Last Tuesday, Rowena Blair from Edinburgh University arrived with a full class set of Fizzbook Spins. We spent an hour or so after school setting them up, creating pupils logins and having a practice at setting up the internal wireless network that will allow pupils to collaborate when using them.

The e-scape Scotland project is in the 2nd pilot phase with St Ninian’s High School and OLM primary school in East Renfrewshire already taking part since April. Pupils use the Fizzbooks in the Design and Technology classroom and workshop instead of pencil and paper (although pencil and paper are by no means banned). Pupils work through Design tasks that the teacher “authors” or programs for the fizzbooks. They can sketch, take photos and videos of model making, record audio and collaborate between machines by editing/annotating each others work. We hope it’s going to make for quite an exciting vibrant learning experience! Each pupil has their work automatically collated into a portfolio where the teacher is able to provide feedback for them. In terms of assessment we are hoping to derive much richer, meaningful and immediate conclusions than a traditional paper based portfolio.

We are planning to use the Fizzbooks out with S3 Craft and Design over the next few months both with Mrs Smyth’s and Mr Black’s classes and take design tasks right through from the start in the classroom to workshop manufacture using the Fizzbooks alongside.

The e-scape project has been picking up speed in England and you can see a short video of Richard Kimbell from Goldsmiths College in London explaining how they have been getting on south of the border. It is exciting stuff and we’re all feeling very enthusiatic about being part of this project!