'The Education Project Asia" is a consultancy designed to offer support to International Schools in S.E.Asia ... especially in the area of integration of ICT across the curriculum.

Apart from maintaining the "Shambles" website Chris Smith, ICT consultant, also provides on-site support to schools and since the last newsletter has worked with schools in Singapore (ICT School Review), Brunei (conference on elearning), Malaysia (general ICT support to staff), Thailand and Hong Kong.
 

The modifications on the Shambles website continues in response to feedback received .... the latest two sections of 'work in progress' are for "School Counsellors/careers staff" and for "School Nurses".

The 'counsellors' page has a new 'real time' facility to allow students, staff and families to find information about colleges in the USA .... in conjunction with Hobsons.

I should be grateful if you would forward this information to your nurse and careers staff with an invitation to provide suggestions and feedback on the pages.

Try your own subject or interest area by clicking here :
| Headteacher or Senior Manager |
| Mathematics | English | Science | Information Technology | Geography | History | Religious Education |
| Art and Design | Design and Technology | Music | Modern Foreign Languages | Physical Education |
| SEN | ESL | The School Library | The ICT Technician Room | ... and (for primary / K-6) a 'Topics" area.
 

Many of the teachers I've worked with will know that it is a personal crusade to find good software and teaching resources that are available free (smaller schools breath a sigh of relief when they hear this).

There are many links on 'Shambles' to free resources, a good starting point is the ICT page and then click on the "Free Software" button on the right of the page.

But there are also a surprising number of people out there, on the 'net, who obviously care for students and just want to help by providing free resources. One example is "Grey Olltwit's website" .... I think his name is really Simon. For some free graphics software he has written for younger students see his program "Doodle Pad" .... it strengthens your faith in human nature .... many thanks to Simon and all those like him.
 

The International Digital Library for Children was launched at the end of 2003 with the aim to create a digital library of international children's books. The Library opened with 200 books in 15 languages representing 27 cultures, with a five-year plan to grow to 10,000 books representing 100 cultures.

Books can be read online and access is free, mainly for children aged 3 to 11.

Languages include Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Farsi, French, English and Russian.
 

Becta (UK) Online conference - "ICT supporting learners with special needs" 9 -10 March ... the conference will focus on using ICT to support learners with special needs in Literacy and Numeracy.

The SENIT online community is a forum for teachers, advisers and others working within education to share practical advice about how ICT can be used to support pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities. Its members have a wealth of experience and knowledge to share about using ICT to support learners with special needs both in mainstream and special schools and colleges.

In parallel to the conference (also online) will be an Exhibition area - where suppliers show products appropriate to the conference themes. and also a Resource area - where teachers and other practitioners share resources.
 

The National Education Technology Plan for the U.S. Department of Education is being developed as part of a long-range national strategy and guide for using technology effectively to improve student academic achievement - either directly or through integration with other approaches to systemic reform.

Until March 12, 2004, they are seeking your input on the Plan .... this is your opportunity to contribute. After this deadline then the final outcome will be available at their website.

You can also sign up for emailed updates.
 

One of the pleasures of working in an International School is the range of cultures and religious beliefs that are brought to the community by students, staff and families.

There are lots of relevant (reverent?) links on 'Shambles' but one I just could not resist highlighting is "Godchecker" ... this recommendation is for your review only and does not necessarily support all the views of the site .... quoting from the site itself :

"Godchecker is 100% non-denominational. All Gods are welcome, whether Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Slavonic, or of No Fixed Abode. The Gods are queuing up to get in!

The Godchecker database aims to cover all Gods of mythology, literature and legend. Pagan culture is covered with Celtic deities and more Earth Mother Goddesses than you can shake a willow stick at. And if you're seeking knowledge, wealth or immortality, you may pick up some tips. Our current research has led to some very promising ideas involving snails and beetroot."
 

Hong Kong International School played host to the HK Schools Film Festival in February managed by the school Film Club with teacher Richard Friedericks advising. Richard is building an area on the school's website "DragonNet" which will archive the event .

There is a list of multimedia links on Shambles (click here) .... and I cannot resist reminding readers about how much easier it is in the classroom if you have Apple Computer(s) (as well as others)

If you are looking for an excellent multimedia course for teachers over Easter then have a look at www.apple.com/uk/education/ati/ ... unfortunately (or should that be "fortunately") it is in England .... should we ask for it to be moved to Asia?
 

In each newsletter I highlight a few of the webpages from International Schools in S.E.Asia, this month is one related to Special Educational Needs.

There are very few schools solely dedicated to providing support to SEN students in the S.E.Asia International communities. One school that is (possibly the only one) the J.C.Sarah Roe School (Hong Kong) with a website at http://www.jcsrs.edu.hk/

The Principal outsources much of the design and hosting aspects but it is very clearly a site with students, staff and families in mind as reflected in the content .... and pictures .... congratulations.
 

Not many schools have taken up the advertising options on 'Shambles' which is a surprise as our pages do come up high in search engines.

'Shambles' is a free service because of sponsorship and advertising ... your support would be appreciated .. email me for more details if interested csmith@csmith.info
 

Building new science laboratories or refurbishing old ones can be a nightmare. What results is not always the most suitable for modern science teaching and learning. Teachers are not always involved in the development of the design and have to make do with whatever they are presented with. The Laboratory Design for Teaching and Learning software aims to address this issue. As an easy to use
Laboratory Design tool for schools & Colleges,

The software will enable both 2D and 3D images of science laboratories and prep rooms to be created by teachers and technicians. It will be a communications tool that allows the sharing of ideas between science departments, architects and designers.

This resource is available free ... see the press release at the link above for details.
 

On 10th February, the UK Secretary of State formally launched Global Gateway, a kind of educational ‘dating-agency’ for schools, as he described it in a preamble to his address.

The Global Gateway features a partner-finding database, enabling schools worldwide to link up, and live online operators to help with enquiries. It also contains a resource bank of materials for teachers, headteachers, young people, parents, governors and local authorities - all of which are aimed at encouraging the global perspective in education.
 

Ian can be contacted at ianj@isb.ac.th
  and is keen to meet others with similar projects in order to share experiences and ideas
  . 

Many International Schools have the USA elections in their curriculum this year .... a round-up of candidate information, policy issues, and more, is available from Grace York of the University of Michigan Documents Center.

This may be the only page you need to tell your students about in order to start this particular journey.
 

Just a couple of months ago I was asked to collate a set of pictures showing different options for designing teaching and learning areas that incorporated ICT ... in particular computers. Hence the page which can be found at the link above with photographs and advice on design.

One sidebar to this task was one ICT co-ordinator who just did not want to consider the option of the new(ish) flat screen monitors which are said to be preferable to the older CRT ones ... for a number of health reasons.

It turns out that he was just talking about his setup at home and that his choice was specifically to help his house guest keep warm in the winter months ...... Click here to see the culprit