Last Teaching Week

Well I am sure that most people like myself are enjoying the last week - no.....too many panicky students? tears streaming down their faces as they beg for that last minute help to get them through their Assessments.

You ask "Who are you" having not seen them for the last 10 weeks - occasionally they haven't even come to the right staff room.... Ah this is the GOOD week. Now they finally understand why you have been saying

"Stay on top of the work"

However, this week for me is also a sad one... my last teaching week for STOW EVER. Next week is our Down week and the week after is Canada. As much as I am looking forward to it I also feel sad (enough said .... or i'll start looking like the students who right now are trying to break down the staff room door - don't they realise it has dead bolts!)

Update

Hi all


Well busy time. Tomorrow is College people week and I am sure that it will be a week that sees the subject mentors really getting their faces out there.

I know that it is already working because more and more when I talk to practitioners in my place they are actually aware of what a subject mentor is...... a major achievment and in no short part due to everybodies engagement with the practitioners themselves.

I am going to be at CP on Monday, Thursday and Friday delivering workshops on assessment in the afternoon, but if anybody needs some help then give me a yell.

The meeting last Thursday was great. Colin and I are both looking at all the comments which came out of that and will no doubt be in touch. I was particularily interested in Claires use of google groups which hopefully she will be able to demo one day - really inovative use of the technology.

Well most folk will by now be aware that I am heading off to Canada next month...still dont have anywhere to stay or sold my own house... schools for the kids...a job ..... but hey I'm not worried

Summer Is Here

Well summer is here at last - 1 more day to go before the rain kicks in (week-end starts)

Hopefully after everybody has seen Colins evaluation framework you will see the benefits of having an up-to-date blog. Not that I am one to go on..and on...and on...and...... Don't make me do the above

Hi All

Well with Easter by (sigh!!) many people like myself will have started the sprint down to the Summer holidays with all that this entails. A busy time

If there is anything that I can do to help please contact me as I am fleeing the country on the 2nd July (honest it was my choice)

Is anybody doing any presentations for Colege peoples week - if so then I will be very happy to help you "spice it up" using web 2 technologies.

Shift Happens - Nothing stays still

Thought you might like this

Bobs Sport and Recreation Event

Well another good turn out at Cumbernauld for Bobs Group. Again the discussions with regard to EV went well, but I did laugh when one poor delegate threw himself in a chair beside me and declared very glumly

"God just discovered ive got two EVs this year. Could it get any worse.."

my answer

"Yep you might not have known"

Duncan and Robert gave their sterling presentation on E-portfolios before rushing back to Stirling to do the same at another event.... Got to admire their spirit.

Then Gerry and I tried....notice the word tried... to show SameTime, but unfortunately while it worked perfectly in the waiting area it crashed in the room itself. Fortunately Jackie from COLEG was ready to jump in - superwoman style - with her presentation on repositories.

Second Life - Event

Sorry not to have posted for so long

Two weeks ago I carried out the first ever Second Life SFEU event, which went well. It was unfortunate that poor Clarie was not able to get on in time for us disappearing off to view different worlds. However, Claire I will meet you there some time and show you around ..... that invite is open to anybody else who might want to come explore .... I have a few Avatars I could use.

Those attending included John Edmonstone of BlendED, Graeme Clark of SOLAR, Alfredo of the TRANSANET project, a passing stranger who asked to join in (dont you love SL) and several members of the SFEU Cross Curriculuar team.

I have to say that by the end I felt like a sheep dog who not only has to herd people who disappear to the left, right, front and back but given that you can fly in SL up too.

The whole of the second floor is dedicated to the subject mentors.... so have a look sometime

Peggys Hairdressing Event

Well Peggys event was very well attended and I think that it was well received. The event saw SQA coming in and talking about the new nc framework and possibilities for HND and the moves on SVQs

Duncan and Robert from Dumfries and Galloway then presented their e-portfolio system which other mentors were able to attend. I think that nobody can help but be stunned by the possibilities of this system, and I know that they are going to be presenting at other events. (using blogs btw(by the way))

Gerry then showed how we will be storing the information that is sent. He has very much simplified it and I am sure that everybody will be more than happy with the new easy system.

A Great Day

Sametime

Christine tried to carry out a SameTime conference call today, which worked between her and I. However, we were not able to hear from Jill in Aberdeen (although we could IM and see the whiteboard). It would seem that this problem was due most likely to the firewall within Aberdeen college.

While we have been sending out info on how to set up the SameTime on individual machines we also need to ensure that the ICT managers have correctly configured the firewalls to ensure that there is not a problem. While this information has been sent out to the managers, they are very busy and no doubt have a great deal of info coming at them. Therefore, we will also send out the technical info to those wanting to use the system so that they can give these to the ICT managers themselves.

A small glitch which will hopefully be soon remedied and then all the bits of the jigsaw will come together nicely

Using Blogger

Hi all

Firstly can I just say how interesting all the emails flying back and forth sound. There really seems to be some huge developments taking place – that said why are they not on your blogs!!

If we could ask that everybody posts to their blog at least once a week then we could really build up a picture of what is going on within the Subject Networks. Even if you take a copy of what you are emailing and post it up then we can follow the stories as they unfold. The almost diary format of the blog enables us and yourself to reflect on how far we have travelled and some of these journeys have taken unexpected and very exciting twists. We also need this as a way of documenting the project for accountability purposes, so could everybody ensure that they post at least once a week.

If anybody is struggling with the blogging then please contact myself and I am very happy to walk through the process in any way you want (over the phone, face to face)

Oh Canada Brrrr!!!!!!

Well my holiday was..... snowey and very cold. When in Niagara the falls where frozen - what a site. The temp with windchill was minus 30, so there was no opportunity for shorts and T-shirts.

As you see the snow was fairly thick - so much that they have run out of places to put it! This photo was taken without the need for hat, gloves, scarf or jacket (big mistake) I was frozen

Holidaaaa-aaayyyy

Hi next week I will be on holiday to Canada. Its a tough life but.....

The postings are looking great, and it is really interesting to read some of them. I am still working on producing some videos to show how to for instance upload video from youtube onto your blog, add links, pictures etc.

Well I will still try to pick up mail and if i can respond. Enjoy your half term (if you get it)

Cardonald college

Well thanks to Claire for her and her colleges hospitality. Especially for the notes on the wall directing us. A great example of how it is the little things that make the difference.

I found Grahams talk very interesting. I am still a little surprised that they found it so hard to recruit educators, and also that there are 10,000 questions for computing - hubba, hubba. The subject mentors must seem like the answer to all his prayers. A friendly subject mentor with a group of specialists in tow must seem like a god send.

Well I have a list and am slowely ticking names off it (a podcast list that is). Sorry if you were not able to do yours, I know that there was a rush and people had to go to other meetings and catch trains. However, fear not, I will get you....and your little doggies....

Podcasts For Thursday

Just a little reminder that I will be bringing along the video to take the video podcasts for all of the subject mentors on Thursday at the meeting.

If everyone could perhaps think about what they want to say then that would be great. Ideas would include:

• Introduce yourselves


• Your Subject area


• Your contact details

Quick talk about what you hope to accomplish and any project info you want to share

Should be fun

Penny's Group

On Thursday we had a fantastic couple of presentations

Firstly Duncan Gillespie and Robert Brown stunned(I think it deserves this) Peggy and her group with their introduction to their Blogging system. Duncan and Robert where able to show how easily they were using a 24/7 medium to deliver learning and support for students and staff. Since first seeing this shown to Gerry and I during the Action learning sets a few years ago, I have watched how this initiative has blossomed to the easy to use, educator friendly, accessible to all tool that it has now become.

Even SQA, have sat up and are now looking at ways of putting together a matrix to show how this very student friendly and engaging tool (using eportfolios) can be linked to the many different core skills with which it embeds as part of the process.

Even more fortunate is that Duncan and Robert have licenced it under GNU (which is free for all open source) and are even offering to help set people up. They have created much of the back-end procedures to make using it VERY easy, and for all those out there with kids are true higley town heroes of the elearning field.

The Second Demo was carried out by Colin and David Burgoyne

As many might know David is looking at using SameTime to carry out learning as part of his project, and now that he is (wether he knows it or not) our resident expert it was great to see the demo. Both Colin and David clearly demonstrated:

1. How simple it was to use


2. How effective it was


3. How easy to share resources

All in all it was a very interesting and informative morning - real seat of the chair stuff

Change of Days

Well it is now the end of the first semester in my college (we operate a 2 semester system) and I have negotiated a change of days with my college.

This means that I will now be available not on Fridays, but on Thursdays instead. Therefore I will now be around for more of the meetings if anybody would like to talk techie (or you can ask any question about star Trek the original series)

Moving Onwards

I am amazed at how quickly the pace seems to be picking up. Things seem to be coming together.

The Blogs
Practitioners Plus
Swap shop

There seems to be a real buzz. We are certainly not like my friend above

Happy New Year

Hope everybody and their families had just as good a holiday as our group below