Category Archives: Science

Grounds for Learning film resource

This resource is for anyone who has an interest in children’s wellbeing at school although it has been designed to be particularly relevant to support staff. It explores how outdoor play in schools supports children’s learning and development, identifies a range of ideas for enriching play and shares practical advice from schools that have developed good play practice.

For more information click here.

Millennium Youth Camp 2014

Applications for the fifth international Millennium Youth Camp have begun.

The 2014 Millennium Youth Camp will be held during 3–11 June 2014 in the Greater Helsinki area in Finland. The one week camp takes place in Finland every summer and is organised by the Technology Academy Finland, the Finnish Science Education Centre LUMA (University of Helsinki) and Aalto University.

The camp offers young people from across Europe, aged between 16-19, who are interested in mathematics, the natural sciences and technology, an opportunity to learn more about Finnish expertise and top level research in these areas.  It’s also a great opportunity to meet other young people who share similar interests.

Click here for more information.

Lantra Scotland Secondary School Awards

Launched in 2012 by Lantra Scotland, with sponsorship from Royal Highland and Agriculture Society of Scotland (RHASS), the new Lantra Scotland Secondary School Awards are aimed at any secondary school delivering an environmental, aquaculture or land based project.

Lantra Scotland are seeking nominations from schools participating in, for example, creating a school garden, working in a community woodland, working on a food and drink project or any other project or activity involving pupils in horticulture, forestry, aquaculture, agriculture or environmental works.  Closing date for nominations is Friday 8th November 2013.

Click here for more information.

SEWeb – Scotland’s Environment Website (Glow TV)

6 November 2013, 11.00

Scotland’s environment is world-famous and draws tourists and visitors from across the globe. It needs to be protected but many of the challenges facing our environment are complex, and can only be solved in partnership; a partnership which involves children, young people and adults working together as citizen scientists.

This Glow meet will explain how you can get involved and to better understand, care for and improve Scotland’s environment.

Click here to sign up for this event.

For more information please read blog post:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/eslb/2013/10/14/remember-remember-the-6th-of-november-seweb-glow-meet/

Twig on Glow – volunteers needed for video editing pilot

Following the success of the Twig Summer Challenge, Twig On Glow are looking for classes who would like to try out our video editing tool. Twig Studio is a new online video editor that allows students to make films from scratch, using high quality clips as well as their own footage, voiceover and music.
A pilot of a new and improved version of the editing tool will start at the end of October and Twig are looking for Scottish schools to participate. The pilot will be suitable for students from P5 to S6.
If you think your class would be interested in taking part, or for more information, please contact Alex,amorgan@twig-world.com

Learning Experiences Catalogue now launched

Education Scotland has announced the launch of the Learning Experiences Catalogue which aims to develop a sustainable programme of relevant, engaging and challenging learning experiences for children and young people aged 3–15 within a broad general education.

Learning experiences have been designed to support children and young people to learn to create, collect, code, animate, bake, garden, build, tell stories all set within contexts and many of them are interdisciplinary.

The catalogue provides learners with a brief description of each learning experience which they can read or can be read to them by clicking the audio file beside the LearnCat icon. Graphics have been designed to support learners in understanding where the learning will take place, which curriculum areas they will learn within and who they will learn with. Educators are provided with more information about each learning experience and planning guidance.

Each academic term a new collection of learning experiences will be launched. The autumn collection of learning experiences will be live from September 2013.

Explore the Learning Experiences Catalogue today.

Ask An Astronaut with NASA

Wednesday 19th June at 10am

Join Glow TV for the fourth year of ‘Ask an Astronaut’ in collaboration with the Scottish Space School. Take part in this exclusive opportunity to talk to two star guests Rick Hieb and Amber Gell.

Rick Heib is a former NASA astronaut and a veteran of three space shuttle missions. He has logged over 750 hours in space, including over 17 hours of EVA (space walk). He was a mission specialist on STS-39 and STS-49, and was a payload commander on STS-65. He is currently the Vice-President of Lockheed Martin.

Find out more about Amber’s experience as a Rocket Scientist and Spacecraft Systems Engineer with NASA/Lockheed Martin. She is a member of the team that is designing the Orion Spacecraft which will replace the Space Shuttle and can be used to return humans to the Moon, rendezvous with asteroids, and explore Mars.

Use this unique opportunity to ask questions of our guests to get a better idea of how the fascinating solar system and their experience of it.

Take part in some space polls to find fabulous facts – do you know what was the first music video from space was?

Watch Amber and Rick taking part in a simulation to move a robotic land rover around the surface of Mars. This will mimic what astronauts have to do when they collect samples from the surface of Mars but they also have the extra task of challenging pupils on this mission!

To sign up for this event click here.

Look, Capture, Create – B is for Biodiversity and Beauty, 4 June

During week 3 of the ‘Look, capture, create’ interdisciplinary learning experience we will be joined by a scientist/mathematician from Dundee University live in the Dundee Botanic Gardens to learn more about the importance of Scottish Biodiversity and how we can do simple things to help nature survive and grow. We will look in particular at the types and purposes of the beautiful patterns nature creates.

To sign up for this event, click here.
Find out more about this interdisciplinary learning experience below and visit the Look, Capture, Create Glow group here.

Look, Capture, Create

Curious and creative learners from across Scotland have been exploring the importance and beauty of Scottish Biodiversity through Scottish designer/illustrator Johanna Basford’s exhibition ‘Wonderlands’ via Glow TV. This interdisciplinary learning experience has been developed in partnership with Dundee Contemporary Arts and is being supported by Sarah Derrick, Head of Education at DCA and Anna Rossvoll, Emerging Technologies Development Officer with Education Scotland.

Look Capture Create outline for educators

Johanna Basford is an ink evangelist who creates beautifully intricate hand drawn designs using black ink. ‘Wonderlands’ is her first solo exhibition and it is proving to be a magical context for creative learning through expressive arts, science, mathematics and languages.

Before the project went live learners were invited to join the Look, Capture, Create Glow group by submitting an InkyME! The response was astounding. Currently there are  InkyMEs exhibiting from Burravoe, Carron, Clackmannan, Hythehill, Lochgelly West, Lincluden, St Andrews and St Patricks primary schools.  The InkyMEs have even travelled to Dundee to attend the first live Glow TV event ‘Wondertales’ at Dundee Contemporary Arts on 13th May.

‘Wondertales’ encouraged learners to look at the intricacy of Johanna’s designs and to capture the detail in words to create a Wondertale!  Wendy Woolfson, an incredibly talented storyteller led the event, creating breath taking stories based on three of Johanna’s wallpaper designs. She then went on to create a collaborative tale as learners submitted their ideas live during the event. You can watch Wendy in action here.

This use of an exhibition as a form of text truly captured the imagination of learners and they have submitted incredible  Wondertales to the Glow wiki.  Learners are taking the  time to read each other’s work and leave comments. It would be lovely if you could do the same. (Glow username and password required)

Keep up to date with the Look, Capture, Create Glow blog and the next Look, Capture, Create Glow TV event will take place at Dundee Botanical Gardens at 10am on the 4th June.

Post taken from Education Scotland’s Learning blog written by A.Rossvoll