Drinking Time Machine

February 5th, 2012

Many of our regular readers will know that we are currently about halfway through our training and support program on the Drinkaware UK In:tuition program.  In:tuition is an exciting (FREE) new interactive life skills education programme for young people aged 9-14 years. The programme aims to build young people’s confidence, personal and social skills and help them explore how they make decisions and what might influence them. Its theme is alcohol, but its focus is wider, addressing a range of relevant personal needs in an age sensitive way.

I was having a browse through the Scottish Governement iPhone app last night and discovered this great app, endorsed by the Governments Healthier Scotland “drop a drink size” campaign for women.

The app urges them to consider taking smaller glasses when drinking alcohol, claiming too many Scots women regularly exceed recommended guidelines.  Official estimates suggest one in every 30 deaths among women is alcohol-related.  Figures from the Scottish Health Survey also indicate more than one in three regularly drink more than is good for their health.

The app asks you to load a photo, select key areas of your mugshot then apply a filter that shows you what your face will look like after years of drinking.  The results are shocking – but also identify a serious point; drinking excessively over a long period of time will have a detrimental effect on not only your health but also your precious looks!

App designer Auriole Price said: “The main aim of the app is to shock people into drinking just a little bit less. We are appealing to people’s vanity as the effects of alcohol can include red broken veins on the cheeks, bloodshot eyes, a bloated face and deeper wrinkles.”

The Scottish Governments Alcohol Behaviour Change campaign will start on Tuesday.  This could be a great app to use with learners on the In:tuition course in class to show them the possible impact excessive consumption can have.

Want to know more about In:tuition, just get in touch.

 

 

Posted in Alcohol Awareness, Do-Be, Education, health check, In:tuition, iPhone | No Comments »

The Educational Technology Bill of Rights

February 3rd, 2012

This was posted over on GuidetoLearning and caught my eye today. What do you think?

“The following are what I (Brad) believe are the rights of all student to have with regards to using technology as an educational tool, written as a student to their teacher:

1) I have the right to use my own technology at school. I should not be forced to leave my new technology at home to use (in most cases) out-of-date school technology. If I can afford it, let me use it — you don’t need to buy me one. If I cannot afford it, please help me get one — I don’t mind working for it.

2) I have the right to access the school’s WiFi. Stop blaming bandwidth, security or whatever else — if I can get on WiFi at McDonalds, I think that I should be able to get online at school.

3) I have the right to submit digital artifacts that prove my understanding of a subject, regardless of whether or not my teacher knows what they are. Just because you have never heard of Prezi, Voki, or Glogster, doesn’t mean that I should not be able to use these tools to prove to you that I understand what you are teaching me.

4) I have the right to cite Wikipedia as one of the sources that I use to research a subject. Just because you believe the hype that Wikipedia is full of incorrect information, doesn’t mean that it is true — besides we all use it anyways (including you). I am smart enough to verify what I find online to be the truth.

5) I have the right to access social media at school. It is where we all live, it is how we communicate — we do not use email, or call each other. We use Facebook, Twitter and texting to talk to each other. Teachers and schools should take advantage of this and post announcements and assignments using social media — you will get better results.

6) I have the right to be taught by teachers who know how to manage the use technology in their classrooms. These teachers know when to use technology and when to put it away. They understand that I need to be taught how to balance my life between the online and offline worlds. They do not throw the techno-baby out with the bathwater.

7) I have the right to be taught by teachers who teach me and demand that I use 21st Century Skills. Someday I am going to need a job — please help me be employable.

8) I have the right to be accessed with technology. I love the instant feedback of testing done technology. I live in a world of instant feedback, so to find out a couple of week later that I didn’t understand your lesson, drive me crazy. If you were a video game, no one would play you — feedback is too slow.

9) I have the right to be protected from technology. I don’t want to be cyberbullied, hurt, scared or find crud online that I would rather not find. Please help me use technology responsibly and safely. Please stay up-to-date with this kind of information, and teach me to make good choices. I am not you and we don’t see eye to eye about what to put online, but help me to meet you in the middle.

10) I have the right to be taught by teachers that know their trade. They are passionate about what they do and embrace the use of technology to help me learn. They attend trainings and practice what they learn. They are not afraid to ask for my help; they might know more than me about the Civil War, but I know Glogster like nobody’s business.

So do you agree? Is there anything you would change?

My favourite quote of all the above points is,

“If you were a video game, no one would play you.”

Let Brad know what you think over on www.guide2learning.com

It has some great points and I can only dream of my own children having these rights at school.

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Where to go and what to do?

January 31st, 2012

The ‘What to do’ we can help you with.  As Do-Be continue their rollout of the fantastic new resource Teach-IT Outdoors throughout the country, It seems that ideas are a plenty regarding what to do to help meet your curriculum outcomes.  The bigger issue could be ‘Where to go’?

Education Scotland (formerly Learning & Teaching Scotland et al) have provided a great wee interactive map on their site suggesting places near you for engaging in Outdoor Learning.  You can view the map here,

Click for the jump...

 

Now the only thing we cannot account for is the good old Scottish Weather, but, as Billy Connolly once said;

“There is no such thing as the wrong type of weather – only the wrong type of clothes”.

Posted in Do-Be, Education, Outdoor Learning, Teach-IT Outdoors | No Comments »

Free Teach-It Lesson Resource – Measure-It

January 29th, 2012

Time for a recap of our lesson resources available that are a sample of our Teach-IT resource.

This weeks free lesson resource comes once again from our great Teach-it pack. Here you will learn some advanced skills in using Google Earth, incorporating numeracy using the measurement tools within the program.

Feel free to grab your free copy of the resource and give it a try – as usual, your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.

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Posted in Education, Free Lesson Idea, Lesson Ideas, Teach-It | No Comments »

Teach-IT Evaluation

January 25th, 2012

Everyone who knows a member of the Do-Be team will tell you the same thing – we are all so enthusiastic about our products and sincerely believe that they do make a noticeable impact upon our learners and the practice of professionals with whom we engage.

We have also had loads of great (published) feedback from our numerous presentations, training days and CPD sessions delivered to our customers.  Pupils have also enthused about the Teach-IT series and how it engages, inspires and enthuses them in their learning.

Sometimes that is enough, but more of the same wouldn’t do any harm.  So, we are delighted to publish an independent evaluation carried out into our Teach-IT product line.

‘Following a three month research process carried out in Autumn 2011, this report evaluates ‘Teach-IT’, one of a range of teaching products and services produced by Do-Be, a Scottish based company who promote the use of ICT and new media technologies within education settings. The research was funded through the Knowledge Exchange scheme of Perth College which is part of the new University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).’ 

This independent evaluation was undertaken by Dr. Lynn Whitaker, a research assistant for the Centre for Rural Childhood, Perth College UHI,  under the directorship of Professor Rebecca Wallace.

We at Do-Be are delighted with the evaluation, key findings and executive summary.  We would like to take this opportunity to encourage our friends, customers and potential customers to download and read the evaluation for yourselves.  We would also like to thank Dr. Whittaker and everyone who gave freely of their time to contribute to the evaluation.

If you have any comments or feedback on this please get in touch or alternatively, tweet us, or drop us a message on our Facebook page.

Posted in Do-Be, Education, evaluation, Feedback, health check, Opinion, Teach-It, Teach-It 2, Teach-IT Outdoors | No Comments »

Here, there and everywhere…

January 23rd, 2012

Kirsten and Louise are flying all over the country this week to train schools up on www.intuitionkit.com.  We are delighted to be working with staff at Newport High in Wales today, Leeds tomorrow and London and Belfast schools at the end of the week.

Phewww… the girls will be shattered come the weekend but It will all be worth it!

Last week I blogged about Kirsten and Scott attending the South Lanarkshire Council Outdoor Learning Conference to launch Teach-IT Outdoors.

South Lanarkshire are one of the first authorities in the UK to make Teach-IT Outdoors available to all their schools. Yes, you read that right ALL their schools.

It was a cold, icy day but this didn’t put the teachers off getting outside to try some of the Teach-IT Outdoors activities. Kirsten and Scott were shocked how competitive head teachers can be.

The team had teachers running around the playground as part of a photo orienteering activity.  It’s amazing the length they will go to come first and bag themselves a limited edition…Do-Be pen.

We are delighted to be working with this South Lanarkshire schools and look forward to the up and coming training sessions in 2012.

Posted in Do-Be, Education, Lesson Ideas, Louise, Outdoor Learning, Teach-IT Outdoors | No Comments »

The Future of Books in Education…?

January 21st, 2012

If you have an iPad and some spare time this weekend then why not download the ‘Life on Earth‘ demo book released along with Apple’s Educational announcement on Thursday of this week.

Apple seem to be going after the digital textbook market next with the launch of iTunes U and IBooks Author as separate free apps for students and teachers.

The new interactive eBooks that iBooks Author allows you to create are amazing – 3D images, embedded video and photo galleries – all in a book.  Click the banner below to sample this awesome experience for yourself.

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Listen to our new Theme Tune

January 18th, 2012

Superman has his own theme tune, Eastenders has a theme tune, in fact, theme tunes are like name badges.  If you cannot remember what it is called, the theme tune will sure jog your memory.

You can have listen to our brand new Do-Be theme tune.  Just crank up the volume, close your eyes and listen carefully.

Click the ‘Play’ button above if file does not autostart.

Now, why not leave us a comment and let us know what you see In your head when you listen to or Theme Tune?

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Posted in Do-Be, Education | No Comments »

Teach-IT Outdoors

January 15th, 2012

We have previously posted (and tried to contain our excitement) about our brand new Teach-IT resource, Teach-IT Outdoors.  As well as out upcoming training and launch in South Lanarkshire this week, and the pre-order period opening, you can also sample Teach-IT-Outdoors by downloading our great free lesson plans.

The lesson plans cover topics such as using Google Maps, Photo Orienteering and using Google Earth for reflection on the outdoor activities carried out with your learners.

Remember, these free lesson plans are just a sample of what the pack delivers.  Why not get in touch with Kirsten at HQ to discuss Teach-IT Outdoors in a little more detail.

You can also read the rationale for Outdoor Learning on the Education Scotland page.

Posted in Do-Be, Education, Free Lesson Idea, Outdoor Learning, Teach-IT Outdoors | No Comments »

Latest News from the Do-Be Team

January 12th, 2012

Louise is down at BETT today.  BETT is the worlds leading event for educational technology, so it kind of makes sense that she would be there!

Scott and Kirsten are launching Teach-IT Outdoors to over 100 Head Teachers in South Lanarkshire on Monday. They are going to be the first local authority in Scotland to get a taste of our latest resource. HT’s will get the opportunity to get outside and hands on with some of the practical activities. Teach-IT Outdoors will be available the beginning of February. Pre-orders are being taken now.

Another thing we have been concentrating on as a team is customer service. Do-Be want to make sure teachers are getting the best out of the Teach-IT resources. This week Kirsten has been in Dundee and West Lothian visiting schools.

As a company aftercare and support is really important Do-Be Ltd. We don’t want teachers to leave our resources on a shelf. We also realise there can be a lot of staffing movement in schools so want to make sure schools are kept up to speed and realise just what they have access to. Teachers can also sign up for our monthly newsletter which gives them a little more information on what we have been up to, developments at Do-Be and some little gems to use in the classroom.

If you would like to book a meeting with one of the Do-Be  team please email us at kirsten@do-be.co.uk

Posted in conferences, Do-Be, Education, Louise | No Comments »

Happy New Year

January 6th, 2012

20120106-141153.jpg

A big Happy New Year from everyone in the Do-Be team. We would like to wish our friends ‘all the best’ for 2012.

So how was your Christmas? Did you get some shiny new technology off of Santa? A new Tablet, Kindle or iPad, a new PC, Mac or iPhone? It seems that technology played a large part in many people I know’s Christmas list this year. A sign of the times perhaps. I got clothes!

A lot has happened over the last couple of weeks and most interesting to me are the developments at Apple. Rumours suggest that Apple will be making announcements regarding Digital Textbooks and Education. This should be very interesting.

Having changed the technology landscape and revolutionised how we consume and source music, it seems one of Steve Jobs legacies is to impact on the Education sector in a big way. Rumours circulating hint at a more accessible iTunes U, and simpler publishing tools for budding eBook authors in Education.

No more photocopying course notes and study guides in 2012 – that would be awesome. I already use Creative Book Builder and Book Creator to do just this so it would be nice if the process of publishing online to iTunes was simpler, perhaps even with a native app?

Closer to home, we are putting the finishing touches to our fabulous Teach-IT Outdoors, continuing to provide support and advice for our Teach-IT 1&2 customers and looking forward to seeing the results of our In:tuition training scheme in conjunction with Drinkaware UK.

Here’s hoping for an exciting and prosperous 2012 for everyone!

“Lang may yer lum reek“.

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Posted in Development, In:tuition, Teach-It, Teach-It 2, Teach-IT Outdoors | No Comments »

One More Thing

December 22nd, 2011

There goes 2011!  What a year it has been.  Collaboration, showcasing, launching products and strengthening links with existing ‘friends’ of Do-Be Ltd!

We would like to take this chance to wish all our friends, colleagues, partners and customers our most sincere and heartfelt wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

2011, for me, was the year where we began to see a real shift in the capability and availability of mobile technology in the classroom – we have heard (and showcased) so many teachers and their great practice on this blog using a wide variety of Web 2.0 tools found in the resources we provide.

When looking for a way to sign off for the year and enjoy my Christmas break from it all, I came across the video below.  2011 was the year we lost arguably the most influential visionary in the digital world in the last 30 years.  Steve Jobs.

As advocates of the benefits and potential of new technologies and Games Based Learning, this video from 1990 shows Jobs talking about his vision for the digital future – and in particular, the role of gaming and the future of learning. (Simulated Learning Environments).

When we consider that we are educating pupils for jobs in 3 to 5 years time which don’t exist today, Jobs’ vision from 1990 is almost prophetic in its tones and something that rings true to us guys here at Do-Be.

So before I sign off, on behalf of all the team, THANK YOU for supporting our Blog, Teach-IT (1&2), and In:tuition and we hope you are looking forward to the launch of Teach-IT Outdoors in 2011.

Have a great one everybody…

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Talking About Do-Be Ltd…

December 21st, 2011

Posted in Do-Be, Education, Feedback, Teach-It, Teach-It 2, Video | No Comments »

Spotlight: Teach-IT Outdoors

December 18th, 2011

From virtual reality into the real world, Teach-IT Outdoors brings a fresh approach to making the most of your school grounds, local area and more.

This resource will help you use digital technology with your students to plan meaningful activities outside.  There’s also lots of outdoor activities in a range of curriculum areas to engage and enthuse students and teachers.  Afterwards, you will be able to record, review and even share your outdoor experiences with the wider world through interesting follow up activities.

 

The Do-Be team are collaborating with Juliet Robertson, an outdoor learning consultant, who writes a popular blog ‘I’m a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here‘ to ensure this resource will make a fun a positive impact outside and in.

(Juliet Robertson)

Teach-IT Outdoors will be available to schools at the end of January.  Remember to use our newsletter to get your ‘Pre-Order‘ special present!

 

You can view sample Teach-IT Outdoors lesson ideas by following this link.

Posted in Do-Be, Education, Free Lesson Idea, Lesson Ideas, Outdoor Learning, Teach-IT Outdoors | No Comments »

A great example of Google Earth in Action

December 14th, 2011

This video (produced by Stephen) is a great showcase for the power of Google Earth.  The ability to ‘virtually’  visit any location the planet, zoom/fly in and navigate around in 3D is such a powerful tool for educators to have in the classroom.

 


If you like the idea shown in the video, why not take a look at some of our free lesson ideas from our Teach-IT 1 & 2 series or get in touch and find out about how Teach-IT can support you in class.

Posted in Do-Be, Inspirational Thinking, Teach-It, Teach-It 2 | No Comments »

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