Scottish Learning Festival News

Just in case any of you have saved bookmarks for your favourite seminars from last year, you will need to update them.

The seminar pages from last year have been moved into the ‘Previous conferences‘ area of the website, so that this years’ seminars can take their place in due time.

The ‘Choose seminars‘ page is available in its new URL, as is the 2008 videos page.  All pages should be available from the 2008 home-page.

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As promised, we have gathered some of the presentation files from seminars that were delivered at SLF 2008. Links to these are added at the bottom of the webpages displaying the seminar details.

Presentations now on:

A1C – Improving Relationships, Developing Skills for Life
A1F – Getting it right for every child in the classroom and nursery
A1G – More Choices, More Chances to Achieve Potential
A2A – Moving Image Education in the Early Years
A2E – Real and Relevant – literacy for 21st century learner
A2F – Supporting the vision for children and young people

B1B – Literacy and English within Curriculum for Excellence
B1E – Engineering the Future: engineering a game
B1G – Literature in Learning – Using Scots Language creatively in the Classroom
B2E – Connecting Learning: Making Connections through Interdisciplinary Working
B2I – Literacy and Numeracy across a Curriculum for Excellence
B3B – Getting the best for children outside the classroom
B3C  – Sustainable Development Education in Secondary Schools
B3E – Taking Learning Out of Doors

C1B – Going Forward with Glow
C1C – Personalising learning using Glow
C1I – Redefining boundaries
C2B – Glow and e-Mentoring

D1D – Recognising Achievements Beyond National Qualifications

G1C – International Professional Development
G1D – Global Teachers in Uganda
G2A – Building Emotional Resilience in Schools
G2B – Getting Girls More Active!
G2G – Switched Off to Switched On

J1B – Challenging Sectarianism Through Education
J1D – Establishing a Culture of Participation
J1G – From Plimsoll Owner to Global Citizen!

L1C – It ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it
L1F – Curriculum for Excellence: The Next Phase
L2F – Scottish Virtual Advisory Service – Phase 3

S2I – Are we meeting the needs of bilingual learners in our school communities?

Hope you find these useful.

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If you attended this years event, you probably saw, and maybe even took part in, Conference in Pictures in Hall 4 - a pictorial gallery capturing the meaning behind the words. 

These images, with delegate’s comments, are now available to view on the SLF website on the Conference in Pictures page. Why not use these free images in a discussion with colleagues or young people or at an in-service day.

You can still find the online Conference in Pictures, complete with post-it notes, in SLF Extra in Glow (login required).

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As well as the web poll that was on the SLF site during the Festival, all delegates were asked to respond to an online survey during the week 6 – 13 October.

Results from the survey help us to recognise the needs of our audience, and find out which aspects of the Festival are the most appreciated.

Amongst the findings were:

• The SLF website provided a useful service (with ratings of excellent (39%) and good (47%).
• Most people using the website (83%) used the website primarily to register for seminars.
• Nearly everyone (99%) would recommend the Festival to a colleague.
• Before you arrived, you aimed to ‘keep abreast of educational initiatives’ (37%) and ‘obtain examples of good learning and teaching practice that can help in the classroom’ (38%).
• When you were there, you ‘networked with colleagues’ (60%).
• You felt that the Scottish Learning Festival enhanced your professional development in a very supportive (43%) or quite supportive (49%) way; leading to over half of you (55%) being able to ‘count attendance at the Scottish Learning Festival 2008 as part of your continuing professional development obligation’.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to fill in the survey, and with planning afoot for SLF 2009, the results will be taken into account.

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Many of you who have visited the LTS Online Service and the SLF website will have seen the voting poll displayed during the Learning Festival and the week after.

As a snapshot view - the sample of votes cast showed your favourite feature to be:

•  Range of seminars – 43% votes
•  Networking – 21% votes
•  Exhibition – 15% votes
•  CPD opportunities – 8% votes
•  Others – 9% votes
•  Learning in Practice area - 5% votes

Among the Other votes – there was support for TeachMeet and the Keynote speeches.

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After the exciting build up that was documented in the Consolarium Glow group (Glow login required), the finals in the Gamezone Challenge took place at the Education Showcase at the Scottish Learning Festival 2008.

The Guitar Hero Champion ‘08 is David Whyte from Baldragon Academy.

The Mario and Sonic at the Olympics Champion ‘08 is Simon Tait from Cathkin High School.

The Dr Kawashima Champion for Wednesday was Steven Beattie, Dens Road Primary School, Dundee. The Dr Kawashima Champion for Thursday was Vicky Mackenzie, Lairdsland PS, Kirkintilloch.

See the Consolarium blog for full reports of these popular events, that were part of the Games based learning program for SLF 2008.

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Recordings of keynote speeches for 2008 are already published on the website. Fiona Hyslop’s speech is available and others will follow shortly.

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Channel 4 Education  have updated the details of their Educational Briefing.

On Thursday 25 Sepember they are hosting 3 sessions starting at 12.30 with a networking lunch.
At 1.15 there is ‘Sex-Ed Up! discussing “How and when should we teach our children about sex?”
At 2.30 there is the C4 Education Showcase launching a series of new projects which are breaking new ground in public service broadcasting, education and the use of social networking services.

Go to Sexed and Connected – Channel 4 at the Scottish Learning Festival for futher details.

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Over the past month, Guitar Heroes have been practicing and posting their scores on the Consolarium Challenge (Glow login required).
Now they are coming to the Education Showcase at the Scottish Learning Festival 2008 for a grand final.

All contestants are from Baldragon Academy in Dundee: -
David Whyte
Craig Davidson
Ryan Simpson
Shaun Caldwell

See them battle it out at 16.00 on Wednesday 24 September in the Education Showcase area in the Exhibition Hall at the SECC.

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After some scrambling – it is a pleasure to relay the news that TeachMeet08@SLF has a home. This exciting and inspirational gathering will take place in the Forth room at the SECC from 6 – 9 pm on Wednesday 24 September. There will be selection of long (7 minute) and short (2 minute) presentations and roundtables, sharing information on a wide range of technologies. There will be refreshments and a chance to meet and network with colleagues.

 Further details on the TeachMeet wiki.

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