Lloyd Forster

We are now approaching the end of the summer 2007 term and I think its a good time to reflect on the course and my own transformation thereof.
The course enabled me to get back into the latest trends in the online world.The most significant ways in which I have been transformed are:
1 being able to use the mac platform and associated software especially the podcasting and image software. in particular photoshop elements 3.
2 The digimemo board was very useful and am very glad I got to use this tool.having reached 180 pages on the bord it is safe to say I am an avid user of the tool.
3 I have certainly increased my online / web presence through the blogs (edublogs) & facebook.
I am very keen on edublogs and feel that it has many useful features such as adding widgets – sonofic is good, flickr sidebar and the of course Divshare.
The only thing that might have been better is networking among other members of the course through the blogs.perhaps this might be so in the next round of TTP.
All in all great and innovative course!

Filed by lforster at 6:33 am under Transformation teachers Course
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I was sent this by a colleague. It is very good for self development. Check it out and see.

trategic_thinking_powerpoint.pptStrategic_thinking_powerpoint.ppt

Filed by lforster at 5:18 pm under General miscellaneous, Uncategorized
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It looks like the Haringey Science Posse have done it again but better in the SATs!

This trophy is for you all.

From your science consultant

Filed by lforster at 3:10 am under Uncategorized
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I am getting into this facebook thing. in fact I have heard that facebook is more suitable for organising text and life than myspace which I am told is more arty  f…ty! I will give it a try though.

Anyway as a lover of jollof rice I though the jollof rice society idea is excellent. I have joined and have invited my facebook buddies. (susan your membership is required! – thanks and selina too)

Filed by lforster at 2:27 am under Uncategorized
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These Warriors are causing panic inna Babylon!  Go investigate Lee Scratch Perry.

Filed by lforster at 4:14 pm under African Caribbean & African Achievement, EbonyCity, General miscellaneous
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One of the most important figures in the history of reggae music is Lee “Scratch” Perry. As a songwriter, a performer and especially a producer, Perry has been at the forefront of reggae music since the late 50’s ska movement. Practically the inventor of both dubs reggae (he produced one of the earliest all-dub albums, Blackboard Jungle, in 1974) and the “scratch” turntable effect used by DJ’s (his production of Charlie Ace’s “Cow Theory Skank” in 1973 became the first recording to use the “scratch” effect), Perry’s studio innovations have influenced not only reggae but also rock, punk, pop and dance music. Yet, at 70 years old, Perry, with his new album “Panic In Babylon” (Narnack) to be released in August 2006, proves to be more relevant than ever.

How about listening to a track from his latest album (on the right)

Filed by lforster at 5:30 pm under African Caribbean & African Achievement, General miscellaneous
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Science summer school starts tommorow! Still a lotta last minute things to do. Pupil lists, lunchs, directions all done but you know trying to get 100 pupils from 6 schools to a location, to arrive a given time……

As for me I am looking forward to0 it all. I need to get my trusty sony camera sorted out with charged batteries and memory cards with space!

Filed by lforster at 1:55 am under Metropolitan University Link, science
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It has been quite straight foreward.I think the idea is quite simple. You invite some one or you get invited and through their profiles you might develop links with their friends or get back in touch with people who you might have lost contact with. It is a great networking tool.

Going from ‘friend’ to ’friends’ profiles, you can go nthrough a lot of contact. I think facebaook uses the concept of social proofing.This means all the people are linked through being friends with someone on the facebook. A sort of friend of a friend or through a friend of a friend.

I think facebook should be treated with caution in respect of privacy because it is open to be read by a lot of starngers. This is no problem if you are sensible with it but in a recent article I read the author was describing the bluring that has taken place between public and private life on these social networks. Anyway its all good I say

Myspace seems to be the dominant social networking utility.

Filed by lforster at 1:49 am under Transformation teachers Course, Uncategorized
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The question is what does it mean to transform a teacher or anyone as far as new technologies goes? I think it is quite a difficult thing to do. This is because somehow there needs to be a vision of where all this technology is leading. I am not myself fully sure where it is all going but when I look at virtual worlds such second life then I think that is a possible destination. When  I look back at the internet say around 1998, 7 years are the creation of the world wide web most people had no idea of how the internet wasgoing to transform life. Today life without the internet is almost inconcieveable to anyone younger than 15. What is truly scary is that the skills need to equip the next generation for a truly connected world is barely within the grasp of us who should be teaching these skills. In some ways it is a shame that social software such as blogging, facebook, myspace has not truly caught on yet. this is because these tools and others yet to be developed are the way the world is moving.

Filed by lforster at 5:13 pm under Teaching and Learning, Transformation teachers Course
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 In addition to developing the garden, I also tried my hand at growing mushrooms. I got the spores from Homebase. I planted them on the 12 May 2007. After 14 days the soil was interwoven with very thin threads called mycellae. I always wondered how mushroom got to be the juicy things that are eaten. from the pictures I can see that they emerge as small tubes, these tubes I think become wider and turn into the dome of the mushroom. We shall see.

IMG_0084[1], originally uploaded by lloyd_forster.

These were planted on the 12May 2007.

Filed by lforster at 3:57 pm under Key Stage 3 Science, My garden, Uncategorized, science
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