Isle of Wight Conference 2008: fantastic peer-to-peer CPD

[Jo Rhys-Jones]

This year's Isle of Wight Conference is fast approaching and takes place over the weekend of the 25th - 26th October at Nodehill Middle School in Newport. The cost for the whole weekend is just £100 and is money very well spent. There will be speakers from around the country who make fantastic use of ICT to help teach Modern Foreign Languages at both Primary and Secondary level. Promised sessions this year will include; using songs, wikis, mobile blogging, digital storytelling, video conferencing, assessment for learning, eTwinning, one stop animation, blogging, podcasting, vodcasting, power point, Interactive Whiteboards, eCreativity, web2.0, the new KS3 curriculum, primary languages and (phew) lots more besides.

The event is run by Joe Dale, TES blogger, SSAT important person, webmaster of the wonderful blog 'Integrating ICT into the MFL classroom' and all round Mr Nice Guy. I say this because the first time I came across Mr Dale's blog, I was very rude to him - he had written about making podcasts in the classroom. Being very non-techie and having only discovered his blog by accident, I rudely added my first ever comment - something along the lines of 'Podcasting is all very well but I don't have the time or inclination to do it with my class of 33 mixed KS2 children'. Mr Dale, being a very nice person, emailed me and politely said 'No it isn't - have a go and I'll help you'. To cut a long story short I was forced to eat my words when my class managed to download audacity, create a podcast, host it on podomatic and link it in to iTunes the next day over lunchtime. And it was easy. And we've never looked back! You can read the whole story here if you want to try it yourself.

So, when I attended my first ever Isle of Wight conference last year (after bumping into Chris Fuller who had attended his first ever one the year before and assured me 'it's the best cpd you'll ever do') I felt sheepish to say the least.But I bought Joe a pint at the free Friday night 'show 'n' tell' session in the pub where I found Lisa regalling an audience with tales of teddy bears and voicethread and breaking into 'pigloo', before Doug Dickinson started telling us all about textease and podium and Steph explaining her adventures in blogging and.... well I soon realised this really was the BEST EVER CPD I had ever attended and it hadn't even started yet.

You see, Joe has an uncanny knack for bringing together normal classroom teachers who have a passion for their subject that is infectious. They don't even talk like 'techies'. They use ICT because it is available and simplifies or serves a purpose. They are people who, like Joe, are happy to sit next to you and hold your hand (virtually if not in person) and show you which button to press. You feel welcomed into this conference, not lectured at. When questions are invited, so are suggestions and shared experiences. And when that many talented people get together and start chatting you know you are involved in something exciting. Hope to meet you there!

[Lisa Stevens]

Ditto to all that!!

[Isabelle Jones]

I will be coming along this time and I am also looking forward to see what yourself and Lisa are cooking up for us...

Now really really looking forward to it...

Isabelle
http://isabellejones.blogspot.com

[Helen]

Looks fantastic- how do you book? hx

[Joe Dale]

Booking will be happening very soon. Details will be on my blog.

:)

[Helen]

Gutted! Saw the cost as £100 and thought brilliant! Forgot travel and overnight stays! Only work for one school doing MFL and don't think they will cover any more courses. Will need to wait till a similar course is done closer to home (Birmingham?) Does anyone know of any? Such a shame as this IOW course looks right up my street- love all things technical but don't know enough about it all!!!
Hx

[Lisa Stevens]

well- Joe is doing a day at Shirelands in October that will be covering some of the stuff from the IoW. Else, tell me what you want and Ill try to get it into the RSG programme for the next year for Birmingham. I'll let you know if there are any sessions nearby I might be attending - or doing ;oo
Lisa xx

[Helen]

Thanks for that Lisa- would be great. Which Shirelands is it? I only know of Shirelands attached to Sandwell Edn Authority. Is that the one? E mailed the boss there the other day to ask about courses and he didn't mention it?!!??? How do i book it? Really want to know how to podcast? Learned from you how to 'do' audacity but don't know how to make it a podcast? (or 'create a podcast, host it on podomatic and link it in to iTunes' -to quote Jo) Video conferencing and creating a blog for children to add their work to- off the school website? or a separate one? creating my own blog (do I need to?)- the list goes on and on and on..... haven't even heard of eCreativity, web2.0.
Thanks Lisa bet you wishing you hadn't asked!
Any advice/ help would be gratefully received. Going to any days of Joe's sounds good. Not Isle of Wight but a good start.
Hx

[Lisa Stevens]

Yes - in Sandwell. Will let you know as soon as I find the details!
Lisaxx

[Helen]

Thanks. Appreciate it.
Hx

[Jo Rhys-Jones]

Aha - I feel another podcasting blog coming along soon....! Joe is also at the London Languages show I think, October-ish, which is free entry but you'll need to pay travel - an idea he's there on the Saturday too but I'll check.