🔥 BREAKING: 09 - Live Updates April 2026

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Well the school visit was a definite success for me!

I went along to a primary 7 class for the afternoon to see what happens on a 'topic day'. This term the students are learning about other European countries. Firstly we watched a video following a few days in the lives of some school children in Sweden. After the video there was a class discussion. The class talked about what they knew about Sweden and about Swedish stereotypes - are all Swede's really tall, slim blondes who speak great English!? The teachers also got the class to think about similarities and differences between Sweden and Scotland. It was an interesting discussion!

The paper testing map Flora brought in to the school.

Next, while the class worked in groups looking at Scottish geography, I met up with 3 groups of students to talk about the China website. I had made an 'interactive' paper map which contained the kind of information we might include in the main China site. I wanted to see if the students would find it easy to find information within the map. Some of the information was trickier to find than other bits - but on the whole everybody found it quite easy to use. Good news - because the way the paper map worked is similar to how the site navigation is going to work once the site is finished!

I also took the chance to ask each of the 3 groups what kind of thing they would want to know about China and the people who live there. I got a very long list! Again - good news as it will help to make the site interesting and useable if we know what kind of thing the site visitors will be looking for.

One of the groups of students doing user testing.

Here's some of the list...

Population, pets, food, religion, landscape, clean water, national sports, wildlife, power sources, climate, traditions, hobbies, culture, local festivals, punishment and prisons, pollution, government, transport, events in the future, charities, industry, attitudes, houses, families and divorce rates, languages spoken, tourism... like I said, it was a long list.

Well, looks like I've got plenty to be getting on with... Top marks to the students of primary 7!

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