Gordon Thomson

Gordon Thomson is the director of Scotland & Ireland for Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. He has an enviable track-record of working with and advising organizations throughout his career, ranging from finance, education, petrochemicals, manufacturing and small businesses.

Prior to joining Cisco Systems, Gordon worked for Cable & Wireless Communications where he was responsible for designing global networks on behalf of Hewlett Packard, British Airways and SWIFT.

Gordon is also a non executive director for Targeting Innovation Ltd and ScotlandIS, as well as chair of Glasgow Business Services, the 'small business gateway company' for the Glasgow area.

Passionate about showing companies how technology can win them competitive advantage and drive business productivity, the former Scottish schoolboys' golf champion is equally fanatical away from work, currently playing off a handicap of two.

Synopsis

The Web & Education - A Changing Environment

In this talk, Gordon Thomson will look at local practical examples of how the web and technology is making a difference to traditional teaching methods in Scotland. This will include looking at the Scottish Schools Digital Network, which is the biggest web content distribution network anywhere in the world, and our partnership with SQA and Glasgow City Council where we can take online learning to people who might otherwise fail in the traditional learning environment.

All of this means more opportunities for pupils, new interesting teaching methods, less administration for teachers and more relevance to gaining employment with new industry based qualifications.

Finally, Gordon will leave you with a short video laying out a vision of what this could mean for both teachers and pupils in Scotland in the future.