Today myself and the formidable Mrs Shannahan took a group of 18 pupils to the Community Links AGM and Volunteer Awards held in the new community centre adjacent to Blantyre Miners Welfare Social Club.
It was a great couple of hours and we were made to feel very welcome by all the regulars. We were one of two schools, Calderside in Blantyre attended.
From an Educational point of view our students saw a real life AGM taking place and learned a few details about the differences between Charitable status and the advantages given to such organisations.
Our students also took part in a quiz using the PPV pads which was a lot of fun and we nabbed 3rd place earning one of our pupils a box of chocolates. If I had have known Ringo Starr was older than John Lennon we would have been spending i-Tunes vouchers like there was no tomorrow.
Community Links are involved in so many worthwhile projects, helping support the regeneration of Blantyre and Hamilton, as well as really bringing people together whether it is helping put PCs into people's houses or writing, editing and publishing the Community Matters newspaper.
I hope we shall be going every year and also I hope our classes, our school, indeed our community can offer some help to the already great volunteers who do such a worthwhile job.
Perhaps some of our students in Hamilton Grammar may end up as Volunteers in the future.
When you see the contribution in terms of the most precious thing we have - time - given by people it makes you realise that together as a community great things do happen every day. A brilliant tonic to the doom and gloom we read and see in the news.
So on behalf of Hamilton Grammar and the S6 Business students, thanks once again for having us.
Oh - and the lunch was superb!!!
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Monday, 20 October 2008
Work - Life Balance... what is that?
I was escaping the Scottish weather by playing golf in Spain last week, but now we are back to business.
Higher BM are nearing their first nab;
Higher Admin are polishing off Excel tasks;
SG Admin are undergoing Integrated Tasks in S4, and S3s are being introduced (or reminded) about the pleasures of Spreadsheets
S2 are in Graphics mode
S1 are sending their emails!
I have 2 CPD courses this week (one on eTwinning, and the other related to Higher Admin).
Our Halloween Disco tickets are now on sale...
Our Young Enterprise shares are also now on sale...
I have an International Education committee meeting tonight after school...
And on Wednesday I am taking S6 to the Community Links AGM/Volunteer Awards at Blantyre Miners Community Resource Centre.
This is turning into one of the busiest weeks ever!
Plus I aim to upload more screencasts to TeacherTube and perhaps even some educational videos with a slight angle, and more slideshows to slideshare.net. It is funny now how many young teachers are blogging, podcasting or using a wiki. I remember when I was looked at when I showed people in my previous schools how to embed their slides in blogs! We've come a long way.
I am just glad pupils use the blog not so much as correspondence but as a resource. I tried using it for homework in the past, but perhaps I should try again, but sometimes it can lose its focus.
Anway, must dash my first meeting is in a few minutes!!!
Higher BM are nearing their first nab;
Higher Admin are polishing off Excel tasks;
SG Admin are undergoing Integrated Tasks in S4, and S3s are being introduced (or reminded) about the pleasures of Spreadsheets
S2 are in Graphics mode
S1 are sending their emails!
I have 2 CPD courses this week (one on eTwinning, and the other related to Higher Admin).
Our Halloween Disco tickets are now on sale...
Our Young Enterprise shares are also now on sale...
I have an International Education committee meeting tonight after school...
And on Wednesday I am taking S6 to the Community Links AGM/Volunteer Awards at Blantyre Miners Community Resource Centre.
This is turning into one of the busiest weeks ever!
Plus I aim to upload more screencasts to TeacherTube and perhaps even some educational videos with a slight angle, and more slideshows to slideshare.net. It is funny now how many young teachers are blogging, podcasting or using a wiki. I remember when I was looked at when I showed people in my previous schools how to embed their slides in blogs! We've come a long way.
I am just glad pupils use the blog not so much as correspondence but as a resource. I tried using it for homework in the past, but perhaps I should try again, but sometimes it can lose its focus.
Anway, must dash my first meeting is in a few minutes!!!
Credit Crunch Jokes
Q Why didn’t the little boy get any pocket money this week?
A Cos his Mum’s gone to Iceland!
Q What’s the difference between an investment banker and a large pizza?
A A large pizza can feed a family of four
Q What’s the difference between an investment banker and a pigeon?
A A pigeon can leave a deposit on a Ferrari
Q How do you define optimism?
A A banker who irons 5 shirts on a Sunday night
(Thanks to Jim Riley at Tutor2u.et)
A Cos his Mum’s gone to Iceland!
Q What’s the difference between an investment banker and a large pizza?
A A large pizza can feed a family of four
Q What’s the difference between an investment banker and a pigeon?
A A pigeon can leave a deposit on a Ferrari
Q How do you define optimism?
A A banker who irons 5 shirts on a Sunday night
(Thanks to Jim Riley at Tutor2u.et)
Saturday, 11 October 2008
International Education, Young Enterprise and Eco Group
What an eventful week I have just had.
First of all I met (for the first time) Mr Dyer, Faculty Head of Sciences and the Boss Man of Eco Group and also the Chairman of the International Education committee.
I can't say too much about what was discussed - in case of industrial espionage - so all I can say is he has had a brilliant idea for my Young Enterprise company called Pinnacle to get involved in the world of reducing the school's Carbon Footprint.
On that note, our newly appointed managing director, Fraser Porteous worked hard this week to come up with a healthy menu to take to yet another committee (how many actually ARE there???) to press forward our plans in Hamilton.
Anyway the Eco Group have some very interesting ideas and hopefully I can help with some issues. I was also asked to go to the next International Education committee meeting when we return from our break. I can see a great opportunity to tie in some of our existing ICT areas with what the IE (I'm now at the abbreviation game) committee plan to do and as an added Brucie bonus I actually did put IE down as part of my CPD (was that genuis or luck? You decide.)
So if I did get involved that would be my FOURTH committee (ICT, Enterprise, Learning & Teaching) I think I would have to give one up. But I must admit I like the idea of reaching out and linking up with other schools, and I am sure our pupils would love it. e-twinning is next logical step.
I wonder if we did where would the schools come from? I know Modern Languages would like to link up with schools in France and Spain (which makes sense) but I am a nut on all things American so I would like to link up with schools in either the Mid West or Florida. I have visited a couple of schools in Minnesota and the facilities they have there are mindblowing. Apollo High, St Cloud and Sartell High, Sartell about 90 mins drive north of Minneapolis.
So it will be another busy month.
First of all I met (for the first time) Mr Dyer, Faculty Head of Sciences and the Boss Man of Eco Group and also the Chairman of the International Education committee.
I can't say too much about what was discussed - in case of industrial espionage - so all I can say is he has had a brilliant idea for my Young Enterprise company called Pinnacle to get involved in the world of reducing the school's Carbon Footprint.
On that note, our newly appointed managing director, Fraser Porteous worked hard this week to come up with a healthy menu to take to yet another committee (how many actually ARE there???) to press forward our plans in Hamilton.
Anyway the Eco Group have some very interesting ideas and hopefully I can help with some issues. I was also asked to go to the next International Education committee meeting when we return from our break. I can see a great opportunity to tie in some of our existing ICT areas with what the IE (I'm now at the abbreviation game) committee plan to do and as an added Brucie bonus I actually did put IE down as part of my CPD (was that genuis or luck? You decide.)
So if I did get involved that would be my FOURTH committee (ICT, Enterprise, Learning & Teaching) I think I would have to give one up. But I must admit I like the idea of reaching out and linking up with other schools, and I am sure our pupils would love it. e-twinning is next logical step.
I wonder if we did where would the schools come from? I know Modern Languages would like to link up with schools in France and Spain (which makes sense) but I am a nut on all things American so I would like to link up with schools in either the Mid West or Florida. I have visited a couple of schools in Minnesota and the facilities they have there are mindblowing. Apollo High, St Cloud and Sartell High, Sartell about 90 mins drive north of Minneapolis.
So it will be another busy month.
Teacher Tube
Just to remind my classes (in particular Higher and SG Admin) that I have added some more instruction videos onto Teacher Tube.
I will take requests from you again, as I can't do everything just yet, but I will create screencasts for the areas you guys feel you could do with the extra support.
We always can use Teach-ICT in the meantime, but I know you like to laugh at my little vids.
As long as it helps your grades, then so be it.
I will take requests from you again, as I can't do everything just yet, but I will create screencasts for the areas you guys feel you could do with the extra support.
We always can use Teach-ICT in the meantime, but I know you like to laugh at my little vids.
As long as it helps your grades, then so be it.
A Curriculum for Excellence
We have been looking once more at unpacking the Technologies outcomes in our school. It was a different process from the SBEA meeting earlier this year!
I think there is an opportunity for Business subjects to gain a larger foothold into S1 and S2 (yes I know it is for S1-S3) BUT at present very, very few schools teach Business subjects to S1 and S2. We are lumped into the generic umbrella of ICT or IT.
I think that there could be units that relate specifically to Business: Personal Finance (with the current credit crunch should our kids be more financially literate than the generations that have left schools over the past 20 years or so?), Marketing (pupils may end up with jobs in this creative discipline and they get the chance to look at product design, market research - perhaps desiging their own questionnaires that can be actually acted upon? - PR and advertsing) Enterprise - I would be all for teaching Enterprise as a discreet subject and I know some high achieving schools do offer this in S5/6 (because I taught in them!!!) and again pupils could form their own company and actually create and sell their products rather than having to wait for Young Enterprise in S5/6. Indeed some of the target group of pupils will have left school by the time Senior school comes along.
One gripe I do have with aCfE (why is education in love with acronyms?) is that the focus seems very much on Scotland. Now I am as Scottish as the next man, but I much prefer the idea of us all being Global Citizens and not being insular. My pupils and indeed myself are more interested in the practices and affairs of what is going on as Captain James T. Kirk would say: "Out there".
That means talking and researching MNCs; wondering if Hugo Chavez (the President of Venezuela) is right to nationalise many of his countries organisations; looking at the Tiger Economies and the incredible rise in productivity in nations such as China, India, Thailand and Malaysia; we're all still trying to work out the complex way the price of oil is calculated!, discussing the implications of California becoming independent and automatically assuming the mantle of the World's 8th Richest economy; looking in awe at Japanese marketing as they generate many products and let them sink or swim SANS (a little bit of culture there) market research; and on the subject of culture... the way people do business around the world is much more interesting than banging on for 20 mins about videoconferencing.
I love my subject and I just hope enough bigwigs who have influence realise that Business Education or Business Studies as it is still called in some places love it too. It is a vitally important range of subjects that are actually MORE relevant than many others because EVERYTHING we do, see, read or hear in the news and TV can be related to our subjects.
If we are serious about creating the conditions for first class students and future employees to emerge from the school gates, then MORE Business subjects are required.
I think there is an opportunity for Business subjects to gain a larger foothold into S1 and S2 (yes I know it is for S1-S3) BUT at present very, very few schools teach Business subjects to S1 and S2. We are lumped into the generic umbrella of ICT or IT.
I think that there could be units that relate specifically to Business: Personal Finance (with the current credit crunch should our kids be more financially literate than the generations that have left schools over the past 20 years or so?), Marketing (pupils may end up with jobs in this creative discipline and they get the chance to look at product design, market research - perhaps desiging their own questionnaires that can be actually acted upon? - PR and advertsing) Enterprise - I would be all for teaching Enterprise as a discreet subject and I know some high achieving schools do offer this in S5/6 (because I taught in them!!!) and again pupils could form their own company and actually create and sell their products rather than having to wait for Young Enterprise in S5/6. Indeed some of the target group of pupils will have left school by the time Senior school comes along.
One gripe I do have with aCfE (why is education in love with acronyms?) is that the focus seems very much on Scotland. Now I am as Scottish as the next man, but I much prefer the idea of us all being Global Citizens and not being insular. My pupils and indeed myself are more interested in the practices and affairs of what is going on as Captain James T. Kirk would say: "Out there".
That means talking and researching MNCs; wondering if Hugo Chavez (the President of Venezuela) is right to nationalise many of his countries organisations; looking at the Tiger Economies and the incredible rise in productivity in nations such as China, India, Thailand and Malaysia; we're all still trying to work out the complex way the price of oil is calculated!, discussing the implications of California becoming independent and automatically assuming the mantle of the World's 8th Richest economy; looking in awe at Japanese marketing as they generate many products and let them sink or swim SANS (a little bit of culture there) market research; and on the subject of culture... the way people do business around the world is much more interesting than banging on for 20 mins about videoconferencing.
I love my subject and I just hope enough bigwigs who have influence realise that Business Education or Business Studies as it is still called in some places love it too. It is a vitally important range of subjects that are actually MORE relevant than many others because EVERYTHING we do, see, read or hear in the news and TV can be related to our subjects.
If we are serious about creating the conditions for first class students and future employees to emerge from the school gates, then MORE Business subjects are required.
Monday, 6 October 2008
This Week....
On my Higher Admin 2009 page I have uploaded a Screencast for Basic If Statements with more to follow as we continue to work through Excel problems and solutions.
Higher BM we are on to the last part of Outcome 2 after some time lost due to Univeristy visits, and also this week is the presentations of the Business Management Research Projects. Some interesting companies have been chosen including Reggae Reggae sauce.
SG Admin 2009 - S3s have a WP assessment and then move on to some simple spreadsheet tasks. They are also now onto Organisation of Departments after finishing Unit 1B.
S4 Admin are continuing with Integrated Tasks that are combining their knowledge of WP, SS, DB etc and are finishing Sources of Information.
S1 are starting the email unit after finishing their WP assessment.
S2 have their DTP Assessment this week!
Higher BM we are on to the last part of Outcome 2 after some time lost due to Univeristy visits, and also this week is the presentations of the Business Management Research Projects. Some interesting companies have been chosen including Reggae Reggae sauce.
SG Admin 2009 - S3s have a WP assessment and then move on to some simple spreadsheet tasks. They are also now onto Organisation of Departments after finishing Unit 1B.
S4 Admin are continuing with Integrated Tasks that are combining their knowledge of WP, SS, DB etc and are finishing Sources of Information.
S1 are starting the email unit after finishing their WP assessment.
S2 have their DTP Assessment this week!
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
In the News... Economic Indicators
The latest news from BBC...
UK manufacturing sees sharp fall
Manufacturing has been suffering along with the rest of the UK economy
The UK's manufacturing sector shrank in September at the fastest rate for 17 years.
Manufacturing has been suffering along with the rest of the UK economy
The UK's manufacturing sector shrank in September at the fastest rate for 17 years.
UK unemployment total rises again
More workers are likely to lose their jobs this year
The number of people out of work in the UK rose by another 81,000 between May and July, to 1.72 million.
As well as these two indicators of economic recession (though we are not technically in one yet) there have been banks and building societies either taken over by rival firms and investors or nationalised (taken over by their respective Governments and bought out by public money).
Remember the Phillips Curve? Well inflation and unemployment are both rising at present which is at odds with the theory. Mind you over the last 10 years Gordon Brown's Chancellorship of the Treasury resulted in low inflation and low unemployment, which was achieved by our Government borrowing a lot of money from other sources. It looks like that policy is now coming home to roost.
It is common sense to expect the Phillips Curve Theory to take effect again and as unemployment rises over the next couple of years inflation will come down. It has to.
Again, the economic future is bleak and the lack of jobs is worrying for young people either graduating or going to university.
It would be wise just now to think about differentiating yourself from other students by building your CVs into something attractive and different. Voluntary work or school based activities would be wise.
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