Mr. Hal MacLean

Hal is currently the Director of Learning at Cleveratom Limited (http://www.cleveratom.co.uk).

Cleveratom has three core activities including advising schools and organisations about ICT for learning, building online social software and developing digital creativity. Clients have included the BBC, London Business School, Becta, Edison Schools, YHGfL Foundation, City College Norwich, Essex County Council, Design Council and others.

Hal works within the building schools for the future program, consulting with schools and colleges about the use and design of learning spaces, the way ICT can be used and what new and emerging technologies can be leveraged to improve learning. He has had an involvement in Kent, Newham, Durham, Barnesley, Salford and Wigan, working with partners including Skanska, BAM PPP, Land Securities Trillium, Amey and Morgan Ashurst.

He also works with Digital Creativity, creating and running workshops for learners of all ages to explore video, animation and DVD technologies. Current work includes designing learning spaces (both physical and virtual) to extend learning using technology, advising about vision for effective learning in a range of different organisations and managing a number of innovative projects with different clients.

Previously, as a researcher, he worked on a variety of high profile projects including setting up and running online communities, facilitating learning for an online degree and developing the creative use of digital video in schools. He was also involved in assessment at Key Stage 3 using mobile phone technologies and has worked with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS), Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the National College of School Leadership (NCSL), amongst others.

Before this, this Hal was a primary school head teacher in a large 'Grant Maintained' school in Essex. He was involved in the school buildings working party and implemented a number of projects at the school which aimed to improve the environment for the learners.

In his spare time, amongst other things, Hal works with youth rugby teams in the UK, running a charity website to enable the clubs to make fixtures with each other when they have no game to play. He is also a keen photographer, using a digital camera, of course!