Glow Scotland

December 23rd, 2010

Glow Light Image 23.12.2010

Lesley Dickson

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Glow Light Images

Until now most of the Glow Light images have been purchased specifically for that purpose.

In the new year we will be using photographs supplied by Glow users.

If you are interested in seeing your own picture on Glow visit the Glow Light Image Glow group to find out how to submit it.

At the moment all submissions are through the Glow key contact for your area.

December 22nd, 2010

Glow Light Image 22.12.2010

Lesley Dickson

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Santa is Getting Ready

Thanks to Anna Rossvoll, key contact for Aberdeenshire, for today’s photograph. Not long now!

December 21st, 2010

Embedding Glow in daily learning and teaching

Gail Cairns

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 : Categories Fife, Glow, Glow Groups

Olivia Wexelstein teaches a P4-7 class at Wellwood Primary School in Fife. Olivia has been using Glow since January 2010 and is extrememly positive about the opportunities it has opened up. Glow is rapidly becoming embedded into daily life in the classroom: to share learning, to record pupils’ experiences and achievements, and to give pupils a voice.

Olivia’s Glow Group is constantly evolving with more content and extra pages being added as learning progresses in the classroom. The Group has a strong sense of identity, the teacher and pupils have very much made their own working space. For reading work the class splits into 5 small groups, each group has their own page in the Glow Group, with a photo of the group members, a list of learning intentions, an image of the book they are currently reading and a document area where they can upload their written work. Pupils are proud of their group and keen to share this with their parents and carers at home.

Visit this cookbook and find out more about the Glow Group that Olivia and her P4-7 class use daily.

December 21st, 2010

Glow Light Image 21.12.2010

Lesley Dickson

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Holly

Like other evergreens, holly has represented immortality ever since people began to look to plants for inspiration, it has been regarded as a plant of good omen since Early Times.

Holly has the advantage of looking as good in mid-winter as in mid-summer and this amongst other things probably has helped its position in folk-lore.

Holly was taken into homes when winter began to shelter the elves and fairies who could live with mortals at this time without causing injury.

Holly was regarded as an excellent form of protection for all manner of things but specifically against evil spirits, poisons, thunder and lightning and the evil eye.

Holly along with mistletoe was banned by the early Christian church due to its connections with pagans. This ban wasn’t lifted until the 1600′s, by then legends had sprung up about holly and the crucifixion, so it seems that stories were in fact made up to fit something that was a jolly useful winter decoration.

One such tale claims that holly sprang up under Christ’s feet as he walked to Calgary, the red berries representing his blood. Another is that the crown of thorns was made of holly and the berries which were originally white were stained red with blood when the spikes broke the Christ’s skin. There are even claims that holly wood was used to make the cross.

Image Katie Barrowman/Text Various

December 20th, 2010

Glow Light Image 20.12.2010

Lesley Dickson

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Robin

Few things say Christmas quite as much as the robin. You’ll find this favourite British bird on greetings cards, Christmas cakes, tree ornaments and decorations everywhere.

This is probably because the robin is most visible at Christmas, when its bright red breast, which the bird puffs out to keep warm, brings colour to drab surroundings, and the male begins to sing loudly to attract a mate. It is also in the depths of winter, when insect food is scarce, that robins are most tame. So robins have always been as much a part of the Christmas scene as snow and holly.

A Christmas legend suggests that the robin got his red breast when he was fanning the fire to help keep baby Jesus warm and got too close to the flames.

Robins are common across the UK but like all small birds suffer badly during cold winters. You can help them survive by feeding them with special robin food mixes available from garden centres.

Interestingly, it important not to feed garden birds with turkey fat! The fat stays soft and can get onto a bird’s feathers ruining their waterproofing and insulating properties. The meat juice mixed with the fat can turn bad quickly and can cause food poisoning. It is also likely that the turkey has been cooked with lots of salt which is toxic to birds.

Good Christmas treats for birds are Christmas cake crumbs, mince pie pastry crumbs and biscuit crumbs. Other suitable leftovers include mild grated cheese, cooked or uncooked rice, breakfast cereals, cooked potatoes and fruit.

Photograph by Maureen J. Pepper

December 16th, 2010

Santa Glow Meet

carolegillespie

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On Friday 17th December at 11 am we are having a National Glow Meet with a very special guest – Santa Claus!

Santa will be answering pupils’ questions and checking if you’ve all been naughty or nice this year!

Suitable for P1, P2 and P3 and early years.

Find the Santa Glow Group at

https://portal.glowscotland.org.uk/establishments/nationalsite/santa%20glow%20group/default.aspx?IDSIP=EX

Merry Christmas!

December 12th, 2010

Glow Light Image 13.12.2010

Lesley Dickson

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The Golden Retriever, a Scottish Breed

The Golden Retriever was first developed in Scotland at “Guisachan” near Glen Affric, the highland estate of Sir Dudley Marjoribanks later Baron Tweedmouth. For many years, there was controversy over which breeds were originally crossed. In 1952, the publication of Majoribanks’ breeding records from 1835 to 1890 dispelled the myth concerning the purchase of a whole troupe of Russian sheepdogs from a visiting circus and confirmed the Golden Retriever as a Scottish breed.

The Golden Retriever is one of the most popular breeds in the UK. It is extremely intelligent and should have a gentle, calm temperament which makes it an excellent family pet. Its intelligence makes it an easy dog to train, though it is important to begin training early. It enjoys the company of people and, like most dogs, if left on it’s own for long periods it will tend to be destructive. Golden’s need regular exercise to keep them fit and happy. Owners also have to be prepared to deal with the shedding of hair which occurs all year round and is specially bad during the annual ‘casting’ of the coat. Frequent grooming helps minimise this and also strengthens the bond between dog and owner.

In July 2006, The Golden Retriever Club of Scotland organised a gathering of Golden Retriever enthusiasts at the ancestral home of Guisachan House. A photograph was taken by photographer Lynn Kipps to commemorate the occasion. It captures 188 Golden Retrievers and therefore holds the record for most Golden Retrievers captured in one image.

Image Linsey Duncan/Text Wikipedia

December 10th, 2010

Figurenotes Conference

Julia Fenby

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Last week, Glasgow City Hall’s Old Fruitmarket venue was packed with teachers, educators, musicians and policy makers wanting to find out more about Figurenotes, a simple music notation system that uses colours and symbols instead of notes.

The Figurenotes conference was organized by Drake Music Scotland, the Scottish partner in an international network of music educators using Figurenotes to make music making accessible to a range of user groups including SEN music, Early Years and those with Autistic Spectrum disorder.

‘Making music should be a basic human right – Figurenotes is helping to place the joy and delight of making music in reach of all.’

Markku Kaikkonen and Kaarlo Uusitalo, Figurenotes creators

Presentations from inspiring teachers like Annona Thornton from Lilybank school, made evident the powerful impact the system has for children and young people – they find it easy to use and can quickly achieve and make progress, which in turn helps build confidence, motivation and communication skills. Figurenotes not only supports one to one teaching, it also allows differentiation within shared group activity.

Drake has been trialling Figurenotes Software with 40 people, and is using their feedback to develop the software before rolling it out nationally to Scotland’s music educators in 2011. Information on the software and a Figurenotes Resource pack will be available early next term.

In the iCompose session, Conference delegates had an opportunity to try out Figurenotes, creating short compositions which were played back to them by professional musicians from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Drake Music Scotland is working in partnership with Scottish Chamber Orchestra on the iCompose competition, which this year includes a Special Needs Category. For more information on the competition and how to enter visit www.icompose.org

Drake Music Scotland is one of ten Scottish arts organisations awarded funding to deliver a Co-Create project for Glow.

December 10th, 2010

SHINE – A creative music Co-Create project

Julia Fenby

Comments: 2 Comments » Tags:  : Categories Co-Create, Curriculum for Excellence, Expressive Arts, Glow, Health and Wellbeing, Literacy, Mathematics, Supported Learning, Technologies, West Dunbartonshire

Through Co-Create, Drake Music Scotland is working in partnership with West Dunbartonshire Council and Kilpatrick Secondary School on SHINE, a project which is shedding light on the artistic process, unpacking resources and sharing experiences and performances via Glow.

Using new Soundbeam 5 technology and the Figurenotes notation system, pupils are taking part in creative music making sessions which are designed to be fully accessible for Kilpatrick School’s pupils with Additional Support Needs.

Drake Associate Musician Matilda Brown is visiting the school every Wednesday to make music more accessible across the school. Pupils are learning new skills and creating their own compositions and teachers are being trained in using the music technology. Throughout this academic year, pupils and staff will be sharing their learning through Glow.

During the project, the Glow Group will be developed by project participants, and it will then be opened up nationally so that teachers across Scotland can see what can be achieved with resources such as Soundbeam 5 and Figurenotes. Drake will highlight best practice in the creative use of this valuable technology and enable discussions to take place to develop this on a national level.

The SHINE project supports the Experiences and Outcomes for the Expressive Arts, (Music) Literacy and Numeracy and Health and Wellbeing across the curriculum. It also upholds the progression principles of the Curriculum for Excellence, in particular, challenge and enjoyment, relevance and coherence.

Co-Create is funded through a partnership between Learning and Teaching Scotland and the Creative Scotland National Lottery Fund.

Image credit: Colin Dickson

December 10th, 2010

The Life of Burns: A New Discovery? - National Archives of Scotland Glow Meet

Katie Barrowman

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 : Categories Events, Glow, Glow Groups, Glow Meet

The National Archives of Scotland (NAS) has recently uncovered a letter that reveals more about the mysterious last days of Robert Burns. The letter, written by Burn’s superior officer, John Mitchell, Collector of Excise, tells the touching story of the poet’s visit to Dumfries in July 1796 to collect his final salary and bid farewell to his colleagues and friends in the Excise Office.

From 1789, until his death, Burns was in Dumfriesshire working as an Excise Officer. His job was to make sure that people paid their taxes to the government on goods and alcohol produced in the area. By late 1795, his health had begun to fail and he struggled to keep up with his work. He died in Dumfries on 21 July 1796, aged 37.

Tuesday 25 January 2011, 2.00 – 2.45pm

Come and share this exciting new discovery with the National Archives of Scotland. Send in questions to David Brown, senior cataloguer, who will explain his job and how he discovered the letter. Meet Linda Ramsay, senior conservator, who will explain her role in trying to find out whether the document was a forgery or the real thing! Most importantly of all, come and find out what new information this letter reveals.

This Glow Meet is suitable for pupils in P6- S2. To sign up, visit this Glow Page.