VCT - Virtual Classroom Tours

We have reached our first milestone of over 50 VCTs en route to our end of year target of approaching 100.

At moment they are bound for http://www.microsoft.com/education/pileurope.mspx, and will appear as "Scottish Qualification Authority VCT Bank" .They currently live at www.sqa.org.uk/vct and when we know how all of these resources will go into GLOW.
Related to previous posts we have achieved a lot with Microsoft Partners in Learning Funding.

Cisco Public Services Summit

John Connell has posted on Cisco Global Summit. I was fortunate enough to be a guest at this event in 2005. I suppose related to my previous post - We owe a massive debt to the Microsoft, Oracle’s and Cisco’s of this world. You could worry about their motivation which is undoubtedly rapacious capitalism and I know that this is the concern of those who have thrown the odd spanner in the works as we built the partnerships through DIVA but all these organisations are involved in bringing together global communities of those who work in the public and private sectors and delivering real tangible learning assets to those who matter most – the learners and our communities. Wonder what the critics would say if we developed without reference to some of the vendors in our vocational qualifications .

It’s good to see that increasingly key notes and talks are available from these gatherings and from sources like Ted (a not for profit organisation) which distributes electrifying presentations direct from those who are dreaming and shaping the future.

We need more dreamers and shapers of the future. Especially next year as this may be a tougher year for all of us in the public and private sectors globally.

SQA’s international brand extended into 25 countries this year, we delivered a wide range of projects from the simple export of qualifications (it’s never simple) to consultancy around designing vocational systems at national level. In addition we hosted internal visits from 30 other countries. The feedback on these internal visits went round SQA today – it is staggeringly good.

Good to see too that we have innovators of our own. You’ll find SQA products and support materials in Wiki Media and using where appropriate all things Web 2 and Bobby is just about to start doing this end to end for a qualification development. GLOW can’t come fast enough for qualifications development but great to see it coming – brings me back to John Connell again,

The Glow Father ;-)

SQA Elfs

It's panto season and the office night out season and in between times the vocational world rumbles on. I have been very fortunate to work in and with Secondary Schools, Adult Education, Further Education and Higher Education and know the mechanisms that are available to move on learning, understanding and vocational skills in Scotland and UK. It is about time that all of these sectors acknowledged that these are not discrete activities.

At the moment through the Leitch Review in England and Skills for Scotland, A Lifelong Skills Strategy the delivery bodies are being re-aligned a bit and the funding mechanisms are being refocused across the UK but essentially at the heart of our vocational qualifications are the National Occupational Standards from 25 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). Each SSC is an employer-led, independent organisation that covers a specific sector across the UK. Their four key goals are:

• to reduce skills gaps and shortages
• improve productivity, business and public service performance
• increase opportunities to boost the skills and productivity of everyone in the sector's workforce
• improve learning supply including apprenticeships, higher education and National Occupational Standards (NOS)

It's not a secret that we use these NOS and follow them very closely when making SVQs and use them as starting off point for building National Certificates, HNs and other qualifications.
But as you mingle at this time of the year it’s amazing that many who should be better informed still think awards in the vocational portfolio are not structured around UK standards and informed by global changes in industry and developed with the relevant professional bodies.
Actually only kidding - they are made by elves ;-) Enjoy

Sports Store Game Shortisted for BETT Award

Over 250 Scottish Secondary Schools
15,000 Pupils
70,000 live games currently
50/50 mix of girls and boys playing
Most game playing and learning happening out with normal school hours.
Great to see we made it on to the short list and testament to all the Scottish Teachers and pupils who helped design this game.
We've brought games and the formal curriculum together.

Now we need to find someone to take forward all the lessons we have learned through this project.

The BETT Awards, which play a key role in identifying and rewarding innovative ICT products and services for use in education, received a very high standard of entries this year. The winner in each category will be announced at the BETT Awards ceremony on Wednesday 9 January 2008.

clipped from www.besa.org.uk