Jonathan Savage

Thanks to my colleague Clive for pointing out this helpful site provided by the DIUS. It is a useful online function that converts .pdf files into .html, .xml or image files.

No blogging for ages. I can only apologise and say that for reasons of unforeseen busyness blogging slipped off the agenda for a while. However, I will make a determined effort from now to maintain the blog and keep you up to date with things that I found interesting (and hopefully you will too).

It was interesting to wake up this morning and hear the debates about the value of coursework in GCSE examinations. Within music, coursework is set to continue. The QCA make this clear in their press release:

In art & design, design & technology, home economics, music and physical education, internal assessments should continue with stronger safeguards.

Quite what these stronger safeguards will be I think we will have to wait and see. On the Today programme this morning, one of the commentators was complaining that the QCA have imposed these new conditions on teachers without any consultation. I guess that teachers would say, “What’s new!” (and I’d have a lot of sympathy with that). However, if you read the QCA coursework review you’ll find out that there was a fairly extensive consultation process of interviewing representative samples of teachers. So I guess that the top line story in these things sometimes doesn’t quite represent the reality of the situation. Either way, it seems like the QCA have been considering this for a while and much longer than the time it took Alan Johnson to mention it in his speech last week.

Here’s a cool little application: an online, collaborative whiteboard where you can share ideas online through pictures, text etc with up to two other people. When you’ve finished, you can save or print your drawings or watch them being redrawn through a ‘replay’ option. Great stuff!

In what is thought to be a really unusual step, the Sunday Telegraph is reporting that the soundtrack to the Da Vinci Code was too scary in its original form and, unless modified, would have resulted in the film being given a 15 certificate by the BBFC. Aware that anything other than a 12A certificate would have undermined the film’s commercial prospects, Sony was forced to moderate the audio content for the finished version of the film. Last week, it was finally granted the desired 12A certificate by the board. I would have thought it was worth avoiding the film for its heretical content drawn on gnostic sources and limited historical data as much as for any other reason.

I’ve been reading about a new e-book called Coming of Age: An introduction to the NEW worldwide web, which is available as is a free download in PDF format from here. You are encouraged to pass it on to anyone you think will be interested or will benefit. I’ve downloaded it and it does look very informative. I’ve copied the contents list below for those that are interested. It is written by a range of different authors and has been edited by Terry Freedman.

Contents:
1. Preliminary Information
2. The Contributors: Quick Reference Guide
3. Introduction
4. Glossary Of Terms Used
5. Book Review: Redefining Literacy For The 2St Century
6. Effective E-Learning Through Collaboration
7. What Are Rss Feeds And Why Haven’T I Heard About It?(Rss Feeds From An Educator’S Perspective)
8. Blogging: Shift Of Control
9. Photo-Sharing And Clip-Art
10. Factoring Web Logs To Their Fundamentals
11. Virtual Support Via The Blogosphere
12. The International Edublog Awards
13. Blogs You Must Read!
14. Elgg And Blogging In Primary Education
15. Using Blogs In School
16. Thinking About Creativity, Thinking About Blogs!
17. Book Review: Classroom Blogging: A Teacher’S Guide To The Blogosphere
18. Book Review: New Tools For Learning
19. Diary Of A Potential Podcasting Junkie
20. Finding Good Podcasts
21. Podcasting Resources
22. Podcasting
23. Finding And Subscribing To A Podcast Via Itunes
24. Obtaining Information About A Podcast In Itunes
25. Giving Students A Second Listen
26. Podcasting: A Review Of Recording Devices
27. Other Useful Websites
28. Create An Rss Feed For Your Podcast
29. List Your Podcast And Find Others’
30. Podcasting And Wikis
31. Recording A Podcast On A Computer
32. Uses Of Podcasting In Schools
33. Video Blogging: Terry Freedman Interviews Paul Knight
34. Video Blogging In Schools
35. Wikis: An Introduction
36. Wikipedia Vs Britannica
37. Setting Up A Wiki
38. Wikiville: An Interview With John Bidder
39. Social Bookmarking
40. Forums, Instant Messaging And Other Ways To Participate

We had fun with this! Create your own Picasso-esque drawing with this online tool. It’s a little bit like a visual art version of Garageband. Enjoy!

Blogging on the train via a Blackberry is highly recommended! It beats trying to have a conversation which is either interrupted by poor reception or the amazingly annoying and loud Virgin train announcer’s electronic chime. My friend Andrew Diey should be asked to do a new sound design for Virgin trains. He would make them sound much cooler.