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THE LATEST UPDATES AND DEVELOPMENTS IN SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY

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SO TECXITED! Haringey schools open a hi-tech ‘Tecxitement’ room

UPDATE 42 ›› ICT NEWS The latest updates and developments in school technology

IN PRACTICE 44 ›› SO TECXITED! Haringey schools celebrate the opening of a hi-tech ‘Tecxitement’ room

FOCUS ON 46 ›› THE VLE EFFECT Tips and advice on setting up your school’s own virtual learning platform

HELP DESK 50 ›› TECHNO GEEK Best educational websites out there

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NEWS & ANALYSIS nec nabs projector prize at av awards

Kingston becomes university ‘without walls’

educational projector firm wins

Kingston University will take significant steps towards becoming a ‘university without walls’ by virtualising its desktop and storage infrastructure.

In the first phase of the project, delivered by HP, Kingston University is developing desktop virtualisation services and will deploy them to administrative staff and some students across its four campuses and satellite offices in Kingston Upon Thames.

Beginning with the provision of 3,000 Microsoft RemoteFX desktop sessions, the ultimate aim is to provide desktop services to the university’s 6,000 PCs, 1,000 Macs and more than 1,000 mobile devices via a blended desktop delivery model.

Staff and students will be able to access their university desktop and learning resources on a wide range of devices, regardless of their location, helping Kingston University to realise its vision of a ‘university without walls’.

Flexible virtual access to the desktop learning experience particularly benefits the university’s distance learning students, who can access resources from wherever they are in the world simply by logging onto the web portal and clicking which resources they require.

Students no longer have to queue to access machines, and can be logged on within 15 seconds.

NEC Display Solutions has been recognised as the Projection and Display Manufacturer of the Year at the 2011 AV Awards. A preferred supplier of ICT equipment for education, NEC outshone other shortlisted companies demonstrating its commitment to, and pursuit of, the future development of the AV industry alongside evidence of technical innovation and creative solutions. With ultra-short-throw, 3D and interactive projection solutions; super high bright stacking projector solutions and intelligent digital signage networks – NEC offers a comprehensive portfolio of display products and solutions. www.education-nec.com 08701 201160

stats

100+ The number of interactive workshops, seminars, and discussion sessions due to take place at BETT 2012 on 11-14 January

Wellington College goes wireless Wellington College, one of Britain’s leading co-educational schools, has implemented a wireless LAN network, enabling anytime, anywhere network access via any device. The new cloud-based system has delivered increased network performance and enabled flexible working across Wellington’s 400-acre campus.

Wellington College was looking to refresh its existing wireless network to deliver better speed and performance. After thoroughly researching the market, Wellington College put together a brief to upgrade its old managed system to a faster network that would scale more easily. Wellington trialed three solutions and soon settled on a Meraki wireless LAN from Cloud Distribution.

Director of IT services, Tony Whelton commented: “We needed to create an environment that was easily scalable and that could grow organically as demand on the network is variable over the course of the year. For example, we often hold large conferences on campus for up to 1,000 people and need to be able to easily add wi-fi points in odd places, such as a cricket pitch.”

Wellington now has four busy wi-fi networks in operation.

One for staff with elevated privileges, one for pupils, one for guests and one for members of its sports facility. Each is controlled by using a captive portal and log on where users authenticate themselves.

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Classroom conspiracy Korea digitises theories blamed on misuse of the internet entire curriculum

jargon buster

South Korea, which has one of the world’s highest-rated education systems, plans to move its entire curriculum from paper textbooks to computer screens by 2015.

The country’s minister of education, science and technology, Ju-Ho Lee, said his department was preparing a promotion strategy for ‘smart education’, using wireless networks in all schools to allow pupils to learn ‘whenever and wherever’ on a variety of different devices – from PCs to laptops and tablets to internet-connected TVs, the BBC reports.

He said the government would use open content for learning materials to keep costs down.

“Smart education will change how we perceive textbooks,” said Lee. “The transfer from the traditional paper textbooks to digital textbooks will allow students to leave behind their heavy backpacks and explore the world beyond the classroom.”

This programme would benefit schools in rural areas that may not have access to specialist teachers and would also make it easier for students to study from home.

An Organisation for Economic Co-ordination and Development (OECD) international assessment found that 15-year-olds in South Korea were the most competent users of digital technologies in a survey of 16 developed countries.

23 NOVEMBER

diary

Unfounded conspiracy theories and propaganda are becoming accepted in schools because young people are not taught how to judge the accuracy of information found on the internet, think tank Demos has found.

The new research finds that 48% of teachers report having argued about conspiracy theories with their pupils and one in 20 says this happens on a weekly basis.

In its new report, Demos warns that ‘digital natives’ (12-18 year olds) are often confident, but not competent internet users.

One in four young people do not make any checks at all when visiting a new website – less than one in 10 asks who made the site and why. One third of young people believe that information generated by search engines must be true and 15% base their opinions of a website on how it looks and feels to use.

Despite these findings, 88% of the 509 teachers surveyed in England and Wales consider internet-based research to be important for their pupils’ schoolwork and 75% believe that web content is important in the formation and validation of pupils’ beliefs.

Nearly every teacher surveyed (99%) thinks digital fluency is an important skill for their pupils to possess but they rated their pupils’ digital fluency as below average on a range of issues. As a result, 88% think it should be given more prominence in the national curriculum.

The report argues that the amount of material available at the click of a mouse Digital fluency can be both Digital fluency is the ability to find and evaluate liberating and information online, according to Demos. It combines (stifling). Although ‘old’ critical thinking skills, such as source verification, there are more with ‘new’ knowledge about how the digital world e-books, works, such as understanding search engines. trustworthy journalism, niche expertise and accurate facts at our fingertips than ever before, there is an equal measure of mistakes, half-truths, propaganda, misinformation and general nonsense. Demos stresses that knowing how to discriminate between them is fundamental to a modern education.

The think tank called for the Department for Education to join forces with the likes of Google and Yahoo to produce materials to support teaching.

“Too many young people are not discerning internet users,” said Jamie Bartlett, author of the report. “If they can’t find the information they’re looking for, they trust the first thing they come across. They often don’t fact-check the information they find. They frequently don’t recognise bias and propaganda, and don’t go to varied sources.

“As a result, they’re too easily influenced by information they should discard. This makes them vulnerable to false information, cons and scams. Misinformation and conspiracy theories – like those surrounding the death of Bin Laden – are appearing in the classroom, which is something teachers, politicians and parents should be very worried about.

“We can’t teach children what to think, but we must ensure that young people can make careful, sceptical and savvy judgements about the internet content they encounter.”

Annika Small, director of the Nominet Trust, an internet access charity, said: “It is impossible to universally monitor young people’s internet use. So we need to give young people the skills to navigate and interpret the internet safely, and wisely.”

The Nominet Trust funds Digital Disruption, a suite of online teaching tools for use in schools that provides teachers with all they need to deliver digital literacy lessons.

Closing The Attainment Gap: The Role Of Technology Manchester Conference Centre

30 NOVEMBER – 2 DECEMBER Online Educa Berlin

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Let’s get Tecxited!

In September, schools across Haringey came together to celebrate the opening of a hi-tech ‘Tecxitement’ room at the Heartlands High School in Wood Green, featuring some of the most state-of-the-art technology including iPads, a green-screen film kit, stop-motion animation and an interactive touch-sensitive table. Jonathan Hills looks into the project in more detail

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he Tecxitement room opened at the Heartlands High School in Haringey on 14 September as part of the £214m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, instigated by the previous government, then scrapped by the secretary of state for education, Michael Gove in 2010.

Luckily for the pupils of the Heartlands High School however, Haringey BSF and RM Education managed to join forces to save one of the most innovative and electrifying educational solutions before the plug was pulled.

The Tecxitement room was one of four projects shortlisted for the prestigious British Council for School Environments and stands as a shining example of the collaborative effort between a school, local authority and private investment.

The aim of the scheme was to construct a technological learning environment in a central location for students in schools throughout the borough to use ensuring that the learning experience of the room would be kept fair and ubiquitous.

Councillor Lorna Reith, who cut the ribbon to the project, states the reasons for the central location of the room in the borough and its universal accessibility. “It’s quite a divided borough socio-economically,” she explains. “Many of the children might

not even have access to IT at home, and if young people are going to succeed at school, in further education and in employment they have to be acquainted with the latest technology.”

Featuring a medley of state-of-the-art technology, including several ipads, a green-screen film kit, stop-motion animation, Macs, PCs and an interactive touch-sensitive table, the Texitement room offers students enjoyment and creativity while they learn as part of a more interactive learning experience.

Carol Ellis, RM’s senior education manager, who oversaw the development of the project from the very start, describes the Tecxitement room as a “collaborative, flexible space for students and staff to use to work on projects to test out new ICT and work on new and innovative technology”.

From the beginning of the project, it was intended for local students to have a say in the making of the room – of all 15 schools in the borough, 14 of them sent two students to work on the project.

Emphasising the individuality of the tech-room as an educational venture; Ellis pointed out that “the real difference between everyone else’s and ours is the input the actual students have had in the design – they were absolutely fantastic throughout this project”, she adds, “and really supportive of me and my team”.

Headmaster of Heartlands High School, Simon Garrill, also spoke about

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“One of the most versatile pieces of equipment is the remote handsets, which are given to each student to answer questions, vote or express an opinion to the teacher”

AT A GLANCE Vertable with interactive projector (excluding laptop) £2,674.29 MovieBox Green-Screen kits and accessories £3,130.25 Animation software and webcam (excluding laptop) £61.75

the benefits that the school will have for students throughout the whole of Haringey.

“It’s a place where students from around the LA can come and use our room and facilities to enjoy our and their assets,” he says.

Student equality was a vital part of the scheme. Garrill explains how the setup of the room will benefit both halves of the socio-economic scale. “Often schools buy ICT and in two years students come in and say that they have better equipment at home. This is the whole point of the room; it gives them access to equipment that they just won’t have at home, and they might have never seen – it really is the cutting edge of what is available and this is inspiring to young children and for teachers too,” he says.

John Galloway, SEN and ICT consultant, explains the various features of the room and how they can benefit the education of students. He describes the use of the green- screen as a totally interactive environment which, due to its versatility, allows pupils to engage with any surrounding imaginable to aid their education. “So for example, the children can use it for a news programme,” he says. “They can enter the green-screen space, and then do anything they like – through the use of images and video, they can be virtually anywhere.”

The use of the green-screen transcends the teaching boundaries of specific subjects, Galloway suggests “It can allow for the children to be at Hampton Court acting out Shakespeare, or perform the newscast for when Anne Boleyn was beheaded,” he says.

In addition to the green-screen, iPads and touch-table, there are several more devices that can be used on a more casual basis to enhance the stdent experience and assimilate student progression.

One of the most versatile pieces of equipment is the remote handsets given to each student to answer questions, vote or express an opinion to the teacher.

Galloway says: “If you are the teacher and you want to ask some questions, instead of just being able to tell that a single child knows the answer or not, the teacher can gauge the entire class’s answers – then the teacher can whack the results up on the screen, and immediately see if they have got their message across or not.”

The handsets can even be used to test sensitive knowledge, eliminate student embarrassment and even educate morality.

“With a voting pad, a teacher can assess whether killing people is always wrong for example, and then use the results to add to the debate,” says Galloway.

David Lubowski, 12, and a Year 8 pupil at Heartlands High School says he feels that the Tecxitement room will benefit his studies and increase his interest in lessons.

David was one of the 11 students who worked on the project throughout the 10 months of its construction.

“I think that this is important because it is more inspirational – it really can make you want to learn,” he remarks, saying that he looks forward to using the green-screen more than anything else.

Despite the debate about the practical benefits of hi-tech equipment in the education of pupils, it is clear that the increased interactivity brings a level of enjoyment to students, which is hard to match by traditional methods.

Schools may have to wait a few more years before Tecxitement rooms become commonplace across the county. However, this form of education is the future and seems to make learning for students, far more accessible and enjoyable.

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Bit of a Moodle

how to establish your VLE There are many things to consider when setting up a VLE and many questions to ask your web designer/creator before you get started. Jonathan Hills gets some expert advice on how schools should go about setting up their very own VLE

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irtual learning environments (VLEs) have become more prevalent in education over the past few years. They provide a fantastic means by which to assimilate everything from teacher resources, student reaction, revision notes, pupil attendance and parental feedback.

The aim of every VLE is to provide controlled access to the curriculum and track student activity and achievement, as well as supporting online learning and improving communications between the teacher and the learner.

However, schools differ significantly and so do their goals and weaknesses’, so school leaders need to bear both in mind when they are choosing their VLE. Lucy Evans, head of school improvement at Frog, offers her advice on how schools should go about selecting their VLE. For her, a VLE is a practical solution, not just a gimmick that schools can buy to raise their profile.

“It’s not important to look for a learning platform; it’s important to look for a solution which will enhance your teaching and learning practices within a school,” she says. “That, to me, is by far more important than just ticking a box.

“Evaluate the goals you wish to achieve and the people that you are going to use to achieve them,” she says. “The first thing we encourage the school to do is get their VLE team together and ensure that they have the right people in place. Then make sure that everyone in the team knows their role.”

Evans argues that schools should only consider implementing a VLE if they know exactly what they want to get out of it.

“Are you going to be focusing on teaching and learning, or is it parents you want to engage?” she asks. “Do you want to work on pastoral, or save money and time by outing your paperwork online?”

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One of the major decisions to be made when introducing a VLE into your school is the extent to which you want the system tailored to your needs.

Bespoke VLE solutions have become extremely flexible in recent years, allowing for the option for schools to purchase a standard VLE package and then augment and alter it to their own specifications.

However, you will have to decide whether you will carry out this work internally or outsource the labour to the VLE company you are purchasing from, depending on the amount of time, money and expertise available at your school.

Smaller schools that are new to VLEs are likely to benefit more from a tailored package delivered by the VLE company themselves, liaising with company staff and convey the needs for the system in person and in plain English. This is obviously a more expensive option but it guarantees that you will get the solution you want, when you want it and without taking up any of your own time.

However, if you are a larger school with personnel who can create a bespoke system with an ‘out-of-the-box’ VLE then this can be a great way to reduce costs and ensure that your VLE is as precise as you would like it to be.

This option also makes it easier to introduce your staff and pupils into the VLE, as your on-site team will be able to show them how it works from the inside out.

The development of a bespoke system still requires a dedicated and competent team, that is both logistically and technically proficient, with every member very much aware of their own role and the goals the system needs to achieve.

After launching a VLE, it has to be implemented into the workings of the school.

Maintaining and updating a VLE on a continual basis can be arduous so make sure you utilise every resource your school has to offer, including the students.

Pupils can play a large part launching your VLE and integrating it into the student-teacher experience, as many pupils are already tech-literate and therefore have a good understanding of complementary software.

Evans recalls students “teaching the teachers” on how to change the design of the learning platform in some of the schools she has worked for.

“Many actually take that on as part of the curriculum,” she explains. “It’s a very

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transferable skill and it’s massively important for embedded ICT within the classroom – it’s an Ofsted requirement for one – not to mention the benefits of instant student engagement.”

Ellis summarises the basic guide to implementing a VLE into your school in three basic points.

Firstly, she says, its important to “Have the future in your head – the school should know what their development plan is for the next three years or more before they even approach a VLE provider”.

Have the future in your head – the school should know what their development plan is for the next three years or more worked out before they even approach a VLE provider Consider the changes that may affect the education sector and your school in the coming years and what goals you hope the VLE will achieve, as well as the specific criteria that will need to be worked towards and met within a specified time period in order to consider the VLE a success.

“Secondly,”, says Ellis, “will it fit with the IT solutions your school already uses?”

If you have a management system, a finance system or different teaching and learning packages the VLE should link with them easily, otherwise you will waste a great deal of time or find yourself with a large number of redundant systems as a result.

“The last is proof – get proof that it works,” asserts Ellis. “Ask your provider to introduce you to other schools that have achieved this – and if anyone says no, then I would worry.”

So, when purchasing your VLE solution, have a solid idea of what you want it to achieve, consider its compatibility with your existing IT systems and most importantly, ask around.

With an increasing number of providers of VLEs and more schools implementing them every year, it will only be a matter of time before every school has a system in place. However, before you go about setting one up make sure that you take your time, plan meticulously and don’t be afraid to ask your provider to provide testimonials and reviews.

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Non-human resources Techno Geek takes a look at the best in online teaching resources – from the free to the expensive It can be difficult at the best of times to engage a class of knowledge-thirsty pupils. Fortunately, there are a host of online teaching resources available for use in the classroom and at home and best of all, a lot of them are free.

There are also some paid options out there and they are not to be dismissed out of hand. Paid resources have some distinct advantages, namely support, and generally tend to be a higher quality resource (though this is not always the case) and in many cases a support network of users, which can be a fantastic way of finding out about the best resources out there.

What you want from a web resource: • It has to be engaging • It should have a goal at the end of it • It should provide some form of progression • It should be fun (for teachers as well as pupils).

There are lots of resources out there to help in children’s development and some are better than others. It can be worth paying for some of the better ones if you want a sense of consistency and support around the products, which in many ways can be the best way to keep innovating, though sites like the Guardian can provide this for free as well.

Do you have some favourites not mentioned?

What are your thoughts on the ones posted here? Let me know at technogeek@edexec. co.uk or on Twitter @ee_technogeek

SEND US YOUR TWEETS technogeek@edexec.co.uk www.edexec.co.uk/ technogeek/

Web resource round-up

I hope this round up (which is by no means exhaustive; in fact it isn’t even the tip of the iceberg) gives you a few ideas about what’s out there.

Primaryresources.co.uk A somewhat basic website that hides a treasure trove of online resources, ready to use in the classroom, both for use on a computer and available in PDF format to print out and hand around.

The BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/teachers/ The BBC has always had educational programming at its core, and it also hosts a variety of online resources for use in the classroom. It’s very interactive with its use of video. Organised by key stage on the front page, definitely something everyone should visit regularly.

Parliament http://www.parliament.uk/education/online-resources/ Not to be outdone, the government has a host of online citizenship resources on its website, designed to give pupils a basis in what it means to be a UK citizen using video and games to give a good basis.

Guardian Teach Network http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network This takes the form of a blog, looking at how to deal with different issues in the news in the classroom. A must-stop-by for any teacher, it has thousands of free resources, and a way to share your work with others.

Bee-IT http://bee-it.co.uk This is a website for education professionals involved in IT. It hosts a series of ‘Freebees’ – teaching resources from other education professionals and companies that sell the products, some allowing free trials.

Brainpop http://brainpop.com A site that develops animated curriculum resources that can tie into your VLE. Though essentially a paidfor service, it has ‘Game Up’, a series of free online educational games and a large community of teachers who use its product. Definitely worth considering if you want a service with lots of support.