Dick Louden reports on the innovators at the centre of Scottish

education who help make teaching through technology tick

THE Scottish Council for Educational Technology (Scet) sounds like one

of those abstruse organisations forever destined to be cloaked in

mystique. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Scet's

objectives are essentially practical and its contribution to Scottish

education is highly valued. In the words of its chief executive, Nigel

Paine, ''Scet's role is simple: to use technology to support our

customers -- educators, trainers and learners -- in the most effective

way.''

From its base in the West End of Glasgow it achieves this in a variety

of ways. Staff of Scet devise quality software for education, distribute

training films and videos, and offer a range of consultancy services in

areas of technology where they have expertise.

Though it receives funding from the Scottish Office and the Convention

of Scottish Local Authorities, Scet is now increasingly self-financing

and this gives added focus to its commitment to quality. Customer care

and marketing structures are firmly in place. Nigel Paine emphasises

that ''we are now in a position to offer a quality guarantee, since

customer satisfaction is paramount to us. Moreover, we are seeking

BS5750 certification and an Investors in People award to recognise that

we are a quality organisation.''

Products are developed to link closely with nationally published

programmes such as the 5-14 Guidelines. For instance, the 1994 Resources

Catalogue contains details of such software packages, designed for use

with Apple Macintosh computers, as Writer's Toolkit, which supports the

5-14 Guidelines on English language, and Chronicle, which performs a

similar function in respect of social subjects.

The software is impressive in its depth, catering for all age groups

from four years upwards on varied themes, from Granny's Garden through

Weathermapper and Crystal Rainforest to Expert Home Designer and En

Ville/In Der Stadt. A number of packages have been devised for pupils

with special educational needs, such as Findword, Clocks, and Eating for

Health. Some of the software products can be used on AppleMac, others

with Acorn BBC microcomputers, others yet with IBM compatible machines.

Scet is enthusiastic about the potential for producing quality

educational software on CD-ROM. A single CD-ROM disc, similar to those

used by the music industry, can store vast amounts of information and is

simply inserted into a CD-ROM drive attached to the computer.

Already packages like Just Grandma and Me, Storybook Theatre, and The

Crucible (dealing with the Arthur Miller play) are available on CD-ROM

and Nigel Paine sees the next stage of development as ''the inclusion on

a single CD-ROM disc of not only the software itself but also the

back-up print documentation, staff training materials and even video of

the software in use. The potential is enormous.''

Scet is now involved in an exciting joint initiative with The Herald

and the Glasgow Development Agency to produce The Herald on CD-ROM. The

output of a full calendar year will be contained on one disc and archive

discs are also being prepared. The material on each disc comprises all

the stories and news features, editorial comments and selected

photographs, including the deathless prose of Barclay McBain and the

lifeless prose of yours truly.

With its emphasis on ''learning through technology'', Scet has

produced many resource packs for the classroom teacher in such areas as

differentiation, effective management, and staff development and

appraisal.

In an era of increased paperwork, it also regularly updates Scamp

(Schools Computer Administration and Management Programme), an

information package used by many schools to maintain their

administrative records, and the further education college equivalent,

CSCAMP. As with other Scet products, training workshops and consultancy

services can be provided to ensure that products are being used to

maximum effect.

For an organisation which cherishes the conservative virtues of

''prudence and efficiency'', Scet moves in innovative and imaginative

ways. In the past few years it has undergone a cultural revolution which

has seen it move from the periphery to the centre of Scottish education.

Realising the insatiable demand from business and industry for quality

training, it has devised tailor-made packages for such giants as United

Distillers. Its roadshows tour the country and it organises keynote

lectures by distinguished figures such as Tim Brighouse, chief education

officer for Birmingham, who will be speaking in Edinburgh next month.

Next month it inaugurates a technology competition for schools, with

computer hardware as the prizes. And, in this month's issue of Schools

Herald, to be published next Tuesday, we will launch with Scet a schools

software competition.

Emphasising its new central position, Scet will shortly set up a

schools information service helpline. ''Callers who subscribe will

receive core information on the curriculum,'' explains Nigel Paine,

''and the helpline will offer a one-point service to answer schools'

queries.'' Now, why did nobody else think of that first?