English and ICT

More about us

Trevor Millum
The longer version:
  • Started off with a history degree at Birmingham University.
  • Completed a PhD in the English Department on Visual Communication in Advertising which was published as Images of Women.
  • Trevor trained to teach in Zambia.
  • Taught English and History in Luapula Province.
  • Came back to UK and taught in Cleethorpes before becoming Head of Department at Baysgarth Comprehensive, Barton on Humber.
  • Went to Singapore to run the Faculty of English at the United World College, published and broadcast short stories.
  • Returned to the UK, this time to head the Language Faculty at Longcroft School, Beverley.
  • Began publishing poetry and stories for teenagers, including the very popular Warning, Too Much Schooling Can Damage Your Health.
  • Became Advisory Teacher for English and IT for Humberside.
  • Joined Resource (Education Support Centre), published The Mouse and the Muse and began delivering ICT and English training.
  • Became NATE's Director of Development and Communication. Published Twenty Things to do with a Word Processor with Chris Warren.
  • Published ICT and Literacy (NATE) and Interactive Literacy (Barrington Stoke).
  • Produced the GCSE poetry CD Unlocking Literature with Chris Warren.
  • Retired from the NATE post. Continues to write, deliver INSET and work as a writer in schools.
Trevor has his own website called The Mouse and the Muse.
Chris Warren
Chris Warren was an English teacher for 19 years. He has worked for a number of years for companies providing online resources for education and is currently employed on education development for Teachit. He serves on the NATE English and ICT Committee and is well known for his creative approach to using ICT in the classroom. He is co-author with Trevor Millum of Twenty Things to do with a Word Processor and the new NATE CD-ROM for GCSE poetry, Unlocking Literature. Chris has written a number of articles for the Secondary English Magazine and contributed a chapter to Teaching English: A Handbook for Primary and Secondary School Teachers, edited by Andrew Goodwyn and Jane Branson and published by RoutledgeFalmer.

You can see Chris's work for Teachit in their Word Kitchen.

Tom Rank
Tom Rank spent time on VSO in Pakistan then taught in comprehensive schools for many years. He left to edit a website for secondary English teachers and is now a freelance consultant and co-ordinator for NATE of its work for Becta on ICT in English teaching. He has a regular column in NATE's English Drama Media magazine. He is currently Chair of NATE's ICT Committee. Tom has written two volumes in the York Notes Advanced series, on Poetry of the First World War and The School for Scandal. He was for many years a senior examiner and Principal Moderator for Advanced Level English Literature.

Tom has his own website, Literary Connections, with links to resources for English teaching.

Judith Kneen
Judith is a a senior lecturer in secondary English at Newman University College, Birmingham, as well as being a freelance education trainer and writer. Prior to this, she worked with the Gloucestershire advisory service for a number of years, following a career as a teacher for 14 years, with differing responsibilities including head of department.

Judith has produced a range of resources for a number of publishers, including Oxford University Press and Heinemann, and she also writes a regular column for the Education Guardian. She has delivered training and workshops, notably on the use of interactive whiteboards in English, at school, and national level.

Esther Menon
Esther Menon is a Strategy Literacy Consultant for Northants LA as well as working as a freelance consultant for English and ICT. She has been involved in English teaching and ICT since 1993, working as a teacher, educational adviser at Research Machines and a Strategy English Consultant for Oxfordshire LA.

Her publications include A Writer's Cauldron, Tutti Frutti Chocolate Chip and other stories and the Skills in English CDs for Heinemann. She led the development of the DfES funded Indigo Visions English CPD resources (many of which now form the National Strategy's ICT in English pack and the DfES Practical Support Pack) and worked with Professor David Wray to develop the interactive whiteboard software and content Easiteach Literacy (RM). Esther is a member of NATE's ICT Committee and was one of the NATE team which delivered English and ICT training for Becta.

Lorna Smith
Lorna Smith is Senior Lecturer for PGCE Secondary and KS2-3 English and Professional Perspectives Course Leader at Bath Spa University. Before this she was a PGCE lecturer at the University of the West of England, and prior to that taught for over ten years in South Gloucestershire, including a spell as Head of Department. She has a number of print-based teaching and learning resources to her name (variously published by Philip Allen, Nelson Thornes and the BBC) as well as on-line learning resources, and is also a resource editor for Teachit. Lorna is a former Chair of the NATE ICT and English Committee and is working on an MA on the contribution of ICT to the English classroom. There is more about Lorna on her personal profile page at Bath Spa.