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.
As always, we welcome feedback on NewsFeed (or any Regional Support Centre service you may have used) through the RSC website.
Open source is frequently cited as one of the most important movements in modern software creation. It is supported by the European Commission, the UK government and JISC, and almost every further and higher education institution makes use of open source software. This Open Source Software Briefing Paper describes what the term 'open source' means, what the most common licences are,what the impact is on education and where you can get more information.
UKERNA (United Kingdom Education and Research Networking Association) has reached an agreement with InTechnology, the outsourced managed data services provider, to enable cost-effective delivery of automated data back-up, data archiving, hosting and web file services to institutions connected to the JISC-funded JANET network. This is UKERNA's first such agreement with a commercial service provider, resulting in 20-40% discount off list price. The agreement comes at a time when universities and colleges are under pressure to improve the management and protection of their data as well as to cut costs . Outsourcing will give institutions a cost-effective way of providing 24/7 disaster recovery, achieving MIS governance, adhering to the JISC Data Protection Code of Practice and meeting the auditing standards for the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts. For more information see the JISC web site.
JISC is ceasing to fund its extremely useful Athens service from 2008 and will be introducing the superior Shibboleth service. Athens has served as a gateway to a plethora of JISC resources for many years, acting as a single point of access, saving users the bother of having to remember several passwords for each individual resource.
Following on from the highly successful Moodle Awareness Day in December, hosted jointly by the two Scottish RSCs, the first Scottish Moodle Users Group (SMUG) meeting was held on Tuesday 28 th Feb in Glasgow.
If you work in FE or HE in Scotland and would like more information on the Scottish Moodle User Group, please contact Carol Walker or Theresa Duffy.
Scotland 's education system stands up well to international comparisons, a wide-ranging report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education has said. In the report, based on individual inspections over the last four years, inspectors found many young people did well at school, but called for a drive to tackle the under-performance of a significant minority. It is the first time the complete Scottish system has been examined from pre-school nurseries to further education colleges.
Improving Scottish Education: HMIe report (PDF flie, 2.13MB, opens in a new window)
This might be a useful resource for staff in social care or other health-related fields. Inside the Brain: An Interactive Tour from the Alzheimer's Association.
In real life we can't battle undead hordes or save the princess from a quasi-tortoise dragon or munch pills using our giant disembodied head. But we can don tight-fitting Lycra and barrel down a hill, just like in Torino 2006. The official game of the 2006 Winter Olympics, Torino, allows you to imitate reality and play through eight of the events that form the competition. Skiing, bobsleighing and skating are all present, along with the "fly like an eagle" ski jump. For more information see the BBC news, technology section.
The City of London is to offer ubiquitous wireless internet access, with hardware installed in lampposts and street signs. Internet provider 'The Cloud' is joining with the City of London Corporation to turn the entire business area into a gigantic Wi-Fi hotspot. As many as 350,000 workers could get internet access on the move through their laptop or palmtop computers. Users will pay through business subscriptions or pay-as-you-go accounts. The operators hope to offer access within six months.
Wi-Fi hotspots, which operate by broadcasting internet signals across radio frequencies, enable anyone with a wireless-enabled device to surf the web. Because of the City's high buildings and narrow streets, more than 150 beacons will be needed to ensure coverage. The network, which is being paid for by ‘The Cloud’, will also provide access for the emergency services and other public bodies. Read the full article from the Guardian Online.
Blackpool and The Fylde College in Lancashire has built its own casino to train croupiers and teach students the finer points of roulette, blackjack and poker. Courses from GCSEs to degrees will be available to students looking for a career in the entertainment and gambling industry. The course is part of the resort's regeneration plan. Blackpool hopes it will be chosen as the regional site for a 'Super Casino' approved by the change in the Gaming Bill. Full details from The Manchester Evening News.
A 'state of the nation' report launched on the 16 th February at the House of Commons reveals that less than 20% of UK organisations surveyed have a strategy in place to deal with the risk of loss or degradation to their digital resources - despite a very high level of awareness of the risks and potential economic penalties. With the release of the report, Mind the gap: assessing digital preservation needs in the UK, the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC), of which JISC is a founder member, aims to help government, public institutions and private companies turn high awareness into concerted action.
The survey reveals that the loss of digital data is commonplace - it is seen as an inevitable hazard by some - with more than 70% of respondents saying data had been lost in their organisation. Awareness of the potential economic and cultural risks is high, with 87% recognising that corporate memory or key cultural material could be lost and some 60% saying that their organisation could lose out financially. In 52% of the organisations surveyed there was management commitment to digital preservation - but only 18% had a strategy in place. More information about the report is available on the JISC site and the full report is link below:
Mind the gap: assessing digital preservation needs in the UK (PDF flie, 846 KB, opens in a new window)
Interactive simulations of physical phenomena that make bridges to the real world, free to download from the Physics Education Technology project at the University of Colorado. The simulations can be run directly from this site or downloaded to your computer for off-line use . For circuit construction, masses and springs, radio waves, electromagnetic fields, balloons and static, gas properties, projectile motion visit Physics Education Technology.
BlackBoard World Europe takes place in Edinburgh on 9-10 th May 2006 and the call for presentations is now open.
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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