Latest News
Alastair Fielden 
19.12.17More SEND CPD Training Needed
Home-schooling has been in the news again recently, this time relating to the number of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) who are home-educated, and it brings to mind personal experiences of when this had to happen in our household for similar reasons to those that one of the parents gave in the news report. … Continued
connectsite 14.12.17Guest Blog Post: Working With Virtual SEN Students Using C-Live
The biggest and longest running educational conference here in the UAE is GESS which takes place at the World Trade Centre each year. This year was the sixth time I have attended and in between presentations, I wandered the vast trade show looking for something new and inspiring. Over the years I have come across … Continued
Alastair Fielden 13.12.17Choosing Online Teacher Training
The internet has removed many obstacles to training, especially for those of us who are strapped for time. Online teacher training, or rather, training for teachers via an online service, is at last being seen by the profession as a valid method of CPD delivery. Online training, like any other type of training, covers the … Continued
Alastair Fielden 07.12.17Life Skills For Pupils
Alastair Fielden, Connect’s education consultant discusses how our virtual reality platform C-Live can be used to develop life skills for pupils. For many young people, whether or not they have SEND, the prospect of moving into work and finding a role for themselves beyond the walls of education is a daunting if not, for … Continued
Kirsty Macfarlane 05.12.17The Benefits of Using Virtual Reality for CPD
The House of Commons 2016-2017 Retention and recruitment of teachers report has found that continued professional development “improves teaching practice, professionalism and can help improve teacher retention.” However, the same report has also found that England has had a weaker commitment to CPD than most high-performing countries and that “many teachers will not be doing … Continued
Kirsty Macfarlane 04.12.17Introducing Our New Virtual Class
It’s time to say an extremely fond farewell to our current virtual class. While we’re sad to see Sean and his classmates go, we’re very excited to introduce you to our new C-Live class. C-Live now features a variety of classrooms with pupils in different year groups. We can also offer multiple class sizes, allowing … Continued
Alastair Fielden 29.11.17Connected Learning
The availability of technology for online learning has been around for well over a decade. The Anytime Anywhere Learning initiative that came out of the USA some years ago gained traction in the UK. This approach gives schools the room to develop their vision for extending and enhancing access to learning opportunities beyond the school … Continued
Kirsty Macfarlane 28.11.17C-Live is a Bett Award Finalist!
Connect are thrilled to announce that we are Bett Award finalists for 2018, with our teacher training service C-Live, the first virtual reality training platform in the UK. The Bett Awards, now in their 20th year, are one of the education industry’s most esteemed accolades, and celebrate innovation and creativity in educational technology. C-Live, which … Continued
Alastair Fielden 22.11.17Supporting Pupils With SEND – Looking beyond the ‘label’
During my teaching degree a group of us decided to put a pamphlet together about Special Needs. We all had various reasons for our interest in SEN and wanted to inform our colleagues. With input from one of our lecturers, we drafted the content from a mix personal and general experiences. The aim was to … Continued
Alastair Fielden 14.11.17It Takes A Village To Raise A Child
Mental health in schools has been given a lot of consideration with The Prime Minister stating in January that 1,200 secondary schools were to receive Mental Health First Aid training, while Prince William raised the issue of mental health when he talked about his own experiences. The charity Young Minds states, “1 in 10 children and young … Continued
