Jotter Blogs enables you to create multiple different blogs. A blog is like a folder or container. Within each blog you can have multiple posts, which are like individual diary entries. You can create as many blogs as you like, and post as many entries as you like.
For example, you might have a blog called Class page and inside that blog add posts about what you’ve done in class. You might have another blog called School events and then post things that have happened at school in there.

As soon as blogging is switched on for students, they will all be able to create their own blogs and posts, which everyone else in the school can see and comment on.
The word blog is the bringing together of two words, web and log. A blog started out as being the work of a single person recording information about themselves or their interests, sort of an online diary. With web 2.0 technologies allowed the blogs readers to post comments and thus start a conversation about a post, making blogging a way to engage with like minded people and interactive, rather than the reader having just a passive role.
Today blogs are used to collaborate, collect information in one place whilst brainstorming and reach out to others that share your interests.
Blogs have now made it into the classroom and have become a useful tool in many ways. Firstly as a communication tool and a way of recording events and more recently as a way to encourage collaboration, engage boys and improve literacy skills. In your blog you can encourage peer support, everyone taking an active role, whether as a teacher or a learner and hopefully both!
Blog posts can be made up of text, images and links to websites and files.

All of our School Jotter users know that you can add documents to your Jotter site, but not all of them know the three different ways you can display them. It’s important to keep your documents up to date, and it’s also important to add them in the most appropriate format.
Whether you’ve got a long list of files you want users to download, a document you want to display directly on the website or just one you want to add as a link, School Jotter allows you to display your documents in three different ways.
Always save your documents as a PDF if possible, as this is a web safe format that makes sure your document will display exactly as intended without any issues.

1. Adding a document directly onto the page.

When first becoming familiar with School Jotter, this is the way of adding a document that users tend to notice. Simply click Insert Item and Document. You’ll be given black bars on your page with a choice of where to insert it. Click where you want to add the document.

Your file system will then open, and if you’ve already uploaded your file you can simply select ‘choose’ next to it. Otherwise, click ‘Upload File’ at the top of the screen. Click ‘add file’ to select a file from your computer, then start uploading. Wait for the blue bar to finish the upload, then click ‘OK’. Your document will then be displayed on the site as a PDF that users can scroll through and zoom in on.

2. Adding a link to a document

If you want to just link to one or two documents on a page, or you want to accompany documents with a description, adding a link to a document might be your best option. Simply type the title of your document onto the page in any text item. Then highlight this text, and underneath the green bar at the top should be a grey one with a series of options.

At the end of that is a blue chain link you can click on to insert or edit a link. Click on this, then click ‘file’.

Click on the folder with the magnifying glass to enter your file system, and then select or upload a file as normal. If the file you’ve uploaded is a PDF, you can check ‘open file in browser’ to have it open in a new window on click, otherwise, users will have it download to the computer when clicked. Click ‘OK’ and then save and publish and your document will appear as a link on the page. It will look something like this.

3. Add a file list.

File lists are a great way to arrange a group of documents together, and many of our users find them helpful for keeping our policies in. To add a file list, click Insert Item and File List. Click the black bar on the site to choose where to insert it, then navigate to your file system. You can press ‘Select’ next to any file to add it to the file list, and it will appear in ‘selected files’ in the bottom half of the screen.

You can use the arrows at the bottom to re order your files, then press ‘Choose’ at the bottom of the screen to confirm when you’re done selecting them.

They’ll appear on your site as above for users to download, and you can edit them any time by going into edit mode, clicking on to the file list and clicking the three dots at the top to add and remove files.

We hope these three ways of adding documents provide you plenty of flexibility when it comes to keeping your site up to date. If you’ve got any other suggestions for ways we can make this easier, please do get in contact and we will be happy to pass on your suggestion.

Read more about ‘Getting an outstanding school web design‘ from School Jotter team.

Storing information securely is a key concern for schools. For that reason, we you might find it useful to have a private area on your school website for governors, teachers or OFSTED.
School Jotter makes it easy to add and customise access to your own private area, requiring a login for users to access it.

1 – Firstly, make sure you have a user login set up. You can do this by going to the ‘admin’ section on your jotter site and clicking ‘add user’.
Fill out the details there with whatever you want the user to log in with. Check their application roles have ‘Site’ set to ‘Viewer’ or above.

2 – Then, return to the site. Click ‘Manage’ and ‘Pages’ and then find the page you want to make private in the left hand side. Click ‘access’.

3 – Check ‘private page’ and then enter the name of the user you want to be able to access the page. Set their access to ‘view only’. This will be automatically saved.

Log out of School Jotter and when viewing the page as a non administrator you will be asked for your login credentials.

You can use your new private area to upload confidential documents and share meeting dates, improving communication between staff, governors or your PTA.

Jotter Mobile just got even better with the release of v1.8, which will roll out across all apps by May 5th.
After lots of market research our developers have created the features you most requested, and we hope you will benefit from this free update.                     
Here are some of the changes you can expect to see:

Custom apps:

• Custom sections in the navigation structure. Each custom link consists of a name, icon and an URL. You can define up to three custom sections.
• Reordering and disabling of sections in the drawer menu and the dashboard tray. These are edited from the Mobile Centre module.

All apps:

• Notification badges on sections within the app. These show that new content has been added but not read by the user.
• New expanding dashboard tray option. This can be configured at the delivery stage or can be added with PCR.

If you would like more information about v1.8 or Jotter Mobile please call 0800 862 0492 or fill out our short contact form.

In 2007 we launched the original School Jotter website system. Since day one we have received praise for how the system makes it easy for teachers to manage their school’s website. In 2012 we released School Jotter 2, which further tailored the system to the needs of our thousands of customers.

Introducing 2.5

Our latest product innovation, School Jotter 2.5, expands on this by pairing our class leading website system with a range of eLearning software, which empowers schools to bridge the gap with parents, governors, and students.

Modules

With School Jotter 2.5, our platform now includes extra modules which ease communication, such as a Surveys module to gain feedback (perhaps for a parental survey) and a Blogs module which headteachers and other staff can use to engage parents with day to day school life.

According to The Joseph Rowntree report, engaging students and parents with a child’s learning is one of the key influencers on student attainment. Using the School Jotter 2.5 eLearning software, such as Jotter ePortfolios, students can showcase their work, and this can be shown to parents, while teachers can give online feedback.

Amazing Value

Our new School Jotter 2.5 offering represents great value, as it saves money compared with buying the equivalent products separately. With unlimited users, storage and training, upgrade to School Jotter 2.5 TODAY and your school can save £500 on the recommended retail price. Please call use for more information.

It’s a sad fact that teachers are finding it increasingly difficult to keep parents engaged with what’s going on at school. Parents’ ‘go-go’ lifestyles mean they don’t have time to visit the school’s website for the latest news and announcements. Hard copies of newsletters often get lost or thrown out.

What does this mean?

• Meetings are missed
• Permission slips never get signed
• Children are dropped off when school is shut for training

Fortunately, our new Jotter Mobile smartphone app is now bridging the gap between parents and schools. Free for parents to download via the App Store and Google Play, Jotter Mobile will transform how you communicate with parents.

The app features:

• Latest news and newsletters
• Push notifications for urgent messages such as snow days
• Calendar for semester dates, meetings and events
• Hot Link – browse an external URL without leaving the app
• Contacts – useful numbers at your fingertips
• Maps – locate a campus or sports field

With hundreds on order, we’ve already delivered over 100 Jotter Mobile apps – all beautifully designed to match a school’s brand and ethos. To date, our app has been used over 250,000 times.

FIND OUT MORE

Here’s what schools are saying:

“I think it’s great! Easy to use, can be accessed from everywhere. I have it on my phone and tablet. We’ve very happy with it. St Joseph’s CPS Bradford
“Over a third of our parents use the app, and it is perfect for us because it’s so easy to use and manage.” Old Sarum Primary School

App reviews from end users:

Holy Family CPS (CV6 2GU)
Bridget Shanahan 8 Sep 2016 at 15:00 0 0
“Thank goodness About time we have an app for holy family.it will make my life so much easier.well done!!”?
Carl Brennan 9 Sep 2016 at 15:54 0 0
“Nice and easy lay out, hopefully all key dates will be added to the calendar.”
Mrs bradley 15 Sep 2016 at 21:33 1 0
“Loving this . Its very clear …”
Grange Park PS (SR5 1EA)
Vasso Kontou-Watson 5 Dec 2016 at 19:36 0 0
“What a lovely app. Very informative and easy to navigate.”
Drighlington PS (BD11 1JY)
Emma Briggs 8 Jan 2017 at 10:26 0 0
“Great app.”
Even the so-called ‘hard-to-reach’ parent, who has low self-esteem and lacks the confidence to get involved, can at least know what’s going on. This may eventually entice some to become more involved with their children’s education and school life.

Research

Ofcom’s 2016 Communications Market Report states that in the US, the average amount of time browsing on smartphones is 87 hours per month (with only 34 hours for laptops or desktops). The UK comes in only slightly less at 66 hours per month – roughly two hours per day. Based on these findings, an app that can deliver updated information and push notifications from school should be effective and popular. Relying on parents to visit a school’s website for information is optimistic, as this can be time consuming and requires visiting several different pages, whereas with Jotter Mobile, everything can be accessed in moments.
Although Jotter Mobile is a stand-alone product, it works in synergy with our School Jotter website. Not only does the app refresh automatically when the website is updated, parents can access photo galleries.
As lives get busier, the need for schools to have an app to act as a communications hub is greater than ever. It’s a great way to foster support and keep parents willingly engaged.

After achieving my BA QTS in Primary Education and English Language Studies in 1996 (at the seasoned age of 40), I didn’t feel qualified to teach much of anything. Despite going the ‘long route’ of a four-year teaching degree and having numerous courses on the best way to teach the curriculum subjects, I was only a subject knowledge expert in my degree specialism – English. Me teaching PE was a joke. Trying to corral a group of exuberant 10 and 11 year olds and teach them how to interpret scenarios through dance was a particular favourite (insert appropriate emoji here). Of course lack of self-confidence didn’t help and neither did having no behaviour management input at university. I was most definitely not a natural – I just wanted to teach those wonderful young people who had so much potential.
Does it even matter whether a teacher knows a subject inside and out? Just knowing enough to cover the National Curriculum is good enough – right? Anyone who’s watched a true subject expert teach a class knows the answer to that question. There’s something almost magical about having a teacher who really knows their topic. I grew up in the US and had subject specialists teaching me from the equivalent of KS2 upwards. Should the UK follow suit? Subject Leaders are super resources but your school may not be lucky enough to have a full complement. So what can a primary teacher do if knowledge is lacking?

Extra Training

If you’re lucky and your school has the budget, you might be sent on a course that will turn you into a subject knowledge expert. The trouble with courses is that many focus on skills rather than substance. I remember roomfuls of bored teachers being more interested in what was on offer for lunch than the course content. Ironic when you think we were there to learn teaching best practices. I also recall a four-hour course on how to coach football. Even now it makes me laugh. My secret weapon was to rely on the pupils who played footy for a team – they knew more about the offside rule and what constituted a penalty than I ever would.
The National College for Teaching and Leadership fund Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses, which seem to be very worthwhile, according to a study carried out for the DfE. The trouble is that although these courses are widely available to trainees, there are only a few Teaching School Alliances in England that give access to existing and returning teachers. Another disadvantage is that a lot of the courses are aimed at secondary level, eg, biology, chemistry and physics. This means that existing teachers will be extremely lucky if they can find a relevant module and get the funding to attend.

Hacks

Hurray for the internet! In-depth, online research helped me throughout my twenty years of teaching. From lesson plans to how-to videos, whatever you need to know is out there. The only downside to researching topics is the time it takes. It’s bad enough planning lessons, marking and setting targets, without having to top up knowledge – even with PPA time. There must be a better way.
This could be seen as a long-term strategy but schools should take advantage of bespoke elearning content. Edtech developers work alongside a subject expert to create dynamic, interactive content. This not only relieves pressure on teachers who don’t know enough about a subject, it also cuts down on prep time. Once content has been created, it can be shared throughout the school and beyond. To make it more cost-effective, cluster schools could join forces to cover all areas and share content. This type of elearning content focuses on the visual learner and is highly engaging. As non-experts can learn from bespoke content, it will form the basis of a more confident blended learning scheme. Eventually, you may develop into a subject knowledge expert after all.

The sight of high school pupils sitting motionless with eyes closed is becoming commonplace in classrooms across the UK and beyond. The practice of meditation or ‘mindfulness’ is being taught to help children deal with stress and to help them focus. While some old-school educators may see this as an excuse for pupils to stop working and mess about, studies are confirming that the effects of meditation have numerous positive effects.
The practice of being mindful is generally attributed to Buddhism, although other forms of meditation are linked to Hinduism and Taoism. The practice of modern mindfulness tends not to be spiritual in any way. The purpose is to focus the mind on breathing and the five senses, letting thoughts drift in and out passively.

Research

Apart from psychological effects, physical changes take place in the brains of meditators. An eight-week Study by Harvard University at Massachusetts General Hospital found that grey matter actually increased from regular meditation sessions. The increase was sited in the area responsible for memory and learning. A study by UCLH discovered that people who regularly meditated for twenty years or more had better preserved brains than people who did not. While data on the effects of mindfulness on children is limited, an extensive meta-review compiled the results of 15 studies covering 1800 pupils from the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, Taiwan and India. They found an overall improvement in well-being, social and academic skills. Furthermore children reported higher levels of optimism and self-identity. Meditation appeared to help them cognitively as well, with improved processing, focus, memory and creativity.

Campaigns

The Mindfulness Foundation is a founder member of the NCB Partnership for Wellbeing and Mental Health in Schools and is running the Mindfulness in Schools Campaign. The Mindfulness in Schools Project is a charity who support the teaching of meditation in schools. They run courses for teaching the techniques to pupils from 7 to 18 year olds. Even adults who have never meditated can learn how to teach the techniques in just a few days.

Apps

There are some interesting and useful apps on the market, specifically aimed at meditation for young people. Smiling Mind is a free app that has been developed by educators and psychologists to help bring balance to people’s lives. There is also now Headspace for Kids, a subscription-based program that’s split into three age ranges: 5 and under, 6-8 and 9-12. The availability of apps means that children can choose a guided meditation that suits them. For those teachers who don’t feel comfortable leading a guided session, classrooms that use iPads or have a BYOD policy can have pupils plug in and just ‘be’. Schools could also easily create their own mindfulness programs and deliver them via a flexible VLE.
The message is that pupils find the sessions calming and focusing. They report that they consider their actions more, resulting in better behaviour. The overall positive effects aren’t just beneficial for pupils; the knock-on effect must improve the lives of teachers and parents as well.

You’re a school with an IT provision that’s the antithesis of state-of-the-art. Your budget is allocated and the money is burning a hole in your pocket. You’re itching to buy all those shiny, new computers, interactive whiteboards and software, and who can blame you? But before you start shopping, have you asked yourself (and your IT specialist) these questions about buying school tech?
Hardware

• Interactive whiteboard – with the most popular choices having been Smartboard and Promethean Activboard, most teachers now prefer to work with a conventional screen and projector using their own laptop or alternatively, they use the screen mirroring feature with iPads or smart TVs. It definitely seems the trend is moving away from expensive Smartboards, with their clunky software and screens that won’t stay oriented.

• PC, laptop or tablets? – although it could be argued that laptops encourage poor posture with the monitor so low, there’s no doubt that these portable devices facilitate sharing 30+ computers around the school, even moving outside when required. It also frees up the need for having a dedicated IT suite. While laptops are more powerful and have a much larger capacity, many children will be familiar with smartphones and/or tablets, so you may wish to consider a set of iPads as well. The wonderful array of educational and creative apps can make learning more engaging. Tablets can be used for independent learning, guiding reading and whole-class teaching.
• BYOD – One controversial movement that’s gaining popularity is allowing pupils to bring in their own devices. Not only does this free up more of your IT budget but pupils will feel more familiar with their own tablets or laptops. Of course there is the problem of batteries running flat and online security.
• Broadband – often neglected when considering buying school tech. Always go for a larger bandwidth than you anticipate needing. Determine if you’ll need as much upstream as downstream bandwidth and how much data you’ll use each month. The line speed and capacity must take account of educational and managerial uses, as well as communications, networks, operational systems and security (closed circuit TVs). With the move towards an ever-increasing percentage of content being delivered through a VLE, requiring numerous pupils to be online simultaneously, it’s more sensible to overestimate the school’s broadband needs.

Software

• Virtual learning environment – an essential item is your VLE, which needs to be adaptable and easy to use. Apart from buying the platform, many suppliers charge annual, per-user licence fees, which can eat up your budget. An alternative would be to opt for an open source platform..
• Website – every school should have a modern and multifunctional website to act as a portal for the school brand. An innovative solution would be to find a platform that integrates website with VLE. Buying a complete package can save money and make it simpler to use, with a single interface style.
• Content – teacher’s time is at a premium and designing effective content for lessons can be demoralising, unless you’re tech-savvy. There are content design companies specialising in the school curriculum, such as Webanywhere. They also have their Content Club, where for an affordable, annual fee, schools can have specific topic websites created. Once in the club, schools can then share their bespoke sites between members. So a cluster group could collaborate to have multimedia, interactive content to cover the entire curriculum.

Power in Numbers
And remember, before you accept any quotes and go off with your shopping cart, find out if anyone in your cluster group is looking for new software or hardware. If you collaborate with others, your negotiating power will increase when buying school tech.

According to research by Clare Campbell (2011), hard to reach parents are defined as those who:
“— have very low levels of engagement with school
— do not attend school meetings nor respond to communications
— exhibit high levels of inertia in overcoming perceived barriers to participation.”
Having greater parental / carer involvement isn’t just about helping at the bake sale; pupils whose parents actively engage with school attain more, so it’s vital to make that connection. Reluctant parents with low self-esteem cite their own negative school experiences for lack of engagement, so what can be done to encourage them to join in?

• Parent Profile

For reluctant parents and carers, it’s particularly important to find out what makes them tick. Do they have any outside interests? You might find they have a skill that the school could use, like speaking a second language or a talent for arts and crafts. Taking the ‘glass half-full’ approach and focussing on the parents’ assets will raise their self-esteem and build positive relationships. By getting to know the hard to reach parent, the school is saying, “You matter as much as your child.”

• Electronic Brochure

That’s essentially what a school website is but has the potential to be so much more. It’s important to have a site that reflects the school’s ethos and brand. Apart from essential information such as staff bios and Ofsted reports, your website should be the communications hub of your school. The calendar and newsletter should be continuously updated. Useful research data can be obtained through regular online surveys. Hard to reach parents would benefit from being able to securely access a portfolio of their child’s work.

• Connect

It’s vitally important to keep parents up to speed with what’s happening in school and with their children at all times. Poor communication, whether justified or not, is a common complaint from parents. Letters sent home in the school bag often go unread – assuming they’ve reached their destination in the first place. Chatting at the ‘school gate’ is beneficial but can be hit and miss. A more effective solution to sketchy communication is a school mobile app for parents. These apps allow parents to access the latest school news and important dates, as well as receive instant alerts such as an activity being cancelled. This saves time and improves relationships by keeping parents fully aware.

• Support Workshops

Supporting pupils with their learning at home is paramount, although some hard to reach parents feel ill-equipped, especially if their child has behaviour issues. Offering drop-in workshops during and after school is a way to bridge the gap, particularly if parents know their involvement can really make a difference. Workshops could cover basic numeracy and literacy support guidance.

• Storytime

It’s a sad fact that fewer children are being read to in the home. Shared stories help develop reasoning, imagination and communication skills, as well as an interest in reading and writing. Those pupils who would rather play computer games or watch TV need particular attention, as this is often a smokescreen for a feeling of inadequacy with reading. One way to encourage reading at home is to have a ‘Story Time with Parents’ initiative in school. Some children may never have heard their parent read a story, which can have a profound effect.

• Promote School Spirit

To encourage school spirit from the outset, set up a ‘boast board’, where teachers, governors, parents and pupils can post about what excites them about the coming school year. Regular blogging or podcasts can engage hard to reach parents by introducing topics they relate to. Posts don’t have to focus purely on what’s happening in school. It might be a discussion on different behaviour management techniques or it could be a recipe for paper mâché. Make it readable and keep it fairly light. School Facebook and Twitter accounts can be used to share your blog, raising the school’s profile. Social media is useful for school trips too, so parents can share in the experience and keep track of what’s going on.

• Outreach

Although this might be seen as a last resort, there are occasions when paying a home visit is necessary. This type of approach might be met with hostility from some parents, however if handled correctly, it can pay dividends. Keep it relaxed and friendly; ask for a hot drink if one isn’t offered, as it’s amazing how bonding can begin over a cuppa. Don’t be judgemental – the parent may already be thinking they’re in trouble. Take an interest and keep it chatty, eventually focussing on the child(ren). Hopefully the parent(s) will appreciate you took the time to visit.

• Speak Their Language

With an increasing number of immigrant parents with little or no English, it can be a nightmare getting them involved with school. Add to that any cultural differences that may preclude certain activities and hit a brick wall. The ideal solution is to ask for help from community leaders or other parents who understand the situation. These helpers should be able to start building a relationship for the school and encourage some form of involvement, however small.

• Ditch the Cattle Market Parents’ Evening

For hard to reach parents, parents’ evening is a dreaded event. They may feel unable to speak to the class teacher on their level, causing deep embarrassment. Having to mix with lots of other parents could make them uncomfortable, particularly if the school intake has a wide socioeconomic range. And as is the common practise in many schools, having the pupils’ workbooks on display can have a negative effect on parents whose children have below average attainment. If possible, schedule private consultations on different days for these parents. If you remove many of the uncomfortable aspects, they are far more likely to attend.

• What Do They Want?

This may seem an obvious question but is often omitted. What does a parent want from the school and for their child? What areas are most important to them? It could be attaining excellent SATs scores or it might be developing better social skills and behaviour. You might find asking this question opens up a continuing, positive dialogue with hard to reach parents, simply because no one else has ever bothered to ask them.