The finishing line is almost in sight. The last assessment from the last student in the last class has been remediated and passed up the line for the last verification. Thoughts are turning to long summer days by the pool , the chance to read a book or two. And none too soon. Look at that date. We’re already past the equinox and from here on in the days start to get shorter again. So grab that sunshine while you can, but just before you do a final helping of news from the leading edge of educational technology from the Regional Support Centres. In this issue you’ll find the familiar mixture of news and information with something – we hope – for everyone. If we’ve missed you out, let us know. This will be the last issue of Newsfeed before the summer break so on behalf of all of us at the two Scottish RSCs enjoy the summer and we’ll see you again in the new session.
As always, we welcome feedback on NewsFeed (or any RSC service you may have used) through the RSC website.
Scran is Now: -
...and coming soon to Scran: -
Full details are available from the SCRAN website.
TechDis is the specialist JISC service which deals with all aspects of accessibility and a new set of ready-prepared training materials around the theme of accessibility, inclusion and e-learning is now available via the TechDis website. The packs contain everything you need from themed icebreakers to presentations to activities and information sheets. All bar one are aimed at a non-technical audience working directly with learners. Packs include:
Full details are available from the TechDis website.
Sit back and relax and take your mind and your PC to places they’ve never visited before. The Internet is expanding all the time and so is the range of weird and wonderful things you can do with it. Charter a private jet online, star in your own reality TV show and tell your boss a few unpleasant truths without revealing your identity. Give Google a face-lift, publish a novel, write a business plan, scan your PC for spies, and get free tech help. You can even use the Web to uncover government secrets or to predict your own demise – and all for free. Read the full article online.
At RSC Scotland North & East throughout session 2004-5 we’ve been running the Image Engine project which looks in detail at all aspects of using images in the creation of online learning sequences. The four sessions of the project completed so far have been highly successful and it now seems possible that we will have one final session of the Image Engine which will run for twelve weeks in the autumn of session 2005-6. If you’re interested please have a look at the Image Engine section of the RSC website, discuss the possibilities with your Staff Development Officer and watch the next edition of Newsfeed for further details on how to apply.
In his last major statement in his current post, Jim Wallace, outgoing Minister for Lifelong Learning in the Scottish Executive, announced a major review of Further Education in Scotland. The review will examine:
The same statement also contained details of the go-ahead for proposed College mergers (Fife and Glenrothes to become the Adam Smith College while Falkirk and Clackmannan will assume the merged identity of Forth Valley College) and the announcement of European funding worth £2.8 million to Borders College for relocation to a new campus at Netherdale.
Full details of all three stories can be found on the Scottish Executive website.
The Daily Mirror reports on an initiative at Coventry University to broadcast lectures straight to students' mobile phones. Lessons are filmed using digital cameras, edited down into 15-minute segments, then sent to students with 3G (Third Generation) phones. Media Production tutors Harold Fricker and Eduardo Carrillo hope to offer the service, currently being piloted, to their 200 students at no extra cost from October. Mr Fricker said: "There are always lazy students, despite most being dedicated to the course and committed to working hard. There are those who prefer to stay in bed for an extra five minutes and others whose minds wander in seminars. This technology provides a safety net. If they do miss some of the lecture, they can get the most important parts of it sent to them.”
Students without 3G phones can see the video clips or listen to the whole of the lecture on the internet
By now we’re all used to the look and feel of conventional search engines such as Google which are normally text-based. But there are other ways of presenting information. Live Plasma is a new visual search engine that maps out connections among movies, directors, actors, musicians , based on the affinity of taste. Here’s how it works: If " Casablanca" is one of your favourite movies, then you should also see "12 Angry Men" or "To Kill A Mockingbird". This linking of information by association is similar to the kind used by online book store Amazon to make recommendations for further reading. The criteria for strong or weak ties between the search results remain somewhat obscure (who decides?) but if you consider this more as an exploratory trip through the cosmos of entertainment, you’ll be entertained.
For NewsFeed readers in the capital: Telford College HNC Radio students will be broadcasting on 87.7FM from midnight 25th June to 2nd July. This is a collaborative project with 5 Edinburgh Schools (Forrester High, St Augustines, St Josephs, Broomhouse and Murrayburn primary). Pupils from the Schools will be broadcasting with Telford using the call sign 'Big Radio'.
On Saturday 2nd July broadcasting will take place with the Community Radio Association to cover the 'Make Poverty History' rally.
An easy-to-use touch screen multimedia system called CIRCA is helping people with dementia be more interactive with carers. The Computer Interactive Reminiscence and Conversation Aid (Circa) packages clips of old films, music and photos which can be played via a touch screen. Reminiscence therapy is important for dementia sufferers, but they are often led and controlled by the carer. Circa lets the individual take control by choosing clips that may trigger some memory and conversation. "It has long been accepted that memories from longer ago are well established," explained project leader, Dr Arlene Astell, from St Andrews University. "We were trying to find way to tap into those and reminiscences and use those as basis for conversation with carers, while minimising load on working memory." The team which developed and tested the system over three years is now looking at creating a similar one which individuals could use alone. They hope the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded research could be built on to help people with learning problems and head injuries in the future. For further information see the full BBC article.
Education has long been seen as a way of overcoming social exclusion and now a new project has been set up to look at the potential of online learning to overcome some barriers to learning experienced by socially or economically disadvantaged adults. The project will review all aspects of online courses from design to retention and the learning skills required to function in the online environment to try to identify the key factors which influence participation, drop out and completion rates. For fuller information see the "Overcoming social exclusion through online learning" website.
Bournemouth and Poole College in Dorset is offering unemployed teenagers free iPods to take part in a course designed to help them find ways into work. The college says the course is designed to reach teenagers who are neither in work nor education and tend to shun conventional courses. A good idea or a waste of taxpayers’ money? You decide after looking at the full article at the Education Guardian.
Some late just before NewsFeed goes to bed for this issue. Dyslexia can be a major problem for a surprisingly large proportion of the population but new assistive technologies may hold the key unlock the problem. Follow the link below for an excellent article on this topic from assistive technologies expert A E Draffen. Read the "Working With Dyslexia" Report (PDF document 947KB).
Two UKERNA workshops for technical staff are scheduled to take place in July and these are offered under the eMerge staff development scheme at the reduced price of only £50. The courses are:
Further details and a booking form aswell as information on other courses currently on offer from UKERNA can be accessed on the UKERNA site.
JISC regularly announces opportunities to put forward proposals for funding in designated project areas. Details of current opportunities are available on the JISC website.
These courses and others are listed on the Scotfeict website which also lists other staff development opportunities for FE staff within Scotland.
Nationwide training opportunities are available on the NLN events database.
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