Seems a wee bit of a mess. We need Mike Russell to let us know if his vision for Glow is still on track, if late. With all the other changes in Scots education going on, this will not be encouraging to folk trying to use ICT in teaching and learning.

johnjohnston.

Current Glow has about a million accounts already provisioned and provides a common authentication and hosting platform with various digital services. Google Apps provides a common authentication and hosting platform with a variety of digital services. How many of those million Glow-provisioned accounts already have a Google account, albeit created by the individual rather than by local authority or Learning and Teaching ScotlandEducation Scotland? More importantly, how many potential users of Next Generation Glow have adequateany connectivity? Without the infrastructure, what difference does it make?

kiranjoza

Google opts to pull out of Glow’s Next Generation

Kiranjoza is spot on. National resources could first usefully be directed at providing improved connectivity and hardware so that learners get reliable access to whatever platform is eventually bestowed on them.

DorothyCoe

Google opts to pull out of Glow’s Next Generation

I don’t see why we need a dedicated educational service. Everyone in the real world has the option of using fantastic tools like Dropbox, Zoho, Google Apps, Facebook, Twitter and many more. All work fantastically well, and most are cheap or free. Why keep reinventing the wheel? Shouldn’t we be teaching pupils how to use the tools that they may be using in industry and the real world? Set them up with an account and give them the knowledge and sense to use the tools productively?

SoothSinger.