GENERAL

Email Filtering Service

Julie Leigh, Co-ordinating Adviser for ICT writes:

You may remember that the email filtering service changed to Message Labs at the end of the Summer Term. Having just reviewed the statistics for the period from September 4th to October 4th I note that 4,484 inbound messages have been intercepted as contravening content rules and a massive 307,000 SPAM messages have been blocked. I trust that these figures mean that schools are receiving considerably less SPAM mail than before. A reminder for staff, if SPAM messages do make it to your inbox please forward them to:

spamsample@messagelabs.com

Also you will be interested to know that Message Labs has blocked 3,838 inbound messages carrying viruses and 12 outbound from our schools.

Please let us know via the OCN ICT Conference if you have found Message Labs has reduced your SPAM mail or if you are experiencing any issues.

The LAN Advisory Service

Did you know that Resources ICT at Clarendon House now has a dedicated School Support Team? You can read about them (and see them) here: http://www.ngfl-oxon.org.uk/ssd.html (or click on the OCN icon which appears on every page of the ICT web site)

One of the services they offer is a site survey and report on your school's Local Area Network (LAN) - in other words the cables and flickering boxes that connect your computers to the OCN and the Internet. LANs, particularly in secondary schools, have expanded considerably in recent years, sometimes in an ad hoc manner, which can lead to problems, such as poor performance when using internal or external IT services including the Internet. The independent LAN Advisory Service can make recommendations to improve the efficiency and reliability of your LAN, possibly at minimal or zero cost to the school.

You can find out more about the LAN Advisory Service on the Intranet:

http://intranet.oxfordshire.gov.uk > Directorates > Resources > ICT > ICT Support > ICT for Schools > LAN Advisory Service

There is no charge made for this service although schools are expected to pay for any additional hardware that may be recommended.

Competitions

The ICT Team are running 3 fantastic competitions this term for the pupils in your school, which are detailed below. We really enjoy the challenging task of judging all the entries and viewing the high standard of ICT that is taking place across the county. We look forward to a record amount of entries again this year. Good Luck!

National Poetry Day Competition

Activity: Pupils are asked to use ICT to write and present a poem based on a theme from the Poetry Society, This year the theme is 'Identity'.

Prize: 1st prize in each KS category will win an Avermedia 130 Visualiser worth £300. All winners will have their poems professionally printed and framed.

Closing Date: Friday 20th October 2006

Send entries to: Email entries clearly displaying the pupil's name and school in the email to competitions@sds.theocn.net

Website link to flier: http://www.ict.oxon-lea.gov.uk/poetryday06/index.html

Foundation Stage Competition

Activity: Pupils in the Foundation Stage to use ICT to design a Christmas card.

Prize: 1st prize will receive a talking photograph album. All winners will have cards made of their designs.

Closing date: Friday 10th November 2006

Send entries to: Email entries clearly displaying the pupil's name and school in the email to competitions@sds.theocn.net

Website link to flier: http://www.ict.oxon-lea.gov.uk/christmascard/index.html

GRAFTAs 2006

Activity: Pupils are asked to make a video or stop animation on a theme of their own choice which is no longer than 5 minutes.

Prize: 1st prize in each key stage will receive a 40GB portable hard drive with runners up receiving a pack of 100 CD's.

Closing Date: Friday 8th December

Send entries to: Please post CDs containing Grafta entries to - GRAFTAs, Room L3, ICT Team, Cricket Road Centre, Cricket Road, Oxford, OX4 3DW

Website link to flier: http://www.ict.oxon-lea.gov.uk/graftas2006/index.html

Courses

The following ICT courses still have places available:

· A Date to Create - Friday 13 October, 9.30 - 3.30 (21/706)
· Creating Interactive Content with Digitalbrain - Tuesday 17 October, 9.30-3.30 (21/707)
· Teachers New to ICT - Wednesday 18 October, Tuesday 5th December, Thursday 22nd March (3days), 9.30-3.30 (21/708)

Apply to the Inset section at Cricket Road or online at http://intranet.oxfordshire.gov.uk/links/intranet/oqsaapply

ICT Advice Alert: October 2006

The latest edition of the ICT Advice Alert is now available on Becta's Schools website. You can read the latest edition in the E-publications section of the Schools website by clicking the following link:

ICT Advice Alert October 2006

There are also archived ICT Advice Alert newsletters available to view from previous months.

PRIMARY

Interactive Maths Challenge

The ICT Team, working in collaboration with the Maths Team, will be promoting an interactive Maths Challenge during early November. Aimed at pupils in Key Stage 2, the challenge will be accessed through a dedicated Digitalbrain community and will present pupils with a number of challenges over a one-week period. A major corporate sponsor has agreed to provide prizes for the winners of the challenge so mark the dates Thursday 9th November to Monday 20th November in your diary.

More details will follow in due course but if you think you would like to take part you will need to get your pupils logged in to Digitalbrain so that they can be added to the Maths Challenge Community in time for the competition.

BBC - Dance Mat Typing Dance Mat Typing is an interactive programme from the BBC schools site for 7-11 year olds. The age on this can be flexible though depending on the confidence and competence of the children. Dance Mat Typing helps children learn keyboard familiarity and finger positioning as children work they way through 12 different typing lessons. Your very own ten fingers trigger animated characters and dances. Follow this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

SECONDARY

Reminder

A reminder to heads of department, especially those of you with only a small allocation of consultant time, that you can buy extra consultant support as a traded service for any aspects of the ICT curriculum with which you would like help e.g. planning, delivery, moderation to name just a few.

DiDA:

The SPB for unit 2 - Multimedia, called 'Crack the Code' is now on the website - follow the link: http://alerts.edexcel.org.uk/go.axd/9832

Online support is also available at http://alerts.edexcel.org.uk/go.axd/9927

The SPB for unit 4 - ICT in Enterprise, called Cash4Kids is now available on

http://alerts.edexcel.org.uk/go.axd/9830

SPB Unit 201 101 - Colleagues need to be aware that following the consultation period there have been a few changes to the unit1 SOB and teacher notes

Best wishes,

The ICT Advisory Team

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