Hotmilkydrink: The Digital Home of Derek Robertson

Glow...are we really on the dark side

It was with interest that I read Tom Conlon's article about the Dark side of Glow in today's TESS. After reading it I couldn't help but feel as though I was in some way an acolyte of Darth Vader and the Empire due to my and others 'irrational exuberance' for such a technology. Don't get me wrong, I am not on here to have a dig at someone that is looking at what is happening in the education world with such a critical and questioning eye. We always need that and I have taken on board and am still in the process of digesting what Tom Conlon says...however. I do feel that the view that comes across is somewhat negative and the article is significant for me in the sense that there is no mention at all of the positives that the initiative that is Glow can, and, is bringing to teaching and learning in classrooms across the country.

I was recently in a class in Bishopbriggs (blog post to follow on the Consolarium's blog) led by a teacher called Susan Yeoman. Glow had become integral to what was happening in this class and the evidence of learning that I witnessed was, in my opinion, damn good. The class site/s were packed with evidence of rich learning, they were engaging with other children, developing their skills in the field of technology, enthused about learning, sharing their work at home and using technology in a purposeful and relevant way. I have seen this in many other classrooms too. I thought that we had moved past the trough of disillusionment in Gartner's Hype Cycle (particularly in view of a recent key contacts meeting) and were moving towards the plateau of productivity but Tom's article still urges caution, a little too much in the negative for me.

I have some comments to make about what Tom has to say:

• I question Tom's suggestion that a free laptop for every teacher might have been a better option. Where is the evidence to support that?

• I also question Tom's focus on the phrase 'the speeded-up school'. I look forward to a 'speeded up school' that engages with technologies in as informed and evaluative a process as possible. This work will continue to evolve and develop and I believe that we need to be in there actually doing it in class. Why shouldn't we aspire to have schools where learning is speeded up...

• I sympathise with his comments about the digital divide but should this stop us from building the infrastructure that learners might be able to access via a PSP, a DS, a Wii or any other cultural significant technologies that young people use? Such an initiative, aspirational in its conception and desire, could and should play a part in cementing the arguments for the support and provision of access for all.

• The final part of Tom's article that I must say is disappointing is his comment about the cultural trivialisation of amateur chatter within Glow. What exactly does he mean by this? The work that I am seeing with young people engaging with Glow and some of the professional discourse that is happening in some Glow groups is, in my opinion, far from amateur but wholly professional and enlightening and evidential of the superb and thoughtful range of teachers there are in Scottish schools.

I realise that as an employee of LTS that this blogpost may come across as on message and partisan but I hope not, We need people like Tom Conlon to make us step back and out of any blind enthusiasm for new technological initiatives and to always keep a critical eye on what we are doing. We do however, I believe, also need to make the best use of technologies to engage learners and in so doing continue to contribute to the discourse about effective practice in such a domain. Glow has great potential and there are of a great many teachers out there who are making it happen, I wonder how much of this Tom has actually seen? I look forward to reading more of Tom's thoughts when they come out in the Scottish Educational Review.

Now I'm off to construct my own light sabre and find that pesky Yoda!

New Myst Case Study

A new case study has just been published on the LTS Consolarium site. Looking at the use of the Myst game in schools in Aberdeenshire in Scotland it documents how the project began, how Tim Rylands helped with CPD and the impact on learning it has had in one school in particular. Have a look to see how paired writing tasks were initiated and how it has motivated reluctant writers to write.

Guitar Hero rocks P.7 in Aberdeenshire

If Hannibal from the A-Team had been with me in Aberdeenshire on Thursday he would have said, "I love it when a plan comes together!" You know why, because my plan did and how... For those of you who know me and who may occasionally read my ramblings then you'll know that I am big Guitar Hero fan. Red hot and untouchable at it I know but hey, that's what years of dedication can bring. Anyway, I really wanted to see if this resource had a place in class so I put a few sets in schools with my partner local authorities and gave them some ideas about how I though it may be used. One of these was P.7 at Meldrum PS. Have a look at the photos and then read on...

Meet 'Full Moon'

Again, very much in keeping with my philosophy of teaching, the teacher here has used Guitar Hero to create a 'Collaborative Story' about which she has thematically linked and stuctured various aspects of the curicculum. Very much in keeping with the Primary approach of thematic based learning. The main story about which the learning has happened is that as a result of getting lost in the 'crazy world of Rock and Roll' with the Guitar Hero the class have created their own fictional band called Full Moon. Full Moon have just released their first hit single called Pure Black Magic and I'm sure it's going to go double platinum!

Here is a brief description of what they have been doing in class:

• English Language: The class have established a highly believable, interesting and fully 3-dimensional set of band members via a series of rock biographies that the have written. These biographies had to be heard/read to be believed, they were fantastic! They have also worked on their persuasive wrting by penning adverts to sell the guitars they made in D&T that feature in the class guitar shop called Streets of Steel. They have also ben working on writing song lyrics and have penned what will no doubt become a rock anthem, 'Pure Black Magic.'
• Design and Technology: The teacher asked the class to design their idea of a 'must have' guitar. Little did they know that they were going to create one using junk! This they were duly asked to do but the criteria was that no sellotape was to be used in the construction of their guitar. You can see their guitars hanging on the wall in the photos.
• Drama: The class are working with the Drama teacher to create a rock video for one of four rock songs. The children are busily preparing their routines and their costumes and the videos are due to shot next week. They also had an X-Factor style audition session where the children played the parts of Sharon, Simon and Louie to give critiques of the hopefuls attempting to get in to Full Moon.
• Art & Design: Band logos have been designed, album covers, European Tour posters, Tour T-Shirts that can be ironed on and costumes have all, or are being, designed.
• Science: The class have been investigating sound by looking at the pitch made by different guitar strings and how this is changed when you press the string against the fret board.
• Environmental Studies: The class have got themselves so involved with this that they are now planning a European Tour and as a result they are working on an itenary for Full Moon for when they play the major European venues.

The teacher of the class has had P.7 a few times now and she has stressed that she can't believe how this project has galvainsed, motivated, engaged and excited a P.7 class at this stage of their school career. She says that normally once they have been to visit their 'new school' then it's very much a case of them looking forward to that but with this project it seems the class don't have enough time left to finish the work that they want to finish!

As for the kids in the class....well, I was really delighted with what I saw. Children beaming with interest, excitement and a willingness to get lost in this collaborative story. Here's what some of them had to say (unsolicited and spontaneous I may add):

"Normally we do english, maths, technology, art all on their own but with Guitar Hero II it's all linked instead of one thing at a time."

"Guitar Hero is really good fun but its at the centre of it and it really boosts you on and it helps you work on your imagination."

There will be much more to come in terms of evidence and detail on the soon to be unveiled and long awaited Learning and Teaching Scotland's Consolarium website! Photos of the kids playing me at Guitar Hero (and possibly video) will be there too and yes, in case you were wondering...I wiped the floor with all-comers although one young upstart deigned to overtake me mid-way through Surrender by Cheap Trick!

Great stuff at Meldrum PS and testament to what thoughtful creative and exciting use of resources by a skilled teacher can do to get the most, and more, out of children.

Crazy Talking in schools in Stirling

One of the number of pilot projects that I have am currently working on with local authority partners in Scotland has been the Crazy Talk project. Crazy Talk is a smashing piece of software that allows the user to import a still image, be it a photograph, a digital image created in a paint package or a scanned drawing. A simple wizard then allows the user to animate the image into an an animated, lip-synching, eye blinking, emotion face pulling avataresque artefact. The beauty of it is that the technical skills threshold for this application is very very low so it is something that ALL teachers could easily do.

I went o visit a P.6 class today who have been using Crazy talk in a a writing project about the Titanic. The pupils have been thinking and writing about what the passengers on the boat may have though about their new life in America and what life on the boat might be like. Here is an example of what one pupil did:

   

The teacher of the class and the Staff Tutors involved have made great claims about how this application has motivated the pupils in this class, particularly many of the boys, to engage with writing with an increased and enhanced level of commitment and interest.

When I visited today I found two P.6 girls recording a piece of writing that they had done in French into Crazy Talk. The content of their writing was very impressive as was the accuracy of the pronunciation. Yes, this a great class teacher in here but she has commented that the application has again motivated the children to write and talk in French .

This work was really interesting and it is to be presented at Learning and Teaching Scotland's Scottish Learning Festival (SETT) in September 07. Have a look at this project's presentation proposal in the brochure.

Many other local authorities are working on Crazy Talk projects so there will be much more to report very soon.