Dinosaur Chess in Schools

[Linda McCusker]

At present our school chess club is bursting at the seams with 35 members which, of course, is fabulous However, there is a wide variety of playing abilities running from complete beginners to experienced players. It’s a bit of a logistical nightmare so having Dinosaur Chess on our school computer network would be a great benefit.

At present Dinosaur Chess is not avaialble on our school network so I have tried to contact the CS Dino Chess Information person listed on the CS website to ask who the software was given to for Glasgow City Council. Unfortunately the e-mail was returned with the message :

‘Remote host said: 554 delivery error: dd Sorry your message to <!-- e --><a href="mailto:hayt555@yahoo.co.uk">hayt555@yahoo.co.uk</a><!-- e --> cannot be delivered. This account has been disabled or discontinued [#102]. - mta1171.mail.ir2.yahoo.com’

Does anyone in CS know the name of the person in Glasgow City Council that the Dinosaur chess software was given to? Also is the Dinosaur Chess software compliant with Windows 7 PC’s which are being used in Glasgow schools?

Thank you for any help with this.

[Douglas Bryson]

Tom Hay - then (and may still be) a teacher in Moray - was set up with the Dino Chess CDs in 2011. The data had been handed on by the relevant junior officials. The idea was that Tom would be in charge of giving out advice and distributing the software in relation to setting up Dino Chess in schools. He played one season at Newmachar in 2011-12 but has been inactive since. I dont know if junior officials ever recd feedback on how many schools had been set up with the software or if others took on responsibility.

The email I had for Tom at the time was <!-- e --><a href="mailto:tom_jac@yahoo.com">tom_jac@yahoo.com</a><!-- e --> - that could be tried.

[Craig Pritchett]

I have reported this apparently dead link more than once over the last year or so with no response from CS or more importantly change at the relevant CS schools webpage.

Because of the nature of these things, it is far less immediately important (indeed, it is far from easy to do this to useful effect at all in a voluntary organisation) for anyone in CS to attempt to track who may or may not have set up the Scottish school licensed DinoChess facility - which is not just free and comes with software enabling use on school white boards but is also Scottish-designed and an absolutely first-class teaching and self-learning tool for kids of all ages (including one ancient IM Dinosaur ... me!) - than to ensure that the link at the CS schools webpage actually works and provides appropriate information about obtaining the product.

I do hope that someone at CS now can spend some time tracking down Tom Hay and getting back all the information, including any remaining spare copies of software, assuming that he no longer wishes to act on this (and to thank him), so that the link and the facility can be meaningfully restored in a way that helps schools who may have tried to access it (and, horrible thought) may simply have given up on progressing the matter, when (like me, more than once) they got "nothing".

Dino Chess is still used in at least some schools, e.g. in Borders Region, and by the pioneer in its use in so many useful ways (primary teacher and former CS junior Director), Donna Officer.

[Jonathan Livingstone]

I tried to access the free Dino Chess for schools initiative about a year ago, long story short is I got no where. I never got a reply from Tom's e-mail address. I suggested to a Primary School club contact that they get someone from the school to contact the Council's IT Dept to see if there was someone who get help out. There was no knowledge of Dino Chess within the IT Dept though.

I'd suggest we start again from scratch as it sounds like a good iniative if the process is joined up and well managed, and we now know what a lot of the issues have been and can maybe avoid them.

Someone pointed me to Dino Chess for Tablets/Androids, available on GooglePlay and other similar services, which cost me £0.70

[Andy Howie]

I know Mike Hanley has used it in numerous schools in South Lanarkshire. Might we worth a shout speaking to Mike.

[Gerald Lobley]

Just to let everyone know, Tom Hay took up a teaching post at the Nexus International School, Malaysia in August 2013.
CS will need to find a replacement in terms of Dino Chess support.

[Linda McCusker]

I am sure I am not alone in thinking that it is extremely disappointing that Chess Scotland has had no-one in place for over a year now supporting the superb initiative of Dino Chess in schools, particularly as Craig has reported this apparently dead link more than once over the last year or so with no response from CS. As Craig also says :

‘Dino Chess which is not just free and comes with software enabling use on school white boards but is also Scottish-designed and an absolutely first-class teaching and self-learning tool for kids of all ages’

Surely if Chess Scotland are serious about supporting chess in schools then this will be rectified as soon as possible? My initial thoughts are that this should fall under the remit of the Schools Development Director?

There is also another link on the schools section of the CS website with the same link as the Dino chess had (<!-- e --><a href="mailtochoolclubs@chessscotland.com">schoolclubs@chessscotland.com</a><!-- e -->). It’s the link to request the "beginner's guide" instruction course prepared by Alex McFarlane to help school club organisers teach chess. The guide contains teachers' notes, pupil worksheets and answers and a Powerpoint based presentation. This would be an invaluable tool for teachers or anyone else who are thinking about starting up a school chess club. Therefore it would be great if this link could be updated too please.

[Glynis Grant]

I've never seen Dino Chess but I would be very interested in trying it with my school chess club. If it is revived can I have a copy please?

GG

[Jacqui Thomas]

David Oswald was in post of schools development when Tom offered his services. I passed the master copies of both Alex's beginners guide, Donna's white board support discs that went with Dino Chess along with copies of Dino chess to David which he passed onto Tom. I presume these were not handed back then?

If needed I probably still have the list of contacts in each county IT dept that Craig forwarded to me in an email. I am sure I have a copy of Alex's beginners guide from when I ran the school club. Maybe someone has a copy of Donna's white board support discs.

It's a shame that these resources are not readily available after all the hard work Craig put in with others & of course Paul for developing a brilliant teaching tool.