Glow Scotland

May 10th, 2010

Learn more about SCHOLAR – Glowing Thursday 13th May

J Jelly

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: Accounting, Advanced Higher, biology, Business Management, chemistry, CPD, Economics, French, German, Glow Meet, Higher, Information Systems, Maths, physics, Psychology, SCHOLAR, science, Spanish
 : Categories Uncategorized

Many secondary teachers in Scotland, and beyond, have already discovered what a great resource SCHOLAR is.  From mainly Advanced Higher, and then Higher, in Maths, Computing and Science subjects, SCHOLAR now has online courses in Information Systems, French, German, Spanish, Accounting, Economics, Business Management and Psychology.  There are even introductory lessons in Mandarin that can be accessed without a login, along with previews of other courses. 

Did you know that if you access SCHOLAR from this Glow page in the National External Resources area, your Glow login can be “married” to your SCHOLAR login (so you just need to remember one login!)?

Jim McGill, SCHOLAR’s National Co-ordinator, will be delivering SCHOLAR’s first virtual CPD event via Glow Meet on Glowing Thursday this week (13 May from 4-5pm).

Jim has a lot of experience in education, with a background in physics teaching and school management, before joining the SCHOLAR team in 2004. His current role means he coordinates all the training events across Scotland, and trains the trainers. He sees SCHOLAR as a terrific resource which can improve lessons and help pupils.

Jim’s presentation will be a general introduction to SCHOLAR and will be useful for teachers of all subjects covered by SCHOLAR.  It will be of particular interest to teachers new to the system and those who need a refresher. Jim hopes that more teachers will build SCHOLAR into their lessons, and encourage their pupils to use all the helpful features.

March 30th, 2010

Science on Glow and in the Media

J Jelly

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: BBC, biology, chemistry, Events, Glow Meet, physics, problem solving, science
 : Categories Curriculum for Excellence, Events, Glow Groups, Glow Meet, Local authorities, National Groups, Pupils, Sciences

Have you noticed how many Glow events exploring science there have been recently? Scotland needs to nurture young scientists to ensure our country has a prosperous future – and Glow is doing its best to help. From Doctor Bunhead to the research scientists who took part in last week’s “Too Hot to Handle?” Space Glow Meet, to the Industrial Chemistry Glow Meet engineers, scientists and industrialists have been using Glow to reach our youngsters and share the excitement and rewards of science. There is a buzz about science at the moment. Television is also playing its part. Professor Brian Cox’s “Wonders of the Solar System” is inspiring young physicists. “Richard Hammond’s Invisible Worlds” sets the imagination alight. “Bang goes the Theory” is encouraging a new generation of Spoofbusters! Pupils can take part in school in live Glow Meets with real scientists and then get reinforcement at home on their TV sets. It will be interesting to see if there is more uptake in the sciences over the next few years as pupils with this sort of stimulus choose their career paths.

Our young people are already fantastic problem solvers. When the JANET link was down on 18^th March and the west of Scotland’s schools had no internet access, one school in Motherwell was able to access the Chemical Industry Glow Meet through a pupil’s laptop and mobile connection. Good thinking!

If you have missed any of the recent Glow Meet science events, or want to access presentations and other files associated with the Glow Meets, click on the hyperlinks in the paragraphs above, or go to the national Sciences Glow Group and explore it to see what’s coming next.

March 13th, 2010

25th March – First Glow Meet in Too Hot to Handle? Science Series

J Jelly

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: biology, CfE, chemistry, competition, Glow Groups, Glow Meet, physics, resources, science, space, topical science, transition
 : Categories Curriculum for Excellence, Events, Glow Groups, Glow Meet, National Groups, Sciences

Pupils across Scotland will have the chance to take part in activities and Glow Meets about five hot science topics in the Too Hot to Handle? series in the next few months, starting next week with Space for P6-S1 on 25^th March.

Cathy Southworth from Edinburgh University is heading up this development and is keen to involve as many youngsters as possible. She says, “Too Hot To Handle? is here to support the Topical Science organiser of a Curriculum for Excellence from P6-S3. It provides access to current scientists in Scotland that work on a range of hot topics, through a vidcast, teaching materials and a discussion board for questions about the topics that are answered by the scientists, and a GLOW meet where you can grill the scientists with questions.”

As well as learning about the science, pupils will get a flavour of the excitement of being a scientist.

Visit the Too Hot to Handle Glow Group. Have a look at the wealth of materials for the Space topic, show your class the videos, post some questions for the scientists on the discussion board and come into the Glow Meet on 25^th to grill the space scientists – Noe Kains from The University of St Andrews and Duncan Forgan and Chris Evans from The Royal Observatory, Edinburgh.

There will be a competition challenge on the day and members of your class could win a prize.  

Other topics in the series:
Flu Fighters for 2nd level (P6-P7) ready for after the Easter break; Glow Meet 20th May
Biodiversity Buzz for 2^nd & 3^rd  levels (P7-S2) ready for after the Easter break; Glow Meet 25th May
Doable Renewables for 2^nd & 3^rd  levels (P7-S2) ready for May; Glow Meet 15th June
Me and my Brain for third and fourth levels (S1-S3) ready for May; Glow Meet 17th June

This week too, we have another two science based Glow Meets:
Dr Bunhead’s Spoofbusters on 16^th (1.30 – 2.30) for upper primary and secondary pupils,
Industrial Chemistry on 18^th (1.45-2.45) for Higher and AH Chemistry pupils.

All these Glow Meets use the same Science Glow Meet webpart in the National Sciences Glow Group. 

February 28th, 2010

The Chemical Industry – Glow Meet, 18th March

J Jelly

Comments: 1 Comment Tags: Tags: careers, chemistry, industry, NQ Higher
 : Categories Aberdeen City, Benefits, Events, Glow Meet, National Groups, Pupils, Sciences

Higher Chemistry pupils need to know about the Chemical Industry.
Unit 3, part a, is all about the Chemical Industry.
Other chemistry classes will want to hear about career prospects.

Chemical Engineers, Gavin Smith and Gordon Hardie, will be covering this Higher Chemistry topic, and giving a flavour of the life and rewards of a chemical engineer on Thursday, 18th March at 13.45 in a Glow Meet in the National Sciences Glow Group.  Last year, 8 schools took part in the live Glow Meet. Many more are able to take advantage of this Glow Meet opportunity this year. Make sure your pupils can benefit!  If you are not familiar with using Glow Meet, click here.

A career in the chemical industry is exciting and well-rewarded, but both the study required, and the job itself, can be hard work and dangerous. Listen to Gavin, who has decades of experience, and Gordon, a recent graduate recruit, retell their experiences. Kincorth Academy, Aberdeen, is hosting the event, so pupils there will be able to ask Gavin and Gordon questions directly, but classes from around the country will also be able to see and hear the engineers, and ask questions of them via Glow Meet’s tools. Ask them questions about the chemistry, and their jobs.

If you think you will be able to bring your pupils into the Glow Meet, leave a note in the National Sciences Glow Group.

  What pupils need to know:

• The UK chemical industry is a major contributor to both the quality of our life and our national economy.
• Stages in the manufacture of a new product can include research, pilot study, scaling-up, production and review.
• A chemical manufacturing process usually involves a sequence of steps.
• A feedstock is a reactant from which other chemicals can be extracted or synthesised.
• The major raw materials in the chemical industry are fossil fuels, metallic ores and minerals, air and water.
• Chemical manufacturing may be organised as a batch or as a continuous process.
• Process conditions are chosen to maximise economic efficiency.
• Manufacturing costs include capital costs, fixed costs and variable costs.
• The UK chemical industry is, by and large, capital rather than labour intensive.
• Safety and environmental issues are of major importance to the chemical industry.
• Both historical and practical factors affect the location of chemical industries.
• The efficient use of energy is significant in most chemical processes.
• Factors influencing the choice of a particular route include cost, availability and suitability of feedstock(s), yield of product(s), opportunities for the recycling of reactants and marketability of by-products.

June 1st, 2009

Science Challenges Glow Meet

Dawn Adams

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: chemistry, science
 : Categories Glow Meet, Perth and Kinross, Pupils, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Uncategorized

Mission Impossible Science Challenges

Find out about how schools from across Scotland are talking part in science challenges and collaborating using Glow Meet. From 9am until 3pm today, June 1st, three schools from across Scotland are taking part in the Foam Fire Extinguisher challenge by Kitchen Chemistry. Pupils from Perth High School, Marr College and Calderglen High School will be exploring a range of chemical reactions with the aim to produce foam. The design process will then begin as pupils from S2 – S3 strive to create a fire extinguisher which can put out a fire in the shortest time. One of the challenges they will face is to find a way to keep the chemicals apart to ensure the fire extinguisher doesn’t go off until they need to put out a fire!

These schools are exploring the possibilities of creating their own fire extinguishers through hands on experiments and sharing their findings in Glow Meet. Pete Johnson from Kitchen Chemistry who is also a teacher at Stewart’s Melville College will be working with all four schools to guide them through their scientific discoveries using the audio, video and white board in Glow Meet. Pupils will be collaborating and updating discussion boards in a Science Challenges Glow Group throughout the day to update everyone with their findings, sharing top tips and eventually their finished products.

The fire service will be joining S2 at Perth High School to give a presentation on fire safety to all the schools involved and then judging the competition to find the most successful fire extinguisher.

You can join this Glow Meet now, Monday 1st June to watch their progress. Join the Science Challenges Glow group by clicking on the link below and then clicking on Send request.
https://portal.glowscotland.org.uk/establishments/nationalsite/Science/Science%20Challenges/default.aspx

May 2nd, 2009

Chemical Industry Glows from Aberdeen across Scotland

J Jelly

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: chemistry, industry, NQ, science, SQA
 : Categories Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Dundee City, East Dunbartonshire, Events, Glow Meet, South Ayrshire, Stirling, Uncategorized

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.

April 15th, 2009

Glow Meet Invitation to all Higher Chemistry Classes – 29th April

J Jelly

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: chemistry, industry, science
 : Categories Aberdeen City, Events, Glow Meet, Uncategorized

Unit 3, Topic a, of Higher Chemistry looks at the Chemical Industry. A Glow Meet involving two chemical engineers, covering the Higher Chemistry Content Statements in this topic area, and giving an idea of the career opportunities available in the field, will take place on Wednesday 29th April at 9.25 – 10.30 in the National Sciences Glow Group

The engineers are Gavin Smith, Process Engineering Manager, Altra Energy and Craig Burnett, Operations Reservoir Engineer, from Talisman Energy Ltd. Gavin has 17 years’ experience in many industrial chemistry fields and Craig is recently qualified, with fresh memories of the decisions pupils are about to make regarding their future careers. They kindly responded to a plea for volunteers to assist Higher Chemistry classes in this way, issued through the Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Aberdeen Grammar School chemistry department is hosting the event, so pupils there will be able to ask Craig and Gavin questions directly, but classes from around the country will also be able to see and hear the engineers and ask questions of them via Glow Meet’s tools.

Richard Elliot of Aberdeen’s ICT Support Team is coordinating the Aberdeen end.

The Glow Meet room will be open from 9.00am on Wed 29/4/09, with the session getting underway in earnest at 9.25 until around 10.30.

Click here to find out more about using Glow Meet.

If you are planning on joining the Glow Meet, you can let the Glow Team and other participants know by leaving a note of your school and local authority on the discussions area in the National Sciences Glow Group as a reply to the post there.
Bring your chemistry classes in to this novel event where experienced industrial chemists can give pupils an insight into how chemistry and the topics they have to study, fit into the real world.