Establishment of a Review of Digital Classroom Teaching Task and Finish Group

 22 September 2011

Education Minister, Leighton Andrews, has announced a task and finish group to review the use of digital classroom teaching. The scope of the review will be to consider:

a) How high quality, accessible digital classroom content could be developed;

b) How the NGfL is used, and whether there is a more effective way to deliver the aims of NGfL;

c) Whether and how a cloud-based content delivery system (e.g. iTunes university model) would work alongside a VLE for Wales;

d) How high-quality English and Welsh language content could be generated;

e) How to develop Welsh Intellectual Property which can be used to deliver digital teaching content;

f) How teachers might develop the digital teaching skills to use ICT to transform schools.

The full written statement can be found here

Andrew Green, Chair of WHELF and Librarian of the National Library of Wales, is a member of the task and finish group.

Enhancing Learning and Teaching through Technology: refreshing the strategy

HEFCW have now published “Enhancing Learning and Teaching through Technology: refreshing the strategy”
http://www.hefcw.ac.uk/documents/publications/circulars/circulars_2011/W11%2032HE%20Enhancing%20Learning%20and%20Teaching%20through%20Technology.pdf 

Shortened, updated and with some revised longer-term indicators. 

“In publishing the strategy for enhancing learning and teaching through technology for higher education (HE) in Wales from 2007/08 to 2016/17 we recognised that it would need to be reviewed at regular intervals. This circular provides an update to the strategy to take account of changes in technology, the policy context and the HE funding regime.”

CILIP’s RFID in Libraries Conference 2011

How can RFID help libraries face dual challenge?
Tuesday 8 November 2011, The Bloomsbury Hotel, London

Libraries everywhere are facing the dual challenge of delivering improved services with diminishing budgets. The contribution technology can make to squaring this circle has possibly never been more important, and RFID is at the heart of it. The conference on 8th November 2011 in London will explore changes in world of RFID and how the latest decision by providers to adopt a single common standard changes will enable new buyers the freedom to pick and choose the RFID devices they prefer.

This year’s conference will bring:
* 17 expert speakers from across the RFID Community (including Mark Hughes from Swansea University)
* RFID technology demonstrations from leading suppliers
* RFID Alliance Panel- your chance to ask the experts questions
* The BIC/CILIP RFID in Libraries Innovation Award 2011
* Open forum discussion sessions

Make sure you take advantage of our registration offers by visiting the conference website www.cilip.org.uk/rfid2011  and book your place today. Places are strictly limited are will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cloud for Wales

10 October 2011 at the National Library of Wales  

I would like to invite you to a ‘Cloud for Wales’ meeting that is to be held at the National Library of Wales on the 10th of October. 

Cloud for Wales will be an opportunity for leaders and senior staff from the sector (libraries, archives and other interested bodies) to consider the potential use of cloud computing in their instutions as a way of sharing and improving services.

The day will include an introduction to the technology and there will be an opportunity for participants to discuss how they could take advantage of any potential benefits offered by this technology.  A full agenda will available soon.

If you would like to attend the event, please could you inform librariesforlife@llgc.org.uk, noting also if you have any special dietary requirements.

Launch of JISC Legal’s Cloud Computing and the Law toolkit

JISC Legal has just launched its free Cloud Computing and the Law toolkit.  This toolkit has been created to meet a growing demand from the FE and HE sectors for guidance on the legal aspects of cloud computing.  Their aim is to help educational professionals to make confident, informed decisions about implementing cloud computing solutions in their institutions.

What’s in the toolkit?
Compiled by JISC Legal’s team of ICT law experts, the toolkit contains accessible, up-to-date information about cloud computing in an educational context.  It covers the key legal areas of copyright, data protection and contract law.  The five publications in the toolkit are:
- Report on Cloud Computing and the Law for UK FE and HE (An Overview)
- User Guide: Cloud Computing and the Law for IT
- User Guide: Cloud Computing and the Law for Senior Management and Policy Makers
- User Guide: Cloud Computing and the Law for Users
- User Guide: Cloud Computing Contracts, SLAs and Terms & Conditions of Use

Who’s it for?
The toolkit is designed to meet the needs of a range of educational professionals working in FE, HE, specialist colleges and the skills sector, including teaching, research, management, IT and support staff.

How can I access it?
The toolkit, along with our introductory video, can be accessed at: http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/Themes/CloudComputing.aspx

A website to support students with disabilities is launched

QATRAIN for students is a EU funded website providing support for young people, including those with disabilities, in mainstream post 16 education. It includes information about specific disabilities and skills, a skills self check system and advice and guidance about disclosure.

For more information, follow the link: http://www.q4s.eu/GB

(Thanks to RSC Wales for the link)

Trends in Academic Libraries, 1998 to 2008

New study from the ALA Office for Research and Statistics shows increased need for academic libraries.

The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Research and Statistics has released a new study, ‘Trends in Academic Libraries, 1998 to 2008,’ showing that the impact of technology has increased the need for library space.

The report provides an informative look at how the academic libraries continue to provide valuable resources to their community through technology and increased service hours despite a loss of non-librarian staff.

To read further or download the study: http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pr.cfm?id=7963

New University Librarian at Bangor

Sue Hodges will join Bangor University as University Librarian from the start of December.

Sue has been Head of Learning and Research Support and part of the Library Leadership Team at University of Salford. She has worked in senior roles at Liverpool John Moores University as Head of Business and Information Systems and as Technical Services Manager, as well as at Oxford Brookes University as a subject librarian. Prior to that she held a variety of roles in information services in the FE sector.

Sue’s family is from the North Wales region and we look forward to welcoming her to WHELF .

CyMAL’s latest magazine published

Worth a look at the new CyMAL magazine: http://wales.gov.uk/docs/drah/publications/110905cymalmag11en.pdf

Major articles from Peter Keelan and Janet Peters on Cardiff Rare Books and Alan Vaughan Hughes on Welsh Newspapers and Journals Online … plus a profile of Lorna Hughes.