Category Archives: 20#20 Strategy

20#20 Strategy

Scottish Government Digital Strategy

The Scottish Government are refreshing the Digital Strategy for Scotland and aim to publish the strategy early in 2017. A public dialogue has been launched today to gather views and inform the development of the strategy. The strategy will set out a range of ambitions and actions to ensure that Scotland has a clear vision of its place in the modern, digital world.

The 6 key themes are: Connectivity; Economy; Skills; Public Services; Participation; Cyber Security and Resilience

Please consider sharing your views on any of the themes at : https://www.ideas.gov.scot/++admin++/a-digital-strategy-for-scotland-2013-2017-and-beyond

And if you have views specifically on cyber security resilience in the Digital Strategy then please add those to : https://www.ideas.gov.scot/++admin++/a-digital-strategy-for-scotland-2013-2017-and-beyond/cyber-resilience-2

20#20 Strategy, Help, iPads

Free iPad training from iTeach

As schools across Scotland are developing strategies for effective ways to use digital technology in Learning and Teaching – iTeach are here to help.

They can offer no-cost training to any schools who wish to look at making learning mobile, personal and powerful using iPads.

If your school have purchased iPads and would like to find ways of effectively using them in school – or if you are considering purchasing iPads they can support you with a number of planning and training sessions tailored to where you are and the vision that you have for your school.

iTeach work as education partners on the government procurement framework, their trainers are all teachers with local experience of Scottish education, and they are the largest educational training organisation in the UK.

In addition they support schools with free resources for coding through the ‘iCode’ initiative ( http://www.iteach-uk.com/programmes/icode)  and help to run effective student digital leaders programmes with ‘Digital Leaders’ ( http://www.iteach-uk.com/programmes/digital-leaders).

If you are interested in any or all of the above please contact Anna Millar, Region Manager for Scotland at anna@iteach-uk.com

 

20#20 Strategy, Glow

Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland

The Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland was published today.

The strategy aims to create the condition to allow digital technology to enhance learning and teaching across all curriculum areas. In doing so it will enable educators, learners and parents to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by digital technology.

Aim of the Strategy

“In order to realise our vision, partners at both a national and local level must work together to achieve all four of the following essential and interrelated objectives that are central to successful digital learning, teaching and assessment:

• Develop the skills and confidence of educators in the appropriate and effective use of digital technology to support learning and teaching

• Improve access to digital technology for all learners

• Ensure that digital technology is a central consideration in all areas of curriculum and assessment delivery

• Empower leaders of change to drive innovation and investment in digital technology for learning and teaching”

Click here for the full document.

20#20 Strategy

Exciting Twig/Tigtag news

Twig features over 1700 award-winning three-minute films for Science, Maths and Geography.

Check out the list of all 1700 films here!

The great news is that a new player has just been released which allows users to download and play Twig / Tigtag films offline.

twig infographic

To download films you must first install and run the Windows (only) Twig Player software application.

The same information will appear on the Tigtag and Tigtag Junior sites for users who log in with Glow credentials.

Further information here

Direct download link here

Leave your feedback here

20#20 Strategy, Glow

Twig, Tigtag & Tigtag Junior

Tigtag and Twig online resources are currently accessible via the Glow login and are used by schools across Scotland.  These award-winning resources provide high-quality videos and accompanying learning materials for sciences, mathematics and social studies. They were procured by Education Scotland in July 2015.  The contract was for one year initially with the possibility of a one year extension.

Education Scotland and Twig World agreed to the further one year extension in March 2016 which means that both Twig and Tigtag, and also Tigtag Junior and Reach Out CPD, will continue to be available to state schools through Glow until 31st July  2017.

It will not be possible for Education Scotland to extend the contract further beyond this date.  Scotland Excel, the local authority procurement organisation, will include Education Software and Digital Content as an additional lot within their re-tender of their Education Materials framework with a start date of 1st April 2017.  It will therefore be for local authorities or individual establishments to purchase digital content via this route in the future.

Please take advantage of these resources while they are freely available to you.  I have ‘priority placed’ tiles for each site on the Glow Council Launchpad.  Please log in to Glow and have a look. Please then try and find a little time to leave some feedback.

You can leave your feedback here.

 

20#20 Strategy, Help

20#20 Technologies Toolkit

Building Society: Technologies and the Significant Aspects of Learning

On 9th March 2015, Education Scotland published the Technologies Impact report “Building Society, young people’s experiences and outcomes in the technologies”.

One year later, in March 2016, Education Scotland published “Technologies: Assessing progress and achievement in significant aspects of learning”.

The following pages and attached documents are intended to support schools to self-evaluate within this context.

Click on each title to open up a new page.

EDIT

20#20 Strategy

Technologies SALS published today

Education Scotland have published the Significant Aspects of Learning for Technologies today.

This is a significant (!) release for all Stirling & Clacks establishments, because the content and structure has been so heavily revised and remodelled.  This was a consequence of the Building Society Technologies impact report, which requires that technology be placed “at the heart of learning“.

“In scrutinising the role technologies have played in recent history Education Scotland believes a change is needed in the emphasis around the role of ICT, seen previously as ‘enhancing learning’. The review confirms beyond doubt that our children and young people need digital skills and technologies to be given an absolutely central role in the learning process, no longer an enhancement or bolt-on but a foundation of learning.”

The Technologies SALS document has been carefully mapped to the updated expectations of HGIOS 4.  Consequently, there is a clear need for all schools to carefully consider the central postion of their technology strategy within their School Improvement Planning processes.

It is particularly interesting to note the following on P4 of the SALS:

“Digital Literacy  As with literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, digital literacy should be placed at the heart of all learning, not only the technologies area of the curriculum.  

  • Using digital products and services in a variety of contexts to achieve a purposeful outcome 
  • Searching, processing and managing information responsibly
  • Cyber resilience and internet safety” 
20#20 Strategy, Glow, Help, Mobile Devices

20#20 Strategy – What can Glow do for us?

By making use of the tools and resources within Glow, the following aspirations have become achievable.  Using Glow enables…

…learners to share their work with their peers and teachers.

…learners to access and share their work with their parents at home.

…dyslexic learners to adapt & manage their own printed materials, increasing their independence and reducing staff input and costs.

…all staff to access their own files and resources from anywhere.

…supply and peripatetic staff to work more effectively.

…easier access to help, support and useful learning resources.

…iPads, Androids and other mobile devices to become the textbook and jotter combined, with files saved and shared through OneDrive.

…schools and offices to become virtually paperless, with potential savings of thousands of pounds every year.

…life-long digital learning profiles to become a reality.

…Bring Your Own Device to become a reality.

…vibrant blogs & websites to be created free of charge, maintained by staff and contributed to by pupils.

…meetings to be more productive, with agendas pre-shared digitally as PDFs and minutes written in a shared-access notebook.

…existing hardware infrastructure (PCs, servers) to become increasingly irrelevant for learning & teaching, reducing the need for replacement leading to further long-term financial savings.

20#20 Strategy, Android, Glow, Help, iPads, Mobile Devices

An invitation to the RM Seminars

RM invite you to come along to the RM Seminar in Stirling. This is a free event and it is CPD accredited. Throughout the day we’ll be running three streams of presentations – two technical and one Glow related. You’ll also get the chance to network with peers and experts. Example sessions include:

– Glow and the Scottish Attainment Challenge
– Managing Mobile Devices with Lightspeed
– Your Network in the Cloud

This seminar takes place on 22nd March and we hope to see you there!
Sign up for free today.

20#20 Strategy, Glow, Help

New Apps in the Glow App Library

Find out about the latest apps in the Glow App Library to accelerate teaching and learning…

LiteracyPlanet
LiteracyPlanet is a comprehensive online program for the development of key literacy skills. For ages 4–15, it features 1,000s of interactive exercises for pre-reading, phonics, sight words, reading, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, grammar and punctuation.
Read more

Good2Go
Whether it be a simple post, an encouraging comment, a skill share, blog or photograph, Good2Go enables children to express themselves, reflect on their passions, skills and qualities, and importantly raise each other’s aspirations and sense of self-worth.
Read more about Good2Go

Q-Files
Written by specialist children’s writers, Q-Files is the world’s first fully comprehensive, free-to-user, advert-free, and regularly updated, online encyclopaedia. It has been designed specifically for children.

School Cloud Systems
On offer from BETT award-winning company School Cloud Systems is a helpful room booking system, allowing staff to book IT rooms, iPads, meeting rooms and sports facilities with single sign-on.
Find out more about School Cloud Systems

Blogs

This month’s blog posts provide a quick and helpful insight into how to achieve even more from Glow:

  • Good2Go provides solutions to some of society’s toughest challenges. Find out how
  • Find out how other schools are using online technology to improve literacy and maths.