Latest News

Site Developments (latest nearer top of page)

22.02.2005

Looks like most of you have now had the updated CD of the ISE 5-14 Exemplar Materials from LTS. I've referenced all the stuff on the disc to the website.

There are now links to the relevant Pathways or Key Ideas for each of the three attainment outcomes on the Local Links drop-down menu as well as the Larger text menu. Some folk have noticed that conflicting Target Groups and Target menus can appear when you Search for pages on the ISE 5-14 Website. This can be caused by the pages from the original Framework for Planning, which formed the basis of the Renfrewshire Science Pack. The ISE 5-14 revised Framework for Planning, after consultation, re-jigged the order in which the Targets were taught. You would only normally come across the Renfrewshire Science Pack pages if you access these directly from the sheet related to the "Renfrew" tag at the bottom of the Planning Spreadsheet or if they were displayed as a result of a Search. In the case where a page from the Renfrewshire Science Pack is found it will have a red notice :-

Renfrewshire Science Pack Materials - For materials related to the new Planning Framework click any Target Code (below right) for the Interactive Guidelines then click the link to the equivalent Target menu there.

The Search matches which come up with Target Groups from the New Planning Framework have (NP) at the end of the page link - look out also for "New_Plan" in the URL. We were torn between leaving the Renfrewshire structure on or not but were swayed by the fact that many authorities still use this scheme. Therefore there are parallel universes on the site and unfortunately sometimes they overlap.

I've started a Photo Collection - as you can see it is in its infancy at the moment so any suggestions for categories, photo-contributions etc. would be gratefully received.

21.02.2005 - General advice about downloading Word files - If you come across a link which points to a Word file e.g. Test.doc right-click the mouse whilst over the link and select "Save Target As..." from the drop-down menu.

2.02.2005 - The Highland Science Sacks can now be referenced via the last columns of the Planning Spreadsheet. Thanks to Robert English, Staff Development Co-ordinator, for granting permission for these to be used.

Dessy the Curious Duck is star of the show - Premiere at the ScottishPower Planetarium, Glasgow Science Centre

25.01.2005 - By all accounts the update pack for the ISE 5-14 Exemplar materials have now been produced and are being sent out to schools and interested parties. As luck would have it we have not received our pack yet!

However, we have managed to get oor hands on a pack and have started adding some of the extras to the ISE 5-14 website. Have a look at the excellent photo collection on Plants taken by Ginger Franklin of the Edinburgh Academy. This has spurred us into creating a new section akin to the SSERC 5-14 Clip-Art Collections which we have called the ISE 5-14 Photos. This section will expand in the fullness of time. Any contributions would be gratefully received. All photos may be used freely within schools but permission has to be sought from us if they are to be included in derivative publications, software or on the web.

21.01.2005 - Developing Understanding through mapping by Jim Murdoch added to ISE 5-14.

These materials derive from a project to investigate the classroom use of a range of mapping techniques by pupils in the age range 5 to 14. The original project was led by Dr Johanna Carrie, and involved the following teachers and schools:

Margot Gillies, St Mary's RC Primary School, Edinburgh
Ian Haining, Tynecastle High School, Edinburgh
Leslyanne Jollie, Nether Currie Primary School, Currie
Teresa McErlean, Fox Covert RC Primary School, Edinburgh
Pam Williams, Craigroyston Community High School, Edinburgh

Additional materials were added by a further study in two secondary schools:

Helen Celnik, Kincorth Academy, Aberdeen
Carole Thomson, Banff Academy, Banff

conducted by Dr Jim Murdoch, formerly Head of Curriculum Studies in the School of Education at the University of Aberdeen.

The two project leaders collaborated to produce the final materials. Both have delivered training to teachers in the classroom use of mapping techniques, and Jim currently leads the Science team in a European project (ELISE) investigating the use of ICT in the delivery of training to teachers. As part of this project, the team has produced am interactive course on Concept Mapping in Secondary Science teaching.

These materials are also available as Word files on this part of the website. The files can be printed.

The project was supported by funding from the Improving Science Education 5 to 14 Project through the Scottish Schools Equipment Research Centre (SSERC).

concept logo

Web design was undertaken by Jim Murdoch - CONCEPT Education and Training.

Although funding for this project was provided by the Scottish Executive, through the ISE 5-14 project, the responsibility for the information herein, and any opinions or views expressed, lies solely with the authors.

Planning Spreadsheet now has P1-P7 & S1/2 Renfrewshire Assessment files

11.01.2005 - Science & Technology Equipment News No. 32 now available online

Let there be light and Fungus features

6.01.2005 - We have been kindly been given permission by Bill Fleming to create online links to the Assessment (Word) files for S1 and S2 which were aimed originally at the codification within the Renfrewshire Science Pack. Go to the Planning Spreadsheet for the necessary links to the relevant targets as they are arranged within the Framework for Planning. P1 to P7 Assessment materials will follow in due course.

The exemplar materials which appeared on the recently launched ISE 5-14 Curriculum Support CD have now been added to relevant Resources sections of the Target menus. See also ISE 5-14 Support Materials - Overview Advice.

Titanic pics - No Kate, Celine or Leonardo!

Reforms aim to improve Scotland's schools - Scottish Executive

Science & Technology Equipment News - NEW online versions for Nos. 28, 29, 30 & 31

26/08/2004 15:37 by Ian Birrell

Come along to the SETT seminars at the Glasgow Science Centre and learn more about ISE 5-14. If you register with LTS you can tell me face-to-face what I should be doing with the site! Sycophants welcome also.

                      http://ise5-14.org.uk/prim3/Head2.HTM#Events and

                      http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sett/seminarprogramme/seminars.asp?guidResource=3311

19/08/2004 14:01 by Ian Birrell

Welcome back to the old routine folks. Has Scotland sunk yet? To simplify the presentation and get away from preaching that particular targets should be taught at certain ages, I've removed most of the obvious references to year groups in the Framework for Planning and associated pages. If they are still important to you they remain on the Planning Spreadsheet and as part of the URLs of pages.

                      PS - If you want to check up on whether there is a deluge round the corner go to the "Rainfall Radar" link on the ISE 5-14 Home Page (underneath the "larger text" menus or directly at :-

                      http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/europe/uk/radar/index.html

16/08/2004 12:41 by Ian Birrell

You can view all the old threads (including those greater than 3 months old) if you click on the "Show options" tab when you first enter the ISE 5-14 Forum. Click on the middle drop-down menu and select "All threads in the archive".

                      Hey presto - all the threads from way  back now appear in your list.

                      Similarly you can restrict the view to those posted in the last week or even the last two days. This allows you to see what's new.

09/08/2004 16:42 by Ian Birrell

I've put a new column on the Planning Spreadsheet which gives you are direct link from the target code straight to the safety elements of the targets within the groups of the Framework for Planning. Look out for the wee square glasses on the technician - click on these icons to link.

03/08/2004 13:02 by Ian Buchanan

It's in the papers it must be true!

                      The ' balloon and coat hanger ' is not the only questionable demonstration that we have found in publications, there are a couple on investigating light. One uses a glass bowl filled with water, the bowl is placed on a sunny window. A mirror is placed in the bowl at an angle of about 45 degrees, a sheet of A4 paper is set up opposite the mirror, eureka, a rainbow is formed on the paper. The second is even simpler, on the same sunny windowsill place a glass of water with the base just over the edge of the sill. A sheet of A4 paper is placed on the floor so that the light from the glass is captured on the paper, you have guessed, as a rainbow. Our advice would be if you want to split light into colours use a prism, they are not expensive and can be had from most suppliers of primary equipment. Again if you have had success with any of the foregoing we would like to hear from you but if you are having trouble with an investigation from published work or the web we are here to help, this is one of  SSERC's main function.

                      We have been surprised at the number of times both teachers and technicians e-mail/'phone to ask advice on health and safety matters from published materials produced by authoritative sources. On a SSERC personal note it is strange that the ISE 5-14 website is rarely/never mentioned in those same sources.

Virgin boss, Richard Branson announces space tourism bid - BBC News

Round 2 of the Small Grants Scheme begins on the 1st September. This way for more info (pdf file).

This way for is the latest ISES (Institute for Science Education in Scotland) CPD quarterly bulletin covering Oct. - Dec. 2004

The Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn & Titan has arrived at its destination. This link will take you to the NASA site.

20/05/04 - I'm looking for help in finding out and thereafter solving what problems Apple Mac users may be having with the ISE 5-14 web site.

Our network here is a mix of PC's and a couple of Acorn RISC Pc's (remember them!). We had a Mac on the network but had to remove it as it was causing conflicts with the Edinburgh University network.

Now I've just been up the stairs to our friends in the Moray House science faculty and had a look at the ISE site on one of their Macs. I spotted that the drop-down and larger menu links on the Home Page didn't seem to work. If this is the case with Mac users generally then I need to solve the problem. The curious thing is that I asked someone recently to check out the operation of the drop-down menus on a Mac they said that all was OK.

If you do have similar or other problems please note down the URL of the page you are on (from the address box), the Mac operating system used, the browser (Explorer, Netscape etc.) you are using along with the nature of the problem and send the details to [email protected] or preferably use the Smartgroup where everyone can compare notes.

12/05/04 - Just a wee note to ask you what you think of the ISE 5-14 website these days. We have been making an effort to make the pages more accessible to those viewers with some visual impairment. We would like some feedback as to whether we are heading in the right direction.

Are you using the Planning Spreadsheet as is or adapting it in some way to suit your local needs? We would like to hear from you about how it is