OllieBray.com

BrainPop Teachmeet Movie

As many of you know, Moby is a personal friend of mine and I get on alright with Tim as well (although he can be a bit boring!). So, when I asked them if they would consider making short movie to explain exactly what Teachmeet was all about I was delighted when they agreed. We premiered it at Teachmeet SLF09.

The Teachmeet movie is available on YouTube to embed in blogs and on other websites. It will also be available for other Teachmeets and the nice guys at Brainpop have agreed to change the logo at the end for future events.



I received a preview of the movie halfway down my epic cycle of the USA and Canada this summer and was laughing out loud when I noticed it was my name at the bottom of the letter! I’ve also been struggling to keep it a secret ever since.

Teachmeet SLF09 – update and arrangements

Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past few weeks then you will know that this week is the Scottish Learning Festival (SLF). Over the past few years Teachmeet has become the most popular fringe event associated with the SLF and this year promises to be another great evening.

Importantly, Teachmeet is organized by teachers for Teachers and is about what goes on in the classroom.

Although I have always been an active member of the Teachmet Community this year I’ve had a bit more of a roll in organizing the event and this is quick blog post just to go over some of the last minute arrangements. Please share and reproduce  this blog post with your personal learning network.

Teachmeet SLF09 up-Date

1. Teachmeet is Full

Teachmeet is now full – we can no longer accept any more people to the Teahmeet Event.

2. Venue

Teachmeet will be taking place at the BBC just over the road from the SECC. We are very grateful to the BBC for sponsoring the venue and also the AV equipment. This has been a huge help and if you have not been to the BBC Scotland buildings before, when you arrive I’m sure that you will agree that this is an impressive venue.

3. Security

Security at the BBC is tight – they have the list of names from the Wiki as of 9am on Monday 21st September. If you have added your name after this time then you are to late to attend – if your name is not on the list then you will not be able to get access to Teachmeet. Sorry about that. Please do not waste everyone’s time coming to the BBC and trying to get into the venue.


4. Timing

It’s a un-conference so everything is subject to change. But a rough timetable might look something like this:

• Arrive at BBC and networking18.00h
• Introduction 18.20h – 18.30h
• Presentations (part 1) 18.30h – 19.30h
• Break / round tables / learning conversations etc… 19.30h – 20.00h
• Presentations (part 2) 20.00h – 21.00h
• Depart BBC for TeachEat

5. Presenters

We have a fine line up of potential presenters at this years Teachmeet SLF – remember you might not get asked to present. Presenters are picked at random from a giant fruit machine!

If you are picked to present then it is up to you how you present to the audience and its also up to audience if they decide to listen or not! You can use PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi, just speak, sing a song or show something that you have made / done.

Remember there will be in Internet Connection – but if things are not working on the night be prepared to wing it.

If you are using presentation software eg PowerPoint or Keynote if you email me your presentation before Wednesday morning we can make sure it is pre-loaded on the laptop to save set up time. email presenation to olliebray (at) gmail (dot) com


6. Active Participation

If you are attending teachmeet you have to be prepared to contribute. This doesn’t mean present BUT you must be prepared to network and engage in conversations.

You may also be picked to complete a challenge in a group of five – you will find out more about this on the night.

Finally, be prepared to make a pledge – more information on the Wiki.

7. WiFi

We are having some problems with WiFi that the BBC are working hard to get sorted out before the evening. But this might mean that we only have a limited number of network passes. 3G Coverage is good in the BBC so if you have a dongle, iPhone etc… bring it along as this might really help out.

8. Filming

Filming is not allowed inside the BBC. However the evening will be captured by an official BBC camera person and there will be a flashmeeting of the event. We will also capture the audio of each presenation.


9. Hospitality

There will be drinks and nibbles at the BBC that have been sponsored by a wide variety of sponsors – thank you very much! There will also be a TeachEat after the event at The Koh-I-Noor.

Taxi’s will leave the BBC at 09.10 to take us to the Teacheat Venue.

If you have put your name down for TeachEat BUT you will be no longer attending then please take your name off the TeachEat list on the wiki.

Hospitality at the BBC has been covered by the Teachmeet Sponsors but you may need to make a donation towards TeachEat.

10. Conference Tag’s etc

The Teachmeet tag for the Scottish learning Festival is #TMSLF09 – please make sure that you tag all photographs, blog posts and tweets.

As well as this helping us capture the event we want to use these crowd sourced comments to produce an on-line newspaper of Teachmeet shortly after the event.

There will be a Twitter Back Channel during the event.

11.Finally

What have I missed?

Please re-tweet and re-blog this post to get the message out!

See you Wednesday!

Smarta: 60 Second Start Up - BrainPop UK

Chris Bradford is COO of the Brainpop UK Team he is a man with over 10, 000 pens and lots of creative ideas. Recently Chris was interviewed by Smarta: Thing, create, grow in nice little 60 second interview. Chris also mentions our Guitar Hero project in the final few seconds of his interview.

Before I was directed to the article I had never heard of Smarta before but its 60 second interview ideas seems like a great way to find out more about UK start ups.

The website also contains a wealth of information, advice and interviews for small business. There is even a section on how to do the killer pitch or presentation. This website and the resources within would be a great resource for anyone teaching business education or enterprise in schools.

BrainPop UK will be supporting Teachmeet SLF 09 - have you booked your place yet?

Teachmeet SLF09: Scottish Learning Festival 2009 – Up-Date

The Scottish Learning Festival is fast approaching and with it comes Teachmeet SLF09. As with all Teachmeet events this is an event organized by teachers for teachers.

This year the event will take place at the BBC Scotland Building just over the road from the SECC. I met with @clara_mac yesterdsay morning to sort out some of the final arrangements for accommodation, break out space and wifi.

If you have not been to a teachmeet before, anyone is welcome (but you do have to sign up). We ask for people to put their names forward to give a 7 or 2 minute presentation on something that they have done in their school or classroom. Speakers are picked at random using a giant fruit machine and there is absolutely no guarantee at all that you will get to speak.

Emphasis is on openness, professional dialogue, swapping ideas and sharing good practice. Importantly,  Teachmeets are about learning in a fun way and supporting your professional learning network. Everyone who attends is expected to contribute something - even if it is sharing your favorite website with the person sat next to you.

You can find out more about Teachmeet past and future events over on the Teachmeet Community Wiki.

A successful Teachmeet relies on volunteers to help organize the event and also on sponsors for the venue, AV equipment and refreshments.

So far the BBC has sponsored the venue, the AV equipment and the WiFi (Thank you BBC!), Do-Be Ltd have offered some money towards the wine and BrainPOP UK have had Tim and Moby working on something special for months.

BUT, we still need more sponsorship to cover the cost of the rest of the refreshments and also to help contribute to the TeachEat after the event.

If you are commercial company (or just feeling generous!) and you would like to sponsor Teachmeet please get in touch with me or leave a note about your donation over on the wiki.

Understanding the New Learning Landscape - Scottish Learning Festival 2009 Spotlight Presentation

The Scottish Learning Festival is fast approaching and if you have not booked your place to the fantastic free conference you need to book quickly as some seminars are already fully booked.

I’m presenting a couple of seminars on the Wednesday one is on Computer Games Based L earning in Secondary Schools and the other is one on Developing Motivated and Creative Leaders using a cluster approach.

NEW SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATION – JUST ADDED

Derek Robertson and I will also now be presenting a Spotlight Session on The New Learning Landscape.

A description of this session is here:

Technology has changed our lives from the way we communicate to the way we shop. The pace of change is growing increasing fast and some educators struggle to keep up with this rapidly evolving learning landscape. In comparison, our children have grown up in a world of rich multi-media and seem able to adapt quickly to changes in technology.

This seminar will look at the effect digital media has had on the children within our care. It will examine how increased exposure to modern technology has impacted on how young people communicate, behave and learn. 

In order to engage these 21 century young people schools must be prepared to evolve with the learner and not remain stuck in the past. Changes in technology and society must be seen as opportunities rather than barriers by schools if they are going to be successful in implementing a Curriculum for Excellence. The presentation will outline strategies for making the most of these opportunities in order to engage young people.

Finally, this spotlight will look at some of the emerging technologies that are starting to make there way into schools. It will touch on the latest developments and research into the use of the internet, computer games, virtual worlds, mobile technology and augmented reality.

You can book these and over 150 other seminars on the Scottish Learning Festival website.

Scottish Learning Festival 2009: registration now open

Registration is now live for this years Scottish Learning Festival (SLF). The SLF is organised by Learning and Teaching Scotland and is a great CPD and professional learning opportunity for teachers from Scotland and further afield.

This years key themes are Curriculum for Excellence and GLOW.

Keynote presentations will be from:

• Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Fiona Hyslop MSP, Scottish Government

• Prof. Ferre Laevers, Director of the Research Centre for Experiential Education, University of

  Leuven

• Prof. Carol Dweck, Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology, Stanford University

• Frank Dick OBE, former British Athletics Federation Director of Coaching.

I’m doing two presentations this year:

1. Computer Games Based Learning in Secondary Schools - 23 September 2009, Room B1C at 13.00h

2. Accelerated Leadership: How do we Develop Creative and Motivated Leaders? – 23^rd September, Room C2E at 16.30h

If your interested you can sign up to one of these seminars or any of the other 168 that are on offer over on the Scottish Learning Festival Website.

Teachmeet also returns to the SLF for the 4^th Year – more details on Teachmeet over on the teachmeet wiki

Teachmeet Scottish Learning Festival 2009

Teachmeet returns to the Scottish Learning Festival for the 4^th Year. We don’t have a venue yet but we do have a logo (thanks Mr W). We also know, as with previous years, it will be on the Wednesday night of the SLF. I’ve volunteered to try and sort out the venue within the SECC.

So, what is Teachmeet?

Well, a number of years ago some dodgy bloke said that it was the best form of Teacher CPD ever and to be honest my viewpoint hasn’t changed!

Teachmeet is a type of un-conference organised by teachers for teachers. It’s an opportunity to learn something new, be amazed, amused and enthused. Teachmeets are informal gatherings of those curious about teaching and technology. Anyone can share great ideas they've trialled in their classrooms, ask important questions or simply sign up to take part in learning conversations.

Just like previous Teachmeets, this Teachmeets will be organised by the Scottish teaching community and we are looking for people to speak (7 or 2 minutes), people to sponsor and people to help organise.

Head over to the Teachmeet SLF 09 Wiki to add your thoughts and support for the vent.

Remember to tag all posts TMSLF09.