Glow...

... worms








... in the dark.

Attribution






... sticks








After leaving another twilight session to introduce Glow to the staff, I am very tempted to be cynical about Glow, but I am countering my urges by focusing of the benefits of online content for enhancing teaching and learning.
I have already covered some places I find useful for finding and editing photos here. In this post I would like to cover the topic of copyrighted images and possible ways for schools to avoid getting themselves in a pickle once staff and pupils start uploading loads of photos to their Glow groups. This was an issue that arose in the twilight session.

There are many options for using images and resources in education that would cost you money in the commercial sector.

Creative Commons is a global licensing project. The various licenses you can choose to label the resources you create are explained here.

If you click on the symbol beside each license then that links to a page where you can download html to add a badge to your web page or glow page. Probably the best option for schools is the 'Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike' license. Quite a tongue twister! Basically, it allows you share content with others as long as they acknowledge where it came from. They can also do what they want with the content as long as it is for non-commercial purposes. Perhaps where there are pictures of children it would be more suitable to choose a less flexible license.

If you use flickr, then flickr allows you to add Creative Common licenses to your photos. Here is an example of one of my photos with a Creative Commons license attached.

The Creative Commons search tool is a great way to find suitable pictures and videos that come under the correct license. You can choose various search engines from Google to flickr, and by selecting 'Search for works I can modify, adapt, or build upon', you are provided with a selection of resources it is safe to use in the classroom, or share on a Glow group.

I think that because we are using resources for educational purposes, then we can stretch the law a little bit, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Check if there are any copyright issues with resources, and if in doubt email the person to ask their permission.

VIDEO RESOURCES
Sites like youtube and blip.tv make it very easy to embed content directly onto your Glow site, therefore getting round problems of downloading and copyright. Teachertube and Schooltube are alternatives where filters block access to youtube. But I have found Teachertube to be quite slow. Hopefully, this will improve in the future because it is a great resource.

If you want to download video resources, then there lots of great resources available through the Creative Archive. The BBC led the way initially with a wonderful selection of clips to download and edit for educational purposes. I have them all! But since have pulled all the clips and seemed to have changed focus to streaming content such as this. Unfortunately, the Creative Archive seems to have lost its steam, but their are lots of downloadable clips available under the license from Teachers TV, the BFI, ITN Source (which allows you to download clips in Quicktime)pick n mix (channel 4) Channel 4 and the Open University.

You can access streamed clips through school computers of the BFI's extensive ScreenOnline resource. There are some excellent history packages for streaming to be found here. Scottish Screen are developing a similar resource for Scottish film clips in their archive.

You can use your school computer to access clips and download free clips (for educational purposes) from the British Pathe website. This is lots of fun for old fashioned newsreel soundbites!
The Internet Archive is an American project similar to the Creative Archive and full of goodies to use.
This NASA site has a fantastic collection of interesting, if sometimes very hazy, Apollo Lunar clips to download.

SOUND RESOURCES
This link for the Audio Network Library, if accessed at school, allows you to listen to and download its clips for free. Teachers (and pupils) can listen and browse the selection outside of school hours here.

Information about using copyrighted songs can be found here.

There are many other sites too, but I think this entry is already too long. I am too tired and I am writing this after watching the famous Aberdeen go down 4-1 to Dundee United. Gutted. Good night.

Timeline of Scottish History

A timeline of Scottish history using ClassTools.net for tomorrow's lesson. Loving this site! Very easy to use and you don't get bogged down in trying to perfect layout, colour, style etc. Because it won't let you. And that, for me, is a good thing!

Click here for full screen version

Online quiz and games makers.

Every Wednesday I go to an excellent French course for Primary teachers. Everyone on the course is fantastic with a brilliant range of experience, age and sense of humour. I am the only man (as usual!).
But the programme disc isn't as interactive as it could be, so I have spent some time tonight dragging the images into the Promethean Activeprimary software to use on my interactive board at school.

I have also been trying out some online game and quiz makers to see the results. I got directed to the brilliant ClassTools.net by a fellow Scotedublogger here. John@Sandaig has highlighted a podcast with more about the resource here. It really couldn't be simpler. I am going to try setting games as homework tasks, especially for things like spelling and mental maths. Will post the results when I make them.

Another free site I had a look at was ClassMarker.com where you can create three different types of quizzes. You can also maintain a database of different classes and pupils, and record their scores. So it would suit primary and secondary teachers alike.

I have used Hot Potatoes a lot in the past for creating class games and the like but these sites are more readily accessible and understandable.

The last site I have had in my back del.icio.us pocket for too long is PurposeGames.com where you can create great looking picture and multiple choice games. Here is my attempt at one for the French lesson tomorrow. Try it out!

Please leave a comment if you can suggest any other sites.

Robert Burns = The Bard, Rabbie, Robin or The Ploughman Poet, His Bardness, The Barderino (if you're not into the whole brevity thing...)

Well it's that time of year again when schools all over the country are chasing their tails to pay their dues to Scots and by celebrating the life and work of the man himself- Mr Robert Burns.
How many renditions of J.K. Annand's 'Street Talk', or Robert Burns' 'Tam O Shanter' will be sent home for homework? As well as all the paintings and songs being entered for the various World Burns Federation competitions.
As a teacher I love this time of year. Scots is such a rich language, full of brilliant descriptive words like glaikit and mawsie. But I hardly ever use it in a fluent sense. I always feel guilty that I'm one of these Scots that can unnerstaun and spik it (if it's written down) but it certainly doesn't roll off the tongue.
I also feel guilt for not embedding it more into my daily teaching over the year. Each year I promise myself to do more, but it just never happens. Always so MANY things to do.
Less about guilt, more about resources.
Some classic publications I always use are all my old Broons and Oor Wullie annuals, 'Bairnsangs', 'The Kist' , three volumes from Mercat Press ('A Bairn's Sang', 'Bairn Rhymes' and 'Scots Poems for Children). The excellent 'Burns for Bairns' published Burns specialists Alloway Publishing is full of shorter classics like 'To A Louse' and 'Willie Wastle'.
For a more modern slant on Scots then Itchycoo publishers are amazeen! The 'Eck the Bee' activity book and 'King o the Midden' poetry collection are personal faves, but recently they have produced a Scots version of Roald Dahl's 'The Twits', simply called 'The Eejits' and Stevenson's Kidnapped in graphic novel form- 'Kidnappit'.
There are some great online sources on Scots or Burns from LTS Scotland, The National Library, Scran, The Scottish Storytelling Centre and Burns Cottage.
Burns Country and the World Burns Federation provide detailed knowledge about Burns, his poetry and Burns Suppers.
Be inspired with some alternative recipes for haggis from the world famous producers MacSween of Endinburgh.
An extensive online collection of other Scots poems for children can be found here.
'Tam O Shanter', Burns' classic tale of drink, likeable rogues, witches and dancing is retold in dramatic fashion by the painter Alexander Goudie. These can be admired online here. I can't wait to show them to my class!