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This video is an excellent animated introduction to the history of this form of communication:

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The borough has recently purchased 10 visualisers for use in Redbridge schools. Our school has been chosen, after a bid was successful. Below is the bid and it describes how the school will use them to best effect in the term we have them on loan:

 ICT Innovation Project

Gene Mini Vision

 

Submitted by: Andrew Michael (ICT Leader)

William Torbitt Primary School

 

William Torbitt Primary School has recently invested heavily in updating the infrastructure of ICT provision for staff and pupils. Interactive Whiteboards (networked to a central server) have now become an integral part of many lessons with staff enthusing about the impact they have on their lessons and the possibilities they present for learning. Recently, the school obtained one large format visualiser. Although it has been used, sharing it between 18 classrooms and the constant setting up of it has highlighted the difficulty of it not being more portable.

 

Given the opportunity to partake, the school will closely align the aims of this project to the Self Evaluation Form and Improvement Plan, both of which highlight writing as a focus. The visualisers will allow for clearer and hence, more effective modelling and immersion of reading and writing to take place. The ‘process’ of writing will become an integral part of each lesson with further exemplification given for improving content and form. In addition, they will be used across Key Stages 1 and 2 to:

 

• support speaking and listening – children in lower year groups running their own show and tell sessions;
• further improve access of EAL pupils to the curriculum, with an increase in visual as well as verbal lesson demonstrations;
• increase access to texts, with each book becoming a ‘big book’ without breaking copyright laws; and
• demonstrate ‘fiddly’ activities with ease ie sewing, mosaic work, and science experiments.

 

The project will seek to heighten the importance of Literacy, encouraging children to take further pride in their work and act as a visual prompt for self-correction, as well as offering clear examples of what ‘good’ work looks like.

 

Several staff at our school have recently become involved in forums and courses which address under and over achievement in writing. Members of the school’s leadership team are involved in the NCSL’s initiative of raising the achievement of more able pupils, and our Literacy leader is an active member of the borough’s own Improving Writing Group.

 

This project will have been successful if it raises the profile of writing; increases the quality of the finished piece; and aids each class teacher in their lesson delivery. This project could then be showcased as a model for writing across the borough, demonstrating how ICT can be used to support teaching and learning.

 

In order to offer ongoing feedback to fellow teachers and ICT Leaders in Redbridge, a section of the school’s website (www.williamtorbitt.org.uk) will be developed and updated on a regular basis. The borough’s ICT consultants will have the content of each update emailed to them directly.

 

The school will ensure that all classrooms are locked at the close of each school day and check that the alarm and CCTV are fully operational. For any extended periods of time when the equipment will not be in use there will be a lockable cupboard to safely store them in.