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British children must spend more time online so they can 'save the country', spy chief tells parents

Parents should encourage their children to spend more time online to improve their cyber skills and 'save the country', the former head of GCHQ declares today.

Children should be allowed to explore the digital world just as they explore the physical world, says Robert Hannigan.

Rather than allowing youngsters to 'mooch around on the streets' during the holidays, it is families' patriotic duty to encourage more screen time, according to Robert Hannigan.

Writing for the Telegraph today, the former head of the Government’s electronic spy agency, warns that Britain is struggling to keep pace with its digital rivals.

Without giving children more time to embrace and master the virtual world, the UK will fall further behind, he says.

His call comes just days after the children's commissioner argued that children are already too attached to online devices.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/07/british-children-must-spend-time-online-can-save-country-spy/

E-assessment exam success for IB MYP students

The Middle Years Programme exam has been taken by students around the world, with more participation than ever.

Last week more than 9,000 International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) students from around the world have received their results from the May 2017 examination session.

This represents a 20.3% increase compared with last year. 703 schools in 95 countries participated and students received an average score of 35.8 points (of 56 possible maximum).

290 students received their results in the UK and received an average score of 41.5 points.

This is the second year that year 5 MYP students have had the opportunity to take part in the eAssessments (on-screen examinations and ePortfolios) launched in May 2016. The examinations are rich and authentic offering meaningful and relevant ways that students can engage with the assessments through media and interactive functions. 

The MYP is available for students aged 11 – 16 years and comprises of eight subject groups which span several disciplines to deliver both a depth and breadth of learning. The new eAssessment, which is regulated by Ofqual in the UK, is undertaken by 16-year olds upon completion of the MYP, and is designed to assess students beyond the rote memorisation of content. Just 25 percent of the assessment is based explicitly on knowledge and understanding. Schools managed well with the technical aspects of the programme’s ePortfolio upload and administering the on-screen examinations.

http://ie-today.co.uk/Article/e-assessment-exam-success-for-ib-myp-students

See also: IB Schools