Parklands Primary BLT

Another school year lurches to a close and it’s time to reflect…
This time last year, the BLT was still a concept, dreamed up by Peter Ford and Tom Rees, and latched onto by a few individuals who were ‘Game for a Laugh’ (me included). Having seen it grow and take on a life of its own, I feel proud to have played a small part in the success of the venture and I’m looking forward to seeing where it takes us next year.
The Mobile Technology trial was a success in my school and we’re looking to fund the purchase of some iPods even though the budget is tight and the PTA aren’t overly keen on buying ‘toys’ for the classroom – I’ll find a way somehow. I’m determined not to let the fun element of learning disappear along with the cash!
I’m also looking forward to the proper launch of LP+4 in the Autumn – and no, this isn’t an advert or a plug! From what I’ve seen of it, it looks like it may go some way towards bridging the gap between current VLEs and the endless possibilities of Web 2 tools and Open Source software. The security aspects of Web 2 tools has to be an issue for school websites, no matter how attractive/easy to use/intuitive they appear to be – where is the data stored and who has access to it? This is the main reason why most of my classwork is hidden from general view, which is a pity as I can see the real potential of having a real audience for my pupils. I’m hoping that my class’s future public blogs will be much more prominent next year and be widely available to a real audience.
Security can be quite a balancing act and I’m often caught between just going with the flow and letting creativity happen, or holding back and being (perhaps) overly cautious.

Thankfully, the BLT is a good source of what is, and isn’t, suitable or useful for the classroom and for that reason, among others, I’ll be waving the BLT banner again next year – along with the hordes (well dozens) of other teachers/lecturers/students (not forgetting those that don’t fit into these categories) that we now have onboard.
A big thanks to Peter, Tom, Vicki, Jacinta, Keely and Mr Dook for making this all happen.

Thank You and goodnight.