Grand Day Out was developed to show the value added by Broadband services beyond the fast internet connection. The ideas and resources demonstrated were designed to be easily transferable, and staff attending were expected to cascade them as best practice to other members of staff or the whole school through training, inset or other methods.
Grand Day Out showcased the Teaching and Learning benefits of having a Broadband connection to 10 target schools through lessons and staff meetings. Staff attending were shown how to access resources available through their Broadband service, how the resources can be used, and best practice activities that might be used in a variety of contexts at school.
One highlighted area was the use of Broadband resources to enhance Teaching and Learning within the curriculum.
Schools attending the Grand Day Out received a whole day inset for staff and children that demonstrated the best of Broadband for Teaching and Learning. Teachers were able to see the ideas demonstrated with children of various abilities with a range of inexpensive ICT equipment. The teachers witnessed a variety of lesson ideas that demonstrated rich multimedia activities integrating with literacy, numeracy, science etc.
Schools infrastructure was supported by the use of free and cheap downloads, and schools with Broadband would able to use the ideas immediately.
Resources, children’s work and lesson ideas are available on the Community Gateway for schools to use.
Grand Day Out is a fantastic way to demonstrate the benefits of Broadband connectivity. The high level of support from LDC staff at the sessions was a significant factor in the success of the sessions, and follow-up support will be am important factor in how well the ideas are embedded.
Other Northamptonshire schools should be able to benefit from the schools that attended the Grand Day Out because the activities were collaborative and multi-agency in their nature. Schools would also benefit from collaborating with each other using the tools of the Community Gateway.