Five Things You May Not Know About Me December 28, 2006
Posted by Brian in : About Me, Uncategorized , 2comments
Me (on the right)
I have been tagged by Jonesieboy to tell 5 things that you may not know about me. So here goes.
1. I used to play regularly in a band with Brian Kellock, probably the finest jazz pianist in the world.
I don’t play an instrument now, for the same reason I wouldn’t bother climbing any more mountains if I ever ma
naged to get to the top of Everest.
2. I have visited Napoleons house and grave on the island of St Helena.
3. Whilst a member of the Royal Naval Reserve I was seconded for a few months to 539 Assault Squadron Royal Marines 200 miles above the arctic circle. As part of my arctic training I had to ski into a lake and pull myself out with my ski poles. It was January, the ice on the lake was over 2ft thick and the air temperature was –22C.
I have never really felt chilly since then or indeed have ever had any further inclination to strap long pieces of wood onto my feet and launch myself down a hill at speed (sorry Robert and Tess I know you are both enthusiasts but I am scarred for life).
4. I have, in the past, been awake for more than three days in a row (not through choice, I was working). Day one was tough, day two and three weren’t that bad, by the beginning of the fourth day I was hearing and seeing things (bagpipes and horses, a few hours later the horses were playing the bagpipes).
After that I learned to cherish sleep and vowed in the future to take a nap whenever the opportunity presented itself.
5. As a passenger in a car that had committed a very minor traffic offence, I had to attend a courthouse in a one horse town in the middle of the Utah desert called Hurricane.
After waiting half an hour for the judge to turn up I had to vouch for the good character of a colleague who was the driver and now one of Scotlands foremost head teachers. No names will be mentioned to protect the guilty.
Moral of the story, don’t argue with an American policeman or judge regardless of how high in esteem the Scottish education system holds you.
I look forward with interest to hearing about others that have been tagged.
A good new year to one and all.
elcouncil, RNR, Utah, Hurricane, 539 ASRM,
Answer to the Ultimate Question December 19, 2006
Posted by Brian in : Uncategorized , 4commentsThere have been many discussions about the usefulness of the internet and wether it does really make a difference in our lives.
I was sent a link today offering me an answer to one of the ultimate questions that have perplexed people for years, especially my mother.
If the internet had been around when I was a lad it could have all been so different.
Much time, effort and tears would have been saved if the answer to this one question could have been discovered by simply clicking a button.
You too can now find out the answer by clicking on the question mark above.
Scottish Technicians Advisory Group December 14, 2006
Posted by Brian in : CPD, SSERC, STAG, Uncategorized , 1 comment so far
Yesterday I headed over to SSERC for the quarterly meeting of the Scottish Technicians Advisory Group.
The group consists of representatives from local authorities across Scotland and meets four times a year.
A lot of good work is done by the advisory group, one of the most important initiatives that is currently being given consideration is the report that has been commissioned by the Scottish Executive into CPD and related activities for school technical support staff.
It stems from the findings of the Scottish Science Advisory Committee who published a report called “Why science education matters” . 
Within the report there are many references to technical support staff e.g
- Technical support in schools must be strengthened so that pupils can have the experience and stimulation of “hands on” practical work
-
All secondary schools should have at least one dedicated science technician. Such members of staff should be seen as an integral part of the science provision, having access to appropriate CPD and career enhancement opportunities.
The interim report has been published by SSERC and it is hoped that the full report will be made available in early part of the new year.
It will be a document that has the potential to shape the future of the technicians service in Scotland.
elcouncil, Science Strategy, SSERC, STAG
Comments and Progress December 12, 2006
Posted by Brian in : CPD, ICT, Uncategorized , add a commentThanks for all the comments its good to see that people from all over the country are prepared to air their feelings and work towards moving forward and effecting change.
Harry said in his comment that his colleague James Dunn, a school ICT technician, had not been eligible to apply for the ICT mentor posts in Glasgow City Council.
In my experience an ICT technician working in a school would be in a great position to act as a mentor. I know that James has done a lot to promote ICT in schools and it seems mad not to have taken advantage of his experience, knowledge and enthusiasm.
Technical support staff have the flexibility to make the time to acquaint themselves with new equipment, ICT or otherwise. We have finely honed practical skills, detailed technical knowledge, and experience of how new equipment and ICT can be applied to the curriculum to enhance the learning and teaching experience.
Yet, often our input is overlooked, training to keep our skills up to date is made difficult to access and more and more is being asked from us with ever decreasing numbers.
I believe it doesn’t have to be this way.
Things are changing with regards to technical support in Scotland (I will go into more detail about this in my next blog entry) but we still have to work on raising our profile. We must also actively canvass for change and not fear speaking up and telling people about the important role we have within a modern education environment. A start would be to get removed the words “non teaching staff” from all local authority documents.
Drumchapel, Blog and Community December 8, 2006
Posted by Brian in : Single Status, Uncategorized , 11comments
I received an email from Harry Carey who is a technician at 
Drumchapel High School. He has been reading my blog and wanted to thank me for flagging up stories regarding Single Status and Job evaluation and generally giving him and others a point of reference with regard as to what is happening in technician circles.
He told me that the blog from the national conference let himself and other technical support staff who were not able to attend the conference see what was going on and gave them an idea of some of the issues that were being discussed.
Support staff can feel isolated within schools. We work under different terms and conditions from teaching staff and some senior management are oblivious to the contents of the Red Book that governs local government employees working practices.
Participation in council affairs and initiatives can pass us by because important information for support staff, with no importance to teaching staff, for one reason or another does not always make it through to its target audience.
Everyone who attended the annual conference agreed that its biggest benefit was being able to meet others from all over the country. Not only were experiences shared and best practice debated, delegates were given a chance to see just how other regions organised and ran their technician services. The feeling of community was palpable.
Since returning from conference I have had a number of emails and comments on the blog. So if you are a technician in a school thinking that you are alone, and are reading this then get in touch and maybe we can start an online community where we could discuss the big questions relevant to us.
Interactive Whiteboards - The Future? December 6, 2006
Posted by Brian in : CPD, GLOW, ICT, Uncategorized , 1 comment so far
Todays internal ICT training was about interactive whiteboards.
An excellent presentation and demonstration was given by our Principle Teacher of Maths, Fiona Mcleod. Fiona explained how the “pen” that comes with the board works, the boards limitations, and how to get the best from the software that comes with it.
All maths departments in East Lothian have been lucky enough to be kitted out with Promethean white boards, so after being told all about them we were able to try them out for ourselves in the rest of the maths rooms.
I had seen interactive whiteboards being demonstrated at SETT but I had never actually had a chance to have a go on one of them. I know that in my role as a science technician there wont be much call for me to use one, but being interested in ICT in general and finding out how technology works I revelled in the chance to put one through its paces.
It felt a bit funny at first, using a pen that doesnt actually write, but it wasnt long before the whiteboard had made sense of my scrawl and turned it into legible text. I played around with it for around half and hour, calling up a variety of documents, videos and images and it really is an amazing piece of kit.The only limitation to it will be the imagination of the person using it.
Interactive whiteboards will compliment the virtual learning environment found inside GLOW and my guess is that within ten years most classrooms will have one.
If you get the chance to have a go of one then, regardless of what role you play in education, try one out and see the future of education for yourself.
Being Flexible December 5, 2006
Posted by Brian in : CPD, ICT, Single Status, Uncategorized , 3comments
Today I contacted the business manager here at Musellburgh Grammar and also the personnel department about taking part in the flexible working hours scheme that the council runs.
Council policy states :-
All administrative, professional, technical and clerical staff will be included in the scheme except where, in the view of the Director concerned, and after discussion with the Trade Union Representatives the inclusion of any post is considered impracticable or detrimental to the level of service to the public.
As far as I am aware I have no knowledge of the Director of Education and Childrens services ever being in consultation with unions in regard to stopping school support staff from having access to the flexible working hours scheme so I have asked for clarification on the matter.
Using Flexi time is by far the norm amongst local government employees. It enables staff to be flexible to the needs of their work. Schools should be no exception.
For example Ollie Bray runs excellent after school ICT training. It’s a great way for all staff to access the basic tools and knowledge required in todays multimedia education environment and its making an impact by improving the way ICT is being used to promote good learning and teaching within East Lothian schools. Teaching staff put it down for their CPD, council staff who attend from John Muir House put it on their flexi time, but school support staff have no way of gaining back the time.
Some may say that is just being petty, but rather than being petty I think it’s unfair.
Under single status, local government employees, with some exceptions e.g Teachers, are meant to be subject to the same terms and conditions of employment. If one sector of employees is being treated differently that others without explanation then surely that cannot be in the spirit of the agreement.
Here’s how it could work in schools
- flexi time would have to be subject to the operational requirements of the school
- flexi-time would be taken in consultation with and the approval of the line manager
- staff who required to work additional hours would inform line managers and gain approval where possible before commencing
- staff would be required to keep their own log of their hours and submit them to their line manager on a weekly or monthly basis
- the flexi time agreement in schools would be subject to the councils policy on flexible working arrangements in all other respects
Please feel free to comment with ideas, suggestions or to start a debate. It would be great to hear how it works in schools that do have flexi time.
elcouncil, Ollie Bray, flexi time, single status
Gas Explosion at Musselburgh Grammar December 1, 2006
Posted by Brian in : Uncategorized, chemistry , 2commentsIf you want to see what happens when lit natural gas (Methane) and air mix in the right combination then click on the picture below.
This demonstration was carried out by Mrs Malley
(pictured right) in her S3 chemistry class.
The title of the unit is called “Blazing Away” and deals with the study of Fuels.
An old coffee tin with a 2cm hole in the bottom and 0.5cm hole in the lid is filled with Methane.
When the tin is full of Methane and the top hole is lit a yellow flame is seen. No explosion takes place at this point because there is so little air present.
As the gas burns off at the top, air is drawn in through the hole in the bottom and the flame turns blue. When the mix is just right then a combustion reaction can be sustained.
The flame emits very little light at this point and is often mistaken for being out, but its not, its now that the explosion takes place.
Who Switched GLOW on ? December 1, 2006
Posted by Brian in : GLOW, Uncategorized , add a comment 
John Connell
I recieved a comment on my blog the other day from John Connell. I havent met John but he has commented on my enthusiasm for GLOW via my blog a couple of times.I have also heard Ewan McIntosh talk about him in only the highest of terms.
John is leaving the public sector and going to work for Cisco. His role initially will be to develop a comprehensive vision for the future of technology in education in what Cisco term their “emerging nations” which include South America, Africa the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
I wish him good luck and as one of the key people responsible for operating the switch that will enable GLOW to light up learning in a revolutionary way I am sure it wont be long until these emerging nations are similarly illuminated.
Powered by FireStats