This week reminds me of the Crowded House song “Four Seasons in One Day” In the early part of the week it was mid summer. Glorious sunny days with bluebells and blossom. (This picture is of my daughter, Ellie, walking in the wood behind our house, on Monday)
I enjoyed a good flight up to Aberdeen on Wednesday where snow was forecast.

The welcome I received on my arrival was really warm though. Some might say GLOW-ing

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Anna Rossvoll, of Aberdeenshire council, has organised a large scale project based around the Myst idea. It involves teachers from many schools in the Aberdeenshire region. “The Myst Project”

I was invited up to launch the project by starting with a presentation on the concepts and some of the other visual literacy elements I have been lucky enough to develop around the country.

I then spent the rest of the day working with the group involved in the project.

I also went “next door” and had a great time doing a demo lesson with a P5/6 class of children. They were just not phased by having SO many people observing and came up with some excellent, creative thought and writing.

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The group of teachers involved in the project are also trialling Glow, the new name for Scottish schools’ digital network. They are using Glow to communicate with each other and explore the opportunities available from their Myst-ical adventures. I am looking forward to the web conference sessions we have planned, where they will be able to ask questions of the bald bloke. I will be able to learn from their experiences too I am sure.

Our aims during this Myst project are:

• to motivate and engage learners to write creatively
• to measure the impact of using games in the classroom for learning
• to encourage and promote creative thinking
• to use technology to enable successful learning
• to make learning fun, active and challenging
• to stimulate exploration of complimentary ideas/technologies
• to embed and extend Assessment is For Learning
• To enable teachers to work with one another to share standards of performance through local moderation
• To use the ‘Myst’ Glow Group to communicate and collaborate.

During our sessions today we also focussed on the four key elements of the Curriculum for Excellence

• successful learners
• confident individuals
• responsible citizens
• effective contributors.

These areas are so fully supported by the work I have been fortunate enough to develop around the country; using computer games and other visual stimuli as a springboard for discussion, language development, speaking and listening, problem solving, collaboration, sharing of results, perceptiveness, reflection, group dynamics, imagination, inventiveness, …a bit of magic… and so much more.

I am paying a return trip North of the border on the 22nd of May, when I have been asked to present the opening keynote speech at eLive! ‘07 in Edinburgh. I am hoping that I will have further opportunity to work in Scotland over the next year, as I enjoy the possibilities offered by their increasing focus on creativity and child centred learning.

Thank you to Morag, Jonathan, Julie, Aileen, Sarah, Susan, Alison, Anna R, Aloyise, Barbara, Elaine, Marek, Emma, Anna F, Allicia, Alison, Susan, Elsie, Barbara, Leah, Ruth, Lynne, Dawn, Liza and the children in Lynne’s class for your FUN and thought provoking company.

Well done to Anna, and the rest of the team, for organising the day.

Whatever the weather, it left me with a warm glow.

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