I expected to get through the heap of school work, and as for the home stuff, well I am only just starting to tackle that!

Still, only 8 days until the freedom of the summer holidays. I am counting the hours. Meanwhile I am trying to acheive the status domestic goddess! I made cakes for my class cake sale tomorrow and for the Roding Players concert last night. My first attempt at lemon cupcakes and they disappeared fast, so I'll make them again!

There is still plenty going on; domestic goddess status is hard to reach with the flat turned upside down. My bedroom is currently being refitted and decorated and all its contents are stuffed into the corners of every other room. At least I know it is getting worse to get better!

At school we still have the dance festival to get through. This year I am putting up 4 dances and starting to think that it was a very daft idea! Then of course there is class 4's cake sale to raise money for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. I still need to sort out my class assembly on Wednesday and at some point I'll be meeting my new class!

With all of this going on, blogging has taken a bit of a back seat and I haven't even started to get my head around Final Cut Studio yet. Still, hours of entertainment for the holiday!

Too Excited for Words!

2008-06-21T10:45:00.003+01:00

This is my first blog post written on my brand new, shiny MacBook Pro. I have officially become a Mac user and I am loving it! I really can't describe how excited I am, but I feel like a kid learning to walk. I feel like this should be easy - after all I am very computer literate, but the Mac really requires a different mind set from that needed for a PC and so it is going to take me some time. Now I just need to work out how to install Final Cut Studio for hours of fun. Watch this space for my first creation!

The Show's Over

2008-06-15T17:53:00.002+01:00

That's it for another year; Market Boy is over after a 4 night run. I am exhausted, but this play has been really good fun to do. In fact one of the most enjoyable I've done for quite a while and I think this is a lot due to the fact that the group have been very cohesive and therefore great to work with.

So the busiest two or three weeks of my year is coming to and end. With the play now finished I can concentrate on getting my reports completed and get the horrible SATs marking out of the way. I'm quite looking forward to getting my life back!

A Little Relief

2008-06-14T14:32:00.005+01:00

The snake ate yesterday. He was a bit tentative at first but the mouse soon disappeared. I'm still not convinced that this means everything is OK, but it is at least a good sign. Perhaps it really was coincidence that he was off food the last two times I tried to feed him. Anyway, I feel a little better now and I have made a decision; I am going to bring Galahad home in the summer holidays.

He has done very well during his time in school. Lots of children have learnt a huge amount from looking after him. Now I think that it is only fair that he lives his last days in peace and quiet, away from prying eyes, grasping hands and noisy classrooms. It is time I retired him and if he is at home I can keep a more careful eye on him.

I feel quite sad - after six years, Snake Club is over.

To Do Lists

2008-06-07T13:32:00.003+01:00

I am a list maker to the core. I have lists for everything. I have even been known to add things I have already done to new lists, just so that I can cross them off! I find list making incredibly cathartic, in fact I don't think I could function properly without them. So here is my latest list (and I might keep adding to it, but you can also be sure I'll get things crossed off); things I want to do/ see in London.

See a play (or two) at the Globe
Join an orchestra - done, see www.rodingplayers.co.uk
Go to the open air Shakespeare at Regent's Park
Go on the London Eye - done (twice, but always worth a go, and never without a camera)
Go on a Jack the Ripper tour
Visit Spitalfields Market
Find a good, and not extortionate, Sushi restaurant

Hmm, the more I add, the more I feel is missing...

Grey Days and Weekends

2008-06-06T21:54:00.006+01:00

The Under Toad was strong today. I could feel it in the fine, soaking drizzle that descended on the afternoon. But it was more than that. Today was not a good day to be out of bed!

It is an odd feeling when a day changes direction. This morning was fine, even the weather was reasonable, but by mid-morning the shift had happened. I had another bout of dizziness, and it came on really fast. I was fine going down the stairs but on the way up I felt like I was going to fall over. It was so bad that all I could do when I got to the classroom was sit with my head on my knees. It was the quietest the kids were all day, although the fact that my ears went funny at the same time might have contributed to the quiet! I felt less dizzy as the day went on but it didn't really go completely until the evening.

After school I went to do Snake Club as usual. The minute I picked up the snake he felt wrong; too light and weak in the muscles. We offered him a mouse - a big one, since he refused food last time it was offered and he was likely to be hungry. He refused it. That's 4 weeks now without food.

He was milky, so it might just be that he refused the mouse because he is preparing to slough, but that never used to stop him. Galahad has always been a voracious eater. His refusal of food added with the fact that he felt weak makes me think that this might be the beginning of the end for him. He will be 19 years old in July; a very good age for a corn snake. I have to prepare myself for the possibility that he is dying. I managed to hold my emotion in check and I got though Snake Club, but at 4 o'clock that was it, the Under Toad broke through.

Yes, today was a bad day. I am hoping that the weekend is better.

Fun with Cupcakes

2008-05-28T16:50:00.005+01:00

I made these! Yes, they are probably the simplest of all cakes to make and hardly require any skill, but I still feel rather pathetically proud of my pretty pink creations. They really taste very good too. Now I'm wondering, with more practice and the purchase of some icing tools, could I turn this into a miniature cottage industry? Maybe I'll have a cake and think about that!

A Spot of Road Rage

2008-05-23T19:57:00.004+01:00

I clipped some one's wing mirror this morning. She was positioned in the left lane but over the dividing line; I had to pull out over the centre line to get past her. This particular road is very busy in both directions at 8 in the morning, so I couldn't pull out too far or I would have been in the path of on coming traffic. So I ended up just clipping her mirror. Not a huge collision, but wing mirrors always sound worse inside the car. I quickly looked to see if I had caused her any damage but everything was fine. No biggy, it happens, that's one of the reasons that wing mirrors are designed to give.

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel great about clipping her, but in the great scheme of things it really was inconsequential. So I drove on, or at least continued to pull up to the lights.

Meanwhile, the driver started to flap and gesture aggressively at me. I decided that I wouldn't make eye contact (she was flapping hard enough that a I could clearly see her in my peripheral vision). Not that I am a coward you understand, but really, what would be the point. The lady was clearly ready to wind herself up into a frenzy.

I have enough daily stress and aggravation not to have any desire to start my day with a confrontation over nothing. And what could I have said? If she hadn't started gesticulating I would have waved and mouthed an apology, but what more is there to say? There was no damage, no harm done and no need to waste time for either of us.

As the lights changed colour she positioned herself ahead of me and flapped at me again. I still ignored her and at at this point she either realised that I wasn't going to acknowledge her or her common sense kicked in and she calmed down enough to realise that she was making a boil out of a tiny pimple.

We both went on our way without the confrontation (and who knows how far she would have taken it). I was left thinking 'how sad that she had to be so uptight and aggressive over this, to the point where any attempt to acknowledge my slip and apologise could have inflamed an obviously tightly wound individual (perhaps she is a teacher? We are all fairly tightly wound at the moment!).

Are our lives so stressful and miserable that the little things that go wrong can send us hurtling into a hostile and destructive spiral? I will try to remember her moment of road rage the next time someone cuts across me from the left at a roundabout!

Classroom Blogs

2008-05-07T23:00:00.005+01:00

Wow! What a day! Since catching the blogging bug I have been wondering how I might use a blog effectively in my teaching. So I set up a new blog and a new Google account using a safe email address and password, and then I headed into new territory.

It has been a revelation. I have had a brilliant day and my class loved it too. We hit 3 subject areas with one activity and stretched it over the day giving us plenty of time to actually finish something we started (for a change).

Our class blog could run and run, and the best thing about it is that the children are asking what else they can do with it. What started as a place to share one project is now being viewed by myself and the children as a place to share this term's work.

Looking at the comments widget I know that many of them have already viewed the blog at home. Brilliant! Now when a parent asks "what did you do at school today?" they can see for themselves.

Back to where it started

2008-05-03T11:21:00.002+01:00

This is the video that started it all. Yes, I know it's silly and its production values are low, but making this video on a one day course at 21cc reinfected me with the editing bug. Now I want to do more; make silly shorts and collaborate with like minded friends - just for fun. Who knows where it might lead me? (so far, to an expensive longing for a Mac and Final Cut Studio!)

All new to me

2008-05-02T22:08:00.002+01:00

I have finally joined the blogging world. Until today I have only thought fleetingly about doing so. My efforts at diary keeping as a kid would suggest that I may only ever be a sporadic blogger but perhaps I am underestimating myself. Time will tell.