Lynne Horn, from the beautiful Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, has got her vocational language students blogging as they set out to learn Italian. Only one or two posts on the student blogs (which link off the mother blog), but they are learning a language from scratch.
If you parle un po’ italiano then please do go along and help them out! (As you can see, I don’t 
It has been known as the Scottish Schools Digital Network National Intranet (SSDN), but from today (Friday) the service will be known as ‘Glow’.
Lighting up learning
Ultimately, Glow will digitally link Scotland’s schools, connecting over 800,000 teachers and pupils safely and securely. No other country’s education system will have such a nationwide intranet and Glow has far reaching ambitions for learning and teaching and the wider community in Scotland.
Glow, the new name, was chosen because on many levels it matches the objectives and aspirations of the national intranet. Education and learning do not change people and societies overnight but they do have a long-term positive effect.
Glow is fun, bright and hopeful yet it is simple and accessible to all. Pupils will find Glow easy to spell and remember, while teachers will see it as a pool of resources that will help make lessons more interesting and interactive.
A Curriculum for Excellence
Education Minister Peter Peacock said, ‘These are exciting times for education. Our ongoing curriculum review – A Curriculum for Excellence – will change the face of learning and teaching and Glow will provide the tools to deliver this change. Our schools will have 21st century technology to support 21st-century learning and teaching.’
‘To ensure the success of the intranet we needed a name that would resonate with all users. As well as being short and memorable, Glow is a name which conjures up images of the power of learning and will appeal to teachers and pupils.’
Sharing and working together
Laurie O’Donnell, Director of Learning and Technology at Learning and Teaching Scotland, said, ‘We expect that Glow will bring a range of benefits to teachers and learners, helping them to plan, collaborate, create, publish, and share effectively. We want all of our learners and teachers to have the best available tools so that education in Scotland continues to improve and maintains its reputation as a world class service.’
LTS, in partnership with RM, the company building and delivering the national intranet service, has worked carefully to create a look and feel that is consistent with the ambitions and long term goals of Glow.
Teachers and learners are at the heart of Glow
• Glow is designed with one aim – to support educational development
• Glow will enhance the appetite for learning by exciting and motivating pupils
• Glow is for everyone: it gives teachers and pupils powerful online tools to work together in safety and security – at any location or time
Preview at SETT
Visitors to the Scottish Learning Festival (SETT) in September will be able to get their first look at an early version of Glow as well as the opportunity to attend seminars to find out more. The festival at the SECC, 20–21 September, is the key learning and teaching event in the education calendar.
Roll-out of Glow to schools
Developing, testing and piloting of Glow is currently underway, with initial roll-out to schools planned to start in mid 2007.
Steve Beard has been discovering how language learning can help kids win games on their xBox 360.
The Goethe-Institut (Glasgow) regularly receives requests from German schools who would like to start up school exchanges with Scottish schools. Below is information about 2 German schools that recently contacted the Goethe-Institut.
If any Scottish schools are interested in contacting either of these schools, then send an e-mail in the first instance to the MFLE team at mfle@LTScotland.org.uk
The MFLE team will then give you further information to get in touch with the relevant teachers in Germany.
IN BAVARIA
Bruckmüh
Bayern
Deutschland
Short description of school:
“Wir, das Gymnasium Bruckmühl, sind ein junges Gymnasium (im 3.Jahr unseres Bestehens) und ca. 40 km südöstlich von München im Landkreis Rosenheim an der Mangfall gelegen. Wir sind auf der Suche nach einer schottischen Schule, an der Deutsch als Fremdsprache unterrichtet wird und die Interesse an einem Schüleraustausch in der Mittelstufe (Alter: ca. 13-16, Klassen 7-9/10) hat. Ich selbst habe 1992/93 ein PAD-Assistenzjahr in Lothian verbracht und bin daher auch
persönlich sehr einem Kontakt nach Schottland interessiert. Können Sie uns weiterhelfen? Gibt es evtl. eine Liste mit Schulen, die Deutsch im Programm haben und eine Partner suchen? Oder eine Stelle im schottischen Kultusministerium, die uns weiterhelfen könnte? Ich würde mich sehr freuen, von Ihnen zu hören. Herzliche Grüße, Christian Buxot, StR”
IN LAMPERTHEIM
Hesse
(South West Germany)
Deutschland
More information on request.
The Scotsman reports that the the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has launched a scheme to help the Highlands’ large immigrant population to settle in the area. The SQA is to increase the availability of English for Speakers of Other Languages courses to help pupils who have moved to the area from abroad improve their communication skills.
A partnership agreement has been struck with exam officials in Poland so that qualifications gained by immigrants in their own country can be translated into the Scottish equivalent. The moves were unveiled yesterday as the SQA launched a strategy for action in the Highlands and Islands - the first of its kind in the country.
Find out how you can help to develop the MFLE by being a paid contributor. Visit MFLE Request for New Content to gather more information.
MFLE has recently enhanced and re-organised its popular Primary Zone section, of interest not only to primary school teachers but also to any teacher of Modern Languages who is interested in using creative teaching methods and approaches. The Primary Zone contains information, advice, practice-sharing and resources.
Get some new ideas on languages with our MFLE Chinese language special.
How have schools started to introduce some Chinese language and culture
across the curriculum and how can you do the same? Check out our
interviews with foreign language assistants, resources, quizzes and
blogs.
MySpace, with over 100 million users worldwide, is the planet’s most visited, most used social networking site, where teens, 20 somethings and rock bands publish their stuff and connect with each other. Well, building on France’s reputation as Europe’s most blogging nation MySpaceFrance has just been launched. Via Pointblog.
Businesses should not neglect bilingual staff… many UK businesses fail to train their staff to speak foreign languages, a survey has revealed. Researchers rang 113 UK head offices of international companies and asked in French or German for their postal address and the name of the HR manager. Find out more in this Times Online article.
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