What’s going on?

What IS going on? Have the measures to mitigate against transport congestion worked too well and kept people away? Or is it just the beginning, with a lot of people taking the day off or working from home, only to return to normal tomorrow? We shall see about that as far as the London commuters are concerned but for the millions of tourists who have decided to keep away from London as a destination this summer, and go elsewhere for te duration, then it’s already too late for all the businesses and activities in central London that depend upon them. I bet there are empty rooms in some of the hotels right now. It reminds me somewhat of Cornwall during the solar eclipse of August 1999. Scaremongering officials and media combined to paint pictures of the army being brought in to help feed people stuck by the roadside in traffic jams for days on end, but the reality was that the Cornish tourist industry had its worst season for decades. I was there and had a lovely time being able to get around the small towns and empty car parks just as if it was an off-season break. Now the same thing appears to be happening to London. There are lots of activities planned in the National Houses and other venues across London, expecting a kind of party atmosphere to break out throughout the capital, but most of them are very badly attended for now. Londoners, having been told to prepare themselves for longer journeys, plan alternatives and “don’t get caught out” (Boris on the buses) have either stayed at home or booked themselves a holiday abroad, and are now being urged to come out and join, and help make up the numbers!

Things to do in London during the Olympics

I went to the British Museum. No queues, no bag searches, a gentle stroll around the North American Flora Exhibition by Kew Gardens and inside to see a free exhibition about The horse: from Arabia to Royal Ascot (More about trying to find the Jade Figure of a Horse later).

Lunch in Soho. Fabulous sushi bento box in my favourite Japanese canteen restaurant, usually full of Japanese students and some adventurous tourists but able to walk in and  get a table with no waiting yesterday. Maybe I was lucky, but Chinatown is one of the epicentres of camera toting tourists and felt determinedly less busy.

St Katherines Docks is the location for the ‘Danish House’ IMAGINATION, one of dozens of National Houses set up by participating countries in the Olympics to host parties and exhibitions, to follow their national teams and mingle with athletes and celebrities. One site which lists them all, especially those that are free to the public  is LondonPrepares.com

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Displays Level 2 STLS – Short Course – an interesting addition?

Just been looking again at running a 3 day on-line intensive course about the displays optional unit for UK Teaching Assistants doing Level 2 STLS (Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools).

• We would take 3 days to cover the knowledge base.
• I would work with them to make sure they understand exactly what evidence they need to gather for their assessor.
• Learners would then have a workbook to complete which would provide evidence for their portfolio.

Costs are yet to be worked out but using my own site lets me keep them quite reasonable. Teaching assistants (and teachers!) mostly fund themselves to take my courses so it needs to be inexpensive.

I decided against a self-study version due to upcoming changes in the VAT position with regards to digital sales. (Basically all digital books and any ‘automatically delivered’ digital courses will be subject to VAT from January. Boo Hiss!)

I’m really not sure though. I’ve been happy avoiding the NVQ style evidence box ticking with the Basic and Advanced courses. The Basic course produces people with a better understanding of display basics than the performance criteria of the STLS standards ever would. However there is a demand for the STLS course.

Still pondering this – what do people think?

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Vermeer and Music

Vermeer and Music

Taken June 18, 2013 at 8:23 pm

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Tiger

Tiger collage by Frank Roberts

Taken April 29, 2013 at 9:13 am

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Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge, London. Irene Roberts and her Dad.

Taken March 29, 2013 at 10:18 am

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My first computer was an ICL 1900 series with a Westrex teletype as the operators console

Taken March 20, 2013 at 11:45 am

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 Quantum Cloud by Antony Gormley

Quantum Cloud by Antony Gormley

Taken February 23, 2013 at 1:32 pm

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Wyming Brook Gorge Sheffield

Wyming Brook Gorge Sheffield

Taken October 27, 2012 at 12:41 am

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Playa de las Catedrales

Playa de las Catedrales / Praia as Catedrais Galicia Spain

Taken September 3, 2012 at 2:42 pm

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