Ashton tutor scoops top awards

Information Learning Technology co-ordinator, Sandra Taylor, has won two North West teaching awards in recognition of her fantastic contribution to e-learning at Ashton Sixth Form College.

Sandra picked up the Carol Adams Award for Excellence in Professional Development as well as the Becta Award for Next Generation Learning, after spearheading a project which has attracted £175,000 of government funding to the College.

The region's finest learning professionals gathered at The Lowry for a glittering ceremony where winners were rewarded with a 'Plato' - a glass engraved trophy symbolising excellence in education. Sandra will now go forward to the UK finals held in London in October which is to be televised on BBC2.

Sandra has been instrumental in securing a grant of £150,000 from the Learning and Skills Network for MoLeNET (Mobile Learning Technology), an innovative college wide scheme which will see over 200 students benefiting from use of mobile devices on a range of courses from sport, to history and politics. Pupils now use multi-function PDA phones for outdoor projects. Instead of writing about what they have seen they take video and pictures. Teachers can keep track of where they are and what they are doing using GPS technology in the phones.Classes also use iPhones to help them with composition in music technology and learning about different methods of communication. The college also has a twitter site for all its notices and the use of Nintendo DS game Brain Training has seen literacy and numeracy pass rates shoot from 60 to 100 per cent.

Sandra said "What we're trying to do is use the technology that students use in their everyday life without thinking about it. If we can use that to engage them in learning and help them to achieve better results it makes our job easier and very rewarding."

Ashton Sixth Form College Principal Dr Janet Nevin said; "We are delighted for Sandra and are all celebrating her success. The Teaching Awards are a fantastic way to recognise the hard work of education staff. Sandra is a hard-working, forward thinking and popular member of staff, her work within the ICT department has benefitted the whole college and given students the opportunity to utilise state of the art technology in their studies".

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