Tech&LearningUK January 2015

OW SH TT BE IEW EV PR 5 P2

www.techandlearning.uk January 2015

CRACKING THE CODE

SCHOOLS RESPOND TO THE INTRODUCTION OF CODING SEE PAGE 22

COMPUTATIONAL THINKING IAN LIVINGSTONE CBE DISCUSSES GAMES-BASED LEARNING P6

ED TECH TRENDS

NEW TECHNOLOGIES IMPACTING THE CLASSROOM P12

CATCHING KNOWLEDGE

ALL-ENCOMPASSING LECTURE CAPTURE P28

WELCOME

Editor: Michael Nicholson michael@weareoutput.co.uk Executive Editor: Paddy Baker pbaker@nbmedia.com Executive Editor: Joanne Ruddock jruddock@nbmedia.com Head of Design: Jat Garcha jgarcha@nbmedia.com Sales Manager: Gurpreet Purewal gpurewal@nbmedia.com Account Manager: Peter McCarthy pmccarthy@nbmedia.com US Sales - Executive Vice President: Adam Goldstein agoldstein@nbmedia.com Production Manager: Jason Dowie jdowie@nbmedia.com Head of Digital: Tim Frost tfrost@nbmedia.com Publisher: Steve Connolly Contributors: Mark Anderson, George Cole, Steve Montgomery, Viru Patel, Theresa Russell, Chris Waterworth

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Welcome to the first issue of Tech&Learning UK I’m very grateful to have been asked to edit this publication and privileged to have entered the world of learning and education, albeit by the side door. At 17 years old, I knocked on the front door, nervously interviewing at the University of Strathclyde’s Jordanhill College for a place on the Primary Education BA course.

Sadly my nerves, fate and a last-minute urge to work for a year before university conspired to ensure that my only foray into teaching was short and quite scary.

I remember being asked to describe, in detail, getting into a car and setting off. I’ve never been sure if it was the level of detail that was important or how engaging I could be when describing a fairly ordinary task. I hope it was the Editor: Michael Nicholson latter. As a child, I couldn’t get enough engagement – particularly at school – michael@weareoutput.co.uk which is why I look at the current, technology-rich world of education with wide eyes and a smidgen of jealously that it wasn’t like that in my student days.

These are exciting times for learning environments and for the impact that technology is having on them.

Perhaps these are intrinsic characteristics of the world of teaching and learning, but it’s clear that there are a lot of energised individuals, and a sense of togetherness and an appetite for progress are evident. Technology, which has transformed classrooms, lecture theatres and other learning spaces over the last decade, has reached such a level that it is starting to redefine methods and styles of teaching.

In these pages, we have some good examples of this, including a solutions feature about the University of Leeds, which is now home to one of the largest lecture capture systems in Europe (p28). Chris Waterworth discusses how coding is settling in to the new primary school curriculum in England (p22). And one of its main advocates, Ian Livingstone CBE, discusses his desire for more change and for more games-based learning (p6).

I’ve already been lucky enough to cross paths with some very interesting people and I look forward to meeting many more of you in the coming months. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the issue.

We’re also online at www.techandlearning.uk and on Twitter at @TechLearningUK – come and say hello; and if you don’t already, be sure to follow our US-based sister brand at www.techlearning.com and @techlearning.

CONTRIBUTORS Mark Anderson is a passionate advocate for the use of technology in the classroom to improve and enhance learning.

With 16 years classroom experience, he has a proven track record of teaching and learning linked to innovative and deliberate use of technology.

Steve Montgomery is an independent business consultant and writer, who specialises in the fields of audiovisual systems, digital signage and broadcast technology.

Steve is a regular contributor to Tech&Learning UK’s sister title, Installation, where he looks at technology’s commercial implications.

Theresa Russell is head of computing (KS3) ICT and lead teacher for iPad training at Morecambe Community High School. She also works with local primary schools to introduce Scratch programming to years 3 to 6.

Theresa is an advocate for girls in IT, computing science and STEM jobs.

George Cole is a freelance writer and former teacher.

He was educated at Bingley College of Education in West Yorkshire and Homerton College, Cambridge.

George was a teacher for 13 years and became a full-time freelance writer in 1991, specialising in two of his passions - technology and music.

Viru Patel is sales manager at Tiny Green PC, where he leads the programme for introducing interactive displays into schools and colleges. He has considerable experience in the display market. Tiny Green PC is a leading supplier of environmentally friendly IT solutions.

Chris Waterworth is a teacher at Pear Tree Primary School in Nantwich, Cheshire and an author. He has been teaching in primary schools for over 10 years and has used technology in his classrooms from the very beginning. Chris believes in a cross-curricular and social approach to learning.

CONTENTS

25

6

Interview

12 Ed Tech Trends 2015

Ian Livingstone CBE

9

Technology that will help to shape learning environments this year

We look ahead to Bett Show 2015

Opinion

Theresa Russell on how girls can excel in computing and ICT Viru Patel discusses touchscreens versus interactive whiteboards Mark Anderson talks about the role of the cloud in education

28 University of Leeds One of the largest rollouts of lecture capture technology in Europe

12 16 Budgeting Circumstances vary from school to school – how do you make your ICT budget work?

6

25 Show Preview

22 Coding in the Classroom Coding has landed in English schools and is having quite an impact

31 Reviews Orbotix Sphero 2.0 LG Chromebase NEC Display Solutions NP-M352WS

34 Showcase Tablets

33

INTERVIEW: IAN LIVINGSTONE CBE

‘COMPUTER SCIENCE IS THE NEW LATIN’

This leading light of the games industry – and government adviser – talks to Michael Nicholson about how gaming and coding can help to give children an education that will prepare them better for a rapidly evolving world WHAT WAS SCHOOL LIKE FOR YOU? It wasn’t as good as it should have been.

I left after A-Levels. I only managed to get one – a grade E in geography, and therefore didn’t go to university.

I went to college instead and studied business studies, which was quite useful as it turned out. I wasn’t badly behaved at school; I was just a bored and disaffected non-conformist. I had some pretty rubbish teachers too, who just regurgitated their old university notes.

It was like a factory. It was a miserable experience and it should have been inspirational. I was made to believe that I was a failure at school. My headteacher didn’t even want me in his sixth form.

I thought I was rubbish. School should be a place where children are taught to think rather than just to memorise facts, a place where diverse thinking is encouraged. This didn’t happen in my day and, unfortunately, it’s not happening enough today.

DO YOU THINK THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO TEACHING IS FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED? I believe that despite the mainly good structural reform in our schools we have not begun on the real changes needed in teaching and learning practice that will equip children with the values and skills needed for the digital world they will inhabit. I don’t think education has moved with the times. Any child born into the internet age is different to the child born in the analogue age. Today’s children

live in a connected world. They share everything from their privacy, to their ideas, to their knowledge. They naturally collaborate, which is what we do in the workplace. Yet the school environment requires that children learn in individual silos, measured by standardised testing, judged against the same metrics. That’s not really how the world works. We are all different, good at different things, and together we can do great things.

Too much emphasis is placed on judging people by their academic strengths rather than their other strengths, and I think that’s wrong.

Standardisation was fine for the industrial factory era, when everyone was essentially processed to do the same function. Education has not kept pace with the changes and fragmentation of modern industry.

Children need to be equipped with the skills they will need for jobs that don’t yet exist – such is the speed of change in the digital world. What they almost universally lack is the skills of creative thinking and any real understanding of what the business of creative industries is all about. Fixing this is an important task. Children need to be good problemsolvers and good communicators. They should be encouraged to collaborate and learn about taking risks to develop entrepreneurial spirit. Failure is okay – it should be seen as success work-inprogress. Let’s help them become job makers rather than job seekers.

The problem with a Victorian broadcast model of delivering knowledge, obliging children to

INTERVIEW: IAN LIVINGSTONE CBE memorise facts, is that it can be soon forgotten. Knowledge is important, of course, especially committing literacy and numeracy to memory. But I think we should put more value on knowhow.

Learning by doing. Getting kids to ‘make things do stuff’ is the new mantra. When they are engaged, they learn – usually happily too. In the 1980s, despite their getting a whole generation of 10-yearolds reading, the media didn’t write good things about The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, the first in the multi-millionselling Fighting Fantasy gamebook series authored by Steve Jackson and myself. They were even banned in some schools. God forbid children enjoying reading without being told to.

Children are best served as being motivated self-learners, who are not afraid of failure, and who are natural problem-solvers. I think that’s why today computer science is so important. It’s the new Latin, as it underpins the digital world, which is exponentially reliant on technology. It encourages people to think computationally, to understand logic and problem-solving, algorithms and, of course, coding. But it’s not just about coding. It is a discipline that enables creativity.

ARE YOU ENCOURAGED BY DEVELOPMENTS LIKE CODING BEING INTRODUCED TO THE CURRICULUM IN ENGLAND? It’s great that computing is now mandatory in English primary and secondary schools. The rest of the world is looking on with a mixture of curiosity and envy. At the behest of Ed Vaizey, the culture minister, I co-authored the Next Gen Review in 2011, which was published by NESTA. Next Gen made 20 recommendations – the main one being to put computer science in the curriculum as an essential discipline.

Spearheading the Next Gen Skills campaign funded by UKIE, the video games trade association, and working with Computing at School, it took us three years of lobbying before it happened.

However, many people still don’t understand the difference between ICT and computer science. ICT was effectively teaching children how to consume technology, not giving them the knowledge and insight they need to

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create their own technology. They were effectively being taught how to read but not how to write. Then the penny dropped: ‘Oh I see, it’s about creativity’.

You enable amazing digital creativity by teaching children computer science.

Not everyone is going to become a coder but it’s important that every child has the opportunity to learn and understand how code works. Any child, anywhere in the world, could become the next Mark Zuckerberg with digital-making skills.

The digital world is open to everybody to be successful.

CAN GAMING BE USED TO TEACH EVERY SUBJECT? The interactivity in games naturally requires problem solving. You can learn using a game like Minecraft, which is very creative, because you’re building these wonderful digital worlds, and there’s the community aspect of sharing them with your friends. It’s like digital Lego. If you want to teach urban regeneration, why not use SimCity?

You’re building complete cities, learning how city structures and the economies around them work, and the challenges of urbanisation. You can use games to teach mathematics, whether it’s trigonometry or algebra, you can deliver games-based learning in maths. Games can be used as simulations for training surgeons, pilots and others in a safe environment.

Playing games is fun and entertaining.

Play is also a natural learning experience.

The gameplay experience combines a broad mix of problem-solving, decisionmaking, intuitive learning, trial and error, logic, analysis, management, communication, risk-taking, planning, resource management and computational thinking. Games stimulate the imagination and encourage creativity, curiosity, social skills, concentration, teamwork, community, multi-tasking and hand-eye co-ordination.

THE IDEA OF A GAMING SCHOOL CONJURES UP SOME INTERESTING VISIONS… That’s where it’s been misinterpreted – I’ve never said it’s a games school.

It will be a school that has a broad and balanced curriculum, where children will be studying for 10 GCSEs. But we will also encourage them to build a portfolio of work. We will use some games-based

Livingstone made his name by co-authoring the Fighting Fantasy game books principles to apply to subjects for deeper understanding, but it won’t be a school where children are playing games all day – far from it. We understand the value of game structures being used as a learning tool for problem-solving in particular.

WHAT STAGE ARE YOU AT WITH DEVELOPING A CURRICULUM AND WAYS OF APPLYING YOUR IDEAS? Our application is in with the Department for Education. We’re now waiting in the hope of being asked for interview.

Our team is ready and waiting. If we do get approved, the plan is to be open by 2016. I don’t want anyone to think this curriculum and teaching methods are radical – more that they are in tune with children’s natural way of learning by doing. And yes, we will have discipline in the classroom, but at the same time we’ll encourage self-expression and selfdetermination.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACHIEVE WITH IT? HOW WILL YOU MEASURE SUCCESS? I’m hoping that with more engaged learning, children will achieve even better GCSE results than they might have done otherwise. Exam results will be one measure. Ofsted will soon tell us if we are getting it wrong. I don’t, as an employer, see exam results as the sole marker for whether or not a person would make a good employee. Show me what you can

do and I can give you a job. Pupils will be encouraged to build up a portfolio of work, either to show further education establishments or future employers.

Being able to show somebody what you

BriefBiography

Ian Livingstone CBE Q After making his name as cofounder of Games Workshop and co-author of the Fighting Fantasy role-play game books in the early 1980s, Ian Livingstone became a leading figure in the video games industry in the late 1990s, as chairman of Eidos Q In 2010, he was asked by the government to act as its Skills Champion and carried out a bottom-up review of the whole education system relating to games Q Under his leadership, the Livingstone Foundation Academies Trust hopes to open a Free School in Hammersmith, London, which promises to deliver more engaged teaching through computer science and using games-based learning

INTERVIEW: IAN LIVINGSTONE CBE ‘Childdren need too be equiipped withh the skilllss they will need for jobs thhat don’t yet exist’’ can do speaks volumes. The portfolio of work will sit alongside qualiďŹ cations which, of course, every parent quite rightly wants their child to have.

DO YOU HAVE ANY FEARS? Obviously, I believe 100% in my ideas for learning. We are going to hire people who we believe to be among the most inspirational teachers in the land to come and work in our school. I’ve also got a board of trustees that includes two highly respected individuals, who’ve been there and done it before: Barnaby Lenon, the ex-head of Harrow School; and Marion Gibbs, who’s the outgoing

head of James Allen’s Girls School in East Dulwich, who is one of the most respected headmistresses in the country. So they’ll keep my feet ďŹ rmly on the ground with respect to delivering a broad and balanced curriculum.

in promoting diverse thinking, selfexpression and self-determination.

And if it goes well, of course we’d want to open more. We don’t want it to be just a one o.

DO YOU THINK YOU WILL INFLUENCE EXISTING SCHOOLS TOO?

IS THIS JUST THE BEGINNING? A core strength of the UK, which gives us an edge as a nation, is our unique creativity.

It is the envy of the world. The creative industries sector has grown ďŹ ve times the rate Livingstone co-authored the Next Gen of the wider economy, and review with Alex Hope now accounts for one in 18 jobs in the UK. We have to ensure that school is an environment in Recommendations in our Next Gen which creativity ourishes. Computer Review will be implemented, getting science promotes problem-solving and children to think computationally and creativity. Hopefully our proposed school become creators as well as consumers of will be a agship for learning-by-doing, technology and products. And we must getting children more engaged in their never underestimate the contribution subjects: knowhow as well as knowledge. that art, music, drama and design make

I hope so, but that is of course for them to decide. What I do know from my own observations is that too many children are needlessly bored at school and that is just not right. Why can’t learning be enjoyable? Why is all the fun learning done outside of school? It doesn’t have to be like that. An authentic education for the digital world is key, and government must continue its vital role in evolving the curriculum, bringing the arts and sciences together to encourage innovation. It is essential that school is a place where creativity ourishes and inspires young people to become the best they can be. Q www.nesta.org.uk/publications/next_gen www.livingstoneschoolhammersmith.com

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OPINION

THERESA RUSSELL Breaking stereotypes and instilling confidence can lead to rewarding results

mpowering girls with the belief that they can be successful in computing and ICT disciplines can have brilliant results. Through my involvement with the Technovation Challenge, I saw this with my own eyes.

I managed a team of girls, who started out thinking they weren’t very good and ended up believing they could have successful computing and ICT careers.

Watching them develop both their ICT skills and their interpersonal skills was so rewarding.

I have worked with three groups of girls ranging from Year 8 to Year 10 on several competition entries, each one requiring a variety of skills ranging from public speaking to logical thinking and people management. Most of the girls were pre-selected based on attitude, aptitude to learning and, of course, commitment to the group and competitions.

During a telepresence session with our mentor, Heidi Rhodes from Cisco, they were asked what they wanted to gain from the competition. They all answered, “to be more confident”. We are still working in an age where both boys and girls believe that computing and ICT is for boys; they all have the opinion that boys are just better at it. These opinions need to change, and I believe this can be achieved through after-school clubs such as Technovation Challenge (a girls-only competition) and introducing girls to

E

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successful female mentors from within industry.

Stereotypes are so ingrained with the students. One example is that over the last week I have been asked why I have a mat on my classroom floor.

When I reply, “It’s for my Lego Robotics Group after school”, they all look and although the girls look impressed, it’s the boys who shout that they want to join. When I say it’s a girls-only group, the boys on the whole say, “But girls cannot do robotics, boys are much better”. Some of the girls were of a similar opinion. These opinions can only be changed through positive experiences.

One or two of the girls in my first ever Geek Girls group (named by them) with TechGirlsUK did struggle with being involved in a female computing club – particularly some of the more popular girls. It went so far that one girl nearly left after being ridiculed, which would have been a tragic loss to the team. She did remain in the group and spent a week at Cisco completing her work experience – three days in Manchester and two in London – which was an unmatchable experience. She has gone on to study GCSE computing and is now looking at A-Level too.

There is a wealth of female talent available as potential mentors who can have a positive impact on girls’ perceptions of computing and ICT opportunities that will come up in the future. Opportunities such as Apps for

Good, FLL and Technovation Challenge can put students in contact with mentors who will inspire them.

Networking is key. Teachers need to be more involved with social media to gain access to industry and techsavvy mentors. The use of Twitter and LinkedIn has enabled me to connect with people like Heidi Rhodes from Cisco in London, Silvia Spiva from Cisco in San José, California and Digital Heroes such as Andrew Mulholland an inspirational young man from Northern Ireland.

Sponsorship is also available from companies who are keen to encourage girls into STEM subjects. We have been lucky enough to gain corporate sponsorship from companies such as Cisco and EDF Energy to pay for equipment and trips to Manchester, London and even San José. Our school has been a great supporter too.

Get people involved, get them excited, get the students excited and let them run with it. Q technovationchallenge. wordpress.com

OPINION

VIRU PATEL TIME TO SHINE Why touchscreens are set to replace whiteboards in the classrooms

I

nteractive whiteboards have largely displaced blackboards in the UK’s classrooms, but despite their popularity, they do suffer from some serious drawbacks. The biggest issue is the amount of power they use. Typically, they can be on six hours per day for 220 days of the school year and although teachers tend to be environmentally aware and relatively good at turning off projectors when not in use, their energy consumption and cost is significant.

There are other disadvantages too.

Teachers rely on the availability of the interactive whiteboard in planning their lessons, making it a significant issue if the projector doesn’t work or if the screen ‘washes out’ due to high levels of ambient light. Common malfunctions include the bulb burning out – standard bulbs have a life of 2,000 hours – or the projector becomes misaligned, providing poor images. With some designs, it is hard to avoid standing in the beam.

Touchscreens are more convenient and cost much less to run than interactive whiteboards. Large-format screens of 65in diagonal or more are being widely adopted in many different applications, including retail, transport, hospitality and corporate environments.

Because of this, economies of scale mean that manufacturing costs are reducing; something that is being passed on to the buyer. These largeformat screens are widely offered with integrated touch control. There is little

doubt that, as the cost comes down, this is the technology of the future for the classroom too.

Touch technology is user friendly and intuitive, overcoming the hesitation of non-tech savvy members of staff, offering multiple touches, making the screens super-accessible for dynamic and interactive learning.

The need for a delicate projector is eliminated and the PC can either be integrated into the screen or attached to the rear, forming a single reliable unit that only needs to be set up once.

The screen glass is also comparatively robust and very easy to clean with a wipe or, if necessary, with stronger detergents. For informational signage applications in school foyers and catering areas, the same screens can be used without the touch overlay.

Using a suitable content management system, screens in the foyer can quickly and easily be updated with news of individual and collective achievements and upcoming events, and the same information can be added

to the menu screens in the café, and even to screens in classrooms when they’re not in use for lessons.

Screen technology is ever improving. Whiteboard replacement and informational signage packages are now offered based on Full HD monitor technology (42in, 46in, 55in and 65in), integrated with touch control and driven by compact and energy-efficient solid-state PCs. The screens can respond correctly to up to five simultaneous touches and can be networked for remote control, and are designed for 24/7 operation. They can use technologies such as LED backlights and smart power

management to deliver low energy consumption. Low-energy solidstate PCs offer high performance but use less than 10% of the energy of a traditional PC, and produce so little heat that no noisy cooling fan is required. They are able to run exactly the same applications as their larger, more power-hungry counterparts and can be used with popular interactive learning environments such as RM EasyTeach, SMART and many others, effectively eliminating the need for training. Systems are compatible with Windows, Linux and Android operating systems. Q www.tinygreenpc.com

OPINION

MARK ANDERSON SEE YOU IN THE

The trend towards mobile and cloud-based learning solutions is inexorable

T

wenty years ago, schools were struggling to get to grips with establishing a network in their buildings. Ten years ago, most had some semblance of a network on their premises – their budgets were aligned so that there was a fair proportion of spend allocated to ICT infrastructure. Now, schools look to sustain this but also to ensure that their WiFi is in place in sufficient measure to cope with their mobile learning needs.

More mobile learning projects become WiFi and infrastructure projects – less about the learning and more about the technology. The reliance on in-house ICT systems these days is huge.

What could happen is that schools move away from a model where they have physical assets that depreciate over time (capex model) to one which is more subscription based (opex model).

Moving to the cloud could bring some real savings, not just on hardware, but on software too. More and more, software companies are moving to cloud-based models.

Google has recently put in to place a massive game-changer that will really make schools think about how they work with their infrastructures. It announced that the Google Drive feature – part of the larger and fantastic ‘Google Apps for Education’ (which it gives away to schools essentially for free) – will have unlimited storage space. With this in mind, what place do schools now have for their internal networks for storage?

What requirement is there for

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redundancy for all of that data in schools? Do we still need to have big on-site server-based systems to keep all of our work in one place? The landscape for technology purchasing in schools is changing.

Use of the cloud is a really exciting prospect for education.

There are lots of opportunities for innovation in using it. The opportunity to share, collaborate and create learning experiences is huge. The use of mobile technologies that capitalise on cloud services has the propensity to involve combined pedagogies like Bloom’s taxonomy, Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development and more – creating authentic and shared learning experiences.

It might be that your infrastructure to support mobile learning isn’t there yet. You might not have the ability to get cloud services or your Google Apps for Education set up yet. In that case, there are a number of ways in which you can use your existing network and turn it

in to a cloud-based service. One such way is through the Foldr service from Minnow. Foldr is a service that allows you to bridge the gap to using full cloud services by continuing to use your internal infrastructures and at the same time capitalising on your growing bring-your-own-device scheme.

Either way, answer these questions: Do you think in 10 years’ time you will have your data stored locally or is it more likely that you will be using cloud services? Do you think it more or less likely that you will be using cloud services for your software?

The potential for increased productivity and efficiency are there, not only for staff but for students too.

Having services in the cloud means

‘The opportunity to share, collaborate and create learning experiences using the cloud is huge’

that more and more activities can be completed on the go, therefore students are going to be far more mobile with their learning. Cloud services tie in well with mobile devices and with so many of our schools moving to 1:1 tablets in their learning environments, why wouldn’t you want to look at this? Again, more questions: In 10 years’ time is it more likely or less likely that we will be working and learning using mobile technology and in the cloud? I think the answer is more likely. I would love to hear what you think. I’ll see you in the cloud. Q www.ictevangelist.com

FEATURE: ED TECH TRENDS 2015 SMART interactive whiteboards have evolved and now include multi-touch capability for group work

WHEELS KEEP ON TURNING With advances in teaching technologies showing no sign of slowing down, Steve Montgomery takes a look at the equipment that will help to shape education in 2015

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he use of electronic equipment at all education levels has grown rapidly over the past two decades, since the introduction of the interactive whiteboard by a newly formed start-up company, SMART, in 1991. Ease of use, adaptability and appeal to pupils of all ages have helped promote their use and acceptance in the classroom and a wide range of government-backed initiatives and funding schemes has resulted in almost total adoption of whiteboards by schools in the developed countries around the world. However, it was not immediate. In the 1990s, no one knew about interactive whiteboards, much less why they might want or need one.

As technology developed and connectivity within, between and beyond schools matured, new devices have entered the classroom to supplement and enhance the learning process. Higher education colleges and universities have different requirements but have also embraced new technology enthusiastically.

This has resulted in new methods of teaching across the board. Amber Halls, science team leader at St Ives School,

is adamant that the role of technology “is not to make the teacher’s task easier, but to make it more effective”.

However, adoption of new technology is not without problems.

“Fundamentally there are two barriers that need to be overcome: reliability and application,” points out Michelle Turner, ICT creative director of Essential Teacher. “In the classroom environment, teachers must focus on pupils and do not have time to attend to equipment, even if they are technically competent to set up and control advanced IT and presentation equipment. They rely on it working as soon as they are ready to start the lesson, and any problems must be overcome quickly and with minimal effort on their part. A teacher who has prepared a lesson at home on a laptop needs to be sure that he or she can instantly connect it to the classroom whiteboard or projector. Otherwise the lesson won’t proceed.”

Many schools now have their own technical support staff, or share with other local schools, to ensure maximum operation of in-school equipment, and this is becoming more critical as a wider range of technology enters the

classroom and teachers need greater connectivity to third-party resources.

No technology or learning software will be used unless it has the backing of teachers. “Teachers must see a benefit themselves and be keen to use it, and keep using it, in order to maximise its potential,” explains Turner. “They need the time and resource to learn how to apply it and prepare content, which inevitably needs the support of the leadership team. A school that is dedicated to making the best use of technology and is committed at the senior management level can apply learning aids across the whole curriculum and age range, allowing pupils to become immersed in these techniques and greatly benefit as they progress through the school.”

Professional bodies such as NAACE and the London Grid for Learning provide support and guidance, together with extensive teaching resources. Independent suppliers also offer services. N-vest works with a network of channel partners, including manufacturers, distributors, resellers and integrators, to provide advice and product training.

‘Atttitu ude es to tecchn nolo ogy in n sch hoo olss are e cha ang ging g’ Pip p Tho omas, N-vvest

Pip Thomas, director of N-vest, says: “While a great deal of time and care is taken over the research, selection and installation of technology, very little is spent talking to the people who will use it about what they need and want, how the technology will impact them, how it will benefit them and what training

FEATURE: ED TECH TRENDS 2015 and on-going support they’ll need to achieve that. We get involved before new purchases are made, to work with the school to devise a user adoption strategy, which is essentially how to win the hearts and minds of those who will use the new technology and turn that new equipment or software into an essential tool they could not do without.”

Messages can be sent by teachers to pupils’ tablets

TECHNOLOGY FOR LEARNING AND SKILLS Technology used in education must be considered as a tool and not implemented for its own sake. Yet even this attitude is developing, explains Thomas: “Attitudes to technology in schools are changing. Where the focus was once on technology as a teaching aid, it is now more about technology that engages students to aid learning, and on teaching them the skills they will need in the workplace. It is an ongoing process. We are also increasingly being asked to go into schools to assess how well they are using their technology, what else they could be getting from it, the skill levels of users and what training is needed to enable unused capabilities to be unlocked.”

An essential life skill is being able to collaborate and work with colleagues and business partners, which is first encountered in group learning at an early stage and extends throughout a student’s academic career. It has been revolutionised by the use of personal devices within the learning environment fuelled by applications that enable devices to be linked together with each other and classroom resources – including teachers’ tablets and the interactive whiteboard or lecture room projector.

“There is a definite move away from the traditional knowledge transfer approach to teaching, to knowledge sharing opportunities. Instead of the teacher spending most of the time at the front of the class, students now learn and solve problems together, guided by the teacher,” says Ian Curtis, head of Western Europe, Africa and ANZ at Promethean. “The popularity of iPads as a consumer technology has undoubtedly influenced the rapid adoption of collaborative learning, but it is the availability of software solutions and apps which are making these

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‘Finger-touch brings magic to the classroom – annotations and drawings made by either finger or pen’ Chris Goff, Epson UK

devices a valuable teaching technology.

“Promethean’s ActivEngage2 is a virtual Learner Response System, which can be installed on handheld devices and used to support formative, summative and other assessmentbased activities. It can be supplemented

by ClassFlow – an all-in-one teaching platform for synchronising classroom devices and orchestrating lessons, which creates a truly connected classroom. It engages learners by enabling content to be pushed out to students and gives students the ability to share their creative input by sending content back to the interactive

whiteboard, interactive flatpanel or any other front-of-class display solution.”

Halls points out: “The pedagogy has changed towards one that is studentcentred, with independent learning, as students become more responsible for their own learning. Tablets allow students to find their own way and progress at their own pace.”

Ulf Greiner, product line manager business projectors at NEC Display Solutions Europe, also believes that collaborative self-learning brings additional benefits and will prepare students for the future: “Students are generally more engaged and willing to

participate when using the technology they are familiar with. Teachers can encourage students to research in their own time, accessing information via the internet, in preparation for group time where the session can be more productively spent in discussion.

Through more efficient and productive working practices, teachers can stimulate further and deeper learning from their students.”

Interactive whiteboards have generally used short-throw projectors combined with a touch-sensitive screen surface that senses a pen or user’s finger. These have developed from single touch devices to multi-touch, allowing several users to operate them simultaneously and enabling the sort of gestures found on smartphones and tablets. Cost reduction in LCD display technology is beginning to make these types of panel cost-effective and competitive when the total cost of ownership is considered over its full lifetime. iBoardTouch’s range of interactive panels is compatible with interactive whiteboard systems, which, as European operations director Zulfi Baig points out: “Enables files to be transferred seamlessly between different interactive platforms. The software allows users to open SMART files in native format and from early next year will also be configured to open Promethean files. It includes tools that add videoconferencing, support wireless connections with mobile

FEATURE: ED TECH TRENDS 2015 The Epson EBA585 offers interactivity from a projector

devices and bring your own device for real-time collaboration and whole class information sharing. Motion-detection technology can be added to allow the system to be controlled from up to 5m away and voice command technology will be available soon for speech control.

“The iBoardTouch Pro is up to eight times more energy efficient than traditional whiteboards. A 55in display consumes approximately 180W power consumption compared with a typical interactive whiteboard, projector and separate PC which is typically over 1,000W. On the basis of full time, five days per week use, it could cost as little as £80 per year to run, compared with around £400, and should last for nearly 30 years in normal operation without needing lamp replacement.”

The option to move away from dedicated whiteboards is offered by companies like Epson, with its new interactive projector. This adds finger and dual-pen touch capability to an ultra-short-throw projector, as Chris Goff, business manager, Visual Instruments at Epson UK, explains: “Finger-touch brings magic to the classroom – annotations and drawings made by either finger or pen.

Interactivity is built into the projector, removing the need for a separate, expensive interactive whiteboard, so cost is reduced and educators are able to make their money go further.”

PERIPHERAL DEVICES Whichever presentation system is used within the classroom or lecture theatre, there is a wide range of peripheral devices that can be added to enhance its capability. Desktop and ceilingmounted visualisers enable objects to be captured and displayed on the screen in single or three dimensions.

Cameras and audio systems allow videoconferencing applications to be implemented quickly and easily to open a gateway to other schools and organisations around the world – many of which have outreach programmes to provide educational programmes. beyerdynamic’s MPR line array microphones are ideal for educational applications, as Matt Nettlefold of distributor Polar Audio explains: “The Revoluto microphone exhibits a ‘corridor characteristic’ which allows it to pick up voices over a wide area with high clarity. Depending on the size of the venue, one microphone can cover the whole room and replace multiple hanging microphones and the associated mixing requirements.

It means that teachers have more flexibility of movement within the room whilst speaking and the whole class can contribute in a videoconferencing session.”

Video recording is an extremely flexible and valuable tool at all levels of education. “Teaching staff are

increasingly adopting the flipped classroom concept, where teaching is delivered via video and viewed as homework, allowing activities to be completed in class, with the teacher present,” says James Keen, marketing manager at Tripleplay. “It reduces the need for repetition – a teacher can perform and record a lesson once and then use it time and again. It opens up the opportunity to spend more time with pupils while in class.” At university level, video recordings are made available to students to remove the need for extensive note taking during lectures, allowing greater engagement and easing revision and missed lectures.

Video also allows the delivery of massive open online courses (MOOCs), which combine remote, online learning with video and social media. Professor Neil Morris, director of digital learning and chair in educational technology, innovation and change at the University of Leeds, is a strong advocate: “In the higher education sector, there are a number of areas of strategic importance in educational technology at the moment. These are online courses, assessment and feedback, in-class interactivity and use of mobile devices. Over the last couple of years, MOOCs have had a large impact on the provision of digital learning materials on externally facing platforms, and also within universities.

‘Sttud den ntss arre gene eralllyy mo ore e eng gage ed and willling to pa articcip pate e whe en usiing g th he tecchn nollogy the ey are e familia ar witth’’ Ulff Greiiner, NEC Dissplayy Soluttion ns Eu urope e

“As mobile device ownership increases on university campuses, this is starting to impact on approaches to interactivity in class, for example in mobile voting, chat, interactivity and group working. Innovative use of lecture capture and desktop capture technologies is starting to impact on assessment and feedback, as staff and students use the tools to produce assignments, submit assessments, mark online and provide digital feedback.” With no classroom, video is the only way for lecturers to get face to face with students.

Technology has greatly aided the delivery of education at all levels and is set to improve it further, particularly in academies and private schools with free school status and at higher educational establishments that are free to explore non-traditional teaching methods. The benefits to teaching staff of wellintegrated solutions are apparent in increased effectiveness. The benefits to students in preparing them for their future careers are immense. Q

FEATURE: BUDGETING

MAKING BUDGETS WORK

Dunston Hill Primary’s facilities include a dedicated ICT suite with 30 PCs, a whiteboard, projector, laptop and TV screen

Versatility, value for money and sustainability are increasingly important when it comes to ICT purchasing. George Cole looks at how three schools, with different-sized ICT budgets, are making their money stretch further

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uggling an ICT budget is challenging at the best of times. Not only is technology fast-moving and constantly evolving, but developments like the new ICT curriculum, introduced last September (with a focus on computer science), bring added pressures. The 2014 British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) survey, Information and Communication Technology in UK State Schools, covers a representative sample of 22,000 primary and 4,300 secondary schools across the UK. It found that the average primary school ICT budget for 2014/15 was £14,450, and for secondary schools, £64,000.

When it comes to ICT purchasing, factors like versatility, value for money and sustainability are even more important. Teachers are also coming up with new ways of using ICT to get even more out of the technology. Below, we look at how three schools, with different-sized ICT budgets, are making their money stretch even further.

BRAMPTON PRIMARY SCHOOL Brampton Primary School in Cumbria is a small primary school with 294 pupils aged 5-11, and 14 teaching staff.

Chris Armstrong, the school’s deputy headmaster, says it’s hard to put a figure on the school’s budget, but it is, “limited”. Even so, the school has invested a lot in ICT. ICT is classroom-based, with each room having a laptop, projector, SMART Board, SMART Notebook software and speakers. “I think this set-up is the bare minimum of what teachers expect these days,” states Armstrong. There are two portable trolleys with laptops, which are moved around the school. Most of the ICT management has been outsourced, although there is also an IT co-ordinator.

The computer-to-student ratio is 1:10.

“It’s not just the ICT budget that is tight,” he says. “We spend money on ICT when we need to, so if something needs replacing, we’ll do it, because teachers have to use ICT; it’s a part of their dayto-day job.” When it comes to deciding

what ICT equipment is essential, he has no hesitation in stating that it’s the classroom set-up of notebook, projector and screen. “It offers so many possibilities, whether it’s looking at historical photos or playing online educational games.”

Armstrong puts visualisers (Brampton has two) under the “not essential, but good to have” category.

“You can do brilliant things with a visualiser, like zoom into historical artefacts – it’s a powerful tool. If money was no object, I’d purchase some e-readers, because children are used to this type of technology,” he explains.

Although many schools have purchased tablets, Armstrong is wary: “I do wonder whether they are being used for the right reasons or are simply gimmicks.”

A tight ICT budget doesn’t mean you can’t do bold, innovative and imaginative things with it. IT co-ordinator Tom Dennis set up a live video stream of an oystercatcher nest, which appeared in the courtyard area of the school’s

‘Ou utssou urccing g IC CT main nten nance e le etss you ur tea achin ng sta aff foccuss on n what matte erss – lea arn ning g’ Chriss Arrmstrrong,, Bra amptton n Prim mary Sch hool, Cumbria a

FEATURE: BUDGETING A purpose-built performance and sports block at Shireland Collegiate Academy includes a 400-seat studio theatre, music rooms, recording studio, dance and drama areas and an immersive space with 12 projectors

site. Classes were able to watch the action unfold, thanks to a motion sensor camera providing live feeds around school. Two eggs hatched and this prompted a visit from the RSPB, along with discussions and work on birds, migration and local wildlife. In another example, a KS1 teacher recorded her class completing a simple dance routine in the hall and showed it to the children.

This helped them reflect on their own performances.

The two visualisers have helped pupils improve their writing. “There have been numerous examples of teachers using film and photographs to prompt learning about different things. The basic AV set-up of laptop, interactive screen and sound system allows us to do that,” explains Armstrong.

He says that while price is important, an even more important purchasing consideration is “how are we going to use the ICT? What are the benefits for the pupils and staff? How will it help children – that’s the first consideration; cost is secondary.” He adds that there are additional costs like maintenance, replacements (like projector bulbs and whiteboard pens) and the network.

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“Whatever you buy is going to look outdated in six months’ time,” he notes.

“That is why a lot of schools have gone down the leasing route. Outsourcing ICT maintenance can save you a lot of time and money, and lets your teaching staff focus on what matters – learning.”

DUNSTON HILL COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL When Dunston Hill Community Primary School moved into a new building in 2008, it was fortunately positioned to receive funding for lots of new hardware. The school leadership also believes that ICT has a key role to play in teaching and learning, and so has continued to invest much in its ICT budget.

Dunston Hill Primary is based in Gateshead and has around 445 pupils and 16 teaching staff, plus a dedicated AV/IT support member of staff. There’s a dedicated ICT suite with 30 PCs, a whiteboard, projector, laptop and TV screen. All areas of the school have access to Apple TV, and each classroom has a PC, projector, visualiser and whiteboard. The Year 5 Pod area has four PCs, a whiteboard, projector

and TV, and three learning resource and community rooms each with a whiteboard, projector and Apple TV. Five laptops are used for teacher planning and preparation, and there are two iPad trolleys with 48 iPads available for use around the school.

In the hall there is a whiteboard, laptop, AV system and lighting, and in a meeting room, an interactive whiteboard and laptop. WiFi is available throughout the school, both internally and externally, and there are also four network printers. The school also has 12 Kindles and 30 Nintendo DS consoles. Microsoft Office 365 is used throughout, with teaching staff using it for email and calendar on their tablets.

The computer-to-pupil ratio is 1:9.

“We normally spend around £30,000 a year on hardware, although this year, it has been closer to £18,000 due to budget constraints,” explains Louise Briggs, Dunston Hill school business manager. The school also spends an additional £4,500 on consumables and software, and some additional funding is available from other sources, such as fundraisers and the pupil premium funding streams.

‘Se eve entyy perrcent of sixtth forrmerss askked forr th heirr iP Pad ds to be re epla aced with a lap pto op’ Sirr Marrk Gru undyy, Shire elan nd Co olle egiatte Aca adem my, Smethw wick

Sustaining good ICT provision takes its toll on any budget. “A lot of PCs are getting on in age and 34 PCs will have to be replaced this year,” says Briggs. “I replaced all our printers with the network printers to reduce printing costs, and we purchased LED projectors, so we didn’t have to buy new bulbs, which cost around £200 each. But it means that we don’t have the funding

FEATURE: BUDGETING Each classroom at Dunston Hill Primary has an interactive whiteboard

to buy iPad apps. These are paid for through school fundraising.”

ICT is used extensively for teaching and learning. Many programs are used for literacy and assessment; the whiteboards are constantly used for presentations and interactive activities, the visualisers are used to model work, and the school website is packed with resources. But what does the school consider to be its most essential ICT resources? “The PCs, obviously, for basic keyboard skills,” reveals Briggs.

“The iPads and Office 365 are important – communication between staff would suffer without them. Whiteboards are essential – we couldn’t imagine going back to blackboards and not having the ability to interact and show videos and display resources. The iPads are also well used – it’s great that technology can be used outside.”

The Kindles and DS consoles count as “not essential but nice to have”, while Briggs notes that some apps are presented as being educational but, in fact, offer little useful content.

Dunston Hill takes great steps to ensure that any ICT it purchases will provide good value for money. Staff, for example, are free to suggest apps, and these are assessed by the school leadership team before purchase.

“We’ll often go and look at another school that’s using a resource we’re interested in, but it’s important to remember that what’s good for one

school may not be right for yours. Any purchase has to be needs-led,” says Briggs. “And I go through a best-value process for the best price.” She adds that it’s easy to overlook things like consumables, energy and insurance, which are often hidden costs. “When we acquired lots of new devices, it put a strain on our WiFi network, so we had to upgrade it, so that was another cost. When you buy in bulk it is difficult to replace items in one go, once the lifecycle has finished. It is easier if you can allocate funding over a phased period of time.”

Sustainability is an issue, and keeping up with the latest developments is an ongoing process.

Briggs says: “Financial constraints will restrict how far you can progress, but you have to accept that everything has a lifecycle.”

SHIRELAND COLLEGIATE ACADEMY Shireland Collegiate Academy in Smethwick, West Midlands has been a trailblazer when it comes to educational ICT. It was one of the first schools to set up its own learning platform, and for years has had a specialist e-learning team. Executive principal, Sir Mark Grundy, explains: “We buy ICT that is systemic. It’s stuff that affects the whole school or a year group. If it’s not going to offer value for money and have a big effect, we don’t have it.”

Shireland has 1,170 students aged 11-19, 96 teaching staff and 90 nonteaching staff. Almost all students have their own laptops, the exception being Year 11, who require specialist facilities because of the nature of their exam curriculum. In addition, each curriculum area has a set of laptops, and every curriculum learning space a SMART Board – there are 66 in the school. A purpose-built performance and sports block includes a 400-seat studio theatre, music rooms, recording studio, dance and drama areas and an immersive space with 12 projectors.

WiFi is throughout the school, and Sir Mark says 1,900 devices are tagged to the school network.

The Shireland ICT budget is huge – the school spends around £200,000 a year on refreshing hardware and infrastructure, plus another £50,000 on licences. Shireland’s Learning Gateway is based on Office 365 and is used extensively by staff, pupils and parents – the school has moved to a flipped learning system and students collect their resources from the Learning Gateway.

When it comes to essential ICT, Sir Mark says: “The students having their own laptops has made the biggest impact. They pick up their laptop in the morning and it’s got all their notes and resources. The continuity and sense of ownership has made a big difference.” Teachers have been doing

‘Yo ou havve to acce eptt tha at eve eryythiing has a liffecyccle e’ Lou uisse Brigg gs, Dunsston n Hill Community Prim marry Sch hool, Gattesh head

some outstanding work with the new immersive system, he adds, including work that involved looking at the role of women in World War II. But not all ICT purchases have been successful. “The worst decision I made was to give all sixth formers their own iPad, because when we purchased them they couldn’t run Office. Seventy per cent of sixth formers asked for their iPads to be replaced with a laptop, so they could do their schoolwork. Voting systems were another mistake, because you can do all that on a tablet or SMART Board.”

Keeping up with the pace of ICT is challenging, says Sir Mark: “You have to accept that things have to be replaced but you can be clever about it; our laptops are resilient enough to last for around five years.” When it comes to budget planning, Shireland runs a five-year ICT development plan: “The ICT budget is treated like the staff budget. It’s the only way of making it sustainable,” he explains. Q www.bramptonprimaryschool.co.uk www.dunstonhillcps.co.uk thelearningbank.co.uk/shireland/

FEATURE: CODING IN THE CLASSROOM

LOGIC, CREATIVITY AND PROBLEM SOLVING The requirement to teach coding has left many schools feeling unprepared. However, says Chris Waterworth, it provides a platform for creativity, inspiration and different ways of learning

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ince September 2014, schools across the country have been coming to terms with the fact that computer science has been made compulsory under the new national curriculum. The introduction of this new curriculum has turned computing sessions on their head in primary schools. We are no longer teaching children how to use applications, we are now tasked with teaching children how to create them.

Schools still have an obligation to give children opportunities to present their work using various methods like digital photography, film and presentations, but the one area that has caused so much discussion among teaching professionals across the country has been the requirement for children to learn how to write computer code.

Teaching children how to create their own games, websites, animations and applications has been missing from schools for many years and is something that holds huge possibilities – not only for children now, but for the future. Try to think of a job or object in modern life that doesn’t involve some sort of technology and some sort of

programming that is either part of it or has been part of producing it – it’s quite tough.

Our world is now dependent on technology and the software that runs on those devices, but worryingly only a few of us know how they work.

We are facing a future with a lack of computer engineers and it’s hoped that the introduction of the new computing curriculum will be a step towards solving this problem.

“When our pupils leave school they will not be using the devices that we give them in primary school,” says Digital Classrooms’ Rebecca Stacey.

“The chances are they will never have to manipulate a cat across a playground using only directions, or come against a visual language such as Scratch. It is not about a specific language or a specific program, it is about logic, about creativity and about problem solving.”

TEA ACH HING TH HE BIG G ID DEA Teachers across the country have been left ill prepared for this transition from teaching children how to use Microsoft Word or how to program a simple robot, to having to learn a whole new language

to meet the new curriculum. There is a strong recognition among teachers and headteachers that children will need to understand more fully the digital devices that they are growing up with, but schools have not been given the time, money or training to do that.

Jodie Matthews, headteacher of John Hellins Primary School, explains: “As a headteacher, I recognise the need to prepare our children for a future that we cannot yet imagine. Technology is advancing quickly and we strive to meet the needs of the future. The new curriculum provides challenges for schools and individual teachers, not because we don’t want to move on, not because we don’t want to change, not because we don’t want to prepare our children for their futures, but simply because many of us are unprepared to do so. Teachers love learning – it’s a key reason why we do the job – we just need support, time and a little bit of funding to do so.”

GET TTIN NG TH HE TECHN NOLO OGY Y RIG GHT Schools have never been in a better position when it comes to getting their

‘The new curriculum provides challenges… because many of us are unprepared’ Jodie Matthews, John Hellins Primary School

hands on coding applications - there is so much freeware out there that will comfortably meet the needs of the new programming and control part of the computing curriculum. Online resources such as Scratch from MIT and Codecademy allow schools to access effective resources via the internet, with

FEATURE: CODING IN THE CLASSROOM

no need for licences, install time or a particularly powerful Mac, PC or tablet.

The beauty of these applications is that they are web-based and fully accessible outside of school, something we are seeing more of in education – 24-hour online access to content.

Children are starting to structure their learning around their own lives.

This online access allows children to finish a project outside the tight time constraints of the school day.

There is, of course, a plethora of coding schemes of work available from large educational companies, but choosing one is proving difficult for lots of schools as they don’t want to spend huge amounts of money for it not to have any impact. Schools are being forced into making these decisions, as they’ve not had the time to fully evaluate what they really need.

The one issue that schools have widely reported is that they suddenly need more hardware to run the applications to meet the new curriculum – devices like the Rasberry Pi, programmable Lego Mindstorm kits, iPads and more powerful computers.

This can be a tough decision for schools

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to make and one that is often left to the advice of sales representatives.

Ed Southall, from the school of Education and Professional Development at The University of Huddersfield, explains: “A sad reality in many schools is that budget allocations for technology are often frivolously spent without any forward planning or reflective evaluation of the impact of previous ‘tech binges’. Take a look in the stock cupboards around your school. There, gathering dust are often voting handsets, manuals for expired software no-one knew existed, receipts bankrolling expensive VLE projects, laptop trolleys and even iPads.”

BEIN NG CREAT TIV VE WIT TH CODIING G The risk, when introducing something new like coding, is that the curriculum will become very dry – children sitting through skill-based sessions, following the instructions of an uncertain teacher, who’s reading from a scheme of work.

The children become disengaged because they don’t see the point of learning those new skills. Teachers in schools up and down the country have

an opportunity to plan their coding sessions as they do when planning their other curriculum areas – an opportunity to be creative, take risks and ask the children how they want to use the skills they are learning.

Starting with a question is an excellent way to inspire children, and it becomes even more powerful when they’ve generated the question themselves. How do I create a computer game? How did they create Angry Birds?

Teachers can start with the outcome and then work backwards when planning their next computing projects and link in as many curriculum areas as possible.

Only then will children see a process of learning that leads up to something that they can relate to.

Clare Elkes, deputy head at Buntingsdale Primary School, says: “Giving groups a question that will engage their learning and putting the onus on them to present to the class has really improved the children’s thinking skills, resilience and co-operative learning strategies. I can give a group a question and allow them time to research answers, present ideas and work collaboratively. It has not only

‘Creativity happens when different disciplines meet and collide with each other’ Ian Wilson, Apple professional developer

changed the way I plan for lessons but cut down my planning workload considerably, as the teaching and learning start and end with the students.”

Today’s software companies need a multitude of skills to get to their final outcomes, and children and teachers need to know this. Pete Schumacher, from Peregian Springs School in Queensland, Australia, states: “At school I don’t have lessons where I teach skills explicitly. The students acquire them through our community of students. We use peer tutoring to teach the skills or they teach themselves. At the moment,

FEATURE: CODING IN THE CLASSROOM

my students are designing sustainable houses using SketchUp. Last year’s students have taught some, others have watched YouTube tutorials and another lad was taught by his father.

The knowledge builds from the buzzer effect: ‘That’s cool, how did you do that?’”

Graphic designers, scriptwriters, programmers and mathematicians all play a part in the world of computer programming. Look at the device you’re using to make phone calls or plan your next lesson; all of these devices need some, if not all of these skilled people to create it. If we use this type of thinking when teaching children computer science, the whole new computing curriculum makes perfect sense.

Design a project with children and then tease out what jobs they need to

do. Create software companies in your classrooms and allow children to decide the jobs and then distribute those jobs to complete the task. And, finally, give them time to complete it – something we are scared to do in our schools. It’s possible to include computing, art, history, geography, writing, reading, design technology and mathematics objectives into one project that could span a whole term in school. Crosscurricular learning is essential, as seeing children using skills from other subjects demonstrates a deep understanding.

Apple professional developer Ian Wilson states: “While it can be useful to compartmentalise and focus on one element of a subject or topic for the purposes of analysis, in reality the connectedness of the various elements means that separation is a temporary and artificial state. Moreover, creativity happens when different disciplines meet and collide with each other, and siloing subjects minimises opportunities for fusion and innovation.”

CHIL LDR REN AS S TEA ACHE ERS S

‘Scho oolss havve to try and kee ep pa ace e with h con ntiinuo ous chang ge and nott see it as a thrrea at’ Andyy Callverrt, Ilklleyy Gra amm mar Sch hool

Many teachers talk about not understanding what to do with technology in schools. Children, on the other hand, are digital natives; they have been born into a world with technology built seamlessly into their lives.

Rebecca Stacey, headteacher of Castle Carrock Primary in Cumbria, says: “The most powerful message teachers can send, in my opinion, is to learn alongside their pupils. Teachers who do not know how to start with coding need to take a risk and do just this. Begin by ‘playing’ with coding applications – each time somebody learns something new they share this with the class. You not only begin a powerful journey with your class, but you are teaching yourself.

Learning independently is something we strive for in all of our schools.”

‘Th he tea ach hing g and lea arn ning g sttarrt and end d with h the e stu ude entts’ Cla are e Ellke es, Buntting gsdalle Prim maryy Sch hool

Coding can be a very social experience, but there seems to be a stigma attached to computer engineers.

Ask children what they think a job as a computer engineer looks like and mostly they’ll answer that coders sit in a dark room lit only by their computer screens, working for days on end to perfect the single page of code that will complete their project. Not true anymore.

Our children quickly realise that there is a whole digital world out there wanting to share ideas, lines of code, new software and much more. Andy Calvert, assistant headteacher at Ilkley Grammar School, reveals: “In my experience, the social media revolution impacts hugely on the way young people operate as students of a 21st century school. The rapid progress that many make while using simple coding programs always

brings a smile to my face as well as theirs. But, above and beyond this, the thirst for learning is all encompassing with the constant information barrage any person is subjected to through social media. This opens doors to things that were not possible just a few years ago. Schools have to try and keep pace with the continuous change and not see it as a threat, but as an opportunity to do things differently for the benefit of the young learners.”

Not only do children share experiences online – particularly when away from school – they are buzzing around the classroom sharing new ideas and techniques with each other.

They know who to ask when they get stuck, and often it isn’t the teacher. We really shouldn’t be afraid of handing our classrooms over to our children to learn in, rather than exposing them to a Victorian model of learning.

The computer engineers who coded YouTube, Blogger, Twitter and other social media sites are changing that outdated model of our schools. Social media and sharing online is helping to accelerate our learners’ progress.

GRO OWT TH MIN NDSE ETS Coding is tough. We need the children in our classrooms to realise this, as they are used to getting quality results with little or no effort on their part. Think about the easy-to-use video editing applications, WYSIWYG website builders and app design programs now readily available for children to use. They all give you quick, effective results, but they never quite give you what you set out to create.

Giving students an opportunity to learn how to code changes all of this, as it allows children to be creative using the technology that they’ve always had around them. Q videoformyclassroom.blogspot.co.uk

SHOW NEWS: BETT SHOW 2015

SHOWCASING INNOVATION

When? 21-24 January 2015 Where? ExCeL London Time? Wed 21 Jan 10:00 - 18:00 Thu 22 Jan 10:00 - 18:00 Fri 23 Jan 10:00 - 18:00 Sat 24 Jan 10:00 - 16:00

The UK’s largest technology and learning event is fast approaching.

Michael Nicholson looks forward to this year’s Bett Show

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he 31st Bett Show takes over ExCeL London from 21 to 24 January and expects to welcome more than 35,000 education industry professionals through its doors. Through a mixture of new product innovations, insightful workshop and seminar content, plus a range of networking opportunities, the show has established itself as the UK’s biggest technology and learning event. And its significance stretches far beyond these shores – Bett Show 2014 welcomed visitors from no less than 113 countries. Judging by the #BettChat buzz across social media over the past few months, don’t be surprised if this year’s figures are even more impressive.

An interesting development for 2015 is the introduction of Futures – a new platform to nurture innovative education technology start-up

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companies. The project – a collaboration between Bett and leading education think-tank, the Education Foundation – aims to showcase budding businesses that promise to have a significant impact on education. Following a call for entries, a panel of educators will select the 30 new businesses that they feel offer solutions that will have the most impact in education. The 30 selected ed-tech businesses will benefit from a choice of two bespoke packages based on their market status, involvement in a range of Bett fringe events, specialist business support and extensive marketing resources.

Debbie French, portfolio director of Bett, explains: “Nurturing ed-tech businesses is a natural move for Bett.

Since its inception in 1985, the show has been a launch pad for the best education technology, and over the

years we’ve seen nascent companies develop into major market players with the support of the Bett community that has developed alongside them.”

Speakers at Bett Futures include: TV and radio presenter and founder of TeenTech, Maggie Philbin; Miles Berry, leader of computer education at the University of Roehampton; Code Academy’s head of UK operations, Rachel Swidenbank; and Sam Chaudhary, founder of Class Dojo.

Visitors wishing to gain insight into policy changes and the statutory requirements of the new SEND Code of Practice will be able to do so by visiting the SEN Information Point, which will once again be hosted by nasen. The special-needs information organisation is also curating the show’s four-day SEN CPD programme, comprising free-toattend seminars and workshops.

MINISTERIAL ADDRESSES With the countdown to the general election entering its final months, many attendees will be keen to hear ministerial addresses from the new education secretary Nicky Morgan and from shadow secretary of state Tristram Hunt. Morgan’s speech will outline her vision across critical educational policy areas, the school curriculum, school improvement and the establishment of academies and free schools. She’ll outline how reform in these areas can be achieved or enhanced through education technology. Her opening address will be given on Wednesday 21 January 2015 at 11:00.

Other speakers to look out for include Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, gamification and innovation advocate Ian Livingstone, CEO of Raspberry

SHOW NEWS: BETT SHOW 2015 WHO WILL BE SPEAKING AT BETT FUTURES

Maggie Philbin Radio/TV presenter and founder of TeenTech

SPEAKERS WILL DELIVER OVER 200 SEMINARS

Miles Berry Leader of computer education, University of Roehampton

Pi Lance Howarth and director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Vicki Phillips. The show will host more than 200 speakers across two venues – Bett Arena and Learn Live.

Full details can be found on the Bett Show website.

ON THE EXHIBITION FLOOR

Rachel Swidenbank Head of UK operations, Code Academy

Sam Chaudhary Founder, Class Dojo

Of course, like any exhibition, Bett Show’s prosperity is securely tethered to the strength of its exhibitor list. With over 600 companies from every corner of the technology and learning sectors, there will be lots of food for thought and new technology aplenty.

The show will see the birth of a robot called Ohbot on stand BFS2. It is the brainchild of teacher and former advisor Dan Warner, and Mat Walker – a roboticist and engineer who developed

Ohbot can be programmed to talk, display emotions, act and react

the Inkha robot receptionist at Kings College London. Ohbot’s inventors believe that children should have access to a creative robot system that is modelled on themselves, which they can program to talk, display emotions, act, react and solve real world problems.

Ohbot comes with a pack containing the constructible kit, various sensors, straightforward making instructions, software, speech capability and projects. The projects focus on developing computational thinking skills and developing an understanding of key programming concepts, including sequencing, repetition, selection and working with variables.

Retro futurism is also at the core of zSpace’s Science Lab, which promises to give students the ultimate immersive learning experience – dissecting human hearts, diving into volcanoes and testing physics outcomes in Jupiter’s gravity. The Science Lab, which will be on zSpace’s stand at D284, consists of a set of student virtual reality stations and a teacher station, each outfitted with a custom stylus and a wide variety of educational software. The system tracks head movements to provide the user with a personal and immersive virtual reality experience. Virtual holographic images can be ‘lifted’

zSpace’s Science Lab produces holographic images that can be ‘lifted’ from the screen and manipulated with a stylus from the screen and manipulated with the stylus.

More than 20 years since introducing the world’s first interactive whiteboard, SMART Technologies is focusing on an emerging market. The company will use the show to emphasise its offering of interactive flat panels. According to Futuresource Consulting, more than 60% of all the interactive displays purchased in the UK over the past year have been interactive flat panels rather than the traditional interactive whiteboard, which requires a projector.

The SMART Board 6065 interactive flat

SHOW NEWS: BETT SHOW 2015 VISITORS WELCOMED AT BETT SHOW 2014 panel, which is a finalist for a Bett 2015 Award, will be on display at stand F228, along with brand new models that are set to expand the size, feature and price options for customers. For the first time in the UK, Bett attendees will be able to see the new SMART kapp digital capture board, which was launched in North America in 2014.

Touchscreens of a different variety will populate LearnPad’s stand at C116. The company will celebrate its remarkable success over the last four years by occupying one of the show’s largest stands. Its team will be on hand to demonstrate how the LearnPad solution is simplifying the use of tablets within the classroom and to discuss a number of new product launches. Nik Tuson, founder and chief operating officer of LearnPad, comments: “We’re very excited to launch a number of

Casio will mark five years of lamp-free projectors at the show

new innovative product lines to the market that will not only support our existing devices and solutions, but also address a number of practical issues of technology integration within the classroom. Bett is an excellent platform for us to demonstrate our existing solution and introduce new concepts and products to teachers.”

Another company in celebratory mood is Casio. The company will mark five years of lamp-free projectors at Bett Show 2015 on stand E200, and promises to unveil a surprise that will further revolutionise the learning environment. Phil Clark, head of projection at Casio, comments: “At Casio we understand the ever-growing pressure on school ICT and business managers to cut costs, so are proud to deliver industry-leading total cost of ownership on our products, without compromising on the output quality.

“Each year, we have built upon our achievements and are delighted to be celebrating five years since eradicating mercury-based lamps, through a showcase of our innovations. The Ultra Short Throw projector encapsulates just how far we’ve come, facilitating a large-scale image projected from just 27cm, virtually eliminating shadowing on screen and enabling teachers to interact with the screen at close range.”

Sony will showcase its full range of education technology innovations on stand C488, demonstrating its vision of technology as an enabler of engaged learning. The company is keen to demonstrate how multimedia content and interactive learning can be implemented through the latest technology. It will showcase its newest developments for the education sector, including the world’s brightest 3LCD laser

lets visitors get w o ha sh nd e h so T

installation projectors, Vision Presenter – its 4K compatible presentation and collaboration solution – as well as the smart 4K BRAVIA touchscreen solutions.

Damien Weissenburger, business head for presentations and communications at Sony Europe, says: “The past year has seen us breaking through technological boundaries to improve our product offering. The growing use of new technology within education is already incredibly exciting, and as a result so is the potential for development in the market.”

Ahead of Bett 2015, Epson has been challenging UK schools to ‘Exceed Their Vision’ in a competition celebrating creative, original projects. Entries will be displayed on Epson’s stand at D240 and the winner will be announced at the exhibition on Friday 23 January. The winning school will also receive a suite of Epson products worth £7,500.

Epson’s UK Ambassador for its Runsense range of GPS sports monitors, Professor Greg Whyte OBE, will take to the Bett Arena on Saturday 24 January to deliver a keynote speech on how the role of physical activity, exercise and sport can help in creating a successful culture. He will delve into key lessons that can be used to improve student and teacher productivity through activity, optimising time management and understanding practical reasons why people are more motivated and efficient when physically active. Greg is an Olympian, physical activity expert, world-renowned sports scientist and the man behind iconic Comic Relief Challenges.

Tripleplay will add to its array of educational technology solutions with the launch of TripleShow Live Presenter on stand F85. The new product is a high-quality lecture-capture solution

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new technology

Tripleplay will add to its array of educational technology solutions with the launch of TripleShow Live Presenter

that enables any institution to record, stream and archive lectures or lessons simply and easily using a web browser for control. Tripleplay’s chief technical officer, Peter Martin, is delighted to add to the company’s product portfolio: “Educators are real leaders in technological investment and adoption, driving change that many other industries avoid. So, it is important that people such as us are providing high-quality solutions that cater to those needs. By introducing TripleShow we can now offer any school, college or university an entire, end-to-end, digital media learning platform, saving the need for expensive and time-consuming integration work and centralising all control and operation.”

Visitors will have an opportunity to meet the people behind Teachers Plus – a professional development, social learning platform for coaching technology integration to educators.

The platform’s content delivery strategy is based on the idea of social networking – combining collaboration, sharing and gamification. The company’s aim is to support teachers by showing them how to effectively use the dynamic tools available to them. A onemonth free subscription is available to educators who visit the Teachers Plus stand at B551.

Assistive technology specialist Texthelp will showcase a variety of existing and new software products on its stand at C151. The company provides teachers with tools that are designed to boost reading and writing confidence. It will demonstrate its Read&Write family of software products for education and will introduce Snapverter, which is said to transform classroom papers into readable files for easy sharing with Google Drive.

For learning technology enthusiasts, Bett Show offers a feast of creativity and a world of possibilities. Very often, technology is the beginning of a creative journey that can lead to new methods and practices. There is so much on offer, in terms of both exhibiting companies and professional development content, planning your visit is essential. For more information and visitor tips, head over to the show’s website. Q www.bettshow.com

SOLUTIONS: UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

SONIC TRANSFORMATION The University of Leeds has remodelled its learning spaces with a significant investment in lecture capture technology, reports Michael Nicholson

I

n September 2014, the University of Leeds embarked upon one of the most ambitious rollouts of lecturecapture infrastructure that the UK, and Europe, has ever seen. An investment of more than £2 million transformed 250 teaching spaces, resulting in one of the most advanced systems in the world.

Perhaps most impressive of all was the manner of its implementation.

Rather than launching in phases, the new technology came online at the same time, testing the nerve of its advocators and the scalability of the technology.

When it comes to a project of this nature and size, the term ‘lecture

Professor Neil Morris believes lecture capture enhances the student experience (©University of Leeds)

capture’ can seem a little too generic.

Technically, a student recording a lecture on his or her cameraphone [smart phone?] falls under the same umbrella. But Sonic Foundry’s technology offers capabilities that stretch far beyond recording an event; it provides a flexible solution that equips both the educator and the learner with a suite of functionality and an expanse of possibilities.

“It was about enhancing the student experience,” explains the University of Leeds’ Professor Neil Morris.

“We’ve had a number of trials with lecture capture in faculties across the school on a small scale and we’ve been monitoring competitor universities and the literature. We’ve been looking at

the impact video capturing and audio capturing lectures and other teaching sessions has on student experiences and their attention, their attendance and attainment. The evidence suggested that we needed to do more.

Our student body was very heavily supportive of us doing more of this, so we took the decision to roll it out across the institution in one big bang.

We just felt it was so important for all aspects of our student experience.”

The university initiated two separate EU procurement processes – one for a lecture-capture system and another for a multimedia management system. It quickly became apparent that Sonic Foundry could provide an answer to both briefs, as Morris

explains: “We were looking for two systems that perhaps spoke to each other. Sonic Foundry, as far as I believe, is the only supplier that can provide an integrated lecture capture and multimedia management system that actually works seamlessly.

“For us, it was a really easy decision because we wanted our staff to have something seamless, integrated and easy to use. Providing one interface across different platforms is the best solution for staff. When you’ve got 2,500 staff using the system, the fact that they only have to deal with one interface, and it’s completely seamless and integrated across all of our channels, is a fantastic benefit. That’s why we chose Mediasite.”

SOLUTIONS: UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite solution gives the university the ability to capture, manage and distribute content. Each of the 250 rooms is fitted with a Mediasite RL recorder, which is activated by a red button on the presenter desk. The RL captures the live content, which might be audio, video, slides or all three. In 12 rooms, Vaddio tracking cameras take dynamic footage and a further 30 rooms have been installed with fixed cameras. The remaining 208 rooms are equipped with mics and screen capture. Video footage can be added to the content haul in these rooms using a webcam.

My Mediasite allows staff and students to create and share video, training modules, lectures or assignments wherever they are, via a cross-platform interface. The desktop recorder enables users to create content on their own device, then edit it and distribute it using the Mediasite Enterprise Media Platform, which is secure, fully indexed and searchable. The university expects to capture about 50,000 hours of content annually.

Implementation was carried out by two different companies. Universal AV installed most of the rooms with

lecture-capture infrastructure and additional audiovisual equipment.

AV2000 overhauled the remaining rooms, outfitting them with new audiovisual kit, including lecture capture. As well as the Sonic Foundry system, a large range of equipment has been deployed, including EyeLine screens, Panasonic projectors, Vaddio cameras, Clockaudio microphones, Wharfedale speakers, ClearOne and Peavey digital signal (audio) processors, and Extron and Crestron control.

As part of the Sonic Foundry agreement, the Sonic Foundry Mediasite system Mediasite will capture comes with a around 50,000 hours of material every year four-year support (©University of Leeds) programme, which includes the maintenance of the equipment. If there is a failure, equipment can be swapped with onsite spares and sent to Sonic Foundry for repair and maintenance.

After four years, a refresh of technology is recommended.

Approximately 1,200 schools, colleges and universities around the world are currently using the system. Despite this prominence, the University of Leeds project required some special attention, as Sonic Foundry’s CEO Gary Weis explains: “This was our largest implementation of that many recorders in rooms, all at the same time. We have a number of very large customers. The difference with most of the other projects is that they were implemented school-byschool in each of the universities. They also run our solution on a schoolby-school basis, so each school has its own Mediasite server, if you will, and the number of recorders that are connected to each one of those servers is somewhere between 20 and 40 recorders per server.

“The difference at Leeds, which really caused us to ensure that our solution would scale to a larger number of recorders, was that Leeds A total of 42 rooms have been installed with cameras decided to implement Mediasite (©University of Leeds) technology across the entire

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Sonic Foundry’s CEO Gary Weis

university at one time. So, beginning in September and extending as school fully opened in October, they began to basically turn up lecture capture in 250 rooms. And all of this happened on a single server image across the entire university. So, as you might imagine, while our technology has always been intended for largescale implementation, we wanted to make absolutely sure that we supported this implementation in a very high-quality way, to ensure the performance and everything else was the way it should be.

“The other difference with the University of Leeds is that they have done a lot of automation, connecting their room scheduling systems directly to Mediasite. In that particular case, that was a custom application that we did for the university.”

The scale of the project was bound to have an effect on the customer too, with 2,500 teaching staff adapting to

SOLUTIONS: UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

Teaching staff can control the lecture capture system with the touch of a button (©University of Leeds) the new technology, but Morris reports that it was a surprisingly smooth process. “It calmed down amazingly quickly, to be honest,” he says. “We went fully live in the last week of September and we’d been live since 1 September, just on a very small scale. By the last week of September, we were recording about 250 events per day, so it ramped up very quickly. It’s pretty much become business as usual. Most people have accepted it. It works as we expected it to. The academic intervention is very minimal but people are very pleased with the system because they can do what they’re good at, which is the teaching, and not have the technology interfering with their lives. I’m delighted with it. By seven weeks in, I wasn’t getting any emails reporting problems, people were just saying ‘It’s really good and we’re using it’.”

With the implementation complete and the system running smoothly, there will now be a period of exploration as the teaching staff absorb the technology available to them and allow it to shape their lessons differently.

Some will use it more than others, of course, but in many ways, the technology is just the beginning.

Morris continues: “At the moment, people are mainly doing the standard thing of recording the whole lecture and making it available to students, which

is the traditional way of using lecture capture. But we are already seeing people doing what we actually wanted them to do, which is be selective about what they capture, so maybe take 10 or 15 minutes at the beginning that they record, then they stop and have a discussion, then they might record a summary at the end. We’re starting to see people doing that and also lending the materials they’ve produced at their desk – it’s the same system.

“They can create something at their desk in advance and make that available

to students, and then use the class time to actually have a discussion and do questions and answers, and perhaps record something at the end of a lecture as a summary or an activity for next time. We’re starting to see really nice examples of people doing that already, across campus. We’re delighted at the way it’s being used by the academics because really my role was to provide the toolkit and the examples of technology and let people do their thing, because that’s what they’re the experts in.”

Sonic Foundry Mediasite RL recorder (©University of Leeds)

It will be interesting to see how far teaching styles develop at the University of Leeds. With blended learning and the flipped classroom gaining prominence among techenthused educators, it seems like the face of teaching is changing forever.

Gary Weis certainly seems to thinks so: “My personal view is that I think we will see continuing migration to the flipped classroom model, as the educators themselves change, meaning older educators retire and younger educators who are more familiar with the technology come in to the schools.

We’re working to ensure that our technology stays abreast of that movement.

“In business schools in the US, particularly business schools that are doing continuing education for executives, that continuing education is delivered to students in a classroom on campus and it is also done electronically because there will be some participants in those classes who will be travelling due to the fact that they’re working at a job while taking their education.

Typically, most leading business schools in the United States today use Mediasite technology to capture the lectures themselves. But as we see more collaboration being done, meaning as we see more flipped classroom activity, capturing what goes on in the classroom becomes much more important.

“It’s pretty simple if you think about it today. The focus is on the educator at the front of the classroom, so that’s where you want the audio to be the best, that’s where you want the video to be focused and you want to capture the presentation materials that are being presented by the educator at the front of the classroom.

As you begin to move in to capturing collaboration, you have to focus on capturing the student interaction as well, and that’s leading us into some interesting software and technology innovations, which will obviously happen over a fairly extended period of time. But if you think for a moment about having a remote student from the collaboration process, it’s really important that they can see what went on in that process if they happen to miss a class.” Q www.sonicfoundry.com

SPHERO 2.0

PRODUCT REVIEW

A robotic ball that can be controlled and programmed using various free apps, opening up a fun route to understanding coding

KEY FEATURES Q Rolling – at a given speed and direction for a given amount of time Q Colours – it can light up in a spectrum colours Bluetooth – connecting to devices such an iPads, iPhones, Android phones and tablets through wireless Bluetooth connections

T

he first thing to do when reviewing Sphero for a magazine like Tech&Learning UK is to remind yourself that you are an adult and this is not a toy, it is a learning aid. An aid that seems to be causing quite a stir in the world of education, particularly when it comes to teaching coding. But, actually, it is a toy as well.

And that’s important.

The Orbotix Sphero 2.0 is a robot ball with several features that can be controlled through mobile apps, including computer programs that students build.

In terms of physical product, there isn’t a great deal to Sphero. It arrives in a suitably quirky box, which contains the robotic ball, a charging cradle with various plug adapters and a couple of plastic ramps. There’s nothing complex about getting started – charge it up, download the app or apps you want to use, give it a double tap and pair Sphero with your phone or tablet. Manually pairing robot and device with every use started to get a little bit tedious but in a classroom full of devices, that may well be the only logical method of avoiding

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signal spaghetti.

The intricacies and magic of Sphero are locked inside.

The technology can be manipulated using the apps and the user can explore his or her imagination at will. There are apps like RollingDead and SpheroGolf, which are fun, but the real benefits of using Sphero in the classroom come from MacroLab and OrbBasic.

MacroLab can be used to teach procedural thinking and basic programming skills. With this app, students can arrange commands and settings in any combination they choose, to let Sphero drive autonomously and follow unique patterns. MacroLab introduces coding thought processes and makes the user feel like a programmer. Users can create a list of commands and then watch Sphero work its way through the instructions in systematic order.

As competency grows and aspirations get loftier, it’s time for OrbBasic, which really increases what the user can do.

It uses a text-based programming to create and prototype autonomous behaviours.

Orbotix’s SPRK (schools, parents, robots, kids) initiative harnesses the educational benefits of Sphero and provides support for teachers. A series of free lessons can be used to guide the learning process. Starting out with Core Lessons, teachers and learners explore the principles of maths and science through programming, using MacroLab. After five of those, there is a transition to OrbBasic to complete the

Core training, before moving on to Stem Challenges, which involve multi-day experiments that are designed to foster creative problem-solving and teamwork. There are eight lessons and four challenges in total.

Like most things, when it comes to Sphero you get out what you put in. Really, that’s the point. The idea of typing in line after line of code in a dull office somewhere, for no emotional reward, is more than enough to turn most people’s attention elsewhere. Here we have a hands-on learning experience that is instantly fun and becomes more satisfying over time. Generally, the possibilities are hardly ever endless but with Sphero it’s hard to see when the fun and learning might stop. Q www.gosphero.com

PRODUCT REVIEW

LG CHROMEBASE

An all-in-one computer with a very attractive price tag

T

he LG Chromebase is an all-in -one computer, which comes with a wired USB keyboard and mouse, and runs Google’s Chrome operating system. With the hardware and software being inseparable, it’s impossible to consider one without thinking about the other.

Assembling the Chromebase is very straightforward. Provided you’re in possession of a standard size Philipshead screwdriver, attaching the stand shouldn’t take more than five minutes per unit, meaning a classroom’s worth could be set up and ready to go in a few hours. Booting up is extremely quick – less than 10 seconds from a cold start – and if you already have a Google account, you’ll be fully operational in less than a minute.

Inputs include three USB 2.0 ports on the back – two of which are occupied by the keyboard and mouse – alongside a Gigabit Ethernet port and an HDMI input, plus power. A USB 3.0 port and headphone connection are positioned on the right-hand edge of the screen.

The built-in webcam captures video at 720p and the system can be secured using its Kensington lock slot.

For its size – 21.5in screen plus base – the Chromebase is very light, so compared to an iMac, for instance, it doesn’t feel particularly solid. Yet it gives the impression that, aided by its sprung stand, it will cope with standard knocks. It’s worth adding that a comparison with any of the iMacs currently available is generally unfair, considering a price difference of at least £500.

The name of the game here is minimalism – both in terms of design and operation – but that doesn’t stop the Chromebase being extremely good at what it does. The crisp IPS display, for example, has a 1920 x 1080 resolution and is a joy to view. The display’s Flicker Safe feature is designed to protect eyes

from exhausting flickers and blue lights, while Reader Mode, which is manually activated, provides optimal conditions for reading.

The Intel Celeron 1.4GHz processor offers 2GB of RAM and is quick enough, even with multiple apps running. Things start to slow down a little if more windows than you could ever generally need at one time are open. A measly 16GB of storage will sound a little scary if you’re not fully on-board with Chrome’s commitment to cloud-based computing. As a helping hand in this brave new world, the LG Chromebase comes with 100GB of Google Drive storage for two years.

If you or your students are not accustomed to the Chrome operating system, which has been around since 2009, this will be something of a departure from Windows or OS X. It’s essentially like using the operating system of a mobile device on a full size computer. Users build their software package with apps from the Chrome Web Store. The thousands of apps available, many of which are free, have been designed for this platform, as opposed to being crude scale-ups of mobile apps.

It’s important to emphasise that it isn’t possible to run software packages like Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Suite. Instead, apps that offer similar functionality have to be sourced in the app store.

The reliance on the cloud means constantly being online but for a static computer, this isn’t really an unusual scenario. This set-up offers an advantage to IT admins, who can add apps to multiple devices at once. For students and teachers, sharing is simple and there is the security of knowing that work is safely stored up in digital heaven.

As a general use computer system, the LG Chromebase gives you

everything you need and delivers it with a touch of finesse. And there’s no denying that its price point of £279.99 (RRP) is very attractive. Provided Google’s operating system and available apps can meet your needs, the Chromebase will do everything you ask of it. Q www.lg.com

KEY FEATURES Q Brilliant 21.5in 1920 x 1080 Full HD IPS display Q Advanced tech styling of design award winner Q Intel Celeron Processor Q Powered by Chrome OS

PRODUCT REVIEW

NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS NP-M352WS Impressive projector with a host of features

T

he NP-M352WS from NEC Display Solutions is a DLP-based portable projector. It boasts a number of userfriendly features, such as easy wireless communication, maintenance-free design and an ECO Mode. It is rated at 3,500 lumens brightness and offers a resolution of 1280 x 800.

Getting the NP-M352WS out of its box and into action is very straightforward.

Simply connect the power and chosen input, give it a few seconds to warm up and take to the controls to fine tune the display. The projector can take a variety of connections, including VGA, composite video and HDMI. There’s a USB Type A port for reading files from a USB memory stick, plus an LAN port that allows images and audio to be sent across a network. The projector can also be controlled over a network. The USB Type B port means users can connect a PC for display or for controlling the mouse from the projector remote.

The NP-M352WS was trialled in a small primary school, where it was installed in a classroom. The projector is designed for short-throw applications – including interactive whiteboards – so this environment was ideal. One of its

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strengths as a short-throw projector is the avoidance of shadows on the screen or, indeed, the beam in the presenter’s eyes.

Another advantage that the NPM352WS offers is 3D capability. Though the operation of this mode is slightly fiddly, the ability to use 3D in the learning environment will be seen by many as a positive. A recent study by the International Research Agency on behalf of Texas Instruments found that the use of 3D in the classroom improves test results by an average of 17%.

The projected image impressed with its brightness and vibrant colours.

Though DLP projectors can’t generally match LCD projectors for brightness, this one fared well. Even in a high ambient light, the picture was vivid once the brightness setting had been adjusted to the highest preset. Colour definition is very good and text was displayed clearly and without flicker.

In operation, the NP-M352WS isn’t particularly quiet. The higher the setting the louder the noise, naturally, but even on low settings, such as ECO Mode, the operational noise is still noticeable.

This won’t be an issue for most learning environments, but it’s worth considering

if the setting demands near silence.

Sound can be played out of a 20W mono speaker. While it’s a useful function to have, it is unlikely to be your first choice of audio, if you can help it. For a fuller listening experience, the projector can be connected to an auxiliary sound system via the stereo output.

The NP-M352WS offers a number of environmentally friendly features. ECO Mode technology is said to increase lamp life up to 8,000 hours, while lowering power consumption. A carbon savings meter calculates the positive effects of operating the projector in ECO Mode, with encouragement from an optional message at start-up. Other green measures include the quick start, which lets you begin presenting in seconds, thus minimising power-up energy; and quick shutdown, which reduces power consumption when switching off by omitting the cooling period.

NEC Display Solutions’ NP-M352WS is available for £747.50 (ex VAT). For that price, the number of features and the performance level, there aren’t too many other projectors that can compete. Q www.nec-display-solutions.com

KEY FEATURES Q Automatic keystone correction Q Auto power on Q ECO Mode technology Q Closed captioning Q Variable audio out Q Carbon savings meter Q Virtual Remote Q Sleep timer Q Built-in wall colour correction Q AutoSense Q Kensington lock slot Q Image magnification

TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE: TABLETS

GET HANDS ON A round-up of the latest tablets available for education

APPLE IPAD AIR 2

Apple recently introduced the latest addition to its market-leading portfolio of tablets.

At 6.1 mm, the iPad Air 2 is the thinnest iPad to date, and it’s also the most powerful.

Weighing in at less than 500g, it features an improved Retina display for enhanced contrast and richer, more vibrant colours, plus better cameras for photos and videos. It is powered by the new Apple-designed A8X chip, which delivers a 40% improvement in CPU performance and 2.5 times the graphics performance of iPad Air, yet it still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life.

Combined with Metal, the new graphics technology in iOS 8, the A8X chip unlocks realistic visual effects comparable to the most advanced gaming consoles. The device also features the M8 motion coprocessor

that gathers motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and an all-new barometer which senses air pressure to provide relative elevation. It delivers faster connectivity with 802.11ac WiFi with Multiple-In-Multiple-Out (MIMO) technology for 2.8 times the WiFi performance of iPad Air at data rates up to 866 Mbps. With the education discount, the iPad Air 2 is £382.80 (inc VAT).

A knock-on positive for schools and other educators is that the release of a new iPad means a reduction in price for older models in the range. With iPad being the de facto tablet for so many, this may be the most accessible way of introducing a world of innovative apps to the learning environment. www.apple.com

FUJITSU STYLISTIC Q584

FOURIER EINSTEIN TABLET+

Fourier’s einstein Tablet+ is an Androidbased device that specialises in science.

The tablet comes pre-loaded with multimedia experiments for biology, chemistry, environmental science, human physiology and physics. One example is the Terra Nova Solar Energy Kit, which teaches students the basic concepts and properties of solar energy.

It is equipped with eight built-in sensors, including humidity, UV, heart rate, temperature, light, accelerometer, microphone and GPS. Teachers and students can add an additional eight external sensors to run more complex and creative experiments. Fourier has developed three apps, which are available for free from Google Play. The einsteinWorld app allows teachers to run custom lessons that take students through self-guided tutorials, including sensor-based experiments. MiLAB is a user-friendly interface that enables

students to collect, interpret and analyse data. And the third app, TrackIt!, is a video motion analysis tool for teaching speed, acceleration calculations and the laws of motion.

With the einstein Activity Maker, publishers, educators and students can create multimedia, interactive and sensorbased science activities, which can then be shared through the einstein Activity Store to a global community of einstein users.

Awarding einstein with Best Digital Teaching Device at the Bett Awards 2014, the judges described it as: “A very good product which is ideally suited to supporting the UK’s new national curriculum. We like the design, branding and functionality and think the product is durable and robust. We particularly like the way it encourages students to interact and work collaboratively.” It sells for £214.95 (ex VAT). www.einsteinworld.com

The Fujitsu Stylistic Q584 is a slim line 10.1in tablet, which the manufacturer says is capable of helping people to work in more intelligent ways, while reducing paper usage and allowing access to a wealth of software and apps.

Weighing only 640g, the tablet features a high-capacity battery, which can sustain 10 hours of continuous use. It comes with a neatly housed digital stylus for on-screen note-taking, annotation and drawing.

The Windows 8.1 Professional operating system allows for software multitasking, data security and compatibility with legacy infrastructures, meaning users can easily connect with and access established Windows networks.

A fingerprint sensor, embedded trusted platform module and traditional Windows protocols help protect sensitive user data against unauthorised third-party access.

Wireless connectivity, in the form of WiFi or up to 4G mobile broadband speeds, means users can access data on the move. An optional dockable slice keyboard means the Stylistic Q584 can switch to a two-in-one hybrid device, making it a versatile tool for productivity in any location.

The Fujitsu Stylistic Q584 is priced at £803.99 (ex VAT), which

will probably put it out of reach of most schools. As it is primarily a business tablet, it will find appreciation in environments such as higher education. In particular, the addition of the keyboard pushes the tablet towards the functionality of a laptop. www.fujitsu.com

TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE: TABLETS GLOBISENS GLOBIMATE

Globisens’ GlobiMate is an Intel-designed, science-ready tablet, which runs an Android operating system. The 10.1in captive multitouchscreen device runs a 1.2GHz Intel Atom Dual Core processor. It has been designed specifically for education and offers a range of specialist science functions, as well as robust qualities, like being drop proof, splash proof and dust proof.

GlobiMate’s designer, Globisens, has built a reputation for producing science education tools and has integrated its industry knowledge into the device.

The GlobiMate offers a 10-sensor science lab when integrated with the Mini data logger, full wireless communication with all Labdisc models, an integrated GlobiLab data analysis application and a microscope application that can be realised using add-ons for the tablet camera.

Combining the tablet with tools like the Mini data logger gives it increased functionality. Globisens suggests that while many other tablets claim to have built-in sensors, it’s important to consider the type of sensor, its range and how practical it is for primary and secondary school science curriculums. Using the Mini together with Globisens data analysis software can make mobile and wireless interactive learning more relevant and engaging for students. Data can be transmitted to Google Maps and recorded within the context of longitude and latitude readings.

Globimate is available for £170 (ex VAT) and the Mini data logger accessory can be added for £15 (ex VAT). www.globisens.net

HP STREAM 8 TABLET

The HP Stream 8 is powered by an Intel Atom processor, which promises to deliver lightning-fast operational speed. It runs Windows 8.1 with Bing and comes with Office 365, so programs like Excel, Word, Powerpoint, OneNote and Access are at your fingertips and ready to go – for the first year.

The tablet comes loaded with a number of extras, including 250MB of free 3G+ each month, 1TB of Microsoft OneDrive storage for the first year and some attractive performance features. The HP DataPass is ready out-of-the box – power up, register and connect to 3G+ with no contracts, no credit cards, and no strings attached, which is useful for students and teachers on the move.

As the model name suggests, the IPS anti-glare display is 8in diagonal and is multitouch enabled, offering a resolution of 1280 x 800. Ports include

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LEARNPAD OCTAVO

headphone jack and a micro-B USB 2.0 port. The Stream 8 arrives with Skype plus 60 minutes of credit each month, as well as a series of HP apps installed. More than 300,000 apps are currently available from the Windows Store.

It is, perhaps, the price point that will help set the HP Stream 8 apart from some of the competition.

When the single unit cost of £132.50 (ex VAT) is thrown in with the features and extras, it may encourage a closer inspection from potential suitors. www.hp.com

The LearnPad Octavo is an interactive 7.85in touchscreen Android tablet, which has been specially designed for education. It runs a 1.5GHz quad-core ARM processor and includes a comprehensive suite of award-winning LearnPad classroom tools, which have been created using teacher feedback and an understanding of the challenges of managing multiple tablets within the school environment.

LearnPad helps embed tablets into day-to-day teaching and learning with over 11,000 free resources. LearnPad further supports its users with 103 resource collections for the Primary 2014 National Curriculum. To ensure teachers can use their existing resources and pupils can easily access their existing files and documents, the Octavo connects directly to network resources including curriculum servers, shared folders and workspaces, VLE and portal content and will support existing Flash-based eLearning content and websites.

To assist with differentiation of learning, teachers can create unique learning profiles for topics, year groups or for each child. These profiles can then be applied to any LearnPad via QrKeys – digital barcodes that can be scanned by LearnPad’s built-in camera. This enables teachers to personalise each child’s learning journey with a minimal input of time.

The LearnPad Octavo is priced at £149 (ex VAT) and includes the use of ClassConnect, InClass and ClassCloud classroom management tools. The ClassConnect suite is designed to reduce the overhead of managing tablets in schools, and the overall total cost of ownership, by providing access to appropriate digital resources. www.learnpad.com

TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE: TABLETS PROWISE WINDOWS PRO

The Prowise Windows Pro is a 10.1in 1-in-1 tablet that runs Windows 8.1. It comes preloaded with a bespoke application called Presenter, a host of interactive lesson tools and learning games that are designed for the contemporary classroom. The quad-core processor allows users to run any app from the Windows store without issue, while the dual-band WiFi supports an ever-increasing appetite for faster connectivity.

The device was barely off the drawing board when Microsoft saw its possibilities and took it into its ‘Shape the Future’ scheme – an initiative aimed at tablets that are designed for the education market. This means licensing costs have been reduced,

which is reflected in the single unit cost of £249 (ex VAT).

Prowise says that every product under the brand comes with two guarantees. The first is that it has been developed with the end user’s needs at the forefront of the design, and the second is that it is not just a standalone solution, but part of a 360o system that includes hardware and software. Hardware includes the advanced keyboard cover, which converts the tablet into a notebook, and a 5-megapixel camera for taking photos, recording video and conferencing.

Through Presenter, the tablet can connect to a large Prowise touchscreen – if the classroom has one – which in turn connects to a cloud community made up of schools, teachers, curriculum advisors and students from around the globe. www.prowise.com

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 10.1 VISUAL EDUCATION WORDPAD7

The Wordpad7 is an allpurpose Android tablet that has been designed specifically for the classroom. It comes with the Wordwall audience response app, which allows students to participate in whole-class activities.

These activities include multiple-choice quizzes, student-generated spider diagrams, maths games, labelling diagrams and rank order or rating scale evaluations. Results can be shared with the class via the Wordwall PC software and an interactive whiteboard and used to show progress during lessons. More apps are available from Google Play.

The device features a 7in 1024 x 600 pixel screen and Cortex-A9 RK3168 1.2GHz processor, 1GB memory and 8GB of storage, which is expandable using an SD card. Pictures and video can be captured via a 0.3-megapixel front camera and a 2-megapixel rear camera. Connectivity includes microHDMI, Bluetooth, WiFI and USB. With the WebAnywhere option, tablets can be used in schools without WiFi. The WebAnywhere WiFi dongle allows tablets to access the internet through the teacher’s PC – the teacher can also control access by bookmarking and shutting

off particular sites. The management interface can deploy apps and settings across multiple devices.

The tablet includes a DisplayNote collaboration licence, so students can interact with the teacher’s board, take notes and capture lessons.

Wordpad7 tablets also include a subscription-free mobile device management solution, which facilitates the deployment of apps and settings on student devices. It is available for £99 (ex VAT). www.getwordwall.com

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 edition) is an Android tablet that has been designed for balancing productivity, content creation and consumption in one portable tablet. It is equipped with WQXGA Super clear LCD (2560 x 1600 pixels) resolution in a 10in display, 1.9GHz Octa Core processor and 3GB RAM. This version of the tablet expands on the productivity and creativity delivered by the original Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. In addition to enabling productivity, the device has been redesigned with a sleek, light, slim frame that is both fashionable and portable. Its large screen delivers four times the pixel density of the original Galaxy Note 10.1.

The magazine-style user interface allows users to organise their favourite resources in an easy-to-use dashboard

and then access that content for a stylish reading experience. The device’s screen size enables enhanced multitasking. With Multi Window, users can separate instances of the same application, and use an enhanced S Pen to drag and drop content from one window to another. Pen Window enables users to simply draw a window of any size on the screen, and instantly access unique in-application features such as YouTube or calculator.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 integrates with Samsung School – a solution that supports teachers with teaching and learning tools. It is designed to offer more flexibility in storing, managing, and sharing educational content and student information. The device is available for £374 (ex VAT). www.samsung.com

BACK PAGE PICKS EVENT

APP

EICE 2015 The Education Innovation Conference and Exhibition 2015 takes place from 26-27 February at Manchester Central.

It’s a free-to-attend annual event that’s designed to help education professionals integrate innovation and technology into learning.

Now in its third year, EICE gives visitors the chance to get hands-on with the latest learning technologies and receive specialist advice on how to boost achievement in their schools, colleges and universities.

The event combines an exhibition with a fully integrated conference that includes free professional development seminars and workshops, featuring contributions from a wide range of education experts. www.educationinnovation.co.uk

EDITORIAL CALENDAR Coming up in future issues of Tech & Learning UK April Getting the most from your new technology Using technology to cope with growing class sizes Tech focus: Projectors

July Choosing your integrator (planning for summer refurbs) The role of the library in today’s mobile world Tech focus: Real-time assessment tools

Equate Formula Solver Equate is a free IOS app, which has been developed by Nurdture - nerds who appreciate the wonderful world of maths, physics and chemistry. It is designed for older kids and adults, who can use the app to solve formulas, while learning the methodology behind each equation at the same time. www.equateapp.com

October Bringing new and supply teachers up to speed with your tech setup Using Big Data to improve education Tech focus: Visualisers Please send editorial submissions to michael@weareoutput.co.uk

Remember – you can follow Tech&Learning UK on Twitter at @TechLearningUK and on the web at www.techandlearning.uk