Laurie O’Donnell

I have been out and about a lot over the last couple of weeks and not found much time to post – so time for a bit of a catch-up.

I spent 24 hours in Belfast a couple of weeks ago with my counterparts from Wales and Northern Ireland. Looking back over my almost seven years at LTS it’s been interesting to see how the four education systems of the UK have evolved and the very different approaches that have been taken to solving common problems and modernising schooling. One thing we all have in common is a changing public sector landscape. In Wales all of the public bodies have been absorbed into central government. In Northern Ireland the library boards are being drawn together into a new public body with responsibility for education across the country. So if you think it is just Scotland that is changing think again!

Last Tuesday I met with former HMIe Walter Paterson who is doing some research on behalf of the SQA on future skills and the future IT landscape. My view is that lots of IT will become centralised/web-based and that many of the traditional local technical roles will disappear. Who needs an internal network in a wireless/web-as-the-platform world? The same goes for desktop support – when was the last time somebody fixed your fridge why do computers need so much support? After that I had a steering group for a great project on Partnerships with Employers that LTS is doing on behalf of the Scottish Government’s Determined to Succeed initiative.

Last Wednesday started with a visit to Haddington to meet the inspirational Don Ledingham, East Lothian’s (acting) Director of Education and Children’s Services. Don is doing a great job in East Lothian and I really like the thoughtful open way that he approaches his work and the focus he has on doing the right things for the right reasons. I always learn something from meetings with Don (and from reading his blog). The focus of the meeting from my perspective was to find out how LTS might better support East Lothian Council. I hope we can arrange a joint project and am very interested in building on the success of edu buzz and the recent publication of the 1,000th blog for learning by a P7 class. Blogs for public accountability might be an interesting area for development?

On my way back to Dundee I had a meeting at the National Library in Edinburgh to discuss synergies with Glow organised by Karen Gallacher. I met with seven of Karen’s colleagues including Alex Miller, Director of Comms at NLS, Jackie Cromarty, Education and Interpretative Services Manager, Simon Bains, Digitial Library Manager and James Toon, Trusted Digital Repository Project Manager. I have always been an admirer of librarians and was really impressed with the professionalism, passion and vision of all of the NLS staff I met. I got a real sense of the National Library trying to take big steps into the digital age. This is an institution in the process of reinventing itself for the 21st Century, looking to a future built on strong foundations from the past and present. Before I left the library I got the chance to see behind the scenes. The John Murray Archive now has a permanent public exhibition but I was also allowed in to see a couple of items the vast collection of papers still under lock and key. My favourite was a letter from Charles Darwin to John Murray offering to waive his fee in advance of the publication of ‘The Origin of the Species’ on the grounds that it might not be a commercial success.

Friday was one of those wonderful days when I realise just how lucky I am to have this job. It started with Graham Watson, Chief Executive of the Scottish Institute of Sport Foundation, an organisation that supports both elite and grassroots sport (a very Scottish approach). The meeting was to discuss progress with an online project called The Winning Game (see Tess Watson’s blog for details of the pilot) and how we might work together on the next stage.

After that I joined Derek Robertson who was briefing Milton Chen and Steve Arnold of the George Lucas Educational Foundation on the work of the LTS Consolarium. Then it was off to visit two P6 classes in Dundee in Clepington and Charleston primary schools. The schools were delighted to have visitors from the USA and pupils were brilliant ambassadors for Dundee and Scotland. We got a real insight into how commercial computer games, in the hands of excellent teachers, can be used to great effect in the classroom (see Derek Robertson’s blog for details).

After lunch it was off to the University of Abertay with Steve, Milton and Chris van der Kuyl. The Principal Bernard King gave Steve and Milton an inspirational introduction to Dundee and Abertay before setting us off on a whistle-stop tour to look at cutting edge research being conducted in: Computing; Complex Systems and; Computer Arts and Digital Media.

The press coverage of the George Lucas Education Foundation Award has been really amazing. My inbox has full of emails from former colleagues, friends and relatives. Must try to win awards more often as it’s a great way to re-connect with the past
Anyway I really liked this article in the Sunday Times last week (just in case you missed it) and thought it captured a little bit of what we are trying to do at LTS.

As part of the award I was asked to answer a few question for ‘Edutopia’ the front-end of the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

Starts:

O’Donnell describes the ups and downs of the Glow roll-out in his blog but his main lesson learned is about the importance of patience and good-faith collaboration: “The time it takes to take people with you is an investment for the future.”

How do you use the Web, or other technology, in your work?

At LTS, we use the Web for everything from publishing resources to providing advice, sharing insights, and developing communities of practice. The LTS Online Service is the first port of call for Scottish teachers looking for support.

Our latest development draws together some of the Web to support Scottish education, and I think it points to the future as a space to enhance professionalism and deepen peer support.

I have been trying to keep an online learning log as a way of recording what I have done and where I am going. I also use Bloglines.com to keep up with what my colleagues and friends are up to.

Which resources have inspired you and informed your work?

Everything I have seen, heard or done — good, bad or indifferent — has informed my work. I have learned many things the hard way — and in my view, the best way — through experience.

I love reading the classics of literature, I am inspired by great movies, beautiful art, and wonderful web sites. Difficult to list my top ten — give me a week with nothing else to do and I might just about manage to draw up a list, maybe a top fifty.

Who are your role models?

There are lots of people I admire and love, but I don’t really have any role models. My day-to-day inspiration comes from my family, my friends, and my colleagues, to whom I owe everything, including Tony van der Kuyl, director of the Scottish Interactive Technology Centre from 1989 to 2008, who passed away in January of this year. I would like to dedicate my selection to the 2008 Global Six to Tony.

I am also inspired by all the people I have met or read about who have dealt with adversity and pick themselves up and get on with living their lives as best they can.

What advice would you give those who consider you a role model?

Plow your own furrow, learn to be comfortable in your own skin, never stop learning, never stop doubting that you can do even better, make sure you enjoy the good times, and celebrate success whenever you can. Smile, and the world smiles back.

What fundamental beliefs have guided your work?

People really matter, and the right people in the right place at the right time can really make a difference. And for evil (or even just mediocrity) to prevail, all it takes is for good people to do nothing.

What is your mantra in the face of adversity?

Keep things in perspective. Keep doing the right things for the right reasons. Draw on the expertise and support of those around you. To misquote Jim Collins (author of Good to Great), never lose faith that in the end you will prevail, but in the meantime face up to the brutal facts of your current reality and start to deal with them.

When you were a teacher, how did you become excited about technology?

What excited me over twenty years ago, when I started teaching, are the same things that excite me now about technology in education. It was seeing learners and teachers doing things that are just not possible by any other means. It was seeing the motivation that well-designed technology in the hands of great teachers can generate, and, of course, the potential that this unleashes into better learning and improved educational outcomes.

What’s your favorite piece of technology or Web site in your personal life?

Right now, my favorite technology is the Nintendo Wii. I just love the way this device has transformed gaming. I also like using Google Maps with the GPS function on my phone — great technology for someone like me with a hopeless sense of direction.

What advice do you have for new teachers?

Teaching is a tough job, but the rewards when you get it right are priceless. Teachers change lives, and they should make sure they are always a positive force for every young person in their care. Treat every young person as if they were your own children, and you will not go far wrong.

For veteran teachers, I would say this: Never stop learning from your learners; it will make it easier for them to learn from you.

If U.S. educators visited schools in your country, what would be most striking to them?
The extent to which our teachers are trusted and treated as autonomous professionals able to make judgments about what to teach, how to teach, and when to assess. In Scotland, the curriculum in grades 3-14 is based on broad guidelines rather than prescriptive regulations.

If educators from your country visited the United States, what would be most remarkable or different for them about U.S. schools?
The biggest difference would be the assessment regime that I have seen in most of the U.S. schools I visited — ‘leave no child untested for more than five minutes!’ Having said that, most of what they would see would be very familiar and viewed very positively. There is lots of great stuff going on in U.S. classrooms.

Ends