We are due to go off to Stormont Castle in half and hour but here are some thoughts which have struck me over the course of today.

I'll give more detail about the structure of the conference later but I don't have a good long term memory.

I may put these points down as separate entries when I get back but in the meantime here goes:

Do we need ICT co-ordinators (don't panic Karen) in schools? Do they provide a barrier to teachers engaging in ICT if it's someone elese's responsibility?

Could ICT co-ordinators be a limit to the growth of ICT use as it can only move as fast their capacity to support and lead? Could we create a more dynamic and enabling culture which encourages partnership, sharing and a more creative development culture where ICT is part of the Learning and Teaching Process as opposed to being something which exists outside that process.

During one of the talks someone talked about a "blended approach" – I like that in that it gets towards what we should aspire – i.e. both face-to-face and on-line engagement with learning.

The key to the future is the communication with other colleagues who share a common interest. If a teacher works in one school they might only have one or two people who are professional soulmates. It's possible through accessing people's blogs to find others who share a common perspective.

Should blogging be compulsory for all teachers? – why don't we ask all probationary teachers to keep a blog. Just as Guardian on-Line requires job applicants to have a web presence to judge their qualities as prospectiove employee then perhaps we could use blogs to from an important part of the selection process – or at least enable us to match up people with schools.

The danger with this is that pressure might arise from 'having' to keep a blog – However, the experience of keeping a blog would – arguably – prove to be a worthwhile professional learning experience.

Could we ask all those who wish to apply for promotion to keep a blog?

How about even setting applicants up with a blog which they would keep prior to being called for interview – even it was only for a week it would provide an insight into what makes the person tick – at the very least it would overcome some of the difficulties which are presneted through the traditional interview process.

Assessment of ICT capacities? – if a pupils can complete a project on-line, use photos, sound, text, correspond with others, search, select and use on-line resources – what else would they need to do?

I worry about spending all our time auditing the curriculum – particularly for ICT. Perhaps we should be enabling and empowering teachers as opposed to constntly checking for gaps and deficits in their practice.

Digital divide – the digital divide is a subset of the social divide – the digital divide is OUR problem.

Should we replace all desktops with laptops which pupils could take home?

How about a bi-polar approach towards change – i.e. both top down and bottom up. The top needs to enable and empower – the bottom needs to accept opportunities and innovate – it's a partnership!

I haven't had a chance to proof read this and no doubt some of the ideas are a bit off the wall but I don't want to lose anything.

Off to Stormont!