A 'Glow' Mentor is someone who will provide support to staff and pupils in learning how to make use of 'Glow'. Beyond this, they will encourage the sharing of good practice across the local authority and into the wider national arena.

Each Mentor will take part in some initial online training to familiarise them with the 'Glow' Portal. After this, they will receive two days of training at the Stirling Management Centre in Stirling. This training will take place in Stirling from April 2007 onwards, with specific dates to be finalised with each authority. Mentors will be expected to provide models of effective classroom practice, evidence of good use of ICT in and across the curriculum, and have the skills and qualities necessary to support and develop colleagues in the authority. Beyond the initial two days of training, there will be a follow-up/recall day, taking place within Argyll & Bute.

Mentors will:

• have familiarity with email and the Web
• make planned and regular use of a variety of ICT in class
• have an evaluative approach to the ways in which ICT benefited learning and teaching
• have an enthusiasm for new ICT and a willingness to try things out
• have an awareness of the potential of online learning, communication and collaboration
• achieve a balance between teaching using ICT and learning using ICT
• provide pupils with the opportunity to be creative in making things with ICT
• be innovative with the ICT that are available – no matter how limited
• be able to communicate your knowledge and ideas to others.

training for the mentors
Initial training will be in the form of online training materials. These will show the Mentor how to use the 'Glow' Portal and its associated features. These training resources could be accessed by an individual at any time.

Two days of central training will take place in Stirling for Mentors. At this central training you will meet other Mentors from around Scotland.

A third follow-up training day will take place at a later date within the local authority to introduce the ‘Virtual Learning Environment’ (VLE) element of 'Glow'.

ongoing support and development opportunities for the mentors
Continuous access to innovative practice through the rest of the Mentor team
Attendance at the annual SETT Learning Festival in Glasgow
Attendance at Argyll and Bute’s annual Mentors’ conference at Inveraray
Attendance at a limited number of central ICT in-service days at Inveraray (fees and cover paid)
Opportunities to develop their own ideas and projects through financial or hardware support
Opportunities to lead central ICT in-service days at Inveraray
Regular, after-school team videoconferencing meetings on selected themes
Online dialogue/question & answer sessions – a 'Glow Group' will be established for Argyll and Bute and the Mentors will be expected to participate in discussions. The 'Glow Group' will be a closed forum for Mentor Team discussion. Themes for discussion will be posted on a regular basis by the Education Support Officer for ICT, the Quality Improvement Officer for ICT and occasionally, invited guests will be invited to participate in a ‘hot-seat’ question and answer session

training and supporting others
During the planned rollout to schools in their area, (or in the secondary school for a secondary Mentor) Mentors will be expected to make themselves available at organised support sessions where colleagues will have the opportunity to develop their awareness and use of the 'Glow' Portal. These sessions could be run in three formats:

1. Local 'Glow' in-service
These will be calendared events organised by the Area Coordinator for primary schools or the ICT Coordinator in a secondary school.

2. After-school 'Glow' events
After-school events would again be organised with the support of the Area Coordinator for primary schools or the ICT Coordinator in a secondary school. In the case of primary Mentors, some travel to a central location may be required. New guidelines have been established regarding the payment of individuals for leading support sessions. They can be accessed here.

3. Central 'Glow' in-service
Once 'Glow' rollout to schools begins, regular 'Glow' in-service days will be available through the annual in-service calendar at Inveraray Computer Centre. These sessions are organised by the Education Support Officer (ESO) for ICT. Glow Mentors will be given the opportunity to deliver these sessions to enrolled staff. A full set of support materials, guidelines on managing in-service sessions and on-site technical support will be available for Mentors wishing to lead these days.

Beyond these initial support sessions, there should be regular opportunities for a Mentor to engage with colleagues to discuss and demonstrate innovative methods of using 'Glow' and associated ICT in a teaching and learning context.

Core training will focus on the 'Glow' Portal. In the first instance, Mentors’ knowledge of the functionality of the 'Glow' will be used to train and support local colleagues. However, a broad range of ICT will continue to be used in the delivery of 'Glow' and support will also include those other ICT.

General central ICT in-service – a wide range of courses make up the central ICT in-service programme. It is anticipated that the Mentors will welcome the opportunity to develop their skills in in-service delivery by taking responsibility for the delivery of the occasional course.

how do mentors maintain their status?
Given the importance of our sharing and reflective learning culture, Mentors will be required to develop an online folio that demonstrates their own ICT practices and that of associated colleagues.
The format of this online folio will be a blog. Examples of Scottish education blogs, can be viewed here.

A Mentor’s blog will be managed in line with Argyll and Bute’s blogging policy and must be kept up-to-date. Regular input will provide the Education Support Officer for ICT with the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mentor’s contribution to 'Glow' and ICT information to teachers. The compiled evidence will be the means by which a Mentor will maintain their team membership. While questions and comments from others will be an important element of the blog, it is primarily the updated information submitted by the Mentor that will be considered essential. The informality of blogging is its strength. In placing information on colleagues’ practices online, the Mentor should again refer to the blogging policy.

Attending annual Mentor events at Inveraray Computer Centre (cover, travel and subsistence paid)

Attending the annual SETT learning festival in Glasgow (cover, travel and subsistence paid)

Contributing to Argyll and Bute’s biennial SETT (Saturday event - travel and subsistence paid)

broader issues
Opportunities for further professional development and participation in ICT projects are available by submission. Decisions on funding are based on the impact and benefits to the Mentors, their schools, area or authority. Details of this process are available on request.

Many local areas in Argyll & Bute have established a local ICT Focus Group. As 'Glow' Mentor you would be expected to participate in such a group, discussing and addressing issues such as:

• local support for colleagues
• local projects across a number of schools
• establishing a local training centre
• identifying colleagues with the potential to support others
• primary/secondary liaison