#learnerham

It seems that every time I am asked to stand up and talk about Glow my job gets a little bit easier.

The latest improvement is Glow Light, the new landing page for Glow.  Glow Light went live for many users across Scotland yesterday and marks a significant change to how people will use and view Glow because it gives users control of what they see as soon as they arrive into the Glow portal.

When you see the Glow Light page for the first time it looks like this:

It is really easy to change how Glow Light looks by removing buttons or adding new buttons (that can either take you to another favourite place within Glow or to an external favourite website).

A user can also reorder the way the buttons appear or indeed even chose to not see the Glow Light interface the next time they log on.

The background image will change every week.  We have a lovely wee bank of images to take us up until Christmas.  After that it is over to individuals, schools and Local Authorities to chose what images are displayed on the Glow Light landing page – meaning a chance for us all to showcase our work or local area to all Glow users.

The search button (seen in the middle of the new landing page) has been greatly improved too.  It is now possible to search by file type or only Glow groups.  A federated search has been added which currently means LTS Online content will also be returned when a user searches for a term from within Glow.  This can be added to in the future by searching CPD Find or Journey to Excellence content, for example.  This new improved search can be accessed from any Glow group, as well as from the Light landing page.

More information on Glow Light, including how a school ASM can turn it on can be found here.

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Has it really been almost 2 months since I last blogged?  I can’t quite believe that it has been that long but a quick look at my Outlook Calendar reminds me just how busy I have been.

I started at LTS 3 weeks before the end of term, and gave up my teacher holidays into the bargain.  In truth I didn’t miss the holidays and have loved everything I have done in the last 3 months.  I was on holiday for the first 2 weeks of August and for the first time in my teaching life I took the full holiday to relax!  No emails, no work, just family and relaxation!

I am learning all the time.  The biggest change with my new job has been having to organise my own time.  In school I was used to bells and timetables; now the bells have been replaced with calendar alarms and the timetables with Scotrail!

Things have really got busy since the schools and uni’s went back.  Lot’s of training and projects planned with various people to keep me busy in the run up to SLF.  Then the 2 day conference itself will be great as I will get to meet lots more people (as well as catching up with twitter buds and friends).

I have been involved with the new Glow blogs which has been great.  I have really enjoyed understanding more about the processes that go on to make ideas a reality.  I have become more creative (thanks to my new colleague and buddy Pam) and have taken a fresh approach to the Glow groups under my charge – not just by improving how they look with new interfaces but more importantly focussing on the purpose of the group – is it clear why the group exists and does it achieve what it should?

You will notice a difference in the look and purpose of many National Curriculum groups over the coming months as many of my LTS Curriculum colleagues have been working hard on updating the national groups content and layout to make them even more user friendly.

Look out to for a new marketing campaign coming soon highlighting why we think Glow is getting better!

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There’s something about Twitter…

What is going on with Twitter?  I know there are huge benefits to tweeting: I get so much out of it, by way of contacts, links, ideas, support and sometimes just a good old laugh! BUT the problems the site has been having recently have been driving me nuts!

Tweetdeck failed to show anything in my columns for most of the day yesterday (despite twitter.com functioning normally).  Sometimes you tweet once and end up showing your message 3 or 4 times as it ‘pretends’ not to show.  More frequently, tweets are sent to you in the wrong order, making it difficult to follow conversations.  And then there is the dreaded Fail Whale, that looks at you smugly when things go wrong.

I guess my question is, at what point does the bad outway the good?  How long are people going to put up with the overcapacity and the capped API rates? When do you say, “actually you have had long enough to sort this out and I’m going to stop using your service”?

I don’t know the answer to those questions.  I can’t think of another Internet service that consistently performs so poorly that people stick with.  Having said that I think I’ll stick with it a wee bit longer.  It is, after all, a great thing.  Phew, nearly talked myself out of Twitter there…

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I tweeted this earlier but thought I would add it here in case anyone missed it.

Glow blogs have been launched (post here) and some defects have come to light.  These will be fixed in the very near future.

The Glow Team are keen to continue with the era of transparency and will keep users updated on the progress of the blog fixes here.

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I have had fun playing with the new Glow blogs.  They launched yesterday and I got a chance to play.  They are built on the WordPress platform which meant I found my way around.  The IT team at RM have done a huge amount of work answering the call of so many who see the potential of things like blogs and wikis being added into Glow.

There are a few cosmetic teething problems that will be sorted out over the summer, I refer to one of them in my first post:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/st/Alan_Hamilton/2010/06/26/glowbetter/

BUT what a huge amount of potential.  I am really looking forward to getting into classrooms across the country from August and seeing what the blogs can do to enhance learning.

It is also great to see how teachers such as Margaret Vass, Caroline Breyley and John Johnstone are getting stuck in and seeing past the teething issues.

(more…)

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I am loving my work.  How many people can say that with such enthusiasm?  I know it is early days but I am genuinely loving every minute.  (actually, every minute except the immediate aftermath of walking up the 7 flights of stairs to my desk after the fire alarm last week!)

Some of the highlights of last week:

• Working from home – that is a novelty!  I managed to get quite a bit done but I am still at the stage of asking lots of questions and the great thing about Optima Towers is there is always someone about to answer even the most stupid of questions, like “what do you wear to the whole staff meeting?”  The beauty of Glow meant that I was able to attend two meetings via Glow Meet!  The downside is that my wife thinks because I am in the house all day she can leave me the same lists that I usually get during the summer hols!
• Meeting a fellow twit – Julie Hope, LTS Health and Wellbeing DO, and talking about how the H&W agenda, including the Internet Safety stuff, is being driven forward
• Using Skype (I know, I really should have done that before) and more importantly being able to hold a Skype call with Carol Rainbow – Carol has been doing some fab things with Second Life and Internet Safety and has very generously given me access to her Moodle
• Getting to sit down with the IT team from Stirling Council and listen to their plans for Glow next year
• Meeting Falkirk teachers and hearing what 2 clusters are planning to do to get the Internet Safety message across to pupils and parents (you can read more about this from Margaret Vass’ blog)  I have added the slides that I used at the Falkirk meeting below.  I will post about the Glow group separately soon
• Meeting everyone involved in the Hooks and Bites co-create project – this is one of 10 co-create Glow projects that are ongoing.  Pupils from nursery, P7 and S5 were all involved in charting life transitions using sound and moving images – they are now focussing on the creating of a Glow group – you will be blown away by what the pupils achieved

As I think back to last week I am reminded of how varied the work I am involved in is.  This week I am getting to know more LTS staff at the whole staff meeting and getting to meet more of the Glow LA contacts at the Key Contacts meeting.  Oh, and hopefully getting my new iPhone 4!  Things are hectic, but hectic is good!

Internet Safety and Responsible Use presentation:

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Ollie has been working tirelessly for the last few years researching and presenting on the subject of Internet Safety and Responsible Use.  I have heard him speak on this subject many times, and every time I hear him I learn something new.  Rather than repeat his message I would point you in the direction of his blog.  A quick click on the tag could Internet Safety will bring up all his posts, and presentations, on this subject.

I was watching my friends 5 year old son play with his Dad’s IPhone the other day.  He was playing a free game called Coin Dozer, based on the arcade game where you drop a coin and watch it push other coins until the fall down a slot at the front.  Harmless enough, until you look at the advert at the bottom of the screen.

It made me think once again about the responsible use bit of the conversations we are having surrounding Internet Safety.  Who is responsible for making sure 5 year olds (or any young people) do not have access to some of these games?

A quick search of the word ‘guns’ into the App Store and hundreds of apps are revealed, many of which are free (1).  Some of these games/apps state that they have an age restriction on them (2), others do not (3).  Which is irrelevant anyway because all you have to do to bypass this is click to accept that you over the age limit.  The same thing my little cousin (who is 10) did when she requested me as a friend on Facebook (she told FB she was born in 1970).  Some would argue that you have to have a credit card to download apps, but you don’t.  All you have to do is buy a voucher from HMV.

Games such as Grand Theft Auto (2) should not be available to children, in my opinion.  Some people believe that this problem has always been around and that when I was younger it was the same thing with toy guns.  I would disagree strongly with this view.  Toy Guns, whether you think them right or wrong, do not expose children to the graphic violence, bloodshed and other vices that you get in games such as Grand Theft Auto.  These games are graphically brilliant, in fact a bit too brilliant, too realistic.

When I was young I was not allowed a TV in my bedroom.  I was never allowed to watch TV after 9 o’clock (the watershed!).  I was never exposed to the vices and bad of the world (except once when my Uncle was babysitting me and I hid behind the couch watching Nightmare on Elm Street, which is why I do not like horror films to this day).  Children will always  find a way to do what they are not allowed to do, but why do we make it so easy for them?

As teachers we have a responsibility to teach young people that these games exist but that they are games, not real life; as Local Authorities there is a responsibility to open up the Internet to allow teachers to teach responsible use of the Internet; as parents there is a responsibility to be aware of these games existence and the many ways that children can access them; but the makers of these games have a responsibility too.  They must take their responsibility seriously and ensure that those who should not be accessing this material do not get access to it.  Clicking a button that says “I am over 18″ is not good enough.

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I have passed the half way point and I’m still standing!

Thursday

Slightly later start today and I have to say I did not miss the 7.11am train!  I cleared my emails on the train, get me, Mr Commuter!  The sun was shining as I arrived at Optima Towers.

I am settling into my new role, with lot’s and lot’s of help from the team.  The Internet Safety and Responsible Use group is taking shape and I can see how, if we get it right, it will serve two very important purposes.  Firstly, every teacher acknowledges that Health and Wellbeing is the responsibility for all.  The challenge is ensuring that every branch of this very important area is covered in a well developed, meaningful way.  A national group on the Internet is, for me, the best way to share the many examples of good practice from across Scotland.  The group will exist on a new Glow blog and be open to all.  The huge benefit of Glow is the additional dialogue and sharing that can go on within the secure network that Glow provides, or <+Glow> to steal a phrase from the cognisant Mr Morris.  Secondly, it could be a model for gathering and sharing other information, including literacy and numeracy; careers; enterprise; PSE topics, the list is endless.  Watch this space!

Friday

Today is team day with the full Glow team and our first chance to play with the new Glow blogs.  They are still on approval, which means they have been put through their paces for months and months and are almost ready for end users to get their hands on.  They are based on WordPress, meaning any WP user (and I am one!) can use them right away.  Non bloggers will find it easy to use too, as the interface of WordPress is easy to navigate and build on industry standard software.  The benefit of it now being possible within Glow is huge.  Teachers can create blogs without the need to sign up their pupils with additional logins.

There are 3 options when creating a new blog:

1. private to a particular Glow group, for class blogging or e-portfollios, for example
2. closed to an establishment, which would allow a school or LA to blog and have only members of the school/LA view and comment on it
3. open to all, in other words outward facing from Glow – to allow non-Glow users to share

I can see this being a hugely popular part of Glow and look forward to seeing how schools and Local Authorities use the service.

Next weeks diary is filling up fast.  Life in the fastlane is good!

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I am going to use the next two posts to reflect on some of the experiences I have had one week into my new role as Glow DO.  Here is my week so far:

Monday

I was due into the office at 9.30 and Lynda said she would come to Glasgow with me to do some shopping.  It was nice to just sit on the train and talk to her without getting anxious about my first day at the biggest school in the country.

The day was a mix of meetings with HR, IT and learning the ropes.  It was great to see some familiar faces like Con Morris and Ollie Bray.  I always knew the team were a great bunch of people – good to know they are patient too!

I had a chat with Andrew Brown, Head of Glow.  He has a fantastic vision for Glow and I really am honored and excited to be a part of the team that will drive things forward.

Tuesday

I left the house before 7 with the heavens open.  Really annoying woman on the train who spoke at her friend for the whole journey.  Today I learned that whilst I do not respect men who carry umberallas I will no longer mock them openly.  I also learned that I have a hole in my shoe and that I am unable to carry a laptop case and a grande black coffee.  I also learned that the word for medium in AmericanItalian is grande!

My first big project is to work with the team developing a new Internet Safety and Responsible Use National Glow group. This is a Glow group that, if done right, could be hugely beneficial to learners, educators and parents as we try to keep up-to-date with the dangers and rewards that the Internet can bring.

My first team meeting went well.  It is great to hear stories of what people are doing with Glow and to understand a little more about the exciting developments ahead.

I also got my first real taste of working in an open plan office.  As part of the Higher Admin course I used to role play open plan and cellular office spaces.  I will have some great stories to take back to school with me.  The ability to quickly ask someone a question, or grab 10 minutes for a coffee and a catch up with a colleague is great.  The 20 minutes of belly laughing with a group of people is even better, even if it means you are not always as productive as you could be.  I have not laughed as much in ages as I did at various points throughout today (I promised Sarah I would not post anything about why we were laughing so no mention of car parks, murder scenes or enquiries emails!)  Another great day and the Internet Safety Glow group is taking shape – I may even be able to open it up by the end of the week!

Oh, and on the way to the train tonight I bought an umbrella!

Wednesday

Result!  I spotted the annoying woman from yesterdays train journey early enough to choose a different carriage!  I looked the business walking to Optima Towers this morning in my new shoes and umbrella and was actually quite disappointed when it stopped raining!  I hope it doesn’t rain in the morning as I have left the umbrella in the office.  I also learned from my mistake from yesterday and bypassed Starbucks and opted for a coffee once I got to Optima Towers.  I found out they sell hot rolls in the mornings – result!

I was part of the NAR user testing group back in February and spent the morning being shown how it looks now.  The team listened and acted upon all of our suggestions and the result is amazing – the NAR will be launched at the Scottish Learning Festival in September and is looking great.  I will post a blog entry going into more detail soon.

This afternoon I worked some more on the Internet Safety Glow group.  I asked via Twitter for people to send me links and resources – see #ISRU, but twitter has been acting strange all day so will put out another call in the morning.  I booked my first training room and ordered lunch for the visitors, another first for me!

I had a surprise quick visit from Kristen Weatherby from Microsoft who I spent the week in Brazil with as part of the Innovative Schools.  It was great to catch up and be able to grab a coffee without looking at my timetable!

I am missing my classes but absolutely loving my time as a DO.  Life is very good indeed right now.

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I start a new job tomorrow as Glow Development Officer for Learning Teaching Scotland for a one year secondment.  I have enjoyed every minute of my 9 years with Stirling High School and I am really looking forward to my new challenges.

I will continue to use this blog for my own personal reflections and to highlight some of the exciting work that I am due to be involved with.

Glow gets better every week and I am fortunate to be joining a great team who are passionate about improving the Glow experience for every learner and educator across Scotland.

Watch this space!

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