BOLT Education

Who remembers this resource? I think I may have spent some e-learning credits on this.

e-learning credits came in after the cancellation of BBC Jam. Having worked on this, I know what amazing resources were going to be shared with the geography community, and also wrote The Guardian's BETT preview in the year they were going to be released, but the other software and publishing companies complained this would be unfair competition. In return, secondary schools received about £5000 of credits (possibly more, depending on size) to be spent on an approved list of software and technology.

My anecdote here is that our Deputy Head at the time told us that we could bid for a share of this money. We had to provide a document with the details of the software, and an explanation of how we were going to use it, and what particular project or activity it would be helpful for. Curriculum Online provided lists. Suppliers rushed to provide options which were compatible with the scheme.

The Deputy Head in question finished his explanation at a HoDs meeting by saying the bids were 'first come first served' until the money ran out. 

That night, I went through the site, and put together the requested document with a bid for about £2000 worth of items and gave it to him the following morning. I asked him roughly how much of the bid was likely to be approved, and he told me that I would get all the items as it was first-come first-served.... I had deliveries of software and other items regularly for the next few months.

This ad was in 'Teaching Geography' for Spring 2005