RE: [school-discuss] Becta feedback

[Robert J Gautier <rjg@ateb.co.uk>]

As one of the designers of the BESD system, I'm a little surprised
by BECTa's response.  BESD is publisher-maintained; you should be
able to register as a software publisher and enter details of your
software package directly into BESD, for review by BECTa.  As a part
of the data entry process, you will be expected to link your package
to curriculum topics and Key Stages that it addresses.  If you can't
do that I'd expect BECTa to resist publishing your data, of course.
My surprise is that BECTa didn't explain this to you.

It is of course possible that gcompris is a type of educational
software that doesn't fit BESD's model of the universe -- although
software of general applicability *can* be represented in the
database.

So, perhaps you asked the wrong question?  Try asking to register as
a publisher?

Bob G

On Wed, 29 May 2002, Chris Puttick wrote:

> Teachers in the UK are being expected to do less and less work by
> government. As your package does not fit neatly into the UK
national
> curriculum (i.e. you haven't pre-defined for them what the package
does in
> NC terms), they're not (with some notable exceptions) going to be
> interested. Given the position of BECTa,they really should take
the time to
> evaluate these packages, but don't.
>
> Has anyone had something excepted? My contributions were also
turned down I
> will be raising the issue with BECTa, but an ex-BECTa employee now
employed
> by RedHat may be of more assistance in this area, as I do not know
who to
> target. Malcolm?
>
> I forwarded your exchange to a UK based list that may have people
better
> placed to define gcompris in NC terms.
>
> Cheers
>
> Chris
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bruno Coudoin
> To: Schoolforge
> Sent: 5/29/02 1:31 PM
> Subject: [school-discuss] Becta feedback
>
> I asked BECTA to include gcompris in their database.
> They refused and I don't understand why.
> Could somebody explain me why, below is the trace of our email
exchange.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Bruno.
>
> -----------------
> Dear Bruno,
>
> Many thanks for your recent message regarding an entry on the
Becta
> Educational Software Database.
>
> In order to meet the criteria of the Becta Educational Software
> Database, we
> do ask that any materials referenced through the service are not
just
> relevant to subjects studied in the UK, but that they are also
> appropriate
> for the English National Curriculum.  Therefore unfortunately we
are
> unable
> to include this product on BESD.
>
> Regards
>
> Becta Educational Sofware Database Team
>
> >       -----Original Message-----
> >       From:   Bruno Coudoin [SMTP:bruno.coudoin@free.fr]
> >       Sent:   28 May 2002 14:07
> >       To:     besd
> >       Subject:        RE: gcompris proposal
> >
> >       I am french and not a teacher neither part of the french
> education
> >       system so I can't give you any cross reference between
gcompris
> and
> > the
> >       British Curiculum.
> >       What I can tell you is that in france, gcompris is used in

> school
> > for
> >       what is called Cycle 2 which is about 5, 6 and 7 years
old.
> >
> >       Gcompris includes a large number of activities and you can
also
> > check by
> >       yourself how suitable it may be for your organisation.
> >
> >       For My official contact information, I am M. Bruno
Coudoin, my
> > personal
> >       adress is 6:
> >       Rue des Amandiers 31700 Blagnac France.
> >
> >       Thanks for your time evaluating gcompris.
> >
> >       Also, please consider that as a free software, gcompris
can be
> > improved
> >       by your organisation itself or by asking a third party
software
> >       engineering company with no license cost. You can also ask
me
> for
> >       changes and improvement but since it is a non paid
project, it
> can take times.
> >
> >       Best Regards,
> >       Bruno.
> >
> >
> >       Le mar 28/05/2002 à 11:53, besd a écrit :
> >       >
> >       > Many thanks for your recent enquiry regarding the Becta
> > Educational Software
> >       > Database (BESD - http://besd.becta.org.uk).
> >       >
> >       > BESD aims to provide an independent, comprehensive
on-line
> > database for
> >       > educational software for the schools market.  The
database
> > complements the
> >       > roles of the National Grid for Learning (NGfL -
> > http://www.ngfl.gov.uk) and
> >       > the Virtual Teacher Centre (VTC -
http://vtc.ngfl.gov.uk),
> which
> > provide a
> >       > signposting service to web based content and resources.
BESD
> > currently
> >       > provides a mechanism for teachers and support
organisations to
> > find
> >       > curriculum-based software which can be purchased on
disk, CD
> ROM
> > or DVD ROM,
> >       > or downloaded from the web.  Subscription on-line
services
> where
> > internet
> >       > access is required for use are not included.  Can you
please
> > inform us what
> >       > National Curriculum subjects your software covers, and
supply
> us
> > with full
> >       > contact details.
> >       >
> >       > Regards
> >       >
> >       > Becta Educational Software Database team
> >       >
> >       > > -----Original Message-----
> >       > > From:       Bruno Coudoin [SMTP:bruno.coudoin@free.fr]

> >       > > Sent:       27 May 2002 18:21
> >       > > To: besd@becta.org.uk
> >       > > Subject:    gcompris proposal
> >       > >
> >       > > I am the author of gcompris
> > (http://ofset.sourceforge.net/gcompris)
> >       > >
> >       > > This is a freeware education application (Under the
GPL
> > License).
> >       > >
> >       > > Please, consider including it in your database.
> >       > >
> >       > > Thanks in advance,
> >       > >
> >       > > Bruno.
> >       > >