Head in the Cloud

Today Hwb, the all Wales learning platform  was launched! We've just written a post over on our work blog highlighting how we believe Hwb and Hwb+ can support the work we do with schools. My initial thoughts on the Hwb website are that it has a very clean, clear and easy to use interface with a 'Microsoft Metro feel'. Resources are easy to find but at present it seems like only a selection of resources have moved from NGfL Cymru to Hwb. I'm sure that further appropriate resources are in the process of being moved. Discussion forums are available in the Community section which are open to Hwb+ registered users. All in all it's looking very good. Education Wales, which was launched at the same time as Hwb, is basically an area on Apple iTunesU that is hosting video and other digital content for Wales. One of the highlights for me is the access to some clips from the BBC TV programme "The Story of Wales". The only slight reservation I have at the ...

Six months since my last post, good grief where did that time go? Well it's certainly been a busy time. School improvement support has changed radically across all (most?) of Wales. In the South East where I work, all five local authorities (Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen) have combined school improvement services into one regional consortium called the Education Achievement Service for SE Wales . " The EAS has been created by the five local authorities to raise education standards. By working together as part of an integrated service to support and challenge schools effectively, enhance front line services and make the most of the available resources, progress will take place quickly and effectively. " Unlike the ' culling'  of education staff that occurred in the formation of some of the other consortia across Wales, the EAS retained the staff who moved from each of the local authorities. I now work for a 21st Century Learnin...