Month: January 2013

Change to A & AS Level

Michael Gove has confirmed that there will be changes to A levels in 2015 and that AS levels will no longer be part of the A level but will become a stand alone examination. This will make A levels like the linear examinations that have already been introduced at GCSE level.

The linear examinations are like the old “O” level where you studied a subject for two years and then sit an examination. This is in contrast to the modular examinations that have been retired where you studied a small section of the subject and then tested on that section before moving onto the next section;  all of these results would go on to the final result. If students had disappointing results in a module then they had the opportunity to re-take. In effect students should never of failed a modular examination. Making examinations linear should produce examination results that are real. When you compare the result of one student to another you will know that they have had the same conditions and therefore it is a truer comparison.

The age for leaving education is also changing and this year the leaving age is 17 years old; a change from 16 years old and it will change again in 2015 again to 18 years old. Students will have to stay at their school or another further education establishment such as college.

I think that a stand alone AS level may be a necessity as students have more years to study than students last year. However if students have to stay in education until they are 18 years old why would you select to take AS level over A level?


Poorer families without internet

The ONS (Office of National Statistics) has published statistics that show that a 1/3 of poorer families in the UK have no internet access at home. This translates to approximately 750,000 homes without internet.

When I was at school I had to go to the library to research my homework or project work. Now if I or any of my family need to research anything Google is our first

stop. Anyone without a computer or internet is seriously disadvantaged. Admittedly students can still gain internet access from schools, libraries, internet cafes, coffee shops and more. I still think that the ease of access by having a computer and internet access readily available at home is far superior to having to seek it out.

One of my daughters went to the library last Wednesday because there were too many distractions at home for her to get on with her uni work. She went to Winchmore Hill library first and found it closed so then she went to Palmers Green library which was also closed. She had to satisfy her need by shutting herself away in her room at home with us noiseys. My point is that she wasted an hour trying to find somewhere quiet to study with internet access and had to settle for home in the end which she was trying to avoid.


Everyone over the age of 12 has a phone these days and you can get internet access from your phone however there is a difference in quick access from a phone to researching project work.I think that education is the key to better society so we need to provide our youth with the tools to improve their education. I know that most schools will provide additional support if needed and we need to make it easy for them to get the access needed.

The End of Text Messaging?

Now that texting is over 20 years old, it is already starting to decline. There are many providers of free messaging so I doubt that people will pay for texting for much longer. It may be some time before texting is removed as a sales benefit from mobile phone packages.

With the death of texting does that mean our youth will start using English correctly or will txt spk remain? I have always text in full English much to my children’s amusement; I was doing them a favour so that they didn’t forget the Queen’s English.

There are lots of changes at the moment with messaging services, Microsoft messaging has been retired and is replaced with Skype. Any parent with a student at university knows what a fantastic tool this is. We have moved onto Facetime on the ipad and iphone and keeping in contact becomes so easy and personal when you can see each other.

My app of the week (this may become a regular feature) is “WhatsApp” which is a mobile messaging service which is free and works on different platforms, such as iphone, Blackberry, Android and Windows phone. It uses your internet data usage so there is no additional cost. Have a look http://www.whatsapp.com/.


Planning Website Posts Update

ws_thumb

The “when” of my website posts has altered slightly from what I originally stated:

When – The Creation and Maintenance process – I will be creating posts and maintaining the website. I will post weekly on specific topics so for example Education every Monday, Technology every Wednesday, community every Thursday, politics every Friday and ad hoc items as and when.I will post according to a schedule so anyone watching will know what and when to expect content on my website.

The plan is:

  1. Monday – Technology post
  2. Tuesday – Women’s issues
  3. Wednesday – Education post
  4. Thursday – Community post
  5. Friday – Politics
  6. Weekends – whatever

Obviously this isn’t set in stone but a plan and the best laid plans can go wrong as I have just been reconnected to the internet after 24 hours of downtime due to ISP problems.


Windows 8 and my new laptop

I received a Dell Ultrabook XPS12 for Christmas with Windows 8 Operating System installed. The Dell has a flip over touch screen so it may be used as a tablet.

I liked the Windows 7 OS for home use so I was keen to see how Windows 8 worked. I also use an iphone and ipad so it is interesting to compare them.

I like the look and feel of the OS. The new Metro page shown is a central point to start apps from and can be personalised by moving tiles around to suit your usage.

The touch screen on my Dell works well with Windows 8 and I can use the laptop in a similar way that I would use my iphone so it is very easy and usable. There is more depth to Windows 8 than my iphone, in other words there is more functionality. I am still learning the new functions and methods of use to get the best from my Ultrabook.

It is still early days but I would certainly recommend Windows 8 and the Dell XPS12.

 


Planning Website Posts

 I plan to post content relating to my expertise and interests onto my website more frequently. I expect the majority of posts to be about Technology, Education, Community, Politics and general  news items. You can also expect some twin related information which may be general or personal as I am the proud parent of twins, and family posts featuring the long suffering Mr Daniels.

As a Technology Professional I can’t help but bring my Project Managing experience into my planning so I’m applying the five (or six) W’s.

w's

  1. What – Looking at the type of information to exchange – I will be commenting on Education, Technology, Politics and Local Community regularly so I will re-design the page layout on my website to accommodate this.
  2. When – The Creation and Maintenance process – I will be creating posts and maintaining the website. I will post weekly on specific topics so for example Education every Monday, Technology every Wednesday, community every Thursday, politics every Friday and ad hoc items as and when.I will post according to a schedule so anyone watching will know what and when to expect content on my website.
  3. Why – The business case – There is no financial business case however I want to provide regular posts on areas of interest and establish myself as reliable and reputable.
  4. Who – With whom to communicate – I am targetting the technology connected community. I will be connecting through Twitter to advertise my website.
  5. Where – Communication channels – through the internet so locally, nationally and internationally.
  6. How – An information structure – After the babies have gone to bed with my new laptop post to the to MrsDaniels.co.uk using a new format as outlined.
Tomorrow’s task to change the website layout.

Happy New Year

I have made several New Year resolutions and one of them is to post more frequently onto my website so here goes. All views expressed are my own and I realise that people may not be interested in my views … but then again some might.

Someone told me that if you don’t post it looks as though you aren’t doing anything but in reality the opposite is true, but being busy is no longer an excuse that I’ll use.

I am no Liz Jones (Daily Mail journalist), and I won’t be making money out of this. I may however make enemies! People who know me will understand the intonation of my posts however those who don’t may think I am very up myself.

The majority of my posts will be on my areas of expertise and interest, so mainly Technology and Education. I look forward to planning my website and my next post will be on the six w’s; what, when, why, who, where and how of my website posts.

A Happy New Year to you all and may 2013 bring you much happiness. After reading to my babies I’ll be off on another New Year’s resolution and trying to get fit.