Teach-Secondary-14.1

BLUESKY Following its purchase by a divisive multi-billionaire, abrupt renaming to the gnomic ‘X’ and – depending on your outlook – descent into untrammelled barbarism / liberation from stifling censorship, it’s fair to say that the microblogging platform formerly known as Twitter’s been on quite the journey these past few years. Historically, Twitter/X users have encompassed pretty much anyone with a smartphone and/or presence in the public consciousness, but historically, its most notably active groups have tended to include media insiders, politicians, arty types, academics and educators. Its user base was always small compared to the likes of Facebook, but often wielded lots of cultural capital. Now hoards of said users are seemingly flocking to the chirpily-named Bluesky – a browser- and app-based microblogging platform that’s pretty much a carbon copy of the Twitter/X interface everyone knows, with a few interesting twists – including a function that lets users instantly batch follow or block lists of other users at the tap of a button. Your own Bluesky experience will obviously depend on who you follow, but on the whole, it feels less ad- heavy and algorithm-y compared to modern day X, and closer in spirit to the freewheeling whimsy of Twitter’s early days. It’s much quieter too, with lower follower counts all round as a result. But, if you’re curious and fancy dipping a toe in its (for now, mostly US-centric) #EduSky conversations, there’s no time like the present... Thinkofanumber... ONE FOR THE WALL “Hope is telling the truth. Hope is taking action. And hope always comes from the people.” GretaThunberg Teach Secondary ’s digest of the latest goings-on in the profession... The newsletter What are we talking about? The Edit – a free digital challenge themed around media production developed by Sky and Adobe BEAT THE BUDGET The UNINFORMED teacher’s guide to… WHAT THEY SAID “Youth unemployment went down, school standards improved. That is the record of the Conservative government and it is one we are proud to defend.” ShadowEducation Secretary Laura Trott, speaking in the House of Commons 305,000 children were missing from education in 2023 – a 41% increase since 2017 Source: ‘ChildrenMissing fromEducation’ report by the Education Policy Institute Who is it for? Learners aged 8 to 18 What’s on offer? Access to Adobe editing software and professionally shot media footage produced by Sky, alongside a range of lesson materials for use in the classroom Howmight teachers use the resources? The Edit gives learners the opportunity to create a 30-second film trailer or 90-second TV news package, alongside supporting lessons that cover storytelling, narrative and digital literacy Where is it available? skyup.sky/the-edit (Sky Up registration required) 56% of the British public are concerned about the safety andmaintenance of the UK’s school buildings Source: SFG20 Building Safety Survey 2024 “SuCK it up libz lol #maga #based” DON’T SAY DO SAY “Anyone here got a good #EduSky starter pack?” 62% of the 2024/25 ITT recruitment target for secondary subjects has been reached (compared to 48% in 2023/24) Source: DfE 06 teachwire.net/secondary