tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77520912012-02-01T06:41:11.048ZThe best of education on the web. Disclaimer: All contributions are made in a personal capacity and do not represent the views of the contributor's employer.Bobbynoreply@blogger.comBlogger1711100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1265376302242663862007-07-13T15:46:00.000+01:002007-07-13T16:06:54.051+01:00

Some time ago I posted a message about Assessment 2.0 and since then I've worked-up the idea into a formal paper [PDF], which I presented at this year's CAA International Conference at Loughborough University.The paper was well received - surprisingly so since I sort of expected the audience to defend their current VLE or CAA systems. In fact, most people agreed with the problems surrounding such

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-63810204918320455062007-05-03T17:00:00.000+01:002007-05-03T17:04:09.987+01:00

I'm sorry that this blog has been so quiet during the last couple of months. There should be much more regular updates in future.We're looking for additional authors so please drop me an e-mail if you would like to become a contributor to this blog.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-68694719429100976712007-05-03T13:19:00.000+01:002007-05-03T13:26:04.866+01:00

An article in the Guardian reports that the Royal Society of Chemistry has announced that many undergraduate chemistry students are receiving extra maths tuition at university because they gave up the subject after GCSE level. British science students have a lower level of mathematical skills than those from China, India, and Japan.The Royal Society of Chemistry is offering a £500 prize to a

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-74187381483536424322007-05-03T13:13:00.000+01:002007-05-03T13:33:08.379+01:00

Learning and Teaching Scotland now has a presence on the YouTube website. LTS’s first video posts come from Connected Magazine.Meanwhile, an article in the Sunday Herald reports that Glasgow Caledonian University are investigating ways of using different online technologies such as MySpace and podcasts to enhance teaching and learning.An article in the Guardian reports that an English school has

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-84072534327890069082007-05-03T13:12:00.000+01:002007-05-03T13:13:17.312+01:00

e-skills UK has announced that the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and City of Edinburgh Council have formed a funding partnership enabling schools across Edinburgh to take advantage its CC4G (Computer Clubs for Girls) initiative. CC4G are out-of-school hours clubs that provide 10 to 14 year old girls with a range of specially-tailored activities designed to teach valuable technology skills while

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-88661819794773481392007-05-03T13:09:00.000+01:002007-05-03T13:33:53.545+01:00

An article in the Guardian looks at the increasing amount of Mandarin teaching and learning taking place in both primary and secondary schools.However, the Herald reports that although foreign languages are now taught in Scottish schools from primary six, experts say the fall-off in subjects such as French and German could harm students' careers and leave a generation without key skills. Click

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-3293526146385373772007-02-22T20:18:00.000Z2007-02-22T20:18:10.707Z

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1169033131016483682007-01-17T11:23:00.000Z2007-01-17T11:25:37.383Z

The Internet Safety blog is encouraging teachers and lecturers to participate in a small experiment relating to the contents of the Internet Safety unit. It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1168002937536463482007-01-05T13:15:00.000Z2007-01-05T13:20:58.730Z

"Being on YouTube, having a blog, having an iPod, being on MySpace-- all of these things are self-validating, they allow that illusion that is so important to narcissists: that we are the main characters in a movie. Not that we're the best, or the good guys, but the main characters. That everyone around us is supporting cast."

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1167414992423970732006-12-29T17:56:00.000Z2006-12-29T17:56:32.716Z

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1167308860103192522006-12-28T12:27:00.000Z2006-12-28T12:27:43.513Z

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1166787486987317442006-12-22T11:38:00.000Z2006-12-22T11:44:19.076Z

Today's Herald has a story on cheating and reports that the SSTA wants all coursework to be done under teacher supervision. This follows a recent report from QCA entitled Digital Technologies & Dishonesty in Examinations.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1166608562631843692006-12-20T09:48:00.000Z2006-12-20T10:07:37.686Z

My previous post about Assessment 2.0 generated some feedback, which encouraged me to develop the idea a little further. So I've worked-up a short paper on how Web 2.0 can be used for assessment.It highlights some of the challenges facing education with the advent of this open, democratic and interactive web. There is a particular debate to be had about how VLEs measure up to Web 2.0 - and which

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1166176231657943202006-12-15T09:50:00.000Z2006-12-15T09:50:34.376Z

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1165832614290188602006-12-11T10:23:00.000Z2006-12-11T10:23:34.556Z

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1165573809539488682006-12-08T10:25:00.000Z2006-12-08T10:30:22.503Z

The Internet Safety blog has a post about a new survey relating to e-learning and e-assessment. We're looking for as many people as possible to complete the survey so if you have 10 minutes to spare, your input would be appreciated. The results will be used by SQA to determine the way that we develop qualifications in the future.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1165414352454563982006-12-05T19:48:00.000Z2006-12-06T15:08:44.470Z

There has been an interesting discussion about Glow's use of Microsoft's SharePoint technology (SharePoint is the technology behind Glow). Some have argued that SharePoint is not a good platform while others have pointed out the importance of having a stable environment on which to build Glow.I see both arguments. My limited use of SharePoint doesn't fill me with excitement in the same way that

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1164455074902661972006-11-25T11:44:00.000Z2006-11-25T11:44:36.716Z

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1163709000511182162006-11-16T20:30:00.000Z2006-11-16T20:30:00.836Z

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1163513408262129582006-11-14T14:00:00.000Z2006-11-14T14:39:13.900Z

Many of you will know that Smartgroups is closing. Smartgroups was used by various teams within SQA to communicate with teachers and lecturers so its demise will be sorely felt. The groups provided teachers with an opportunity to communicate directly with SQA staff. Some of the groups (such as the PC Passport group) have over 800 members - who ensured that we could not rest on our laurels.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1163162264987435232006-11-10T12:37:00.000Z2006-11-10T12:37:45.466Z

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1162808665144103862006-11-06T10:24:00.000Z2006-11-06T10:24:27.006Z

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1162213946471661492006-10-29T21:08:00.000Z2006-10-30T13:12:29.903Z

An interesting article from Clay Shirky about the use of tags in preference to formal categorisation systems.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1161598640637451832006-10-23T11:17:00.000+01:002006-10-23T11:17:23.750+01:00

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1161596535170249552006-10-23T10:42:00.000+01:002006-10-23T15:53:11.670+01:00

Simple Wikipedia is a new version of Wikipedia for those with limited English skills. Maybe a good resource for S1/S2 pupils and primary kids?

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1161005364736865672006-10-15T20:24:00.000+01:002006-10-16T14:29:25.193+01:00

After the controversy surrounding the derived grades procedure, SQA has announced that the procedure is to end.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1160488169469680252006-10-10T14:49:00.000+01:002006-10-10T15:21:13.450+01:00

You've heard of e-learning 2.0, well here are some Web 2.0 technologies applied to assessment. The table seeks to show how teachers can use social software for assessment purposes.Web serviceExampleUse(s)Assessment typeSelfPeerDiagnosticFormativeSummativePersonal portalNetvibesEvidence organisationxCalendaringGoogle calendarAssessment schedulingxxE-mailGoogle mailCommunication with

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1160071450662334972006-10-05T19:04:00.000+01:002006-10-05T19:04:10.710+01:00

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1159964309093880132006-10-04T13:18:00.000+01:002006-10-04T13:18:29.103+01:00

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1159544508416845962006-09-29T16:20:00.000+01:002006-09-29T16:41:48.453+01:00

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1159360744388412442006-09-27T13:30:00.000+01:002006-09-27T13:39:04.400+01:00

Following on from a recent post about the use of social software in place of traditional VLEs, this document describes lots of ways that free software can be used to support e-learning.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1159277216257018352006-09-26T14:25:00.000+01:002006-09-26T14:26:56.270+01:00

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1158323606504446992006-09-15T13:33:00.000+01:002006-09-15T13:34:25.930+01:00

A thought provoking article from Christian Dalsgaard argues that social software provides a better learning platform than traditional VLEs.Although I think that there are some flaws in his argument (such as students'a abilities to use web services), I appreciate the richness that the raw Internet provides to learners - a richness that no VLE can hope to match.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1158139320266088422006-09-12T22:20:00.000+01:002006-09-13T10:22:00.266+01:00

Good advice from TES about setting up your own blog.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1156277147506107892006-08-22T20:45:00.000+01:002006-09-11T11:05:41.350+01:00

Last week the Scottish Executive Education Department announced that the Scottish Schools Digital Network (SSDN) national intranet service has been named 'Glow'. There's a marketing strapline too, 'lighting up learning'.LTS has launched a new updated Glow Scotland website too, to show off the new branding, provide extra information, and present short videos.For those of us working on this huge

Nicknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1155736404028514712006-08-16T14:42:00.000+01:002006-08-17T19:46:04.140+01:00

Ofcom, the UK regulatory body for the communications industry, conducts very useful research into media consumption and attitudes among the British public.A BBC news item "Young drive 'radical media shift'" reports on recent research. Young people aged 16 to 24 are turning away from consuming television, radio and newspapers in favour of online services and new media. More time online, and a wide

Nicknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1155735658138524632006-08-16T14:28:00.000+01:002006-08-16T14:40:58.150+01:00

The BBC story "tests flummox trainee teachers" reports on data from England which indicates that many trainee teachers are struggling to pass basic tests in numeracy, literacy and ICT.Experience suggests that things would be no different here in Scotland. Some people would argue that this doesnt matter, as that's the way society is now. Me, I'm old-fashioned. I would prefer that teachers who are

Nicknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1155134513900903902006-08-09T15:40:00.000+01:002006-08-11T13:19:34.896+01:00

A post by Seb Schmoller in his fortnightly blog asks if public organisations should put all of their information onto Wikipedia. It's an interesting idea - and one that I've thought about myself.Schools, colleges and national organisations are publicly funded - and what better way of sharing information than putting it on a public forum such as Wikipedia? The fact that it is accessible to a

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1154700184114258592006-08-04T14:53:00.000+01:002006-08-04T15:03:04.116+01:00

Scottish Executive has published a story about research which indicated the role of adults (in this case teachers) in keeping teenagers away from getting involved in criminal activity. Strong positive professional relationships are shown to boost the self-esteem of troubled teenagers and improve their life chances.This probably just confirms what many of us already believed, about the

Nicknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1154699367501138652006-08-04T14:32:00.000+01:002006-08-04T14:49:27.563+01:00

Continuing Professional Development keeps cropping up as a key theme for schools and education. Examples in this week alone: BBC stories have covered the need for teachers to get Voice training, and nursery assistants to get spelling lessons. You may think some of these suggestions ridiculous, I know I do. So here's a preview of SETT 2006, the 'Scottish learning festival', our own Scottish

Nicknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1154608115433016992006-08-03T13:26:00.000+01:002006-08-03T13:28:35.446+01:00

It's an old story, but no-one has yet posted a link to this very useful resource so here it is. JISC and QCA have produced a glossary of terms used within e-assessment. The document is available in PDF format and also as an online database.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1154349983153285952006-07-31T13:45:00.000+01:002006-08-04T14:32:02.850+01:00

The BBC story "Coursework plan to halt cheating" reports on the view of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in England. It is considering prohibiting the submission of work done at home, to reduce the current level of cheating and plagiarism in exams like GCSE's.That seems a really backward step to me. With 'Scottish Schools Broadband Network' and many other ICT projects, we're busy

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1154009901844798222006-07-27T15:08:00.000+01:002006-07-28T15:23:47.380+01:00

A Scottish Executive Education Department news story "Education programme gets a glowing report" describes the evaluation of a SEED programme which targeted under-achievers in Scottish secondary schools.The interventions supported by the 'Xlerate with XL' programme made a significant difference to the young people involved, showing gains in their self-awareness, abilities, communication skills,

Nicknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1152178862711487402006-07-06T10:40:00.000+01:002006-07-06T10:41:56.053+01:00

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1151328735653810012006-06-26T14:30:00.000+01:002006-06-26T14:32:15.666+01:00

FutureLab has recently published a report [PDF] on the uses of social software within education.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1149250497199979082006-06-02T13:12:00.000+01:002006-06-02T13:14:57.200+01:00

The TES reports that an analysis of leavers’ surveys in England, Wales, and Scotland during the 1980s and 1990s by the Centre for Educational Sociology shows that young Scots do better than their peers south of the border. Examination attainment and university entry were higher in Scotland than the south of England, despite Scotland’s socio-economic context having more in common with the north of

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1149250230958758372006-06-02T13:09:00.000+01:002006-06-02T13:10:30.956+01:00

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1149250082936527702006-06-02T13:02:00.000+01:002006-06-02T13:08:02.936+01:00

Both the government’s options set out in the DfES’s consultation on post-qualification applications to higher education were rejected by the majority of those who responded to the consultation. (One option was to have everyone wait for their results before places were offered; the other would involve have conditional offer based on prior record rather than predictions, with a set number of places

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1149249720048109332006-06-02T13:01:00.000+01:002006-06-02T13:02:00.050+01:00

In a recent study, Ofsted has found that too many schools in England are ‘teaching to the test’ in mathematics, stifling genuinely stimulating thinking about the subject. They found that many 14-19 year olds do not expect to understand mathematics, and many students could not develop their ‘ability to reason and discover solutions for themselves’.Ofsted’s director of education said, ‘Students try

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1149249645378699212006-06-02T12:58:00.000+01:002006-06-02T13:00:45.386+01:00

A recent Guardian article reports on certain schools in Scotland dropping the teaching of history. Please click here for the story and here for a follow-up piece.

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1148724082502530472006-05-27T11:01:00.000+01:002006-05-27T11:01:22.563+01:00

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1148483752807516602006-05-24T16:05:00.000+01:002006-05-24T16:15:52.856+01:00

Jack McConnell yesterday announced the Futures Project, focusing on the challenges that we face in the next 20 years. One of the main messages of his speech was that learning is one of Scotland's great strengths and it can answer many of the problems that Scotland is facing, including an ageing population and a high proportion of young people in the NEET group.For full details of the Futures

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1148480474946352972006-05-24T15:12:00.000+01:002006-05-24T15:21:14.990+01:00

Futurelab recently produced a report [PDF] on the use of wikis in schools. The report highlights the educational applications of wikis, emphasising their collaborative nature and describing wikis as "knowledge building which provide a deeply authentic experience for young learners". The report includes a small experiment with a group of 13-14 year olds in England.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1147781878822887122006-05-16T13:14:00.000+01:002006-05-16T13:17:58.830+01:00

SQA recently carried out a large-scale survey into teachers' and lecturers' (and others') attitudes towards Internet safety. Over 500 people completed the questionnaire. The Internet safety blog has a link to the results which make interesting reading.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1147696354977148302006-05-14T13:32:00.000+01:002006-05-15T13:32:34.990+01:00

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1146831581407701332006-05-05T13:09:00.000+01:002006-05-05T13:21:38.976+01:00

The E-Assessment Question conference is held every year in London but yesterday there was the first Scottish conference held in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow. SQA figured prominently, with Anton Colella (the Chief Executive) delivering the keynote speech and Martyn Ware (Business Manager in charge of e-assessment) outlining SQA's e-assessment strategy between now and 2010.Anton's talk was

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1146482416706741722006-05-01T12:18:00.000+01:002006-05-01T12:20:16.706+01:00

The technology company Dell has released details of a survey on ICT in education. Click here for more details.

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1146482264297833202006-05-01T12:16:00.000+01:002006-05-01T12:17:44.296+01:00

Scotland’s colleges are to receive increased investment for 2006-07 for growth in student numbers, increased working with schools pupils, and for improvement in estates and facilities.The £499 million of funding includes:• £414 million for the delivery of teaching to students;• £67 million in student support such as bursaries and childcare funding;• £17 million in improvement grants for strategic

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1146482146641363232006-05-01T12:13:00.000+01:002006-05-01T12:15:46.640+01:00

The Scottish Executive has announced seven new schools will enter the Schools of Ambition programme. Please click here for the news release.

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1146481947000934392006-05-01T12:10:00.000+01:002006-05-01T12:12:28.136+01:00

New research in the usage and acceptance of e-assessment by awarding bodies by a company called Thomson Prometric has recently been published.Please click here for more details.

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1146388540876305672006-04-30T10:15:00.000+01:002006-04-30T10:15:40.933+01:00

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1145782894608342252006-04-23T10:01:00.000+01:002006-04-23T10:01:34.663+01:00

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1145629242877535942006-04-21T15:17:00.000+01:002006-04-21T15:20:42.886+01:00

A new survey was opened today relating to Internet safety. The aim of the survey is to gauge your attitudes towards this subject and to identify what Internet facilities your centre makes available to students. It's a short survey that shoudld take a few minutes to complete. You'll find it here.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1145442247249848942006-04-19T12:20:00.000+01:002006-04-19T11:24:43.506+01:00

Today's Herald reports on pupils' dislike of examinations.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1144413040322068582006-04-10T19:18:00.000+01:002006-04-10T15:42:50.233+01:00

The Scottish Executive has recently published a progress report [PDF] on the Curriculum for Excellence [PDF] project. A Curriculum for Excellence seeks to re-define the curriculum for young people (aged 3-18) within Scotland. It's the most important educational initiative of the decade.This latest report outlines developments to date and proposes several important changes to the curriculum within

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1144313186969540632006-04-09T12:42:00.000+01:002006-04-09T12:19:54.560+01:00

The Guardian online has collected a number of interesting reports on the impact of ICT in learning. I was particularly interested in the one about why so few teachers use ICT in their everyday teaching.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1144399718626810662006-04-07T09:48:00.000+01:002006-04-07T09:49:55.980+01:00

Note that SQA is moving to new headquarters later this month.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1144238458279884542006-04-06T18:50:00.000+01:002006-04-07T09:12:39.080+01:00

The man in charge of City & Guilds (Chris Humphries) recently outlined his views on education and training in an interesting paper [PDF] entitled Skills in a Global Economy. The paper covers demographics, skills shortages, education systems, future working patterns - and proposes some solutions to current problems.It's an interesting (if quite long) read and I learnt a great deal from it (for

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1144244596542122782006-04-05T14:38:00.000+01:002006-04-05T14:43:16.553+01:00

SQA, in conjunction with other national and international agencies, is developing a new qualification relating to Internet safety... and there's a dedicated blog to record progress.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1144140256090826612006-04-04T09:41:00.000+01:002006-04-04T09:44:16.100+01:00

A BBC story reports on research that has found taht GCSEs vary 'substantially' in their difficulty.

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1144139961875762622006-04-04T09:38:00.000+01:002006-04-04T09:39:21.876+01:00

The University of Leeds is taking part in a global study called the Relevance of Science Education. A survey of more than 1,200 pupils in England as part of the research has found that the sexes are split on what interests them in science. Report author Edgar Jenkins said that the differences are common to most of the developed world. ‘We have had a generation or more of promoting gender equality

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1144139896813052192006-04-04T09:36:00.000+01:002006-04-04T09:38:16.813+01:00

A recent article in the Guardian newspaper reports on research that claims that the most influential factor in educational outcomes in England is the pupil’s social background.Meanwhile, on a related note, research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council has suggested that education policy by itself contributes little to the rate at which people move between social classes; ‘

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1144139715704854072006-04-04T09:29:00.000+01:002006-04-04T09:35:15.706+01:00

Recent months have seen many new QCA developments and strands of work. In March, they issued their annual regulatory reports relating to the summer 2005 examinations in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.The reports available include ones on: the performance of awarding bodies; the number of enquiries about results and appeals; and reviews of standards in French, Computing and ICT, Mathematics,

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1144139332977529722006-04-04T09:07:00.000+01:002006-04-04T09:28:53.040+01:00

Schools-Business AllianceAhead of the publication of the Scottish Executive's NEET (not in education, training, or employment) strategy, Jack McConnell announced a new strategy focusing on disengaged youngsters.Click here for more details.National PrioritiesHMIE has published a Report to SEED on the Delivery of National Priorities.Improving Scottish EducationHMIE's presentation from the launch of

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1143106737187073142006-03-23T09:30:00.000Z2006-03-23T09:38:58.196Z

I attended the launch of the Computer Clubs for Girls (CC4G) in Scotland last night. The event was held in the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh and speakers included Peter Peacock (Minister for Education) and Karen Price (CEO for E-Skills UK). CC4G aims to attract more girls to IT.It was a nice evening with pupils from a couple of Fife clubs attending to give their impressions of the

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1143030900083878632006-03-22T12:31:00.000Z2006-03-22T12:35:00.093Z

Edublogs: the educational use of blogs and RSS (really simple syndication)The above ALT workshop will take place on 5th May 2006 at Kings College, London.The topics to be covered include: the history of blogs; their technical architecture and relation to Web 2.0 technologies; blog formats and functionalities; the pedagogical implications of using blogs; blogging and RSS tools and practices;

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1142292569075006982006-03-13T23:22:00.000Z2006-03-13T23:34:48.066Z

The Understanding Standards website has been available to teachers for a year and a new survey has been created to gauge the effectiveness of the service. The survey closes on 25 March.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1141839381614280082006-03-08T17:36:00.000Z2006-03-08T17:36:21.613Z

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1141839027807548682006-03-08T17:30:00.000Z2006-03-08T17:30:27.870Z

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1141251796196129522006-03-01T22:23:00.000Z2006-03-01T22:23:16.266Z

Google and Wikipedia are two of my favourite information sources - and Wikipedia is about to reach one million articles contributed by one million registered users. Although the SQA entry needs a little work.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1141139778598623942006-02-28T15:13:00.000Z2006-02-28T15:16:18.596Z

A recent Guardian article reports on a research project by the Economic and Social Research Council that concludes that 11 and 12 year old children in England are less advanced in terms of cognitive and conceptual development than 15 years ago.

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1141139618807550702006-02-28T15:04:00.000Z2006-02-28T15:13:38.806Z

A recent report Are Students Ready for a Technology Rich World? draws on research from PISA 2003 to consider issues such as how students use ICT, what their attitudes are towards ICT, and the relationship between students' access to and use of ICT and their performance in PISA 2003.The Sector Skills Council e-skills UK has announced the launch of Computer Club for Girls (CC4G) at the Scottish

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1141139072666921362006-02-28T14:57:00.000Z2006-02-28T15:04:32.666Z

Careers Scotland's Activate programme is designed to provide extra support to S4 and S5 pupils in the final three months of schools, and is aimed at young people who are most likely to fall into the NEET group (not in education, employment, or training). A recent independent evaluation has found that in the pilot, 87% of participants had stayed at school or moved into work, training, or further

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1141138600164994022006-02-28T14:53:00.000Z2006-02-28T14:56:40.166Z

A recent BBC story outlined the results of a survey, conducted for the Educational Institute of Scotland, about the piloting of personal learning plans (PLPs). The results indicated that teachers reported increased administrative workload and doubts about PLPs' benefits.

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1141138411006584912006-02-28T14:50:00.000Z2006-02-28T14:53:31.016Z

The Scottish Executive has published a report on the progress made in the Ambitious, Excellent Schools reforms.A summary of the report is available here, or the full report is available here.

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1140778002074998522006-02-24T10:42:00.000Z2006-02-24T10:46:42.086Z

A BBC story reports that Education Minister Peter Peacock has expressed surprise that Highland Council has warned that paying for a new teachers' pay package means that schools may have to cut back on their existing curriculum. Highland Council's Director of Education has stated that it would be up to individual schools to reduce curriculum options such as some Advanced Highers.

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1140602307902296352006-02-22T09:54:00.000Z2006-02-22T09:58:27.920Z

A BBC story reports that a UN special rapporteur has condemned Germany's school system after an eight-day inspection. The main problem, it seems, is that the education system selects children very early - at the age of ten - to go to either a grammar school or a vocational one.

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1140527770403409582006-02-21T13:16:00.000Z2006-02-21T13:25:15.983Z

BBC News website today carries a story on a recent HMI report [PDF] on Scottish education. It is the first time the system has been examined from pre-school nurseries to further education colleges.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1140347157677222682006-02-19T11:05:00.000Z2006-02-19T11:05:58.406Z

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1140105623881950602006-02-16T15:53:00.000Z2006-02-16T16:00:23.883Z

A recent report by the British Council has concluded that the global dominance of English now poses a major threat to the UK's international standing. The advantage traditionally enjoyed by UK citizens is disappearing, as millions around the world can speak English and at least one other language. In India and China, the report found, English is not taught as a foreign language, but as a 'basic

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1140105171389108632006-02-16T15:48:00.000Z2006-02-16T15:52:51.400Z

A report carried out by JISC and UCISA (University Colleges and Information Systems Association) takes a longitudinal perpective in comparing the use of Virtual Learning Environments for higher education between March 2001, March 2003, and March 2005.Details of the survey are available here.

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1140011385016370112006-02-15T13:41:00.000Z2006-02-16T09:46:49.843Z

A study carried out by Manchester Metropolitan University, on behalf of the Learning and Skills Development Agency, has concluded that students studying for post-16 qualifications should be offered greater choice in how they are assessed. 'Assessment needs to be made more appropriate for particular subjects and qualifications.'The review covered assessments carried out in sixth-forms, further

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1139994858210225102006-02-15T09:04:00.000Z2006-02-15T09:14:18.223Z

A recent BBC story reported that university admissions tutors and lecturers think that new students' skills in reading, communication, and thinking are increasingly worsening and many are suffering from 'assessment burn-out' as they arrive from school. Click here to read the story in full.The university staff were questioned as part of the ongoing Nuffield Review of 14 to 19 education.Meanwhile,

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1139505083409044252006-02-09T16:47:00.000Z2006-02-18T18:50:29.923Z

SQA recently developed a new qualification in blogging [PDF] and took the unusual step of developing support material in the form of a wiki. The material is now available via Wikibooks. More information on the SQA blog.

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1139495815864146742006-02-08T18:28:00.000Z2006-02-09T14:39:54.256Z

QCA produces occasional papers on the future of education. One of the recent papers was entitled "A curriculum for the future" [PDF] which explains how different subjects will change in the future. Some interesting ideas - although I was disappointed in the description of my own subject (ICT).

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1139431281953979362006-02-07T20:41:00.000Z2006-02-08T20:49:30.130Z

The University of Central Lancaster published a report today on the importance of teaching children how to use the Internet safely. The researchers discovered that most children are taught how to use IT - but the curriculum rarely explains the potential dangers or shows children how to use the Internet safely.SQA has recently produced a new qualification entitled "Internet Safety" which is the

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1139260103306367922006-02-06T21:02:00.000Z2006-02-08T19:35:51.306Z

A recent poll shows that less than half of Britons accept evolution as the best explanation of how life developed on Earth. And 2 in 5 respondents want creationism and intelligent design taught in UK schools. These figures are lower than a similar American survey - when more than half of respondents expressed the view that God had created humans in their present form and 2 in 5 people wanted

Bobbynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1139229145847640242006-02-06T12:25:00.000Z2006-02-06T12:32:26.803Z

Reports in last week's TES have John Wilson, East Renfrewshire's education director, denying earlier media reports that all their pupils are to sit Intermediates in S3.He stressed that the new curricular structure was a response to A Curriculum for Excellence. The approach embraces flexibility and, while some pupils may sit Intermediates in S3, there is no plan to impose this on all pupils.'The

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1139061664519516222006-02-04T13:45:00.000Z2006-02-04T14:02:46.820Z

A BBC story 'Music 'as vital as the three R's' outlines a new study in England which reports that learning to play an instrument boosts the intelligence, teamworking and general well-being of children. This suggests that it's not just an valuable choice in its own right but also as a means to achieve broader educational objectives.Here in Scotland, I'm sure that would be a view expressed by Music

Nicknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7752091.post-1138806924595420702006-02-01T15:07:00.000Z2006-02-01T15:15:24.623Z

The debate in England over the best way to approach early literacy teaching continues, as new research questions the conclusion that synthetic phonics teaching is more effective than the analytic method.Research by the universities of York and Sheffield for the DfES found the evidence inconclusive and called for a large-scale trial. The DfES re-iterated that they advise that the teaching of

Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271304993578600897noreply@blogger.com1