Education Scotland has purchased a licence to allow all Glow users to use all Just2Easy’s online tools from 8th March 2012 for 18 months.
To find out more about the tools in Just2Easy read this Glow Scotland Blog post.
Tag Archives: Glow
Team Update
The Early Years team are busy preparing for our Pre Birth to Three conference taking place on Thursday 29th March at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. We are looking forward to hearing about ‘Creating Nurturing Environments’ and ‘Supporting Parents’ just to name a few of the presentations that will take place.
If you would like to learn more about Pre Birth to Three visit:
…and on Glow…www.bit.ly/PB23Glow
In the meantime keep an eye out for:
- news of our Saturday Conference in May “Learning about Scotland in the Early Years” which will take place at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall 19 May 2012 – save the date!
- Our latest issue of Early Years Matters focusing on involving parents, featuring articles on our new publication Every Day’s a Learning Day, examples of practice from nurseries on involving parents and research findings from the Early Development Instrument.
Working in our National Parks – A Series of Events
Join us for the first two Glow TV events in a series looking at outdoor learning and skills for work.
Our first session comes live from Hermitage Academy on Thursday 22nd March from 11-12pm where pupils will be meeting two employees of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park to give you an insight into the pathways to and the roles of a planner (particularly around the built environment) and a ranger (with roles in education and conservation). You will learn what qualifications, skills and areas of expertise are required and developed in both roles and have opportunities for questioning our experts.
In our second session on Tuesday 27th March from 2pm join our panel of experts, including some pupils involved, to learn about rural skills. A similar session to the one on Thursday 22nd March is featured, along with footage of a rural skills course in action with interviews from pupils, teacher and National Park ranger delivering the course.
Hear about the skills for work opportunities and how a course such as this helps the development of a suite of ‘soft’ skills which are transferable and support transition into work. There will be opportunities to interact and have your questions answered during both sessions.
Sign up and join us in Glow TV for Working in our National Parks – live from Hermitage Academy on Thursday 22nd and Working in our National Parks – Rural Skills on Tuesday 27th March. We look forward to seeing you!
It’s Not Too Late to Sport Your Trainers!
Did you Sport your Trainers and get involved in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games on 12th March? If you didn’t take part though it isn’t too late you still can by registering in the Sport Your Trainers 2012 Glow Group and letting us know how you will continue to take part.
We challenged you as a school to try and reach a partner country by Commonwealth Day on the 12th March of this year and show your support for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games by getting involved in this year’s Sport your Trainers campaign. You were free to choose what country you wished to partner from the Official List of Partners and then you needed to find out how far away they were from your school!
We now want to know what you did or are hoping to do as we will be keeping the challenge going!
You can take part by walking, jogging, rowing, cycling, and spinning or even skipping, the choice is yours and all activities count, so get creative!
Last year 820,000 people across Scotland pledged their support, and we want 2012 to be even bigger! By taking part in this fun challenge we’ll all be doing our bit to support the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Official Glasgow 2014 shoelaces are up for grabs for all schools that take part so you just need to sign up below to let us know that you are taking part!!
So what are you waiting for, get active!
Did you miss our Sport Your Trainers 2012 event in Glow TV – well Watch Again and check out the pictures on our Your Pictures and Resource page too!
BEd3 at UWS Ayr Investigate STEM Central
Today I visited the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) in Ayr to complete Technologies workshops with BEd3. We began by discussing the misconceptions surrounding Technologies within Curriculum for Excellence, and spent the rest of the time looking at draft second level learning journeys for STEM Central. The students thought the website was easy to use, and the ideas on the website made it easy to plan a lesson.
You can find the presentation here. (Glow log in required)
We ended by looking at some of the other resources available from Education Scotland to help with teaching Technologies:
Technologies Staffroom (Glow log in required)
Glow Science (Glow log in required)
Just2easy
Just2easy is a set of online tools that can be used to create and edit a variety of content for publication on the internet.
The tools can be used in a range of contexts to suit many different aspects of the curriculum.
Alcohol – using percentages to calculate units
Glow Meet with Tom Renwick – Monday 12 March at 2 pm
Education Scotland will be hosting a Glow Meet with a difference with Tom Renwick from Maths on Track. Aimed at third level and suitable for S1, S2 and S3 pupils, this live transmission from the Medical School at Glasgow University, will examine the percentage calculations required to confirm units of alcohol, given the volume and alcoholic strength of the liquid.
Please note that cans of beer, as well as bottles of wine and spirits, will be used as examples of numeracy in the context of everyday materials.
Colleagues from the Medical School will be on hand to help explain the effects of units of alcohol on the body.
The lesson will last about 45 minutes and be available shortly after on Watch Again TV. You will need a Glow login to view this event.
International Women’s Day – Be What You Want!
Join us on GlowTV on Thursday 8 March @ 1.45 pm
“That’s women’s work!” “You’ll need a man to do that job!”
To mark International Women’s Day, join us in challenging the stereotypes and assumptions that young people may have when considering subject choices and subsequent career paths by participating in a Glow TV event aimed at P6-P7 pupils. Sign up here
Meet the London 2012 Olympic Torch – Friday 9th March
With a little over 2 months to go until the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay starts its journey across the UK, the London 2012 Olympic Torch will make a special visit to Bruntsfield Primary School, Edinburgh on Friday 9th March and you are invited to join us via GlowTV to see the stunning Torch design for yourself!
Bank of Scotland, the Presenting Partner for Scotland of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, will be bringing the Torch to the school for a special assembly and interactive quiz which you can take part in too!
During the event pupils will learn more about the history of the Olympic Torch, plans for the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay and how they and their school can get involved when the Flame passes through their community this June.
Schools that register for Bank of Scotland National School Sport Week, delivered in partnership with sportscotland – the national agency for sport, will receive resources on how to become ‘Flame Followers’ including ideas for how to plan your own Olympic Torch celebrations. For more information and to register for Flame Followers and Bank of Scotland National School Sport Week, taking place 11-15 June 2012, visit www.schoolsportweekscotland.org
Making Connections between STEM Central & Glow Science
STEM Central provides a rich, stimulating and challenging context for learning and teaching. It makes connections between sciences, technologies and mathematics through the context of engineering allowing learners to broaden their understanding of the applications of concepts and skills developed in curriculum subjects. It allows learners to develop solutions to problems and demonstrate creativity through inquiry.
Glow Science (Glow login required) is an online resource comprising hundreds of short films. The resource is for teachers and for learners from age 8 to 14. Their films are mapped to Curriculum for Excellence outcomes and experiences, and cover all four science disciplines: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science.
If you visit the Glow Science Section on STEM Central in Motion you will find out STEM Central and Glow Science can be used together to support learning and teaching.
CfE & Glow News – February Issue
The CfE and Glow News update provides you with information about Curriculum for Excellence and support for practitioners, along with all the latest developments within Glow. Read it here.
To sign up for this newsletter, please click here.
Teaching Transport?
The STEM Central Context on Electric Transport allows practitioners and learners to explore Electric Cars. The Electric Cars learning journey with a technologies focus is aimed at fourth level. Lessons give learners experiences and opportunities to develop their understanding of the differences between electric motors and petrol engines and the functional, societal and physical issues relating to electric forms of transport. Learners can research the current state of electric transport in the world to learn from elsewhere and deepen their understanding of the issues. Surveying people in the community allows them to better understand attitudes and views relating to this issue. Learners then develop an understanding of different case studies of schemes to encourage the adoption of electric transport and then research and present a reasoned argument on the environmental impact of a wider spread use of electric transport in Scotland.
The Glow Science (Glow log in required) video on Eco-Transport could be used to support the Electric Cars Learning Journey.
Teaching Flooding?
The STEM Central Context on Water allows practitioners and learners to explore flood planning and flood management. The microgeneration learning journey has a Sciences focus aimed at third level. Lessons give learners experiences and the opportunity to develop their understanding of a renewable source of energy through practical investigation. This context would lend itself well to an interdisciplinary learning planned in partnership with technologies.
The flood planning learning journey is aimed at third level Social Studies and begins by engaging learners with the topic of flooding through discussion of local flooding issues in Scotland. Learners are given opportunities to understand the social and financial impact of flooding and possible flood prevention methods both natural and manmade. They also consider the effect of flooding on both developed and developing countries and how aid may impact on this.
The flood management learning journey is aimed at fourth level Technologies and begins by engaging learners with the topic of flooding to immerse themselves in some of the issues and problems of the people affected by flooding. Learners are given opportunities to research existing products and systems, to analyse case studies and to design, model and apply the basic principles of control technology. They also consider the possible negative impacts of engineered solutions and whether sometimes ‘low tech’, or non-engineered solutions can be appropriate by looking at practice in this country and elsewhere in the world.
There are various videos available through Glow Science (Glow log in required) that you could use to support these learning journeys:
- Hurricane Katrina: Part 1: In 2005, New Orleans was struck by Hurricane Katrina. What defences did the city have to protect it?
- Hurricane Katrina: Part 2: In 2005, New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The city had flood defences which were meant to protect it. Why did these fail and could this happen again?
- Storm Surges: Storm surges are huge domes of water sucked upwards by the eye of a hurricane. What happens if they hit the shore, or worse, a city?
Teaching Circuits?
The STEM Central Context on Electric Transport allows practitioners and learners to explore Circuits. The Circuit learning journey has a Sciences focus and is aimed at third level. Lessons give learners experiences and the opportunity to develop their understanding of circuits and their application. Learners are given the chance to apply learning by designing their own circuits for particular functions.
There are various videos available through Glow Science (Glow log in required) that you could use to support the Circuits Learning Journey:
- Circuits: This video investigates what are circuits and why do we need them? What happens if you break a circuit?
- What is a series circuit?: This video explains the properties of a series circuit.
- FactPack: How to Draw a Circuit: Find out the universal symbols which stand for different parts of the circuit.
Glow Science – Teacher Testimonial
Teacher Katy Sowden explains how Glow Science has enriched and enlivened science learning in her classroom, and how it has helped her deliver Curriculum for Excellence outcomes.
Hear from P7 pupils at Williamston Primary School, who enthuse about the content and learning style offered by Glow Science.
The Daily What Newsround
24/02/12 – 11amThe first of a whole series of ‘Daily What Newsrounds’ which we are all very excited about…
Every two weeks, on a Friday morning, Louise and Melisaa from our schools’ news service (The Daily What News- http://www.dailywhat.org.uk/) will introduce a fun-filled twenty minutes of news-related features.
This is the launch show, which will give Glow users a chance to meet Melissa and Louise and hear details of an amazing new competition they are launching. They will also give a tour of the site and discuss some of the most interesting stories from the past few weeks.
The show will continue on a fortnightly basis after that, with quiz features, special guests and lots of truly great learning opportunities. Teachers will be pleased to be reminded that every news story has a related blog post of teaching and earning suggestions, so there’s lots of ideas to take forward with classes.
You will grow to really like Louise and Melissa and what a great chance for Glow users to find out more about the news in general and certain stories in particular.
Click here to sign up to The Daily What Newsround. (Glow log in required)
Glow Science
Glow Science is a great free resource offering rich engaging learning material for pupils aged 8-14. Inspire your pupils to engage with Science across the curriculum.
Glow Science is a stunning video-based learning resource designed for pupils aged 8 to 14 to engage their imaginations and enhance their understanding of Science in the modern world. Over 500 three-minute films and their associated learning materials (including quizzes, lesson ideas, extension questions, diagrams, images), cover Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science.
Topics in Chemistry and Physics include the Periodic Table and Newton’s laws of motion; Biology includes films about the brain, heart, pregnancy, senses, muscles, lungs, hormones; Earth Science covers a wide range of topics from volcanoes to renewable energy.
Glow Science can be used in many different ways to support the Sciences experiences and outcomes, as well as other areas of Curriculum for Excellence. It has been available free to all teachers in Scotland since April 2011 and is accessed using your Glow username and password.
Katy Sowden, principal teacher at Williamston Primary school in Livingston, has seen a marked improvement in levels of pupil engagement since she started using Glow Science as well as helping to deepen her own understanding of science concepts. You can read a cookbook of Katy and her pupils using the resource in class.
Glow Science answers pupils’ questions: “What makes our blood red? Why do some people see smells and hear colours? How does the largest mammal on earth hold its breath for up to two hours? It allows learners to journey from Earth’s core to land surface, examining the layers that make up our planet; they can discover how our DNA make us unique and understand the scientific evidence that supports the Big Bang theory.
New content is regularly added to Glow Science. The latest Biology module is called Healthy Living and covers Health and Disease, Substance Misuse, Fitness and Nutrition.You can download a list of over 500 films from the Glow Science website.
The Daily What in Mind Reading shock!
At the start of February I was blogging about the amazing breakthrough in brain computer interfacing, reported widely in the press, which links to our forthcoming Bioengineering context on STEM Central.
Turns out those clever folks at The Daily What read my mind to come up with this article and interesting lesson ideas and suggestions. The Brain Quiz (mind reading not required, just click the mouse) can be used to introduce or refresh prior learning on the brain and nervous system, with ideas for discussion topics and links to information and animations to support learning and teaching.
Talking Stem Cells
21/02/12 – 2pm
Scottish Stem Cell Network (SSCN) have been running a series of interactive workshops on the topic of Stem Cells.
The workshops are delivered live by scientists enhancing the class room experience and providing a unique opportunity to explore science as a career. The scientists presenting this session are Dr Paul Shiels from Glasgow University and Dr Andy Downes from Edinburgh University.
Resources address key objectives by setting up scenarios to encourage Interdisciplinary learning specifically addressing areas of Science, RMPS together with issues from Health and Wellbeing. The resources are designed to develop skills in group work within and across schools and critical analysis skills where the students will be assessing the moral and ethical issues associated with scientific advancements based on factual information validated and delivered by experts in the field.
The workshops are lead by a stem cell scientist, making use of a mix of presentations, interactive quizzes, video and web based activities and cover:
• A basic introduction into stem cells, the science.
• How can we use Stem Cells
• What does the future hold
• The Ethical questions
• Careers in the Stem Cell Industry
These workshop sessions are aimed at S5 Higher Human Biology/ Higher Biology classes.
This event will be coming live from Forth Valley College on the day.
Click here to sign up and join in! (Glow log in required)
Please ensure that you have contacted Henriette Laidlaw prior to the event to ensure that you have the relevent materials – Henriette@sscn.co.uk
Challenge Sectarianism – Accreditation Scheme for Schools
Nil By Mouth is a charity organisation which offers free services to all Scottish schools to challenge sectarianism. We provide workshops for all ages, primary and secondary.
They have recently launched the Nil by Mouth Champion for Change Accreditation Scheme. This accreditation will acknowledge and promote schools that are actively working to challenge sectarianism through the school and the wider community. Find out more on their National Glow Group.
Aberdeen Uni investigate STEM Central
Yesterday (08/02/12), I visited the University of Aberdeen to complete a Technologies workshop with BEd3 & PGDE students. We began by discussing the misconceptions surrounding Technologies within Curriculum for Excellence, and spent the rest of the time looking at draft second level learning journeys for STEM Central. The students thought the website was easy to use, they liked how there were suggested learning intentions and success criteria and also felt that there was lots of ideas that they could adapt to their own lesson planning.
You can find the presentation here. (Glow log in required)
We ended by looking at some of the other resources available from Education Scotland to help with teaching Technologies:
Technologies Staffroom (Glow log in required)
Glow Science (Glow log in required)
Outdoor Learning Cookalong with SSERC
On Thursday 8th March, SSERC will be hosting another Cookalong in their tremendously successful series of innovative and accessible CPD. This is a second opportunity to join in the Outdoor Learning Cookalong. Andy Boswell, one of the SSERC Development Officers, will be looking at practical ways of exploring the environment, including observation and sampling. There will be links to CfE Science experiences and outcomes as well as lots of ideas for cross-curricular links. SSERC is pleased to be able to offer a limited number of free resource boxes to support the Cookalong and the implementation of the practical activities covered.
If you would like to participate in this CPD event, please contact hayley.sherrard@sserc.org.uk for an application form (deadline for submission is 29th February 2012). By confirming your participation, you will be entered in the ballot for a free box of resources which are specifically tailored to support the CPD activities on the day. Even if you are unsuccessful in getting a free box, you can still take part, whether you choose to source your own resources or not. Many resources are inexpensive and easy to source so we do not anticipate that this will be a problem. For those who wish to source their own kit you can find the recommended kit list on the SSERC Cookalong Glow group pages in due course.
You can make the most of this CPD by encouraging colleagues to help ‘cook along’ on this Outdoor Learning CPD session. Previous participants have arranged cluster schools to come together as well as colleagues from secondaries to assist with Primary-Secondary transition.
This course has no fee, all that is asked in return is that you and each of your colleagues fill in a short SSERC evaluation form in order that they can further refine and improve this exciting way of delivering CPD for the future. Please note that by submitting your application to receive a box you are committed to attending the Cookalong on the 8th March.
And don’t forget…even if you happen to miss a Cookalong, Glow allows for meetings to be recorded and watched back at a time to suit you! You can see the Cookalong again from the “Recorded Meetings” link on the SSERC Cookalong Lab (Adobe Connect) area of the Noticeboard within the Glow Group.
To register with the SSERC Cookalong Glow Group please send your Glow username and school/centre to ian.birrell@sserc.org.uk.
World of Work Wednesdays – Working on the Stage
We started off our new season of World of Work Wednesday events looking at Working in the Theatre and we now move to looking at other careers that you can have – and in particular working on the stage!
Artistic Director, Stage Manager, Marketing Manager are all jobs within theatre and roles you may have heard of. But what does it really take to do a job like this and how do you get a foot in the door? Join Andy Arnold, David Sneddon and Lindsay Mitchell from the Tron Theatre for World of Work Wednesdays. Don’t miss out on your chance to ask these professionals all about the different aspects of their jobs.
So why not join us on Wednesday 1st February from 1.45pm – Sign up in Glow TV.
新年快乐 – More Chinese New Year Celebrations
Glow TV is delighted to announce that two further Chinese New Year events have been added to the schedule. On Monday 30th January at 1.20pm we will be coming live from the Confucius Hub at St Ninian’s High School in East Dunbartonshire with a Chinese New Year Show. Throughout the hour long show you will be entertained by Dragon Dancing, Chinese singing and dancing, Chinese drama and a live singing competition between 6 S1 classes!! Plus much much more. To finish the show the young people will be singing Auld Lang Syne in Mandarin and English. We hope that you can join us – sign up in Glow TV!
Then on Thursday 2nd February we will be continuing the celebrations with a recorded performance from a group from Shanghai who visited Scotland this week. As part of their brief visit to Scotland for the Chinese New Year a delegation from Shanghai performed in certain Confucius Hubs and also paid a visit to Education Scotland where we were lucky enough to have the event recorded.
The performance is beautiful and colourful and includes singing and dancing as well as Chinese drama. We invite you to join us for a Glow Meet with Fan Lin, LTS Confucius Institute Manager where you can watch the recording of the performance and then ask Fan questions about it and all other things that interest you about Chinese New Year!! Sign up in Glow TV for – Shanghai Delegation Perform Confucius Institute Spring Festival Performance 2012
And don’t forget our King of Masks event on the 6th February from 10.15am and later that day the 龙年大吉 Good luck with the year of dragon – Close of Celebrations events at 2pm!!
Global citizenship online community – now LIVE
Do you have an interest in, or remit for, global citizenship? Need some advice or want to share ideas with like-minded practitioners?
If so, then you’ll probably want to have a peek at the shiny new online community for global citizenship on CPD Central. Join now so you can brag to colleagues about how you were one of the pioneering members .
Why have we set it up? Well, there’s always a buzz of ideas and sharing at our face-to-face CPD events and we thought it’d be amazing if we could find a way of bringing people together again and again to keep the discussion and buzz going. Well we’ve found a way! Here’s your bit:
Step 1 – Visit http://bit.ly/DGConline and add your picture (Glow log in required)
Step 2 – Share an idea or ask the audience
Welcome gift! If you join before Friday 17th February 2012 we’ll be happy to offer you a special gift to welcome you to the community – one of our highly-prized global citizenship wall calendars (these have been flying off our shelves!).
Glow Science
Twig Science won a BETT award earlier this month for Glow Science.
Glow Science is a free resource offering rich engaging learning material for learners aged 8-14. It can be used in many different ways to support the Sciences experiences and outcomes, as well as other areas of Curriculum for Excellence. Glow Science has been available free to all teachers in Scotland since April 2011 and is accessed using your Glow username and password. It includes over 500 three-minute films and associated learning materials (including quizzes, lesson ideas, extension questions, diagrams, images), for Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science.
Panda Competition Winners Announced!
Dual post from the Glow Scotland Blog.
Firstly, we would like to thank all schools who took part in our Panda leaflet competition. We were overwhelmed by the response we received, both in the sheer number of entries (which is why it has taken us so long to judge!) and in the standard of those entries.
We took into account how well the entries had met the competition’s requirements (a leaflet giving information about visiting them at the zoo) and the standard of information provided, as well as the overall design quality.
We really were most impressed with the entries and only wish we had more prizes to give out. Congratulations to everyone involved. We have also been very impressed with the number of comments on the blog and just how much interest has been shown in the topic. It clearly shows that pupils have been as excited about the arrival of Tian Tian and Yang Guang as we have. Well done! And Happy Chinese New Year to you all as well!
And now for the big news. Here are the winners:
| Name | Class | School | Prize |
| Ellis Stables | P3 | Kirkcowan Primary | 1st– Panda and GTV T-shirt |
| Rory Crombie | P6b | St Joseph’s Primary | 2nd– Panda and GTV T-shirt |
| Liam Eccleston | P5 | Caerlaverock School | 3rd – Panda hat and GTV T-shirt |
| Ashley Leggat | P4 | Drumblade Primary | 1st runner-up |
| Faye Jackson | P7 | Caerlaverock School | 1st runner-up |
| Carine Bissett | P6 | Caerlaverock School | 1st runner-up |
| Morgan Murray + Emma Barclay | P5 | Goldenhill Primary | 1st runner-up |
| Greig Sinclair | St Joseph’s Primary | Runner-up | |
| Dylan Bell Drummond | St Joseph’s Primary | Runner-up | |
| Eilidh Skinner | Whitdale Primary | Runner-up | |
| Amy Begbie | Whitdale Primary | Runner-up | |
| Ryan Conroy | P5 | St Joseph’s Primary | Runner-up |
| Aoife Mclaughlin | P6 | St Joseph’s Primary | Runner-up |
| Abbie Ribbens | P4 | Kirkcowan | Runner-up |
| Amy Smith | P3 | Kirkcowan | Runner-up |
| Archie Mortiboy | P4 | Kirkcowan | Runner-up |
| Jy Guthrie | P4 | Barrshare Primary | Runner-up |
| Zak Service | P3 | Kirkcowan | Runner-up |
| Freya Coyle | Balbardie Primary | Runner-up | |
*Please allow until next week to receive prizes. 
We will try to post some more of the entries here as time allows, but here is the winning entry, submitted by Ellis Stables of Kirkcowan Primary School. Ellis will receive the larger of the two pandas we picked up as well as a Glow TV T shirt and some sweeties. Well done, Ellis! We picked your entry because it was very informative, with just the kind of information we were looking for. We also choose Ellis as the overall winner because of the fact that it was a P3 entry and of such a high standard.
Rory PandasThe second prize goes to Rory Crombie from P6b at St Joseph’s Primary. Rory’s entry can be viewed by clicking the link here. Very high standard from Rory, with lots of information and quite a high degree of IT skills in preparing his document. Great work!
Runners up will receive a Glow TV T shirt from us and 1st runners up will receive a Glow TV T shirt as well as a small panda gift from the Edinburgh zoo gift shop.
Health and Wellbeing Showcase – Carnegie Conference Centre, Thursday 26th January 2012
The Health and wellbeing team are welcoming a hundred practitioners to the 
first of our Showcase events. We have a packed day celebrating good practice across the health and wellbeing organisers. There is marketplace where some of our partners are available to discuss how they can support schools and we have a keynote speech from Dr Rosemary Geddes, Research Fellow for the Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy at the Medical Research Council in Edinburgh. Also Julie Wilson from Outdoor Learning will stimulate ideas about how schools can deliver health and wellbeing by taking the curriculum outside. Click here to go the Outdoor Learning Blog for updates.
We hope our delegates gain a lot from the day and would encourage them to sign up to our HWB Community where we will share the presentations from the day and partner contact information. Click here to sign up to the community.
Also don’t forget to join Education Scotland on Facebook and Twitter.
Wise up Wednesday!
Happy Wednesday to all!
The Early Years Team have added new examples from Glow Cookbooks to the ‘Places to Go’ section of the Glow Group.
The newest example
to be added to Cookbooks is “Jessie Porter nursery: sharing and collaborating through Glow“.
In this example of using Glow in a nursery you will find ideas on creating a glow group which performs many functions including improving transitions through Glow Meets, sharing evidence in videos and photos and shared planning exemplars. You can also request to be part of the Glow group to allow you to see what methods Jessie Porter Nursery use.
CfE & Glow News e-update – January
The CfE and Glow News e-update provides you with updates on Curriculum for Excellence and support for practitioners, along with all the latest developments within Glow.
Click here to view the newsletter or click on the links below.
Read the January issue to find out about the following:
- New case studies on National Assessment Resource
- Building your Curriculum: Developing your secondary curriculum
- Quality assurance and moderation – what is it?
- Recently published support materials for practitioners:
- New – National Qualifications
- Education Scotland’s Learning Blog
- Join the Great Climate Change Debate on Glow
- Glow Science wins BETT award
- Glow Light images needed – please send us your pictures
- New Panda UK blog offers news, ideas and learning resources
- Getting Outside: a new blog for outdoor learning
- A selection of Glow Cookbooks
Climate Change Debate on Glow 2: Climate science – evidence versus controversy
A series of thought-provoking and lively Glow meets 
2pm – 3:15pm, Monday 30th January 2012
Climate change is never far from the headlines and is an issue which continues to cause much debate and controversy. Scandals such as Himalayagate and the hacking of emails at the University of East Anglia have shaken public confidence in the credibility of climate science. Media reporting of the issue has also left the sections of the public with the view that the scientific evidence is contested and inconclusive.
What is the scientific community saying about climate change? How much of the evidence is beyond doubt? What do scientists agree on and what do they disagree on? Amid claims of manipulation of evidence and conspiracies, who can we believe?
In this, the second in a series of three national Glow meets, learners will have a chance to air their views and put searching questions to our panel of scientists including:
– Dr. Dave Reay, Senior Lecturer in Carbon Management at the University of Edinburgh and author of Our Planet Needs You! A Kid’s Guide to Going Green.
– Dr. Richard Milne, Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, University of Edinburgh – winner of EUSA award for innovative teaching as voted for by students across the university.
Visit http://bit.ly/climatedebate2 to register, post your questions in advance and join the Glow meet on the day. This Glow meet is aimed at learners in upper primary and secondary schools.
For resources and videos on climate change visit Weather and Climate Change, Exploring Climate Change, STEM Central and Climate Change on Glow.
Other events in the series include:
– Glow meet 1: Our changing weather and climate – To view the Glow Meet recording click here.
– Glow meet 3: Adapting to climate change (6th Feb ’12)
Burns Day Celebrations in Glow
This year Glow is joining Dalgety Bay Primary School in Fife to celebrate Burns Day 2012 with Kevin Thompson and Burns 250.
We are broadcasting two separate events one specifically for P1-3 and the other for P 4-7. The first Glow Meet is for P 1-3 and will involve story telling about the life of Robert Burns, his poems and lots of opportunities to sing along to many of his famous, and sometimes funny songs! This event begins at 9.45am – Sign up and join this event.
Then at 11am we have something for the P4 -7 children. In this our second live session Kevin in his one-man show accompanied by Powerpoint slides will tells Burns’ life-story based around his songs and poems.
The songs and poems are woven into a narrative telling about key points in Burns’ life from his birth in 1759 to his untimely death just 37 years later. The best way to enjoy Burns is to take part so audience participation is encouraged where songs have choruses!! Sign up and join this event.
So why not sign up and join us for these very Scottish celebrations live in Glow TV?!
Further Burns resources can be found on the Education Scotland website.
New Literacy across learning materials
New reading support materials for first and second levels and new Literacy across learning materials to support the third and fourth levels are now available on Glow.
First and second level materials
‘Reading to Learn; Learning to Read’ are new reading support materials to support first and second levels. They are now available in Glow: (Glow log-in required).
These materials include practical ideas to develop and support reading at first and second level, active learning strategies for teaching reading and a wide variety of approaches to support reading.
Specific areas covered include:
- reciprocal reading.
- hot-seating.
- before, during and after reading activities.
- the Thinking Reader.
Third and fourth level materials
New Literacy across learning materials to support the third and fourth levels are now available in Glow. (Glow log-in required).
These materials include information on:
- practical strategies and ideas to develop literacy across learning
- listening and talking strategies
- writing across the curriculum
- recording literacy across the curriculum
- analysing moving image texts
- reciprocal reading strategies
- information literacy
- Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
- links to additional resources.
Climate Change Debate on Glow
Glow meet 1 – Our changing weather and climate
2pm – 3:15pm, Monday 23rd January 2012
Click here to watch the Glow Meet Recording
What’s happening to our weather? Within days of autumn 2011 being declared the second warmest on record, Scotland was put on red alert and subsequently battered by severe flooding and hurricane force winds which forced much of our country to a standstill.
Is this weather just a random blip or is our weather and climate already changing? How can we accept the evidence for global warming when the last two Scottish winters were so cold? What’s the long-term forecast – sunny spells or scattered storms? In this the first in a series of three national Glow meets, learners will have a chance to voice their opinion and put weather and climate questions to Alex Hill, the MET Office’s Chief Advisor to the government in Scotland and Northern Ireland and former Head of the London Weather Centre.
Visit here to register, post your questions in advance and join the Glow meet on the day. This event is for learners in upper primary and secondary schools.
For resources and videos on climate change visit Weather and Climate Change and Exploring Climate Change and Climate Change on Glow.
Other events in the series include:
Glow meet 2: Climate science – evidence versus controversy (30th Jan ‘12)
Glow Does Panto! – Mister Merlin
Join the Tron Theatre Glasgow Panto characters for a live Glow Meet.
Mister Merlin’s magic is mince if he doesn’t have his wand – a family heirloom handed down through many Merlin generations. The Great Bahooky’s magic has always been mince – so stealing Mister Merlin’s wand, helped (or is it hindered?) by his side-kick Bumble, is part of his cunning plan for wizard world domination.
What he didn’t bank on was Merlin having a guardian angel, in the guise of The Govan Fairy; or two plucky puppet pals Peter and Penny prepared to brave Clabber Castle’s haunted garden to get the wand back.
You will be able to meet the cast, ask them questions and find out all about the magic of Mister Merlin. –
Sign up now and join us in Glow TV on Wednesday 21st December from 1.45 – 2.30pm.
New Video Resources for Scottish Theatre
Visit the national drama teachers glow group
and you will notice new tabs at the top of the glow group entitled ‘Video resources’. Joe Gallacher from Replico Theatre has kindly offered to share these videos with practitioners who are interested in Scottish theatre. The documentaries feature a variety of Scottish plays first produced at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty first and include interviews with some of Scotland’s leading playwrights, such as Nicola McCartney, Ann Marie Di Mambro, Sue Glover, Liz Lochhead, Stephen Greenhorn, David Harrower and David Greig.
Wise Up Wednesday!
Did you know that by clicking on the Christmas stocking on the Early Years Glow page you will be taken to a big exciting box of Christmas activities and ideas?
Can’t wait to see it? Well click here now!
Higher Computing – pupil support and pupil voice
Last session, the Computing Department in John Ogilvie High School, South Lanarkshire, decided to create a Glow Group to host all of the resources that pupils studying Higher Computing would need access to throughout the year. Joe Kane is Head of the Business Education and Computing faculty and undertook the task of building the Group.
Joe was keen to ensure that pupils studying Higher Computing had easy access to all information and resources they would need for the course and also would have a place where they could give feedback.
He wanted to simplify the look of the Glow Group and aid pupils’ navigation around it and so decided to use a graphical interface along with hidden pages.
On the Noticeboard page of the Group, Joe deleted the default web parts from the page, added a Text Editor web part and uploaded an image to it. He then created ‘hot spots’ on the image to provide links to each of the hidden pages.
See the Glow Cookbook here.
Sharing School Improvement Plans
On Wednesday, I visited West Lothian’s Learning and Teaching Development Team to investigate some of the ways they have been using Glow to help with communication across the Local Authority.
One of the ways they did this was to use a Glow Blog to enable schools to share School Improvement Plans. The blog alowed school to categories their plans so that they were arranged in cluster areas and also they could tag their plans with their priorities.
To find out more about this visit, click here to visit the Chalkface Blog post.
To find out about other ways West Lothian have been using blogs to communicate click here.
Using blogs to share the learning
On Wednesday, I visited West Lothian’s Learning and Teaching Development Team to investigate some of the ways they have been using Glow to help with communication across the Local Authority.
One of the ways they did this was to change the West Lothian Glow Community. Instead of having a focus on Glow Groups, this area now has a focus on two blogs: Sharing our Learning and Staff CPD Share.
The Sharing our Learning blog is a public blog where teachers and the senior management team can share what is happening in their school, from awards to assemblies, events to an exciting lesson. The purpose of this blog is that as an authority West Lothian can share what is happening between practitioners, pupils and parents.
To view the Sharing our Learning blog click here. You can also find out how to create a blog similar to this one by visiting this Glow Cookbook.
Staff CPD Share is a Glow only blog for staff. In this blog CPD co-ordinators can advertise CPD events, staff can share Glow Groups, resources and tips, Network leaders and CfE co-ordinators can post updates, etc.
To find out more about by visit and the impact of using Glow to improve communication click here .
To find out about other ways West Lothian are using Glow to communicate click here.
Using Glow to support ICT across a Local Authority
Yesterday I visited West Lothian’s Learning and Teaching Development Team to investigate some of the ways they have been using Glow to help with communication across the Local Authority.
One of the ways they have been using Glow, is that they have set up an ICT to Support Learning and Teaching Glow Group. Within this Glow Group practitioners can find:
– the ICT tools available on West Lothian laptops and computers
– video tutorials on how to use the tools
– how the tools can used to support learning
– case studies
– ideas for using ICT to support Additional Support Needs
To find out more about this visit click here.
Using Technologies for Learning
Today I had the opportunity to visit Bridgend Primary School in West Lothian to find out how they had used Technologies for Learning during their Interdisciplinary Topic of Orkney.
To find out how the teacher used Technologies for Learning during their topic click here.
To listen to how the class used a blog to communicate with a school in Orkney click here.
Karlie and her pupils presented on this project at the Scottish Learning Festival 2011, to find out more click here.
Panda-monium as Sweetie and Sunshine land in Edinburgh
Our Glow TV team had an unusually early start to their Sunday as they braved the cold and snow and made their way to Edinburgh zoo for the arrival of two very special black and white guests. Known as Tian Tian and Yang Guang, or ‘Sweetie’ and ‘Sunshine’ the Pandas arrived just after lunchtime on Sunday 4th December to an excited throng of flag-waving well-wishers and a tartan-clad pipe band playing ‘Scotland the Brave’.
To find out more about the visit to the Zoo and about Glow activities your class can take part in click here.
Click here to visit the panda blog.
There is still time to enter the Glovember competition
Now that our amazing Glovember Author Events have finished, Education Scotland is giving you two more weeks to enter your stories, poems and illustrations for the Glovember competition.
All you have to do is go to the Glovember Glow Group within Glow, click on the competition page tab and upload your story, poem or illustration. Be sure to do this before the closing date of Friday 16th December.
Winners will be announced in January, after some of our authors have helped us with the judging.
Winning entries will be published in our eBook and read by one of the Glovember Authors.
Head Teacher / Depute Head Teacher HWB Event, Tuesday 6th Dec, Radisson Hotel, Glasgow
The Health and Wellbeing Team are looking forward to spending a day with 100 Head Teachers and Depute Head 
Teachers from the Central Belt. We have inputs from Head Teachers and HMIE around leadership, planning and assessment in health and wellbeing.
We are encouraging participants to sign up to our hwb lead community which will also give members access to the hwb-cpd community.
To add to the share area click here.
To add your intention about impact after the event click here.
Remember to use the hashtag #hwblead which you can also use to tweet about the event.
Pandamonium!
I am delighted to hear that the pandas are arriving in Scotland on Sunday. This is a mark of the growing friendship between Scotland and China. The pandas offer another exciting opportunity for schools, teachers and pupils to engage with China, its language and culture. The arrival also offers opportunities to stimulate learning right across Curriculum for Excellence, e.g. environment and cultural heritage, science, literacy and creativity. The Panda Blog provides ideas related to these examples. We have already had schools indicating their interest in finding out more about the pandas and Glow offers an excellent way to share information, resources and ideas for practice. The Panda Blog is a starting point and will lead to the further development of resources. We are looking forward to working with colleagues in the zoo to provide news and updates about the pandas to local authorities and schools.
Professor Kay Livingston, Education Scotland.
To visit the Panda Blog click here.
Click below to sign up for the Glow TV Events (glow log in required):
06/12/2001 – 2:30pm: Pandaphernalia
07/12/2011 – 10am: Panda facts with DWN Eds and Competition details
08/12/2011 – 02:00 pm: Pandamentary
Click below to view The Daily What News articles:
Forensic Rookies, Transition and the Astrazenica Science Teaching Trust (AZSTT)
Lauren Boath, Development Officer for Sciences, was excited to attend a meeting of the practitioners participating in the AZSTT funded “Forensic Rookies” project. This was the initial briefing by Professor Susan Rodrigues of the University of Northumbria, whose main research interests are in the language of science, teacher professional development and the use of ICT to transform teaching, learning and assessment in science. Neil Taylor, Programme Director of PGDE Secondary programme at the University of Dundee has worked with Susan and the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee to put together a series of lesson ideas to engage learners in dialogue around science and the nature of evidence.
Working in conjunction with the University of Dundee’s Xanthe Mallet, whom many of you will recognise as one of the stars of BBC’s History Cold Case, primary and secondary classes will share information via Glow Wikis, with input from Xanthe, to solve a crime. The participating learners from schools in West Lothian, Shetland and Perth & Kinross will have the chance to share their conclusions via a Glow meet in February. Will they succeed in solving the crime?
NQT Health and wellbeing Event, Hampden, Sat 3rd December
The Health and Wellbeing Team are looking forward to spending a day with 150 NQT’s. We have presen
tations from two Head Teachers about how they lead health and wellbeing in their schools and much more.
We will be launching our hwb-cpd community and are encouraging all participants to sign up throughout the day.
Anyone can sign up for a priority place for more Health and wellbeing events happening in early 2012.
To add to the share area click here
To set an intention click here
Curriculum Update at Glow Key Contacts
Today I went along to the Glow Key Contacts Meeting to give an update about new resources from the Curriculm Team at Education Scotland.
You will find the presentation I used here. (Glow log in required)
The resources I highlighted included:
Enterprising Science & Technologies
The aim of these materials is to support teachers who wish to undertake interdisciplinary learning for children and young people from pre-school to age 15, by providing high quality guidelines for planning.
Making connections across learning 3-15
The principal focus is on science and technology, while making appropriate, relevant and purposeful links to other areas of the curriculum. The project has been developed as a partnership between the Association for Science Education and the Technology Teachers’ Association, led by HMIE and with professional support from Learning and Teaching Scotland.
Ideas maps
‘Ideas maps’ are used as the basis for developing related activities and experiences for the sciences and technologies. The approach offers choice, flexibility and stimulus for teachers to develop their own ideas. The ideas maps provide a good start for interdisciplinary teaching and can contribute to connected, meaningful learning for children and young people.
The project provides many opportunities for cross-subject working in secondary schools, and for collaboration between primary and secondary establishments. The potential for involving parents, employers, entrepreneurs and community organisations as partners is significant – each topic highlights these opportunities and suggests where this would be of benefit.
To find out more about the resource click here.
To visit the Glow Group and access the resources click here. (Glow log in required)
Moving Image Education
Moving Image Education (MIE) is fast becoming an integral part of 21st century literacy and modern teaching practice. Using moving image texts as a source in addition to the written word has been proved to vastly increase wider literacy skills, confidence, engagement and fun in the classroom.
Education Scotland is working in partnership with Creative Scotland to make moving image education more accessible and active within Glow.
We now have a Moving Image Education National Glow Group which is steadily being populated with information, resources and CPD opportunities. Work is also underway to engage with Glow users across Scotland and encourage them to participate in interesting and relevant topics of discussion through the group’s Glow Forum. We look forward to seeing you on Glow.
A RIGHT wee blether – What Did You Do?
Have you and your class been taking part in a RIGHT Wee Blether? If so why not join our Glow Meet and share with us what you have been doing?
We all hope you have enjoyed blethering with your 2 to 5 year olds. In this Glow Meet you will see Tam Baillie, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People in Broxburn Primary and Nursery talking to staff and children about how they took part, join us to show us your wee books about him and tell us your stories!!
We will also be looking at some of Our Wee Stories which have been returned to the office and if we’re lucky the blether bear will be there too!
So sign up and join us in Glow TV on Thursday 24th November from 11-12pm.
CPDMeet 41 – Using Glow in the Classroom
We’re pleased to say that the programme of CPDMeets will be restarted with an offering from the Stepin community.
On Thursday 1st December at 7pm two of the mentors for this community will lead a session on using Glow in the classroom. You will be in the very safe hands of some expert practitioners here, so please come and join them as they share a bit of their Glow magic! Some of you may have seen Olivia Wexelstein talk eloquently at SLF in September about the amazing work her primary learners have been doing using Glow for projects, blogging and portfolios, and Caroline Breyley from Shetland uses Glow regularly with her school to forge and maintain local and international links.
Sign up as usual to this opportunity on Glow http://bit.ly/cpdmeet41
PS. You can find a number of recorded CPDMeets and other online CPD on Glow here http://bit.ly/onlinecpd. Might be worth a bookmark on your browser
Videos from the ICT in Education Summit
The Scottish Government recently announced a change to its approach to ICT in education. The ICT in Education Summit on October 17 discussed the stated five objectives with educationalists and learning technologists from across the country.
You can watch the videos from the event here.
You can follow the tweets from this topic at #EduScotICT
Say Bonjour to Remote French Teaching
Cross post from the Glow Scotland Blog.
SAY BONJOUR TO REMOTE FRENCH TEACHING (TESS, 18 November 2011)
Intermediate 1 French at Tiree High is a lesson like no other. The S3 pupils’ teacher, Helene Bernard, teaches them from 140 miles away, in a classroom at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh.
When Tiree High was unable to fill the post for a French teacher last year, the school and its local authority had no choice but to use Glow Meet as a medium to connect its pupils with a French teacher elsewhere. A number of classes, including a P7/S1 and an Intermediate 2 class, are now regularly taught remotely.
“It has been very much a challenge for us. It has taken us probably about a year to get some basic technology issues sorted out,” said Maggie Irving, education support officer for ICT at Argyll and Bute Council.
There were problems with sound quality initially, and new laptops had to be bought to resolve these. Connecting a large number of laptops to the school’s wireless network also proved difficult, with the result that the computers are now hardwired through the network.
In addition, the new learning environment proved a challenge for younger children. “They have to sit down and listen very carefully and respond on a keyboard – not the best learning medium for those learners,” she explained.
Miss Bernard, a native French speaker, was one of two teachers last year to take on the challenge of teaching remotely.
Last week, she had the five girls in her Intermediate 2 class working on directions and maps, using Google Maps to work out and describe how they would get from one location in Lyon to another. They worked in teams to follow directions, and she marked the group’s homework, which they had uploaded onto the Glow Meet site.
“It was quite a learning curve, but we have been able to do so many things because of Glow,” she told TESS. “In a normal classroom, I can’t have all my children going on the internet and checking out real life in France, but I can do that online via Glow.”
In many ways, the teaching experience was not dissimilar to being there with the pupils, she said. “You have a whiteboard on the site, you have the children in front of you through the camera, and we have a jotter. Because it is a language, we have to speak a lot. The only thing that is different is that we have a chat box.”
Teaching via Glow could even be more efficient: “Each of the kids is in front of one computer, so they are very focused; it makes for a very effective class.”
