Welcome to the latest edition of Newsfeed, designed to bring you up-to-date information on the current issues relating to the use of ICT for teaching and learning. New resources include a range of classroom games from Biz/ed and a conference promising 'Fun and Games!' As always, we welcome feedback on NewsFeed (or any RSC service you may have used) through the RSC website.
The JISC is inviting tender proposals to evaluate the JISC Open Access Initiative. The outcomes of the evaluation will inform JISC’s future investment in trialing alternative scholarly communications models once the current Open Access Initiative ends. Funding of up to £12,500 plus VAT is available for this study. The deadline for proposals is 1 pm on Friday 14th October 2005. The evaluation will need to be completed by March 2006. Further information, including the full Invitation to Tender can be found on the JISC website.
The use of games and simulations in the classroom is an excellent way of introducing and reinforcing important business and economic concepts at all levels. Over the summer, Biz/ed has developed five games that can be used to cover a range of topics from market price through to comparative advantage. These games have been tried in the classroom by practicing teachers or have been developed as part of the 'classroom expernomics' initiative and come complete with most of the resources you will need to run them.
For the first time in its history the BBC has opened its video archives and released nearly 100 programme extracts to the UK public under the terms of the Creative Archive Licence. People interested in being creative with BBC material will be free to download and mix that footage and use it as the fuel for their own creative endeavours. Taken from a whole host of BBC programmes the footage includes a wealth of material covering natural history, wildlife, science, locations, art and more. People within the UK can download this material now from the Radio 1 Superstar VJs site.
More clips will be added over the coming months. Andy Parfitt, Controller Radio 1 said "It's a great opportunity for Radio 1. We are increasing the visual aspects of Radio 1 and 1Xtra and this is going to be spot on. My experience of the creativity of our audience leaves me in no doubt that together we'll make some great material".”
Chest's Agreement for ViewletBuilder Professional, the tool for creating web-based content, was renewed at the beginning of July. Chest was keen to renew this popular Agreement and sites will now be able to upgrade to, or buy for the first time, the new version with its greatly increased functionality and ease-of-use. Prices have been held at the same level as the expired Agreement, a one-off payment of £585 for FE for a perpetual use site licence. For details of the new Agreement see the CHEST website.
MindGenius - A new version of the sophisticated mind mapping program. Following the great success of MindGenius v1.51, grant funded by Eduserv until 31st July 2005, Chest was pleased to announce a site licence agreement commencing in August for the latest version of MindGenius, MindGenius Education 2005. The site licence agreement removes the need to count machines or limit the number of users on campus, making this solution ideal for broad adoption. For details of the new Agreement see the CHEST website
The culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, confirmed on the 15th September that the analogue television signal will be phased out by 2012, with the Borders ITV region the first to go fully digital in 2008. The elderly and disabled will receive help to make the digital leap, including subsidised set-top boxes giving them access to the Freeview digital terrestrial network. Ms Jowell told TV executives at the Royal Television Society convention in Cambridge that the analogue signal will start to disappear from 2008, with 38% of the country's digital homes yet to be converted to digital. The analogue signal will be blacked out by ITV regions, ending with Ulster in 2012. Ms Jowell also announced a package of practical and financial support for the elderly and disabled viewers who may not be able to afford Freeview, BSkyB or cable.
The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative's (ELI's) "7 Things You Should Know About ..." series provides concise information on emerging learning practices and technologies. Each briefing paper (2 sides of A4) focuses on a single practice or technology and describes what it is, how it works, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use ELI's "7 Things You Should Know About..." briefings for a no-jargon, quick overview, either for yourself or for colleagues who are pressed for time.
It's easy to talk about change but when you are the person charged with making it happen, the reality of planning how to be successful in managing change often makes the task daunting. This workshop aims to help managers cope with the demands of change management by providing a toolbox based on "real world" approaches.
Well not exactly 101 but near enough! MS Word and Excel contain a number of features that can help support learners. From creating Macros, Word-Banks and interactive and engaging spreadsheets MS Office can be a powerful learning tool. This is a fun-packed course which is based around practical and hands-on sessions.
Further details of these courses can be found on RSC Scotland South & West's website
In November 2005 The Scottish Institute for Excellence in Social Work Education will launch the Learning Exchange: a web-based repository of digital learning resources for social work and social care education. The Learning Exchange (formerly known as the Stòr Cùram project) will be rolled out to Scottish universities in November 2005, to FE colleges in March 2006, and to social work agencies during 2007.
Using an Athens username and password, social work educators and learners will be able to access the Learning Exchange, search the repository for content and download whatever seems relevant. The content includes rich multimedia learning resources; video case studies; interactive quizzes; as well as a wide range of more traditional text based learning activities. The Learning Exchange will also catalogue and include links to the growing number of social care resources available on the open Internet. The Institute’s Learning Technology Team will provide support for Learning Exchange users, foster their active participation in the development of the service; and encourage them to share resources and contribute content.
How can we use IT to engage and motivate learners of all ages and abilities? Cutting edge research exploiting games and leisure approaches for E-learning will be presented. Leading researchers from industry and universities will present and demonstrate new approaches.
The research is relevant to a number of key aspects of the Harnessing Technology policy including: engaging hard-to-reach learners with special needs, more motivating ways of learning, personalised support to learners, helping with all stages of education and with progression to the next stage.
Thursday 13 October, 2005, 9.45am – 4.30pm,BT Centre, 81 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AJ. Further information is available from the P@CCIT website.
The full list of all workshops currently run by both RSCs in Scotland is available at:
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