Partners In Learning – Innovative Education Awards

Ollie Bray has a lot to answer for ;-) It was his post that spurred me on to enter the 2009 Innovative Education Awards. I created a Virtual Classroom Tour about the work the department had done on using Social Media when exploring 21st Century piracy.

I thought it cheesy at the time, but I agree with Ollie that the single action of entering has resulted in an amazing journey where I have been professional challenged and developed. I was lucky enough to be one of the four projects selected to attend the European Innovative Education Forum in Berlin, where Simon and Jan got through to the World forum in Cape Town.

So what have I found? The first thing is that the PIL team of Stuart and Kirsten are very approachable, helpful and completely focussed on learning. Indeed, I have been struck by the unusual fact that more teachers than consultants and advisors etc, attend the Microsoft Events. This means that it is easy to share information and ideas that are tailored to the classroom. In addition, the focus is firmly on learning through technology and not overtly a sales pitch. Of course, Microsoft products are showcased, but would you really expect them not to be?

I have been stretched and opened to new experiences. For example, I will be giving a webinar next week about the pirates project and have benefited from the support of the network, even though the project didn’t get selected for the World Forum.

All I can say is that you should check out this blog post and submit a Virtual Classroom Tour. Many of this year’s ideas were simple but effective use of technology, so don’t sell yourself short. I nearly didn’t enter as I thought the project was too simple and not innovative enough.

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David Rogers

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