NewsFeed | RSCs Scotland
Fortnightly bulletin from the Scottish Regional Support Centres
24th October 06
Mid term holidays are already a fading memory and soon the clocks will be changing and the nights drawing in. This latest edition of NewsFeed though is stuffed with material to keep the coming winter chill at bay. Read on for information about how to obtain funds from JISC, for training courses from the RSCs and elsewhere, for animated Leonardo Da Vinci cartoons and the Voyage of the Beagle online.
As always, we welcome feedback on NewsFeed (or any Regional Support Centre service you may have used) through the RSC website.
1. JISC News
JISC Circular 05/06: Learner Experiences of e-Learning
The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) invites proposals from institutions for 'Learner Experiences of e-Learning' projects in order to develop further the community's understanding of how learners experience and participate in e-Learning. The circular invites proposals for:
- one project to investigate the role that technology plays in individual learners' journeys through further and/or higher education;
- up to six institution-based projects to gather learner experiences of e-learning across a range of disciplines, levels of study and types of technology;
- a support and synthesis project. Further information about the project areas can be found in the full circular
Total funding of up to £720,000 is available for the areas of work outlined in this letter. The deadline for receipt of proposals is not later than 12 noon on Monday 4 December 2006. The full circular and a briefing paper are online.
JISC e-Portfolios Activity Paper
e-Portfolios seem certain to become increasingly important over the next few years and JISC has now published a very useful briefing paper summarising all its current e-portfolio projects. The paper covers a series of e-portfolio approaches, including e-portfolios for presentation, transition and learning. Briefing paper available from the JISC website.
JISC News: e-Learning, Pedagogy & Innovation
The autumn update from the e-Learning and Pedagogy and e-Learning and Innovation strands for the JISC e-Learning Programme is now available. This issue looks particularly at Design for Learning how learners actually experience e-Learning. Pedagogy strand autumn 06 update.
Shibboleth
Most readers will probably be familiar with the JISC's ATHENS authentication system which allows users to access multiple resources through the use of a single login procedure. Over the last two years the JISC has allocated considerable funding to researching improvements in this area and the result – Shibboleth – is now set to replace the ATHENS system. A new JISC briefing paper contains everything you need to know about the new system – including the bloodthirsty Old Testament origins of its name.
If that paper wets your appetite, then try Wikipedia for even more information on Shibboleths.
2. Accessibility
Accessibility: Art & Design
This online British Sign Language/English glossary for art and design allows access to definitions of specialised artistic terms which are all signed in BSL. Users can also link to online galleries or use discussion boards to debate different artists, movements and techniques.
Assist-IT
This is a valuable resource for staff interested in all aspects of accessibility. The site is jam-packed with resources: tutorials, video step-by-step guides, free downloads, hints and tips, for learning support staff as well as learners with additional support needs – or anyone who might require additional help with essay planning and writing. Indeed the 'My Learning Toolkit' toolbar (available from the site) was promoted in this month's Microsoft Learning Newsletter as a valuable tool for dyslexic learners.
3. Online Roundup
Blogging for Britain
Thousands of people across Britain have contributed to a project aiming to create an online archive of a day in the life of the country. The National Trust called for people to record an online diary of what they did on the 17 th October this year, as part of " Britain's biggest blog" and by six in the evening on that day more than 8,000 people had contributed to the site. If you missed out but still want to contribute to the project you have until 31 October to upload your account of what you did on the 17th. The blogs will be stored for posterity at the British Library and at other locations. Leave your message for the future at the One Day in History website.
Google for Educators
Google has started courting teachers with a resource guide on how to use its applications in the classroom. Last week the search giant launched a website called Google for Educators which includes:
- how-to video tutorials for products such as Blogger
- lesson plans for applications such as Google Earth
- links to a training academy to become a "Google certified teacher"
For more information and resources get along the electronic corridor to Google for Educators.
UK Broadband Booming
Broadband connectivity is becoming increasingly common in the UK and analysts predict that three quarters of British online households will connect to the web via broadband by the end of the year. Researchers expect faster speeds to help drive user-generated content such as YouTube and the photo site Flickr. But they also warn that the UK connections are still typically slower than our European counterparts which could deter further expansion in Internet use. More info at the BBC articel: Broadband UK needs 'more speed'.
Leonardo Da Vinci - Animated Illustrations
The web is altering the ways in which museums and galleries present their collections and exhibitions. For a state of the art example check out the animated Leonardo Da Vinci illustrations created to accompany a new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Watch Leonardo's visions come to life!
Online Voyage of the Beagle
The complete works of one of history's greatest scientists, Charles Darwin, are being published online. The project, run by Cambridge University, has digitised 50,000 pages of text and 40,000 images of original publications - all of it searchable. Surfers with MP3 players can even access downloadable audio files. The resource is aimed at serious scholars, but can be used by anyone with an interest in Darwin and his theory on the evolution of life.
You can even read the Galapagos Diaries (even though the originals were stolen in the 1980's!!) which have been recreated from an earlier facsimile copy. Visit The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online.
4. Copyright
Updated Copyright Advice from TASI
TASI (the specialist JISC Advisory Service on Images) has updated its excellent copyright advice with the creation of four new resources:
- Copyright and Digital Images
- Roles and Responsibilities for Staff Involved in Building Digital Image Collections
- Roles and Responsibilities for Staff Using Images for Teaching and Research
- Frequently Asked Questions about Copyright
These resources have been created in collaboration with copyright consultant Naomi Korn and provide in-depth advice about copyright for staff creating or using digital images within UK FE and HE. The FAQs are based on questions that have been asked of the TASI Helpdesk, so are based on real-life scenarios. The guides can be accessed via the TASI website.
British Library: Copyright Manifesto
At the end of 2005 the Government commissioned a wide-ranging review of UK intellectual property law under the chairmanship of Andrew Gowers. Ahead of the publication of the Gower review, the British Library has published its own manifesto. This includes recommendations on areas such as explicit extension of limitations and exceptions to include digital works, copying for preservation, and fair dealing versus digital rights management. These are all issues of concern to UK colleges and universities working in an increasingly digital environment.
Full the full story online: The British Library Releases Intellectual Property Manifesto. The British Library Manifesto (pdf 42 KB) is available online.
5. BUFVC Course: Shooting with High Definition Video
This one-day workshop will take a non-technical approach towards understanding the operation of high definition video cameras. This is a small hands-on workshop providing delegates with the opportunity to shoot a film sequence on HDV using the Sony Z1 1080i Camera. All the operational features of the camera will be explained and delegates will have the opportunity to have their queries answered.
Thursday 2nd November, 77 Wells Street, London.
For more information on this workshop or other courses from the BUFVC (British Universities Film and Video Council) go to: www.bufvc.ac.uk
6. Miscellaneous - all the news that's fit to print
E-ffective teaching
Recent research conducted by agencies south of the border has identified an increasing need for resources that support continuing professional development and innovation in teacher education. With this need in mind, nine institutions were funded by the Learning & Skills Council between November 2004 and March 2005 to transform an area of their teacher training curriculum through the application of e-learning. The resulting case studies, resources and materials have now been published and offer ideas for improving current practice and supporting the future development of e-learning. Full details from e-ffective Teaching.
Viperlib: Social Science Info
Viperlib is a web-based resource library of images and presentation material illuminating the study of visual perception. Viperlib is now accessible via Intute: Social Sciences and is a trusted source of selected, high-quality Internet information for researchers and practitioners in the social sciences. What you see is what you get – or is it?
Filling the empty chair
SCURL (The Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries) is organising a management training event called 'Filling the Empty Chair: Succession Planning, Strategy, Training and Development' on 8th November 2006 in the Causewayside Building of the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh. Cost to attend is £50.00.
More info and a booking form available from the SCURL website.
Joint Learning Management System development includes UHIMI
The Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Hull, and the UHI Millennium Institute have announced the formation of the Tetra Collaboration, which aims to coordinate activities across the member organisations to more efficiently develop and deploy open source enterprise applications of use to UK and European universities and colleges. The Sakai Project website.
CAMEL:Collaborative Approaches to the Management of e-Learning
A new acronym for your collection: CAMEL (Collaborative Approaches to the Management of e-Learning). This was a project funded by the HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) Leadership, Governance and Management programme which set out to explore how institutions who were making effective use of e-learning and who were collaborating in regional lifelong learning partnerships might be able to learn from each other in a Community of Practice based around study visits to each of the partner institutions.
Find out what the CAMEL participants found out about e-learning - and each other from JISC infoNet.
The University of WHERE?
That's the intriguing title of the University College & Research (Scottish Section) 5th Annual Lecture scheduled for Wednesday 22nd November 2006 at 3:00pm in the Goethe Institute, 3 Park Circus, Glasgow. Gillian Anderson of the UHI Millennium Institute Library will speak on the development of the UHIMI Library service in the Scottish higher education information environment. The event is free of charge but if you wish to attend please contact Moira Sinclair to confirm your attendance at m.sinclair@lib.gla.ac.uk.
New Principal for Heriot-Watt
Heriot-Watt University has announced the appointment of Professor Antonio (Anton) Muscatelli as its new Principal and Vice-Chancellor. Professor Muscatelli will take up his appointment on February 1st 2007. Anton Muscatelli graduated with an MA in Political Economy from the University of Glasgow in 1984 and with a PhD in Economics from the University of Glasgow in 1989.
7. Training from the RSCs in October & November
RSC South & West
- 23rd to 27th October – MOC 2400c Implementing and Managing Microsoft exchange server 2003 (5 days)
- 24th October – Managing Change
- 31st October – Blogs, Wikis and Social Networking
- 1st November – Effective eLearning with Moodle
- 7th November – Making Your Computer more Accessible: Changes You Can Make for Free!
- 14th November – Effective Management of eLearning: JISC InfoNet
- 15th November - Change Management: JISC InfoNet
RSC North & East
- 26th October: Blogs, Wikis and Social Networking
- 27th October: Writing for the Web
- 2nd November: Information Skills: Is Google Enough?
- 3rd November: Train the Trainer
- 9th November: CSS - A Complete Web Style Toolkit
The full listing of all the workshops currently being run by both RSCs in Scotland is available at: