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Me at the end of 2019

My work and passion is in learning, teaching and technology, not only in how digital technologies are used as tools in a computing curriculum but in how they can transform learning and teaching and potentially education as a whole. I spend a lot of time encouraging people to join me.  I’m also a wife, mother, aunt and granny and am involved in the rough and tumble of extended family life.  I have a car, a good pair of walking boots and trekking pole,  a well-thumbed passport, trail running shoes and compass   My extensive book collection ( I moved to a new house for it) includes food stained cookery books. I’ve access to music, live, streamed and recorded, a Wii and an Xbox Kinect and many ‘robots’.  In spare time I volunteer at a wonderful National Trust property, Woolsthorpe Manor, the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton and talk to (if they want to)  the amazing, interesting people who come to visit.  Life is indeed good! A visit to my website would have told more inc
Recent posts

It's time to move on

Yes it's time to move on from my first blog home here, to the new improved detached version of Butterfly42 . This blog will sit here for sometime with a link to it from the new version so all is not lost. But I'm now established in my new detached home, with my own address from where I'll continue to butterfly about life the universe and everything trying not to cause chaos but possibly finding some answers. So it's time to follow the furniture van to the next place, don't get lost along the way and click on the RSS feed when you arrive to ensure we keep in touch. Butterfly 42

The snow walk

Saturday was to be the day for setting up a new blog, but the prospect of a walk in the park , snow still on the ground and sun bright, was tempting. I asked my fellow tweeters what I should do first, walk in the park or work on the blog? And the unanimous response of those around was to walk first and then set up blog and write about it. So no couch potatoes there. Sadly once we were out there it was so good that that we did not return for a long time. No new blog set up :-( Whilst out I tweeted some photos from the iphone but this was not enough, a blog post was required so here it is. Instead of the new blog I'm showing the pictures in two ways, first new to me a Photopeach spiral (Thanks Simon Widdowson and Allanah King for sharing this at about the same time) and then using Animoto . I have an education license for this so can make longer films Enjoy my walk Snow in the park on PhotoPeach . Use the slider to hear the sound and click on

Open EYE

This morning I read Open EYE's Submission to the National Union of Teachers' Consultation on the Early Years. Open EYE are continuing their campaign for developmentally appropriate early years 'education' which they claim the new early years foundation stage requirements are not in sympathy with. The paragraph on ICT, focused on the dangers of 'the screen' referred texts in support and I must look carefully at them. Straight away I moved onto on to ' Does Not Compute ' by Aric Sigman and his Remotely Controlled . This is a laudable debate and needs airing..I'll continue to follow it, where are the counter arguments? I've got mine to follow, share yours

Through stories

A tale of two cities….a digital fairytale for the 21st century « Mimanifesto - Jaye’s weblog Through stories, fantasy, science fiction, parable, the word is spread. Round campfire, cup of tea, glass of wine, computer the people listen. The names are changed, the place elsewhere. The truth is out, the word is spread and people arm themselves. Things change. Listen to a story

BETT 2009

It's that time again, BETT "The worlds largest education technology event" is held annually at Olympia, London, will indeed attract the world. Always an exciting and interesting event it's where new educational technology is showcased and established resources revisited, experiences shared and ideas put forward through seminars and presentations and and often significantly the place where the government announce new plans, money and strategies. Unusually this year my BETT experience started early when I joined the Learning and Technology World Forum 2009 today, taking delegates to schools and other educational establishments using technology successfully to support learning and teaching. on the opening day January 14th I'll be "guiding" a group of visitors from the conference around the vast exhibition, helping them to get the best out of their day. I'm looking forward to helping them and considering other peoples priorities. From Thursday I

8 years ago

While collecting the Christmas decorations from the loft I ‘fell over’ a box of old Child and Junior Education magazines going back to 2000. At one time the stalwart support for most teachers and probably still are, there were very few classrooms that did not have centre page picture from those or their sister magazines ‘Projects’ and ‘Art and Craft’ on display. Up to a couple of years ago I had been buying them since I first entered a classroom on the teacher side of the desk. I could not resist a look at the ICT sections of both magazine 8 years ago, in December 2000. How have things changed I wondered? In Junior Education’s news section there were two technology entries. Liberal Democrat MP Richard Allan says “the current provision of IT equipment and support in our schools in inadequate ... in spite of support from the Government weaknesses in ICT remain ….. Liberal Democrat proposals include increasing equipment to that every pupil in England and Wales is guaranteed to have