Regular Features
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Featured Functionality: your profile picture
Remember back in the first article of this newsletter when we talked about the impact of professional development? Here’s a reminder: the most impactful professional development activities feature peer collaboration. We’ve been working hard on NAU to enable peer collaboration across schools, now it’s over to you to do your part…
First, have you added your profile picture to NAU? It’s much easier to collaborate with someone once you can picture what they look like. Next pick an area that interests you and get involved in the community. You could just answer any questions or posts that others make or add some new ones of your own, but believe me you will make someone's day if you take the time to respond to a post that they have made online. And it will only cost you a few minutes of your own day to do.
How do I change my profile picture?
It’s easy, log in to NAU and follow this link. Alternatively you can
open your user menu and click edit profile. Then add your picture
and click save.
Joanna Lay
Programme Lead for NAU
Education Team
Featured Community: history
Charlotte Giles, our history teaching fellow has recently been engaging in discussion with other members of staff in the collaboration area of the history community. This is a good example of the benefits of shared learning, and the impact it can have on our teaching staff.
Our discussion areas are a great way to discuss the ups and downs of teaching life, as well as sharing methodologies, teaching materials or even just a book that can provide additional reading on a particular subject.
The history community are currently discussing the idea of a book review challenge, whereby forum members can post a picture of themselves alongside a brief review of a book they have recently read – a fantastic means of collaborative learning! We are encouraging all our teaching fellows to try out this idea, as it not only introduces new reading materials into the curriculum but gives our teachers an understanding of whether a particular book is worth investing time in. Additionally, this brings us together, helping overcome the geographical boundaries restricting face to face communication between our members, and allows members to share their wisdom with colleagues on the other side of the world.
With the recent introduction of three new communities at NAU – PE, nursing and extended essay, we are hoping that collaboration is going to be greater than ever this year. So, if you want to contribute towards an ever growing community of teachers, head on over to your community page and get chatting!
If you want to find out how to access the book and article through NAU visit our Big Read area (which also includes links to all of our other Big Reads for the year). You can also visit the library on NAU to find thousands of journals, articles and e-books on a range of education topics all of which are free to use for all NAE staff.