In good heart and in rude health....

After 5 years and 13 days in charge of the Scottish Schools Digital Network (and, for just a few of those days, Glow), starting in the Scottish Executive in August 2001, and then joining LT Scotland to continue the task in March 2004, I now hand over the Director’s reins to Marie Dougan so that I can take on a new and, for me, exciting role. Marie was seconded to the post on Friday (25th August), and I welcome her appointment – she brings with her a wealth of experience from her times spent in school, in a local authority and, latterly, leading the Masterclass initiative in LT Scotland itself. I know the joint Glow team, including colleagues from LT Scotland, RM and the Scottish Executive, have great respect for Marie’s achievements to date, and they will now work with her to ensure the continued advancement of this unique project. While there is probably never an ideal time to move on from something that has dominated your life and your work for so long, I feel that now is actually a very good moment to be making this change. Glow is in good heart and rude health. The technical development – a complex and exacting process of integration of a wide range of collaborative and learning applications within the web browser – goes on apace at RM’s base in Abingdon. Despite the complexity – and despite the pioneering aspect of taking so many client-based applications onto the Web (see both ‘Harnessing Collective Intelligence’ and my recent podcast) – RM are doing a superb job of bringing this unparalleled package of tools and services together for our teachers and pupils. At the same time, there is a quite astounding level of mobilization going on across Scotland to prepare the way for the implementation of Glow over the next year and beyond. There is, as we keep on saying, no ‘one size fits all’ plan for Glow – it has to be planned and implemented by each one of the local authorities to suit its own unique circumstances. The same will happen for the various national agencies, the TEIs and others who will all take up Glow as we make progress. So, after 5 years and 13 days, I now move on to a new post with LT Scotland, one that I have wanted to see taken on for a long time now. There’s a neat description of the role on LT Scotland’s intranet, so no point in re-inventing the wheel: “As 'Learning Futures Strategist', John will take on the responsibility of creating the capacity within LTS to enable the organisation to build on and sustain its position as a world leader in learning and technology and in the application of new technologies to teaching and learning in our schools. John will be tasked with working with colleagues across LTS, and with all appropriate interests in Scottish education and internationally, to help us to agree a strategy for the future development of Glow and the LTS Online Service. John will also help us keep pace with global trends in learning and technology. He will be able to utilise the considerable expertise already existing in LTS and will also be able to call on expertise from across Scotland and from further afield when necessary to build a sound basis for future policy in this critical area. John will play a lead role in looking at how ICT might support assessment. He will also take the lead role in organising both the Xchange Conference (June 2007), which this year will take place in Scotland with delegates from across the UK and the world taking part, and the SETT Conference (October 2007). “ Couldn’t have said it better myself! I have worked with a quite superb team of people on SSDN/Glow over the past 5 years from all across Scottish Education, but especially in my immediate team - they know who they are! - and I know that Glow is in good hands as I move to pastures new. Technorati Tags: ssdn, glow, john connell, scottish schools digital network

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© John Connell
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