I have been sitting on this wee bit of news and am delighted that I can now go public. I am honoured to have been appointed to the new ICT Excellence Group set up by Michael Russell MSP, Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, to consider the successor to Glow. As someone who has been a long time champion of the possibilities that are opening up, and of the need for education to understand and adapt to change rather than shy away from it, I will be approaching this opportunity with an open mind and a desire to see Scotland’s education system show the way with what is possible.
Below is the press release. I look forward to helping shaping the educational ICT future that my children will negotiate.
Schools IT excellence group set up
Experts consider digital communications for pupils
Education Secretary Michael Russell has appointed the Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Muffy Calder to convene an ICT Excellence Group to consider the future development of the schools’ intranet ‘Glow’.
The new ICT excellence group will draw on the experience and expertise of end-users, and educational technology experts to scope the long-term user-centred future of Glow.
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell said:
“It is crucial that the next generation of Glow allows schools to harness the power of technology for learning, to keep pace with rapidly evolving developments and speak the language that young people speak online.
“Professor Calder’s group will have the challenge of imagining a future for the service that can be customised to the individual requirements of our young people, is dynamic and can remain relevant for years to come. I look forward to receiving their advice later this year.”
Background
Glow is currently used by teachers, pupils and parents to support learning and share resources.
Developed in 2005 as an education intranet with a potential user base of 1.5 million users, comprising learners, parents and carers, teachers and other staff supporting education across Scotland. It provides:
• A trusted and safe environment for online activity by pupils, practitioners and parents
• A variety of online tools to enable national communication and enhance learning
• Access to a range of educational resources
• Communities of practice that offer teachers opportunities to share and collaborate
The group members are now announced as follows: Prof Muffy Calder, Prof Ian Sommerville, Prof Mike Sharples, Mr Ewan McIntosh, Mr Charlie Love, Prof Bill Buchanan, Mr Hamish Budge, Prof Jeff Haywood, Mr Neil Winton, Mr Tony Rafferty, Mr Fraser Speirs, Mrs Jaye Richards Hill and Mr Martin Dewar who will facilitate the involvement of two school pupils in the group.
The Cabinet Secretary’s recent statement on the immediate future of Glow can be found here: http://www.engageforeducation.org/2012/06/glow’s-next-phase/