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Paul Nisbet

Assistive technology and SQA examinations in 2022

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 29th September, 2021

With the announcement that SQA examinations will be held in Spring 2022 if public health advice allows, what does that mean for learners with additional support needs who wish to use technology to access the assessments? SQA examinations in 2022 On August 18th, Scottish Government announced that Na...

How to divide and edit SQA question papers

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 3rd May, 2021

Last week a teacher called us to ask how to split up SQA question papers because they need to separate out sections to use in classroom assessments. This blog has some hints and tips. 2021 National Qualifications As we know, this year's National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher awards will be base...

SQA 2021 assessments and beyond - an insight into using technology

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 29th April, 2021

Dyslexia Scotland have published an excellent video workshop by Dawn Roberts and Innes Roberts on the use of assistive technology in assessments, and more broadly . The video is well worth a view if you are a teacher, parent or student using digital technology in assessments this term.   D...

Prince Philip's lucky escape

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 13th April, 2021

I was sorry to hear about the death of the Duke of Edinburgh and the tributes and coverage really give us a picture of a remarkable person, a strong character and an extraordinary life. He met so many people over the course of his life and so many people will have stories and anecdotes: here's m...

Notes from the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) 2021 Conference

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 6th April, 2021

The Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) AT Connected event is one of the largest and most varied conferences focussing on assistive technology and this year it was an online event held from January 25th to February 4th 2021. I was fortunate to be offered one of 24 AT Scholarships to att...

Accessible Word Templates for 2021 National Qualifications

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 11th March, 2021

2021 examinations have been cancelled and teachers and lecturers are devising their own assessments to gather evidence of attainment. We have updated pages on the Digital Assessments web site with information and advice and some downloadable templates to help practitioners create accessible assessme...

Learning at home - textbooks and copyright

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 28th January, 2021

With schools closed and students learning at home, how can teachers continue to teach with the textbooks purchased for use in class? Can we make copies for students to use at home? Can we distribute textbooks from the Books for All website?   Recently we've seen and heard of colleagues shar...

How to read maths with Immersive Reader

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 26th January, 2021

Last Friday a teacher asked if we knew how to read mathematical expressions with Immersive Reader. Here's how it can be done. The question: We are looking for an alternative to PDF for Mathematics papers as we have a number of pupils who rely on use of Immersive Reader. At the moment they are s...

Technology-based Assessment Arrangements - SQA Digital Exams on iPad

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 13th January, 2021

With the latest version of Books on the iPad you can type into answer boxes on SQA Digital Question Papers. Find out how in this blog. SQA Digital Question papers are PDF files and the question-and-answer papers have 'form fields' for students to type their answers on screen. Previously, you...

Technology-based Assessment Arrangements - digital assessments must be accessible

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 7th January, 2021

Digital Assessments must be accessible to all learners including students with disabilities or additional support needs. In this blog we explore what this means and how to create accessible assessments. More students in more schools and local authorities are being provided with personal devices, and...

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