Glow Scotland

September 23rd, 2011

SLF Extra - Literacy across learning: using wider texts at second and third levels

Karen-Ann McSwiggan

Comments: Comments Off Tags:  : Categories Curriculum for Excellence, Glow, Glow Meet, Health and Wellbeing, Literacy, Media Literacy, Moving Image Education, North Lanarkshire, Pupils, Technologies, West Dunbartonshire

Today the audience was packed into the seminar room at SLF 2011 with no sign of people losing interest on the last afternoon. They were there to see speakers Patrick Mooney, PT English at Caldervale High School in North Lanarkshire and Gilian Penny Headteacher at Gavinburn Primary School in West Dunbartonshire in the Literacy across learning: using wider texts at second and third levels seminar.

Let’s have a listen to why some of the audience were at the seminar today:

Click on the radio to hear why an education student has come to the seminar.
Click on the radio to hear why some international visitors have come to the seminar.

Patrick Mooney

Patrick Mooney is PT English at Caldervale High School and previously taught English at Cardinal Newman High School. He is passionate about using moving image education as a way to enhance literacy across learning.

Let’s have a listen to Patrick describing what he will be presenting on:

Click on the radio to hear Patrick describing what he will be speaking about in the seminar.

He spoke about the challenge of teaching literacy in a modern context and widening the definition of a text. As part of becoming a chartered teacher he researched moving image education and worked with Scotland on Screen. He explained that there are often perceived constraints in the secondary sector with teacher attitude, lack of kit and the need for leadership in moving forward with moving image education in the school. Although he told us that all the kit required is a web cam and a laptop. He stressed that moving image education is an fantastic tool to ensure that active learning is happening, that the pupils are highly motivated and that it builds on their resilience.

He went on to explain that the gains that can be made in terms of inclusion, true collaboration, creativity and enterprise and opportunities for teacher reflection on their own practice are substanial. Pupils with poorer literacy skills can be released from previous ‘failures’ they may have experienced with other forms of communication. Encouragingly, Patrick talked about the possibilities that moving image education opens up in the curriculum by acting as a gel for literacy across the curriculum and inter-disciplinary learning projects. He gave ideas for outcomes/products such as science news reports; documentaries on sports personalities/famous mathematicians/historical figures; movies to analyse performance in PE and projects such as documentaries to celebrate whole school life.

Pupils can really get to employ their own creativity and choice, they can be shown simply how to use the kit and then come up with their own ideas for projects backed by a framework of teacher planning. Patrick ended by speaking about how amazed he continues to be about how much effort pupils are willng to put into these projects - the planning, storyboarding, scripting, celebrating and performing. Pupils who have been very much switched off from the writing process are happily immersed in it due to the motivation of moving image education.

Gillian Penny

Gillian Penny is Headteacher at Gavinburn Primary School in West Dunbartonshire and is passionate about the wider text and digital creativity. Her presentation alternated between short, amazing video clips of pupils from her school and her explanation of the different projects they are invloved in.

Let’s have a listen to Gillian describe her presentation:

Click on the radio to hear Gillian describing what she will be speaking about in the seminar.

Gillian believes it is very important for children to have an audience and purpose for their work as this is highly motivating for them and can change the effort and pride they take in this work. She is also interested in creating opportunities for her pupils to be involved in more interdisciplinary and active learning. In the school they frequently use animation as she feels it is a very powerful tool for pupils planning and storyboarding their work. She notes that it forces them to really think about the story they are telling.

The school also uses the I Can Present tool and green screening to allow pupils to make presentations. We saw a video of children pretending to be in a band and making award acceptance speeches. Gillian notes that for teachers who need persuading about these ways of working it is hard to ignore the quantity and quality of written work from the pupils as part of their planning process when working with these kinds of tools.

The school also makes very successful use of Guitar Hero and other tools for what Gillian calls their ‘Band in a Box’ or ‘Band out of a Box’ project. Pupils are arranged into groups of 4 which are made up by the teachers in order to get an appropriate mix. They create a rock band with imaginative back stories for every member of the band. They write lyrics and put these to music and create a music video to go along with it. They also go on tour virtually to another country and have to plan all the arrangements for this down to hotels, sticking to budgets and preparing a speech in the language of the country. They have performances, including dance and awards sessions within the school. These award sessions have a red carpet where real awards are given out and important dignitries and parents come to watch.

Click here to see this video example from the Consolarium blog of one of the music videos a group of Gillian’s pupils put together:

Gillian showed a video of the pupils reflecting on the process, they are clearly very excited by and thrilled with the whole project. They are able to talk at length about all the aspects of it, how they approached these and how much of their work went into it all. Pupils get to play to their strengths, Gillian commented on the fact that perhaps the pupil who hasn’t succeeded before has a great idea for the band and the other members are able to help make this idea come to fruition.

Click on the radio to listen to some audience reactions to the seminar.
Click on the radio to listen to some audience reactions to the seminar.

So what’s next for Gavinburn? From next week Gavinburn will have their own channel on Glow TV where they will be showcasing digital work every week. This is work that is ongoing in Gavinburn but might not normally make it out of the computer.

You will catch the SLF11 Glow TV interview with Gillian Penny by clicking here where you will be asked to log in with your Glow username and password.

The Glow TV session interview with Gillian and 2 of her pupils is now available below:

In addition you might want to have a look at a video of Gillian presenting at the Games Based Learning Conference 2010:

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…

September 1st, 2011

SLF Extra launched today

pcurrie

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: Glow, Learning Festival, secc, SLF, slf extra
 : Categories Curriculum for Excellence, Glow, Moving Image Education, Technologies

With only three weeks to go until the event itself, SLF Extra has been launched today, via the National Site in Glow. The Glow group has been designed with Glow users from all over Scotland in mind, not just those who are able to attend the festival.

Glow TV will aim to bring you as much content as we possibly can, with all keynote speeches streamed live through Glow and sign-ups and links available through the GlowTV schedule. Glow TV will also present a number of ‘Best of SLF’ broadcasts from our temporary studio at the SECC, where we aim to capture the key discussion topics from the Keynote speeches and allow Glow users to take part (through the Glow meet chat pod) in our studio discussion with our panel in Glasgow.

If you cannot take part live at the time of broadcast, there is, of course, the ‘Watch Again’ facility in Glow TV, where all broadcasts will be available after the event. SLF Extra also has a discussion forum, with a number of topics already raised to invite Glow users to engage in discussions that SLF raises. In addition to that, the Glow team will be armed with video cameras and audio recording devices to capture as much content as we can and have a festival team lined up to get that content to you through SLF Extra on Glow.

We will blog and we will tweet and, though we will probably end up with sore feet, we will make sure we bring Glow users as much of SLF as we can. SLF Extra is where you go to find it.

August 11th, 2011

BBC Class Clips

nstewart

Comments: Comments Off Tags: Tags: BBC, free resources, resources, video
 : Categories Early Years, Learner Resources, Literacy, Moving Image Education

Find educational clips from the best of BBC programmes in the Class Clips video and radio archive. BBC Class Clips (http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/)

Class Clips is the BBC’s archive of educational video and audio material for use in primary and secondary schools. Working with teachers across the UK, the best of current BBC programmes and back catalogue of schools television and radio the best range of clips to help with classroom teaching are chosen.

There are currently more than 10,000 clips in the Class Clips archive, all searchable by level, subject, topic and keyword and all accompanied by notes from teachers on the content and how it could be used. From major factual series such as:

Wonders of the Universe

Human Planet

and A History of Scotland

through to old favourites like Around Scotland and See You See Me, clips cover a wide range of subjects across all age levels, many with broad potential for cross curricular learning.

Class Clips is also home to new, specifically-created educational video.

Talkie Time

is a set of innovative videos for Early and First levels, that let you and your class interact with on-screen characters while learning about Numeracy, Literacy and Health and Wellbeing. Blethering Scots features famous faces discussing Scots language and its place in history, poetry, media and the playground.

All content on Class Clips is free to access and can be streamed directly into class. We’re also in the process of making all our clips embeddable, making it even easier to include them in blogs and web pages.

To find out what clips are available to help with your classes, visit Class Clips and start searching.

July 26th, 2011

Glow TV

pcurrie

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 : Categories Curriculum for Excellence, Early Years, Events, Expressive Arts, Glow, Glow Meet, Health and Wellbeing, Learner Resources, Literacy, Local authorities, Mathematics, Moving Image Education, National Groups, Pupils, Religious and Moral Education, Sciences, Social Studies, Technologies, Uncategorized, modern languages, research

Glow TV is our way of bringing the National Glow Meets to you from the one, easy to find, place. Launching for the start of the new term, we have a major schedule of ‘programmes’ planned for the coming session, including, hopefully, a whole series of programmes on topics such as: CfE, SQA, Glow, Glowing Thursdays, World of Work Wednesdays, Creativity, Games Design and Moving Image Education.

This is, of course, in addition to the many exciting events we already broadcast through Glow, such as the author events from the Scottish Book Trust and Edinburgh Book Festival, as well as those hugely popular one-offs like the Dr Who event and the NASA astronauts one, for example. All of these Glow national events will now be accessed through the one central place, Glow TV.

We are now using new software for Glow Meet (Adobe Connect) and this software allows us access to a recording of a Glow Meet, instantly from within Glow. That got us thinking that we could really develop the idea of Glow Meets further and offer a kind of ‘Watch Again’ facility, a bit like the online efforts of the major TV channels. Okay, so we don’t have the equipment or resources that the major TV channels do, but we have created an area in Glow that provides users with a schedule and allows users the opportunity to add programmes to their own, personal, schedule when they sign-up for events.

Signing-up for these events/programmes is easier now, too. Instead of having to complete a sign-up form for every event you want to take part in, all you have to do is register once for Glow TV and then choose your username from a drop-down list whenever you wish to sign-up to a specific event. Easy.

It is hoped that a lot of the programmes we bring you will include live debate/discussion on important topics in Education, as well as many online training programmes.We have managed to procure a little room in Education Scotland’s Optima office in Glasgow and turn it into our very own Glow TV studio, which even has a couch and a coffee table, so that our presenters look like true TV professionals in the making!

So, with a whole schedule of programmes you can tailor to your own personal guide, easy sign-up and channel categories to make it easy to find recordings and watch again, Glow TV is a brilliant addition to Glow’s assets. To register for Glow TV and then be able to have your own personal schedule and easy sign-up for programmes, click here.

November 19th, 2010

STATE OF EMERGENCY - Day Five

Julia Fenby

Comments: Comments Off Tags:  : Categories Argyll and Bute, Co-Create, Curriculum for Excellence, East Ayrshire, Expressive Arts, Glasgow City, Glow, Glow Meet, Health and Wellbeing, Inverclyde, Literacy, Mathematics, Moving Image Education, National Groups, North Lanarkshire, Outdoor Learning, Religious and Moral Education, Sciences, Social Studies, South Lanarkshire, Technologies, West Lothian, modern languages

On the final day of State of Emergency, S2 year groups from all seven schools came together via Glow Meet to share their learning experiences from this intensive week of activity.

Tarbert Academy journalists gave a live report on the conflict as news broke in the west of Scotland. Their broadcast was interrupted when freedom fighters broke into the newsroom in protest against the government regime.

A Bathgate Academy human rights campaigner gave a powerful speech about the importance of integrity and trust.

During the week, Lochend Secondary pupils had explored war poetry in English and code breaking in Maths. In Drama they’d made a film about a boy who wanted to join the army and in PE they’d learned what it might feel like to be in the army as they were made to run outside in the cold!

Clyde Valley High had a visit from the Red Cross and found out about refugee camps; they created Facebook pages and video messages for viral communications; they made images of war by acting out and photographing scenes involving rebels, civilians and government soldiers.

The Army marched into Cumnock Academy hall and set up an assault course – the highlight of the week for the reporters:

“It was amazing, great fun – I didn’t come first but I did enjoy it!”

“It helped build my confidence”.

They also had visits from the Red Cross and a Human Rights lawyer and learned that everyone has rights to equality and protection. Pupils had purified water in Science, and designed and built devices to transport black market goods through underground tunnels in Technology and Art.

At Greenock Academy aid workers had training in basic first aid and learned to cook nutritious meals with limited supplies. The army launched a search for a missing soldier and through constructing a refugee camp, they learned team work, how to filter water, make up ration packs and distribute food to refugees.

Holy Cross High reported that propaganda was rife, with posters put up around the school by both factions; normal lines of communications had been destroyed. The Department of PE had transformed soldiers into ‘lean, mean fighting machines’ in Sniper Alley; the Department of Technology investigated ways of disposing of human waste; the Department of Social Studies researched the causes of conflict, whilst the Department of Drama explored the motivations of those involved.

State of Emergency has clearly been an amazing experience for both pupils and staff. I would encourage you to visit the Glow Group to read pupil diaries about their learning, look at more photographs of cross-curricular activities and see the rich variety of resources shared by participating teachers. This really has been Curriculum for Excellence in action.

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

Image credit: Kath Morley, Greenock Academy

November 18th, 2010

STATE OF EMERGENCY - Day Four

Julia Fenby

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This project is so rich that it is impossible to fully reflect the depth and breadth of the activities and learning taking place in seven secondary schools across Scotland.

Today I went out to visit Cumnock Academy in East Ayrshire where staff have embraced the project and as well as designing an exciting timetable of activities for S2, have created opportunities for other pupils, such as the higher media studies students who are recording and reporting on the week’s activities, and the S6 pupils who are helping S2 build emergency shelters.

I arrived in time to join pupils in the hall to watch the fourth and final webisode. They were totally engaged and focused as the drama reached its sad and shocking conclusion. The atmosphere was palpable as pupils silently started to take in and make sense of what they’d seen.

The online dramas have provided the stimulus for the week’s activities and have generated deep discussion and raised big questions. Some of the pupils later engaged in a conversation with a group at Tarbert Academy via Glow Meet and had a serious debate about the motives behind different characters’ actions. Would they have stolen food if they were freedom fighters? Did they think being an insurgent would put their family in danger?

Yesterday, a Human Rights Lawyer visited the school as an expert witness. He was surprised by the pupils’ depth of knowledge, their insight into conflict situations and the challenging nature of their questions.

Participants have explored the physical, ethical and political issues and challenges thrown up by conflict and they have seen the relevance and connectivity of learning across the curriculum. The project has provided a stimulus for learning and a platform for creative response. The impact of State of Emergency looks set to be long lasting.

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

Image credit: Eoghann MacColl, Cumnock Academy

November 17th, 2010

STATE OF EMERGENCY – Day Three

Julia Fenby

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“This is an act of peace not war”, the politician announces in a TV news broadcast as government troops are mobilised for Operation Democracy – “the aim, to disable the unelected regime and restore democracy”. The reality for State of Emergency narrator Chloe is chilling – she is able to watch military strikes online whilst her own building shakes.

So began day three of State of Emergency, an intensive week for S2 pupils in seven schools, exploring the dilemmas and complexities of war, supported by Visible Fictions Theatre Company, and using a project Glow Group to share information, ideas and resources.

At Greenock Academy, staff and pupils have been living out a conflict, using role play to explore issues faced by refugees, soldiers, journalists and politicians.

“We don’t belong anywhere and we can’t trust anyone. We don’t want to fight, we just want to go home.” S2 ‘Refugee’ Pupil to Journalists, Greenock Academy

Clyde Valley High mathematics pupils were faced with the challenge of constructing new bridges to transport supplies over the Clyde after a bombing raid had destroyed the existing ones. They also learned how to make and break codes.

With the threat of shortages caused by the conflict, home economics pupils investigated what food supplies would be needed and where to locate them. At Bathgate Academy, the dining staff are involved too – their State of Emergency lunch time menu includes a ‘No deliveries’ day, with store cupboard ingredients only, and ‘No power or cooking facilities’ day when only cold food will be available.

“Its exciting, really different from normal school” S2 Pupil, Clyde Valley High

“We could have done a whole month on this”. Teacher, Lochend Secondary

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

Image credit: Julie Austin, Lochend Secondary

November 17th, 2010

STATE OF EMERGENCY – Day Two

Julia Fenby

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“The first victim of war is the truth”, The journalist’s view – Greenock Academy

Day two of the project and the second State of Emergency webisode starts to bring home some of the realities and complexities of war. What would it be like to live in a war zone?

Pupils and teachers have been engaged in challenging and thought provoking discussions…….What are the differences between needs and wants? Which version of a story is the truth? What is it like to live in a refugee camp? Who is right – the government or the freedom fighter?

Each school involved in the project is using conflict as the focus for learning and teaching, exploring war from both subject specific and interdisciplinary perspectives. Pupils at Tarbert Academy have created their own images of what war might look like for them; Clyde Valley High have been discussing war art and the deeper meanings hidden within it. At Bathgate Academy, pupils are working in groups to write their own blogs or online diaries about their learning experiences. At Greenock Academy, the resource centre has been converted into a field hospital and physical borderlines have been created in the school.

One thing is certain– this week is providing many participants with a completely new experience and way of working that is all engaging.

“Day one is over. Two webisodes down and not a technology disaster in sight! Now I know why we say “lines of communication”, how fast soup can be cooked (or not). The young people are engrossed in the fight for freedom. Can’t wait for Sniper Alley tomorrow….” Teacher, Holy Cross High

Male pupil: Miss, see in maths- are we gonnae dae that State of Emergency thing tae? Maths teacher: Yes we are Male pupil: Yabby dabby dabby do! Conversation, Lochend Secondary

For an overview of the project read the recent TES article and visit the State of Emergency Glow Group.

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

Image credit: Pupil, Tarbert Academy

November 16th, 2010

STATE OF EMERGENCY – Day One

Julia Fenby

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“This film is about what’s going on in my city, right now”…..

For S2 pupils in seven secondary schools, this week began with the first of four webisodes about conflict. Each day, they will learn about the crisis and dilemmas faced when a city is transformed into a war zone.

Over the last few months, teachers have been working together with Visible Fictions theatre company to share ideas and plan activities for this intensive week. The State of Emergency Glow Group is the central collaborative space for all participants; it contains an amazing bank of documents and information on war and related issues, with materials relevant to all subject areas and aspects of the Curriculum.

Now State of Emergency has begun, schools are uploading images, videos and diary entries about their experiences and their learning. Here are just a few entries from Day One:

“Red Cross and Army came through as did staff in school….Loads of discussion, design of emergency shelters, building emergency shelters, army assault course, science dept filtering dirty burn water through socks, tights, sand and other things and the webcasts - first class. We also had our own STV newsdesk presentations personalising the state of emergency to Cumnock. Roll on day 2..”

Teacher, Cumnock Academy

“We started playing games to get to know each other. We then got into groups to discuss the film we watched in the morning, we also discussed what a state of emergency is and the things we would need if this happened. After lunch a police officer came into the school and showed us their equipment for a riot and a state of emergency. We got back to class we talked about the difference between needs and wants, we came to a conclusion about healthcare, basic food, childcare, water and shelter as our basic needs. Transport caused us come debate but in the end we decided in was a need because our legs are a type of transport too. Nearer the end of the day we talked about world war two, rationing, the dig for victory and make mend and do campaigns. Pupil, Bathgate Academy

And from a teacher in Greenock Academy:

“We thought we’d struggle to fill three days, now we think we could keep this running for two whole weeks”

For an overview of the project read the recent TES article and visit the State of Emergency Glow Group.

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

Image credit: Eoghann MacColl, Cumnock Academy