News Release

Teachers to take part in SETT conference

10th May 2006

Hundreds of teachers are to spend this Friday’s (Fri, May 12) in-service day at a conference aimed at showcasing the latest advances in technology and demonstrating how new resources can make a difference in the classroom.

The SETT conference (Scottish Education and Teaching with Technology) is being organised by Aberdeen City Council in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council and Learning and Teaching Scotland.

Teaching staff from across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire will attend the event at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.

They will be given the opportunity to work with software in the hands-on area, watch pupils and teachers working together in classroom areas and browse through new pieces of software and equipment now on the market, including fun Bee-bot robots.

And all the action will be captured by primary age pupils as part of a competition.

Six schools – Kirkhill, Culter and Loirston from the City and Fraserburgh North, Inverurie Market Place and Fetterangus from Aberdeenshire – will be given two hours to record a snapshot of the conference on digital video cameras, then edit the piece and present it to a panel of judges.

The panel will comprise Rhona Jarvis, Aberdeen City Council’s Head of Policy and Planning for Services to Children & Young People; John Finnie, Aberdeenshire Council’s Head of Service (Performance and Resource Management); John Connell of Learning and Teaching Scotland; and Jacquelynn Craw from Talisman Energy (UK).

They will watch all the footage then chose a winner. The winning team will be presented with a digital video camera for their school, as well as MP3 players, a shield and small trophies as a memento of their day.

The schools had to submit footage of A Day in the Life of their school in order to qualify for the competition, which is being sponsored by Talisman.

Primary and secondary school pupils will be addressing the conference as well as acting as ushers on the day. Delegates will also be entertained by musicians from Cults Academy.

The conference aims to provide an informative range of keynote speakers, seminars, workshops, interactive classrooms and ICT resources.

Among the various workshops are:

• The use of technology to assist reading and writing - this seminar will look at the ways in which technology can be used to help people with reading and writing difficulties, covering topics such as word prediction, spellcheckers and scanning.
• Exploring the use of programmable toys – Trainers will demonstrate activities using Bee-Bots robots, such as drawing, negotiating obstacle course and colour and number recognition.
• Using ICT to enhance Science and Technology – looking at how ICT can support and enhance the teaching of 5–14 science and technology.
• Having fun with Photoshop in primary art classes – art teachers will explore the use of special effects which can be easily achieved using Photoshop software.

Aberdeen’s Reading Bus - Reading Bus Co-ordinator Jenny Watson and the Primary Enterprise Committee will give an update on the Reading Bus project and the plans for the future.

Among the speakers is Ellen Moir, executive director of the UCSC New Teacher Center in Santa Cruz, California, who is recognised for her leadership in the field of teacher induction. She will talk about her development of a mentoring programme that pairs novice teachers with more experienced staff.

The conference is sponsored by the Times Educational Supplement Scotland, software, services and systems supplier RM and Talisman.

Nick Walker, Vice President of Talisman Energy (UK) Limited, said: "Through ongoing work with our local partnership school Ferryhill Primary, we have seen first hand the benefits ICT technology can bring to the classroom.

“Talisman has financed a number of interactive teaching tools over the years at Ferryhill, including most recently the provision of interactive white boards, which have received excellent feedback from the teachers and children using them. They have helped youngsters become more involved in classroom activity and improved attention span and information retention.

"Last year, we donated a revolutionary piece of classroom equipment called 'Qwizdom' which encourages classroom participation. The state of the art software uses interactive handsets, rather than the traditional show of hands in question and answer sessions. We look forward to supporting Ferryhill with future ICT projects such as 'E-beams' which will further improve methods of interactive learning."

The SETT conference will be held from 10am to 4pm on Friday (May 12). For more information, log on to http://www.aberdeen-education.org.uk/sett2006/index.htm

 

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