Conservatives will be radical on Education

Recently the Culture spokesman for the Conservatives was on hard talk.
He said conservative policies would focus on:
  1. Putting information out to the public
  2. Openness
  3. Transparency
  4. Technology
  5. Competition (both public and private sector)
The idea is that by using technology they can reduce public spending, I have done a few posts on how ICT can be used to save money in Primary Schools before so this ties in well with my views.
“The democratisation of information – primarily through technology – has revolutionised the way we act and interact. Individuals have direct control over what they want to know and when they know it” — Conservative party education policy 2009.
To summarize: The conservatives know the internet is a big deal… Well done……..
Technology or ICT barey gets a mention in the policy however there is space to mention “Strict school uniform policies, with blazer, shirt and tie and with a zero-tolerance of incorrect or untidy dress.”
How a policy can prioritise the issue of school uniform over the use of technology baffles me and shows a backwards approach to 21st century learning.
I’m not pro or against any party, I’m still convinced labour will whip an ace from up it’s sleave a few months before the general election and David Milliband will replace Gordon Brown which will have a massive impact on opinion polls.
As for the lib dem’s I can’t even find their education policy and as for Labour when I go to their website I can’t get over the fact the main focus their page design points to is to donate money to the government, is the economy really that bad?
To summarize:
Lib Dems: ArgleBargle.

Top 10 tv in 2009

10. James May’s toy stories – James May being a big kid, supersizing classic games with a twist of top gear jeopardy.
9. Never Mind the Buzzcocks – Comedy panel show.
8. Geekbrief – Latest tech stuff presented in a nice bite size format.
7. Co-Op – PC and Console game reviews by normal gamer dudes.
6. Google Tech Talks – In depth enlightening presentations on global issues.
5. QI – Informative comedy panel show
4. Family Guy – Comedy cartoon.
3. Natural World & Life – Unlocking the mysteries of the world. I’m not so sure of the green screen stuff though!
2. Top Gear – Car show (sort of). Lots of comedy, very well edited and easy to appreciate the visual experience (excludes Clarkson’s face).
1. TED – Inspirational talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design. Great way to feel part of a global community.

Difference between Kidrex and Primary School Safe Search?

I wanted to explain how Primary School Safe Search is different from Kidrex.

1. Primary School Safe Search does NOT display adverts.
2. Primary School Safe Search has a large database of websites it prioritises as search results meaning you are more likely to find the correct educational content.
3. Primary School Safe Search has a large database of websites that are excluded from search results, these include violent and explicit sites. These sites are not usually filtered with a standard safe search.
Both are built on Google CSE.
Links:

Web2 Primary School go go magic arms

Due to the success of the etherpad on schools web2 services I decided to create a searchable engine. It’s very easy to use, check it out here.

It’s nothing fancy, don’t expect much other than a simple way to find the right service for you. If it’s wrong then let me know. If you want to be able to search by subject, year etc. then please get in touch!!