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RSC NewsFeed - May 18th 2004

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Something for everyone as usual in this issue: secret spells for network security, new NLN materials and a course in how to knock them into shape for your students, conferences, reports, and the HETNA training needs analysis. All human life is here*

 

---------------------------- CONTENTS  ------------------------

 

1.      New Additions to Educational Media Online

2.      NLN (1)  Recrafting the Content - Scottish Training Day - 10th June 2004

3.      NLN (2) New Learning Materials Released

4.      Exam Marking Online

5.      (Open-Source Software) OSS Watch Conference 2

6.      HETNA - Higher Education Training Needs Analysis

7.      Scottish E-Learning Forum (SELF) Event

8.      New VLE Research Report from BECTA

9.      Network Security Wizards-where the spells are kept

10.     BUFVC - One Day Courses

11.     Training & Events

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New Additions to Educational Media Online

 

Some jargon to grapple with first in this one:

 

JISC - Joint Information Systems Committee

EDINA - JISC-Funded National Data Centre based at Edinburgh University (hence the name) EMOL - Education Media Online (Film and video for download for UK HE and FE hosted by EDINA)

 

Now read on . . .

 

JISC and EDINA have announced a substantial addition to the 300+ hours of non-fiction films and videos already available from the Education Media OnLine service (hosted by EDINA). Teachers and students from many different subject areas, such as music, medicine, health and life sciences and archaeology, are already benefitting from the ten collections offered by the Service. Details of the material, sourced from Amber Films and the Open University Worldwide (OUW) collection, can be found here:

 

http://www.emol.ac.uk/description.shtml

 

while more general information about the riches held in the data vaults of EDINA, including maps and the Statistical Accounts of Scotland, can be viewed at:

 

http://edina.ac.uk/

 

 

 

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NLN (1) Recrafting the Content-Scottish Training Day - 10th June 2004

 

A series of one-day workshops is being held over the summer and autumn terms to show how to customise NLN Materials. Each session includes a demonstration and a chance to 'have a go', with experts on hand to advise. The workshops entitled: "Re-crafting the content : customising e-learning resources", are being delivered by the NLN Materials Team working in partnership with the Regional Support Centres (RSCs), and are aimed at staff who are confident users of IT.

 

The workshops will show how to adapt existing assets and learning objects and combine them with a variety of resources to produce customised content that can be tailored to meet the needs of the learner. Participants will be able to tackle a variety of activities - from removing a picture from a NLN unit to creating a whole new learning object from a selection of resources, as well as getting the chance to explore the JISC RELOAD editing tool for re-purposing materials to suit learner needs. Time will also be spent looking at the pedagogical and accessibility considerations that must be taken into account during materials development and raising awareness of emerging standards of excellence.

 

This is designed to be a practical, hands-on session so places are limited. Don't delay book today!!

 

For further information and booking details go to: http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/rscsupport/training.html

 

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NLN (2) New Learning Materials Released

 

Further new, interactive, e-learning materials from the National Learning Network are now available. This latest release of free resources as part of the NLN Materials development programme covers a range of levels and subjects:

 

- Catering (Levels 2/3)

- Construction (Level 3)

- Psychology (Level 3)

- Office Administration (Levels 1/2)

- Biology and Sports Science (Levels 2/3)

- General Art and Design (Levels 3/4)

- History (Level 3)

 

These 'Round 3'  materials can be accessed through the NLN Materials website www.nln.ac.uk/materials  where a full list of available learning and supporting tutor documentation is available. You can also find advance information on yet more materials be released over the coming months.

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Exam Marking Online

 

Schools in England and Wales could soon be sending pupils' coursework to exam boards electronically. Currently exam centres have to hand in coursework on paper to be "moderated" by examiners. Now examiners at Edexcel, OCR, AQA and WJEC have agreed to look at ways of assessing coursework online. Technically-savvy schools have long complained they are wasting time printing off coursework they have marked electronically. For full details of the story see:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3682559.stm

 

Nearer home the SQA is also looking closely at online assessment and published guidelines in 2003 which can be viewed at:

 

http://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/GuidelinesForOnlineAssessment(Web).pdf

 

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(Open-Source Software) OSS Watch Conference 2

 

Support  Models for Open Source Deployment

Thursday, 3 June

The Diskus Conference Centre,

Transport House,

London WC1

 

Are you considering deploying an open-source solution, but concerned about support implications? Are you interested in learning how similar colleges and universities manage their support issues? Do you manage an in-house team providing support for your institution? Are you wondering how they would cope with a decision to deploy an open source solution? If so, this conference is for you.

 

This is a **FREE** conference for UK higher or further education institutions run by the JISC-funded OSS which monitors the availability and reliability of 'open source' and therefore often free software.  It's aimed at:

 

* Decision-makers concerned with cost implications of deployment decisions

* Managers dealing with practical support issues

* Technical staff seeking new models of self-support

 

As capacity for this event is limited, OSS Watch reserves the right to limit the number of delegates attending from a single institution. For full information see:

 

http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/events/2004-06-03/

 

 

 

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HETNA: Do you work in a Scottish Higher Education Institution?

 

HETNA - the Higher Education Training Needs Analysis is an online survey designed to look at the way information and communication technology is currently used across the HE sector and to estimate the training required by staff at all levels to use the new technologies effectively. The survey has been commissioned by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and information gathered will inform future staff development in information technology. The survey is being carried out by the two JISC Scottish Regional Support Centres in conjunction with SCROLLA. By responding you can make sure we have an accurate picture, that you get the training you require, and become eligible for the prize of a digital camera to be drawn at the end of the survey period.

 

WHO should complete it?

 

The short answer is, all staff working in Higher Education Institutions in Scotland (including all staff at UHIMI institutions).

 

There are five 'flavours' of survey form with specific questions on the needs of staff in the following areas:

 

-       Academic

-       Library & Information Services

-       Senior Management

-       IT Networking

-       Administrative & all other Support Staff

 

The survey is open from 5th-26th May and you can complete a survey form by going to:

 

http://www.hetna.org.uk/

 

 

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SELF (Scottish E-learning Forum) Event

 

Training the Trainers

Motherwell College

Tuesday 15th June 2004

 

This one day conference will disseminate information about current trends, initiatives and developments in e-learning focussing around a series of workshops which review software which is for the most part free to the sector. For the full programme go to:

 

http://www.sfeu.ac.uk/learningEventsDetail.asp?eventID=645

 

(The Scottish e-Learning Forum (SELF) aims to provide a platform for discussion and an opportunity for networking to encourage appropriate and effective use of e-learning. The group also aims to encourage appropriate and effective use of e-resources which may enable e-learning and to bring together practitioners and experts to share good practice. )

 

 

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New VLE Research Report from BECTA

           

A new report from BECTA on the use of VLEs in FE and HE and their increasing take-up by schools is available from

 

http://www.becta.org.uk/page_documents/research/VLE_report.pdf

 

 

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Network Security Wizards -  Where the Spells are Kept

 

The SecWiz Guide to Network Security is a web collection of documents helping you to solve network security problems in system-specific detail. This website is filled a wide variety of firewall-related information, including: technical articles, firewall rulesets, news, links to white papers, and listings of new tools and products.

 

Security Wizards aims to be the largest central repository of security-related information, and to provide clarity on the burning issues of network security, deployment and implementation. The site is aimed at all those concerned with network security and will be updated every fortnight.

Seeing is believing at: http://www.secwiz.com/

 

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BUFVC (British Universities Film & Video Council) - One Day Courses

 

Digital Video Editing using Final Cut Pro 4

 

8th June 2004 Presented by Mark Purcell at the Northern Media School, Sheffield.

 

Topics covered include:

 

- Capturing footage from Digital Video Tape

- Basic editing

- Image manipulation

- Audio editing

 

Introduction to DVD production using DVD Studio Pro 2

 

9th June 2004 Presented by Steve Spruce at the Northern Media School, Sheffield.

 

Topics covered include:

 

- Importing media assets

- Encoding media

- Authoring the DVD

 

For further information on these courses see the BUFVC web site at http://www.bufvc.ac.uk/news/index.html

or contact Jeff Baggott on 0114 225 4615 

 

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Training & Events

 

A full listing of all the workshops currently being run by both RSCs in Scotland is available at:

 

RSC Scotland North and East               

www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/rscsupport/training.html

 

RSC Scotland South and West               

www.rsc-sw-scotland.ac.uk/events.htm

 

These courses and others are listed on the Scotfeict website at: www.scotfeict.ac.uk/events

 

which also lists other staff development opportunities for FE staff within Scotland.

Nationwide training opportunities are available on the NLN events database at www.nln.ac.uk/events

 

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