Struggling with pronunciation?

Howjsay differs from regular online dictionaries in that results are in the form of an mp3 audio file. Simply type in a word, click submit and then hover the mouse cursor over it to hear the proper pronunciation as many times as you like.

AccessApps

The Scottish JISC RSCs in collaboration with TechDis have developed the AccessApps initiative. This consists of more than 50 open source and freeware applications which can be used from a USB stick without any installation on the computer being used.

Many of the applications are assistive technologies and which would be useful will depend on the particular learning support needs of the individual. The ability to store and run these applications from a USB device allows the individual access to the software to support them on any computer they use without the need to install or get around locked down networks.

Further information, a list of applications and a link to downloads is available from the JISC RSC website.

Collaborative book purchasing event – 25th June 2008 (Glasgow Metropolitan College)

Firstly, Karen Anderson of APUC provided a background to procurement and the benefits that collaborative agreements can offer. APUC itself arose as a result of the McClelland Report, which reviewed public procurement in Scotland. John Swinney, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, is highly in favour of collaborative agreements and it was intimated that institutions not participating will soon have to justify their reasons for not doing so.

Following this, the benefits gained by HE libraries already involved in collaborative procurement were outlined. Although there are financial savings to be made, much was also made of other benefits. These included the ability to pressure book suppliers in to altering their own working practices in order to suit those of the partner libraries.

There was then a series of group discussion involving various aspects of a consortium based approach. A number of concerns were raised. These included:
• The impact they would have on small local book suppliers who depended on their dealings with libraries to stay in business. While this was acknowledged as a problem, it would not be enough to prevent the continuation of the scheme.
• What if college finance departments are unwilling to alter their processes or deal with new suppliers? Again, pressure from above would ensure that such a stance could not hinder any agreements.
• LMS interoperability. Although HE institutions have experienced problems, once they have been identified, it’s usually left up to the book suppliers and LMS providers to resolve any issues.
• How would large number of standing orders be moved from one supplier to another? When tenders are drawn up it is possible to ask potential new suppliers how they will aid a smooth transfer of annual purchases. Weighting can be applied to ensure that, if suppliers are to be changed, there will be real benefits in doing so. However, would an outgoing supplier be willing to help the new one with details on standing orders etc?
• Who decides the criteria for tender? Volunteers are required to become involved in a steering group to ensure fair representation. However, how do small colleges who can’t spare staff for such groups voice their concerns? It might be possible to have representation from each geographical area to ensure fair representation. A completely separate agreement for each area would be undesirable though, as it would result in different pricing and service levels across the sector.
• E-books. As purchasing E-books involve different considerations, such as platform usability, it would be necessary for a separate agreement to be arranged at some point in the future.
• Join in with HE or a new agreement for FE. As HE have already done so much work in this area it was initially felt that constructing an agreement for FE would be tantamount to ‘re-inventing the wheel’. However, due to the time constraints involved in joining the next HE agreement it was felt that a stand-alone FE agreement might actually be more beneficial.
• APUC funding. Although it currently has funding for two years it is not yet clear where funding will come from beyond this point. They assured us that it would not come from any savings made by the libraries involved in collaborative agreements. Instead, it is more likely that it will be ‘top-sliced’ from participating institutions overall funds. Also, if agreements are made they would still continue in the event that APUC disbands in the near future. So far, 23 colleges and 4 universities have become members of APUC.

Glowing?

"Glow is the national schools intranet, digitally linking Scotland's 800,000 educators and pupils".
Some authorities have yet to sign up, but the aim is to be Scotland's school Intranet.
It's useful for FE and HE staff to be aware of what's going on in schools.
Quite looking forward to see if they challenge information literacy in a useful and interactive manner.

TES Resources

TES is well known for its weekly journal, and as a good place to keep up with educational developments and check out the job scene. Perhaps less well known is the Resources area on its website.

There are thousands of resources and weblinks in this area in the following topic areas:

Art & Design (234) Business Studies (489) Citizenship (401) Classical Studies (10) Design & Technology (157) Drama (115) Early Years (1579) Economics (136) Engineering (10) English (2145) Geography (314) Government and Politics (59) Health and Social Care (76) History (426) ICT (326)
Law (9) Leisure and Tourism (51) Manufacturing (24) Mathematics (1431) Media Studies (71) Modern Foreign Languages (1725) Music (184) Physical Education (329) PSHE (231)Psychology (25) Religious Education (406) Science (1155) SEN (476) Social Science (69)

There's a brief registration process, and you can then browse and download to your heart's content.

RSC Blogs

RSC have a range of blogs, which look at learning technologies, ICT, education news, assessment and resources.

Access the list here.

eLearning Accessibility & Inclusion

This blog, from JISC RSC, Glasgow is excellent.

It contains resources and links to advice, software and tools related to access and inclusion issues. Much of the software referred to is free.

Well worth a visit.

JISC Information Management Infokit

JISC has launched an Information Management Infokit, a freely available online resource for HE and FE institutions. It is designed to enable information lifecycle management, record management and email management. This kit will have further features added to it over time and JISC are looking for feedback on this resource.

Consultation on changes to UK copyright law

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) has launched a consultation to lead on from the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property which focuses in particular on Schools, Colleges and Universities. Further information is available from the DIUS website and the full consultation document is available at the UK Intellectual Property website. Proposals include clarification on personal use, format shifting and exceptions for Distance Learning students. Responses must be logged by 8th April 2008.

Zotero

Zotero is a freely available browser extension for Firefox that allows users to collect, manage and cite their research sources. It integrates tightly with online resources and helps users locate and save the full reference information for the source. While it has too many features to list here, it also allows the storage of PDFs, files, images, links and whole web pages. It should however be noted that can be used with Firefox, and not IE7.

Testing Deep Linking

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=112&sid=89f1f92a-6ef5-4a6d-b1ad-51ce579562e6%40sessionmgr102

Education Shake Up

Interesting article on Scottish Education on the BBC website.

This particularly caught my eye:

The report's authors say our secondaries are too academic and should go much further to ensure pupils have the chance to begin learning a trade or skill.

They also say children should not necessarily be sent to college to do this vocational education - teaching them on site would be more socially inclusive.

My own experience is that 'vocational' pupils/students perform considerably better in the college environment than they do in school. Perhaps it is because they are in a less draconian environment, and are working on subjects that might actually interest them, but they do seem to react better to college work and/or lecturers.

Either way, this shake up will affect FE and HE institutions in a big way. Again.