Glow Scotland

September 2nd, 2011

Screening Shorts – New Moving Image Education Resource

GerryQ

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: CfE, CPD, Creative Scotland, Education Scotland, English, Expressive Arts, film, Glow, Glow Groups, Learning and Teaching Scotland, Literacy, media literacy, moving image education, National glow groups, video
 : Categories Curriculum for Excellence, Expressive Arts, Glow, Glow Groups, Learner Resources, Literacy, Media Literacy, Moving Image Education, National Groups

The team is currently busy working on Screening Shorts, a major new online resource to help teachers exploit moving image education in the classroom.

Developed by Creative Scotland and Education Scotland, Screening Shorts will be unveiled at SLF 2011, 21-22 Spetember 2011.

The resource will provide:

• Approximately 50 downloadable short films, free to Glow users
• Film tutorials explaining the core concepts of film language
• Lesson examples in film format showing how short films can be used for a wide variety of classroom activities
• A link to CPD opportunities and activities for teachers wishing to explore how to use moving image across Curriculum for Excellence
• A gateway to the growing Moving Image Education online community on Glow.

Watch this space for more information before and during SLF 2011…

October 29th, 2010

Scotland on Screen – a Moving Image Education resource

GerryQ

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: CfE, CPD, Creative Scotland, English, Glow, Glow Groups, History, Learning and Teaching Scotland, Literacy, moving image education, National glow groups, National Library of Scotland, Social Studies
 : Categories Curriculum for Excellence, Glow, Glow Groups, Homecoming, Literacy, Moving Image Education, National Groups, Social Studies

Scotland on Screen is an exciting educational resource that puts hundreds of important historical film texts online, providing a rear-view mirror on our society over the past century.

It’s a web-based resource developed by National Library of Scotland, Creative Scotland, Learning and Teaching Scotland and Scran.

Scotland on Screen has now been up and running for over a year and has proved to be very popular among teachers and practitioners across Scotland. During 2010, the resource was further developed with the inclusion of a considerably enhanced collection of archive material that can be used across the curriculum.

The website provides short film material and resources for Glow users to use as part of their teaching in the classroom. The public can browse and view the collection of clips on the website but Glow users can log into the site via Glow to also download film clips of interest for reuse in the classroom.

Sitting underneath the main Moving Image National Glow Group, Glow users can access the Scotland on Screen Glow Group – a place to share knowledge, information and content surrounding the resource. Users can also catch up on the latest news and information as well as discuss topics of relevance and interest through the Scotland on Screen Glow Forum. So far, we’ve found that the resource has been of interest and benefit to teachers using it across a variety of subjects and curricular areas including social studies, literacy and health and wellbeing. Scotland on Screen has also been of value to Moving Image Education practitioners.

September 21st, 2010

The Daily What News service is now live

pcurrie

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: CfE, cross curricular, English, Glow, health and wellbeing, Literacy, Literacy and English, Mathematics, Maths, news, news service, Numeracy, politics, relevant learning, science
 : Categories Curriculum for Excellence, Glow, Literacy, Mathematics, National Groups, Pupils, Sciences, Social Studies, Technologies

The Daily What News is the all new Glow news service for schools. Launched this week, the service provides a sophisticated and interactive news service for Glow users, with articles written by a specialist news content editor especially for a schools’ audience. Articles will be published every school day and there will be two versions of each article: What? gives readers a less complex approach to the story; What’s More…provides a bit more of a challenge. In the very near future, there will also be three articles each week which will be published in Gaelic.

The articles are arranged in news categories and will be tagged according to CfE subjects and experiences and outcomes. The articles will be archived and searchable from the main homepage, giving users a rich learning resource that offers learners the opportunity to make meaningful and relevant connections across different curricular areas. Many of the articles will feature an interactive activity that will provide Glow account holders with a fun way to extend or cement users’ learning on the story’s topic. Users can also use their Glow logins to take part in forum discussion topics for each article.

Teachers will find the Teachers’ Area Blog an excellent resource. Beneath each daily news article there is a link to a blog post that provides Glow users with a wealth of lesson ideas and suggestions for several curricular areas from the one news story. The posts are written by a specialist education content editor who links the news story to CfE outcomes and experiences and provides links to other interesting and relevant content. Teachers themselves are encouraged to contribute to these posts so that we build up an extensive bank of cross-curricular lesson suggestions for each news story. The blog is organised in the same way as the news site itself and offers users the option to browse in several different ways or search for specific content.

From each blog post, there is a link to a Glow group that allows users to upload resources to a document store. The documents will be tagged according to CfE level, subject area, date the article was published and article title, offering users the ability to filter searches in several different ways.  In delivering their curriculum outcomes through The Daily What News service, Teachers are encouraged to upload any materials they develop and share with other Glow users, so that we build up an extensive store of learning resources that can be archived for future use.

Feedback received so far has been very encouraging indeed and the service provides educators with a real opportunity to have relevant curricular content that can be accessed through a number of different subject areas in a truly meaningful way.

A recent article in the Sport category focused upon Rangers’ fans’ trip to Manchester and how their behaviour was better than on a previous occasion that had led to trouble in the city centre. The article would surely be a popular one with young people and, because they are known for their reluctance in reading, it is of note that it would be of particular appeal to boys. There is even an interactive activity attached to this article which invites learners to test their knowledge of SPL club nicknames. What better way to engage reluctant learners in purposeful and relevant learning? In the Teachers’ Blog, lesson suggestions were offered in a number of CfE subject areas (Social studies, Health +Wellbeing, English+Literacy) and links were provided to video content and discussion stimuli that would encourage even the most reluctant learner to engage with such relevant and meaningful subject matter.

This is, of course, just one example. There is already a good stock of interesting content on the site, with stories ranging in topic from the floods in Pakistan, for a World focus, to how young people made an impression on the Scottish Parliament, for a story that is closer to home. Each school day sees another story added to the archive, so we are building a wealth of content that Glow users can benefit from.

Whatever the story’s subject-matter, it is always the case that it will be written in a manner that is appealing and relevant to our learners. Add to that the interactive activities and lesson suggestions in the teachers’ blog, and you might just find that The Daily What News is just what you have been looking for!

June 14th, 2010

BBC Films Glow Meet

Dawn Adams

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: BBC Films, Edinburgh International Film Festival, English, Media Studies
 : Categories Events, Glow Meet, Literacy

with the Edinburgh International Film Festival

22nd June
13:00 – 13:45

Marketing the Movies

Join us for an exclusive Glow Meet with Jacqui Barr, Marketing Coordinator at BBC Films. Hear what she has to say about the marketing and promotion strategy for BBC Films titles, including StreetDance and films released on television.

This event is suitable for those with an interest in Media Studies and English.

Join the Edinburgh International Film Festival Glow group to sign up and find out more.

For more information about the Edinburgh International Film Festival please visit http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk

June 8th, 2010

Edinburgh International Film Festival Glow Meet

Dawn Adams

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: Edinburgh International Film Festival, English, film industry, Media Studies
 : Categories Edinburgh City, Glow Meet

Calling all Film Fanatics! The 64th Edinburgh International Film Festival invites you to join them for an exclusive Glow Meet on Tuesday 22 June 2010.

As part of their Media Days for Schools they will be taking a look behind the scenes with two informative and inspiring guests from the UK film industry. These sessions, most suitable for those studying English/Media Studies will run from 1.00pm – 1.45pm and 1.45pm – 2.30pm.

For more information about the Edinburgh International Film Festival please visit www.edfilmfest.org.uk

Join the Edinburgh International Film Festival Glow group to sign up and find out more.

October 30th, 2009

James Robertson – Scots Writer’s Workshop on 5th November

J Jelly

Comments: 1 Comment Tags: Tags: books, English, Glow Meet
 : Categories Dundee City, Glow Meet, Literacy, National Groups

Have you read these books? Could you write a story in the Scots language?

The author, James Robertson, is a founder editor and a contributing author to the Scots language children’s imprint Itchy Coo.  As an Itchy Coo author he has translated Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox into Scots and A. A. Milne’s classic Winnie The Pooh.

A Glow Meet with James will be held in the Writer’s Workshop Glow Group on November 5^th at 10am.  James hopes S2 pupils will be interested in this session about writing in Scots.  There will be a follow-up session on 19^th November at 10am.  Menzieshill High School in Dundee is hosting the event and S2 pupils there will have the chance to meet James face to face, but pupils across Scotland will be able to join in via Glow Meet.

His first Glow Meet will look at the background to his translation of Winnie the Pooh into Scots, and include: short readings from the original and the translated editions; a general discussion about dialogue, names changes and the impact on the tone of the writing; and a  challenge for pupils.  James’ second Glow Meet will be a feedback session, looking at the pupils’ responses to his challenge.
Join the Glow Meets and learn to write well in Scots.

September 3rd, 2009

Michelle Paver impresses the audience at the Edinburgh Book Festival – and in Glow!

Katie Barrowman

Comments: 1 Comment Tags: Tags: Edinburgh International book Festival, English, Glow, Glow Meet, Literacy, National glow groups, Partnerships, reading
 : Categories Events, Glow Meet, Literacy

Guest Post from Laura Tansley at Learning and Teaching Scotland

Schools across Scotland tuned in on Monday to hear Michelle Paver talk of her experiences and adventures as she researched her series of Stone Age adventure novels, ‘The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness’. She spoke of happening across bears in California and singing ‘Danny Boy’ to distract them, getting close enough to Wolves in Finland to lick muzzles, skinning rabbits and eating Reindeer, all in a quest to discover what life was like for a hunter-gatherer. Michelle read from ‘Ghost Hunter’, the latest instalment of the ‘Ancient Darkness’ series which was tantalising for those who have yet to discover her writing. Through the Glow Meet, pupils were then encouraged to ask Michelle questions – we had so many unfortunately we couldn’t ask them all but we hope to get them all answered by Michelle at a later date. For the schools that missed it, the recording of the talk will be available soon at the Glow Group for the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

June 5th, 2009

English Practitioners Build a Community

Lorna Arbuckle

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: building glow communities, English, Literacy, National glow groups, practicioners, resources
 : Categories Uncategorized

Thirty English Teachers from across Scotland brought their skills and knowledge of Glow to Stirling Management Centre to help build a Glow community over the course of two days.

The purpose of the event was to build various subject specific Glow Groups that can be used by English practitioners throughout Scotland providing them with an opportunity to work with others, make lasting connections and share knowledge and ideas which are transferable across schools and authorities throw Glow.

The practitioners, all at different stages with Glow, were just as enthusiastic as each other when they worked in teams to create Glow Groups. The groups included; Scots language, war poetry, personal study, Macbeth, The boy in the striped pyjamas and higher critical essays. Practitioners were given a blank canvas to work from in Glow with ready-made basic Glow Groups to be developed.

True to form, each group communicated well, taking a strategic approach to the planning process with much discussion of what each page should look like and contain. Groups were constantly thinking of the end user when building the groups, taking careful consideration of how the pupils would view the site and how easy they follow the activities in the Group.

The groups created are available for all to see in the Building Glow Communities tab of the Literacy and English Glow Group. If you find any of these groups useful and would like to contribute, you can simply request access through the e-mail address provided in each Group and we would encourage you to do so.

Judith Weston from Earlston High in the Scottish Borders said: “It’s been a fantastic opportunity to take two days out to build these groups.

“I’ll be going back to the classroom with a Glow Group packed with resources for English teachers and creative work for children.”

Michael Stephenson from Inveralmond Community High, West Lothian said: “we have built our group through the eyes of the children so they can follow the instructions, navigate easily and upload work tasks for teachers to edit.”

If you are interested in taking part in future events. Simply CLICK HERE to find out more.  

May 15th, 2009

Anthony Horowitz on Glow!

Katie Barrowman

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: Anthony Horowitz, books, English, Events, Glow Chat, Glow Meet, Literacy, reading
 : Categories Events, Glow Chat, Glow Meet

This morning I was at a wonderfully exciting event, shared by thousands of children all across Scotland. The Scottish Book trust arranged for Anthony Horowitz, the best-selling author of the Alex Rider novels (among many, many more fantastic books) was broadcast live over the internet on streaming video and via Glow Meet. It’s estimated that up to 7000 fans around the country viewed the event, and hundreds then joined the Glow Chat afterwards.

Anthony took questions from the children from Uphall Primary and Canal View Primary, and also answered questions that had been submitted by schools in the weeks leading up to the event. He entertained everyone with his irreverent stories of evil grandmothers and detestable teachers – according to Anthony, every teacher he has ever had has appeared in one of his books, and he’s had them all meet a sticky end!

After his very enjoyable talk, Anthony joined children on Glow Meet, answering as many as he could of the thousands of questions that flowed in – so many, that the computer eventually gave up the ghost! Not to worry, though – Anthony will be blogging about the experience on his website, www.anthonyhorowitz.com, and you’ll be able to comment there and ask him the questions that didn’t get through.