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Shambles May 2004 Newsletter
 
Welcome to the sixth edition of the
SHAMBLES newsletter ...
designed to be of relevance to International Schools in S.E.Asia (& friends)
http://www.shambles.net/newsletter/
CLICK HERE
for aims, purpose & mailing policy

Apologies if you have received more than one copy of the notice of the newsletter -
To subscribe to the newsletter just send a blank email to newsletter-subscribe@shambles.net


CLICK HERE to download a summary (Microsoft) "Word.doc" version of the May 2004 newsletter (200kB)

INDEX (in no specific order)

Welcome Leadership
Subject Departments - Resources International Schools Websites
The Olympics Advertising on the Shambles website
School website competitions           FOBISSEA Games and Music Camp
School Calendar 2004-2005 (to print) Summer Courses for Int. School Teachers
Battle of the Books in Hong Kong Interactive Whiteboards
SchoolNet Global project A School Online Radio Station
Virtual Education Fair TV & Internet Usage - A Guide for Parents
Maekok River Village in Thailand Start of Year (Back to School) Activities
MA and PG Diploma in Applied Educational Leadership and Management
Virtual Education Fair
Summer courses in beautiful Cambridge for teachers who’d like to keep up to date with developments in school in England. paul.andrews@cea.co.uk
Effective ELT software with comprehensive teacher support
 
Welcome
 

'The Education Project Asia" is a consultancy designed to offer support to International Schools in S.E.Asia ... particularly in the area of integration of ICT across the curriculum.

Apart from maintaining the "Shambles" website I also provides on-site support to schools : for example Singapore (ICT School Review), Brunei (conference on elearning), Malaysia (general ICT support to staff), Thailand and Hong Kong. At the moment I'm also involved in the writing of an online course "ICT for Teachers" for UKeU which will be available from September.
 

Subject Departments on Shambles .... now nurses and careers staff
www.shambles.net

The modifications on the Shambles website continues in response to feedback received ....the following sections have been completed for "Headteacher & Senior Managers", "School Counsellors/careers staff" and "School Nurses".

Try your own subject or interest area by clicking here :
| Headteacher or Senior Manager |
| Mathematics | English | Science | Information Technology | Geography | History | Religious Education |
| Art and Design | Design and Technology | Music | Modern Foreign Languages | Physical Education |
| SEN | ESL | The School Library | The ICT Technician Room | ... and (for primary / K-6) a 'Topics" area.
 

The Olympics and Paralympics
www.shambles.net/pages/students/Olympics/
When the next newsletter is published the Olympics and Paralympics will be over ... fortunately Shambles has a list of relevant links to help for lessons, homework and research.
Olympic Games 13-29 August 2004 and Paralympic Games, 17-28 September 2004
Inter-school website competitions (opportunities)
www.gsh.org/cf/index.html. and www.thinkquest.org

Recently I accepted invitations to be a judge in two different annual events which involve students working as teams with the end result being a website.

  • International Schools Cyberfair 2004 : Now in its 9th year, CyberFair has been described as the largest educational event of its kind ever held on the Internet. This program has brought together more than one million students across 100 countries. (I suspect the term 'overseas schools' would be more accurate than 'International Schools in this context) .. the focus is on collaboration and teamwork. The websites produced are also useful as teaching resources for schools.
    Two of the submissions I judged have particular interest in this part of the world -
  • Thinkquest : Competitions start every six months, in April and October and they have an online library of over 5,000 websites created by students, including award-winning entries.
School Calendar 2004 - 2005 ... to print out
www.shambles.net/calendar/schoolcalendars/shambles2004-2005.pdf

If you are looking for a school calendar for 2004-2005 to print out and help you plan for next year then you can download one here .... designed to be printed on A3 paper horizontally (landscape) and available as Word and Adobe pdf files.

There are several versions ... including a blank template, one with Hong Kong (&ESF) holidays, one with Thai holidays and one with U.K. holidays.

click this image to download a school calendar 2004-2005 .. for printing onto A3 size paper
Battle of the Books
email : caislibrary@yahoo.com

Battle of the Books is a program that encourages reading by all students at the primary and middle school levels. It originated from a public radio program in the 1940s in the USA and was introduced to North Carolina libraries in 1981.
Bryant McEntire Librarian at Christian Alliance International School brought the idea to Hong Kong in August 2000. Since its introduction, enthusiasm has spread from intra-school battles to citywide interschool battles.


For full details click on the image or contact
Bryant McEntire or Yvonne Lui
at caislibrary@yahoo.com

SchoolNet Global project.
www.schoolnetglobal.com

Following on from one of the themes in the last newsletter ..... schools sharing with each other :

The SchoolNet Global project started in 1998 in the UK. Since then over half a million young people, aged 4 to 18 have been involved. Many have recorded their thoughts and feelings about life in the 21st Century, on over 54,000 web pages. They write about their own lives, homes, interests, wild ideas, hopes and dreams and how they will make the world a better place.

There are SchoolNet Global schools in 28 countries around the world, many of whom would like to link up with each other so that teachers and children can collaborate on their SchoolNet projects. The benefits can be enormous, particularly in foreign language learning and intercultural understanding .

"Our students and teachers created the world's biggest children's contributory website and it's still growing. From 2002, the project is available to children around the world."
 

Virtual Education Fair 10 May–16 May 2004
www.ezine.hobsons.com/?c=773&r=1049&link=3171&user=0
Want to study abroad? Find everything you need at the Virtual Education Fair, the world’s largest FREE online education event
  • request information from schools, colleges and universities from around the world
  • find programmes and courses at any level of education: pre-degree, undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA and English-language studies
  • e-mail institutions directly for a personal response
  • apply for funding and scholarships
  • have your education question answered by an expert

Register now at
www.ezine.hobsons.com/?c=773&r=1049&link=3171&user=0
to receive e-mail updates and a free preview guide to help you get the most out of the Fair.

Click to visit the Virtual Education Fair online
click the image to visit the website

Explore your education options online

It would be appreciated if you would pass this information to students and parents: if this particular event is missed it will be repeated and they can catch the next one
Maekok River Village Outdoor Education Centre in Thailand
www.maekok-river-village-resort.com/

Opportunities for fieldwork, outdoor activities and community service – all in one centre, and surrounded by the stunning scenery of northern Thailand

There are three opportunities available to schools ....

The academic strand includes field studies in geography, and also environmental issues, history, and culture of this unique part of Thailand .

The second strand is providing a range of outdoor pursuits . Trekking, rafting, canoeing, biking, climbing and various team challenges are the most popular.

The third strand is community service . Our own project provides training in organic farming, English and hotel skills for local disadvantaged youths. We also have excellent links with local (Thai) schools and an orphanage. Groups have informally provided help or used this to satisfy the CAS element of the I.B.

info@maekok-river-village-resort.com

Pates Grammar, U.K. on an elephant trek
click this image for more details including pictures of schools
and if you just want to see a bigger picture of the Pates Grammar School (UK) students on this wonderful elephant then CLICK HERE

Leadership Online Course and Headteacher Standards
www.londonexternal.ac.uk/postgraduate/inst_education/leadership_&_management/index.shtml
www.ncsl.org.uk/index.cfm?pageID=nationalstandards

Three items in this edition of the newsletter under the heading of 'Leadership'

  1. Leadership wwwlinks on Shambles can be accessed from the Headteacher/Principal page at www.shambles.net/headteacher/ and clicking on 'School Leadership', it lists over 50 links to relevant resources and websites.
  2. New online distance learning course from the University of London starting September 2004
    This course leading to an MA in Applied Educational Leadership and Management is taught by experts in the area of leadership and management from the Institute of Education. It is internationally focused and suitable for senior managers in schools and colleges or in government or other agencies concerned with schooling.
    The course is made up of four modules and a dissertation supported by specially written materials and additional readings. Groups of 10 students work together online under the guidance of a personal tutor.
    • for more details online click here
    • contact the course director Dr Marianne Coleman at m.coleman@ioe.ac.uk
    • to download a poster for the staffroom noticeboard click here (pdf file 1Mb)
    • to go directly to the relevant Univ. of London website click here
  3. The UK proposals for the revised National Standards for head teachers are now available online for consultation. The deadline for all feedback is 11 June 2004. Join a discussion or send your views.
International Schools Websites - Showcased
www.unishanoi.org/pages/academics/counseling/couns_home.html and www.sis.edu.hk/

In each newsletter I highlight a few of the webspaces from International Schools in S.E.Asia, this term shows a single 'College Counseling' webpage and a full secondary school website.

The 'College Counseling' webpage at The United Nations International School of Hanoi is designed "to help students seek the best tertiary educational experience based on their individual needs." The page is well laid out and easy to navigate and I suspect is an excellent resource to support the work of the College Counselor, Ms. Christina Powers.

From a single webpage to a complete site ... South Island School ( Hong Kong ) 1,000+ students age range 11-18. Webmaster (& Head of Faculty) is Nick Villeperieux .
This site is unique, it often breaks the rules for consistency in design ... but for some strange reason it all seems to work ... when you click on a link you just don't know what the next experience is going to be. The site is 'content rich', 'fun', 'interactive', 'functional' and focused very much on 'teaching and learning'.

" The Latin maxim, “exegi monumentum aere perennius” pretty well sums up the site as an extraordinary personal endeavour, and in keeping with the nature of the site you will have do some research to discover its meaning."
The school SMS system can be launched from the site as well as the school Knowledge Network (Cyclops), and other associated Web Parts (Cyclops is underpinned by some pretty powerful technology in the shape of MS SharePoint 2003) .
Statistically there are over 1,100 public pages with nearly 1,000,000 registered external hits.
 

Advertising on Shambles
www.shambles.net/advertising/index.htm

Not many schools have taken up the advertising options on 'Shambles' which is a surprise as our pages do come up high in search engines.

'Shambles' is a free service because of sponsorship and advertising ... your support would be appreciated .. email me for more details if interested csmith@csmith.info
 

FOBISSEA Games and Music Camp
www.scips.org.my/Scips/index.htm

The 2004 FOBISSEA Primary Games 7th to 11th June are hosted, next month, at St .Christophers International Primary School in Penang. This is designed as an annual event and this year is expecting over 700 students and teachers from 17 schools as well as over 300 parents to attend.

A second FOBISSEA event will be a 'Music Camp' on 14th November hosted by the British School - Seoul Foreign School ... for more details contact Daniel Knight dknight@sfs.or.kr Music Department Seoul Foreign British School.

Daniel has asked for a number of the Music Camp documents to be downloadable from the newsletter .. so here they are (all Word documents) :
| Reservations Form (73 KB) | Organisational Timeline (27 KB) | 2nd Letter Sent to Schools ( 27 KB) |
| Performing Arts Centre (38 KB) | Proposed Programme (25 KB) |

CEA Summer courses 2004 for international school teachers
www.cea.co.uk/intl_seminars.htm

The pace of change in UK education is unrelenting; education and school improvement continue to be high on the agenda of the UK Government. If you have been away from the UK for a year or more, there is a real danger that you will have lost touch with your profession.

If you want to stay in touch, why not sign up for CEA's Staying in Touch courses, taking place in Cambridge in July and August 2004?
email: paul.andrews@cea.co.uk
 

Interactive WhiteBoards
www.shambles.net/pages/staff/intwhiteb/

Interactive Whiteboards are 'flavour of the year' for many schools ... visit the area on Shambles for details to help you decide which to but and also links to websites that have suitable content.
 

Your own School Online Radio Station
http://icseoul.org/ and www.shambles.net/pages/learning/ict/radio/

I noticed recently that The International Christian School of Seoul are announcing they are to start broadcasting their own school internet radio station. (details) - "ICS Seoul has the finest sounds for the soul"

This is not as technically difficult as it might sound, it is an exercise in organisation, management and teamwork rather than a technical challenge, just follow the online instructions.

The school is using an online service at www.live365.com and they do not need to invest in any hardware or software themselves. There are a number of companies offering this service, some free and some you pay, a list can be seen on Shambles.

This is a wonderful motivator for students of all abilities and can work in all subject areas.

TV & Internet Usage - A Guide for Parents
www.ciconline.org/Enrichment/MediaLiteracy/NavigatingMediaLandscape/default.htm

A recent report from the (USA) National PTA and Cable in the Classroom organisations provides advice and tools to parents and caregivers to help manage their children's use of TV, the Internet and other media.
The report offers:

  • a guide to help families develop a comprehensive media plan that allows them to take greater control of their TV viewing, Internet and other media activities
  • a chart with how to use media to support age appropriate development
  • ideas and strategies to help parents and caregivers select and use media in ways appropriate for their children

This could be a focus for a parents evening or a topic for a media studies lesson

Click here to go to the website to download your free copy of the report
"Navigating the Children's Media"
Visit the website to download a free copy of the report (560 kb)

Start of Year Activities (Back to School)
www.shambles.net/pages/staff/BackSchool/

This may be the ultimate in forward planning .... but the start of the next school year is just a few months away. There is an area on Shambles which contains suggestions and ideas for the start of the new year or term ... "Back to School"
 


STOP PRESS
Online Conference for Librarians 15-31 May 2004
www.asla.org.au/onlinecon.htm
"ASLA Online Conference: Constructing communities of learning and literacy which will be held 15-31 May, 2004. The first Australian School Library Association (ASLA) Online conference aims to provide current thinking, practice and discussion in knowledge management, information literacy, information and communication technology, and evidence-based practice within an online digital learning community.
"
(source EdNA)

That's IT

The next newsletter will be the first week of November 2004

Feedback
www.shambles.net/feedback/

Any feedback you can give about this newsletter is always appreciated .... especially ideas or contributions for future editions ...

If you know of any new international schools opening in the region - Brunei Burma/Myanmar Cambodia China Hong Kong (HKSAR) India Indonesia Japan Laos Macau Malaysia Philippines Singapore South Korea Taiwan Thailand Vietnam - then please let me know csmith@csmith.info

Best wishes to COBISEC at their annual conference next week - 8th to 10th May
www.cobisec.org/ConferenceProgramme2004.htm

I hope you have an enjoyable summer

email Chris Smith

csmith@csmith.info


Two kinds of information are necessary for human life on this planet :
1 Genetic information. No batteries required
2 Everything else, i.e., civilization. Batteries required

If you know of any commercial companies or organisations that might be interested in sponsoring a future newsletter then please feel free to forward this newsletter to them .... many thanks.

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