Glow Scotland

Last month Neil Winton of Perth Academy delivered a free on-line CPD session through the English Teachers’ national Glow group. The session was a huge success and one teacher who logged in was Miss Coates of Mearns Academy in Aberdeenshire who was inspired to try using WIKIs with her own class:

The other day, whilst planning an advertising unit for my S3 I wondered if I could use the wikispace for that. In just 3 days the result has been rather dramatic! The task is up and running and the kids are creating their own websites for their very own companies detailing the history of their advertising campaigns. We even have “The Apprentice” style PMs who I have made organisers. I am very chuffed with their progress.

The WIKI has been such a success that in only a few days the class have added nearly 300 different edits.

3E1 have now opened their WIKI for public viewing and you can access it HERE. There are several discussion threads open already and the class are keen to get as many ‘hits’ as possible and hear your thoughts on their work.

The English Teachers’ national Glow group runs a free CPD session for teachers’ every month. The May masterclass is scheduled for tomorrow (May 20th) between 4pm and 5pm and will feature Rob Marrs from the English Speaking Union giving practical advice on how incorporating debating techniques into teaching can help pupils gain a better understanding of text - for example ‘This house believes that Macbeth was to blame for his own downfall’

You don’t have to be an English teacher to join in these sessions but you do have to be a member of the group! To join click on this LINK, log into Glow and then press the Request Access button.

Finally, if you are also a teacher who has been inspired through Glow to start something new it would be great to hear from you! You can post a reply at the bottom of this blog or email the Glow team at GlowAdmin@LTScotland.org.uk

April 29th saw the first national Glow Meet for chemistry classes. It was hosted in Aberdeen Grammar School thanks to P.T. Chemistry, Susan Davis, and Aberdeen City’s Principal Officer (Education ICT), Richard Elliott, but classes from around Scotland benefitted: St John’s HS, Dundee; Stirling HS; Marr College, South Ayrshire; Lenzie Academy, East Dunbartonshire; and several from Aberdeenshire - Fraserburgh Academy, Aboyne Academy and the Gordon Schools.

Craig Burnett, a recent entrant to the profession, described his path from Banchory Academy to his current postion with Talisman Energy, and also took the audience through the Higher Chemistry content statements about the Chemical Industry.
Gavin Smith shared his vast experience in various areas of the chemical industry with the pupils, and showed the huge responsibility that can weigh on engineers’ shoulders in terms of making sure that plants (including oil rigs) are safe - from design through to everyday procedures.
Some of the teachers who accessed the Glow Meet with their classes have left feedback in the National Sciences Glow Group:

“I used Glow Meet for the first time this morning and I really enjoyed it! I thought the presentation worked very well and I thought Gavin and Craig were very interesting and covered the topic well. I found Glow Meet very easy to use and I was happy to find that you could still join in the discussion just by typing. Thanks for giving me opportunity to join in this morning. I will be keeping an look-out for more Glow Meet events.”

“First experience of Glow Meet a very positive one. Gavin and Craig excellent at giving the pupils a wider perspective on the applications of Chemistry after school/university.
We found Glow Meet easy to use, no problems with set-up.
We didn’t have a microphone and so had to type all questions in - found this a bit restrictive and slowed things down a bit, making the Glow meet not quite as interactive as we had anticipated.
Would definitely participate again.”

“I am trying to push the use of Glow in SHS and it is events like this that are going to make it happen. The feedback from both Chemistry staff and pupils has been great. Thanks to Gavin and Craig and more please!”

If you have ideas for future Glow Meets for chemistry or any of the other sciences, leave a note in the National Sciences Glow Group, or by leaving a comment on this blog.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority hosted an event to raise the profile of CfE and outdoor learning in the Cairngorms, at the Lecht ski  centre today.   It was very well received by an audience which consisted of school teachers from all the Local Authorities that surround the CNP and many of the partner bodies that work with the CNP, such as RSPB, Forestry Commission, Duke of Edinburgh Award, John Muir Award, Scottish Natural Heritage,  Highland Environmental Network, Scottish Countryside Alliance Educational Trust, University of the Highlands and Field studies Council.

Eddie Broadley and Peter Eavers, LTS Area Advisers introduced the Cairngorms and CfE respectively, in the context of an exceptional landscape, experiential learning and lifelong learning.  David Green, CNPA Executive, spoke convincingly about a values based curriculum and the value of learning  outdoors. His message was about new opportunities to “teach them young and teach them good” with CfE, better vocational links and cross curricular projects.

Murray Ferguson, CNPA Visitor Attractions, described the landscapes, landforms and landuses of the Cairngorms NP in the context of a family of protected areas found across Europe.  However, CNP is a special case of Local Authority partnership for innovation and sustainability. Young learners should be “getting out there”, getting involved in meaningful tasks and be made aware of ‘bigger landscape issues’, such as: landuse conflicts, planning and climate change.  

Bruce Robertson, Director of Education for Aberdeenshire Council, also spoke passionately about bigger ideas and the CNP. His special interest in promoting outdoor learning was obvious.  He described “learning, in, about and through Aberdeenshire’: with CfE and Glow. He described his arrangements for learning and entitlements for learners, in a landscape that stretches from the Cairngorm Mountains to the North Sea. He said much more but one comment in particular sticks with me: “outdoor learning does not stop outdoors”. This is, for me, a critical observation and central to Glow, both in terms of creating opportunities for using mobile technology and in providing the essential means to share, interpret and reflect on outdoor learning experiences.

Workshops followed, on: The National Park Glow Group, Writing Materials for Outdoor Learning, Climate Change, The John Muir Award, CfE, Local Culture and more. Attendees listened to mini presentations, collected ideas and asked questions in a ‘cafe style’. Later in the day Local Authority groups met to put forward ideas for planning and implementation, before Richard Stroud CNPA Executive, finished off with some observations. Thanks go to Claire Ross and Elspeth Grant from CNPA for organising this event. I enjoyed facilitating workshops with Anna Rossvoll, Glow Key contact for Aberdeenshire and look forward to working with Eddie and Peter again at the next NP event. This will be hosted by Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. Finally, I will be in touch with all of the ‘partner’ bodies who requested access to, or more in formation about, Glow and the National Parks National Glow Group.

This summer I have been working on the National Parks Glow group in the National Site.
This group is the product of discussions with the Cairngorm Natonal Parks Authority and Aberdeenshire ICT Project Officers. The potential for collaboration and partnership with Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) is growing, as this national group takes shape. Further talks will take place in August with the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CGNPA) and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park (LL and TNPA).
The NPAs will eventually assist with the administration of this national group along with teachers who work in schools adjacent to the parks. The NPAs have started to provide resources for teachers who will be able to collaborate through the group and publish pupils work on the group’s pages.
Some pupils and teachers, in Aberdeenshire, are about to take part in an LTS funded project to promote learning in the CGNP.
This means that Glow will be used to promote learning in the outdoors. The National Park Glow group will, hopefully, model good partnerships in Glow and support the ideals of a Curriculum for Excellence by encouraging more outdoor learning, more intersubject collaboration and a better understanding of our rich natural and historical heritage.

Aberdeenshire is trailblazing a new approach to Glow training that gives pupils the skills to train their peers.

Currently busy training staff in six primary schools, Glow mentors in Aberdeenshire will soon turn their attention to training pupils. Aberdeenshire is the first local authority to create a detailed plan for training ‘Glow bugs’ - pupil Glow Mentors.

Since starting its Glow rollout, Aberdeenshire has invested in five technology support officers, who have gathered together a team of 40 mentors. After summer, the team will begin Glow’s rollout in two pilot academies. They will train up 160 pioneers from primary and secondary schools, who will continue their work.

Following the busy summer activities, Aberdeenshire will have amassed a team of five support officers, 40 mentors and 160 pioneers. With this impressive support team in place, they will turn their attention to providing training material for Glow bugs. These Glow bugs will have the knowledge and skills to train their classroom peers, creating real momentum at every level of pedagogy.

Find out more about Glow in Aberdeenshire.

A Glow event in Aberdeenshire this April got teachers fired up about the potential of Glow to transform pedagogy. More than 300 teachers in Aberdeenshire attended ‘Motivating learners – embracing new technologies for learning’, which showcased how Glow could be used to support teaching and learning.

Bruce Robertson, Director of Education in Aberdeenshire, opened the presentations with an inspirational talk about how Glow could be used to deliver Curriculum for Excellence.

The focus then switched to using Glow in conjunction with ICT, and Tim Rylands and Derek Robertson both captivated the audience with presentations on integrating Glow with educational gaming.

Another highlight was the enthusiasm shown by Richard Stroud of the Cairngorms National Park Authority as he spoke about potentially creating a National Parks Glow Group, dubbed ‘Glow in the Park’.

Glow national facilitator Martin Brown hailed the event a great success: ‘In Aberdeenshire we’re aiming to create a culture where communicating through Glow is central to teachers’ work. It’s a good tool for supporting Curriculum for Excellence because most Glow projects are cross-curricular. The event was a great way of promoting that aim and we got fantastic feedback.’

The latest Glow Mentor training proved inspirational for the educational community in Dumfries and Galloway, Inverclyde and Aberdeenshire.

Mentors in Dumfries and Galloway have already got started on a project where each school in the authority creates a virtual island. The island is populated by characters created by the pupils, and the islands communicate and collaborate through the tools available in Glow.

In Inverclyde, mentors plan to use Glow to help pupils catch up following absence or revise for a test or exam. Mentors also felt Glow provided a golden opportunity to involve parents in their child’s education, and are keen to start uploading material to keep pupils’ families informed.

One of the most interesting ideas to emerge from the Aberdeenshire event was mentors’ plans to train their pupils in Glow. The ‘Glow Bugs’ would then pass on their new knowledge to classmates, and earn their ‘Glow Wings’.

Feedback from the Mentors was very encouraging, and they have wasted no time in getting started with their projects. See future issues of Glowing for more updates!