TURN TEACHING ON ITS HEAD
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A DIGITAB ANDROID TABLET! TURN TO PAGE 34
A GUIDE TO FLIPPED LEARNING SEE PAGE 18
SHIFTING PARADIGMS
THE SYSTEM HAS TO CHANGE, SAYS BOB HARRISON P8
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BEING DIFFERENT
USING TECHNOLOGY TO STAND OUT IN HIGHER EDUCATION P14
CHANGING FORTUNES
HOW EMBEDDING ICT HELPED TRANSFORM A SCHOOL P24
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////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 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 Designer: Tom Carpenter tcarpenter@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 Executive: Warren Kelly wkelly@nbmedia.com Head of Digital: Tim Frost tfrost@nbmedia.com Publisher: Steve Connolly Contributors: Dan Harding, Ian McMurray, Steve Montgomery, Emma and Charlotte Robertson, Pip Thomas, Chris Waterworth Tech&Learning UK is published four times a year by NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LR, England Editorial tel: +44 (0)7823 777528 Sales tel: +44 (0)20 7354 6000
Building knowledge and understanding is key Something that has become increasingly apparent over the last few months, as I’ve visited tradeshows and spent time speaking to people around the industry, is the role of technology in education. While it’s true to say technological progress has facilitated new approaches to learning, it has always remained secondary to the thing that it’s helping to support – the teaching. The role of technology providers in education, therefore, is to show schools, colleges and universities how their equipment can be implemented in a learning environment and how the addition of new tools can help to improve the learning process. The aim, of course, is for students to walk away with as much knowledge and understanding as possible. Editor: Michael Nicholson michael@weareoutput.co.uk I was disappointed to hear that the Education Innovation Conference and Exhibition (EICE), which has been held at Manchester Central for the last three years, has been postponed and will not feature in 2016’s event calendar. The show aimed to put content ahead of everything else, even on the stands – by encouraging exhibitors to demonstrate how their technology can be used to support learning objectives, rather than simply shouting about the specifications of their newest products. Unfortunately, low footfall has forced the organisers to take a step back and have a re-think. You can read the EICE review on page 22. In March, I was lucky enough to meet with Bob Harrison at his home in Manchester. Many of you will know Bob from his involvement in education over the last 40 years. He has been especially prominent during the last decade. Not only is he great company, he has plenty to say about current and future issues in education. His interview is on page 8. Other highlights include a solutions feature about a primary school that has been transformed using, amongst other things, a new and carefully prescribed technology package, on page 24; features about flipped learning, how universities use technology as a differentiator, and the ‘bring your own devices’ ethos; plus some cracking opinion columns and plenty of product info to get your teeth into. I hope you enjoy the issue.
Please send press material to michael@weareoutput.co.uk
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CONTRIBUTORS ////////////////////////////// Dan Harding is a learning technologist at Keele University with six years experience of supporting staff and students in higher education. He is especially interested in the creative application of technology for learning and teaching environments.
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.
Ian McMurray has over 30 years of experience in marketing, communications and media relations with high technology companies in the IT and audiovisual markets. His experience and knowledge now contribute towards his work as a freelance writer.
Emma and Charlotte Robertson are the sisters behind Digital Awareness UK. The company sets out to empower schools by developing their capacity to provide practical and up-to-date social media guidance – safeguarding students, parents and staff.
Pip Thomas is owner and director of N-vest, which has been designing and delivering product training on behalf of resellers, distributors and manufacturers of technology products since 2004. Her entrepreneurialism has guided her throughout her career.
Chris Waterworth is a teacher at Pear Tree Primary School in Nantwich, Cheshire. He has been teaching in primary schools for over 10 years and has used technology in his classrooms from the very beginning. Chris has written two books about technology in schools.
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CONTENTS /////////////////////////////////////////////////////
22
PEOPLE 5
Opinion
Emma and Charlotte Robertson on social media responsibility Dan Harding discusses collaboration and technological change Pip Thomas believes it’s time for some Disney magic
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SHOW NEWS
FEATURES
22 Show Review
10 Bring Your Own Device
A look back at EICE 2015
We look at the BYOD trend – its opportunities and challenges
23 Show Previews
We look ahead to Future EdTech and The Digital Education Show
SOLUTIONS
Interview
Bob Harrison
24 Pheasey Park Farm Primary
A school that has been transformed with the help of technology
10 14 Technology the Differentiator
Using technology to create a USP in higher education
TECHNOLOGY 27 Reviews
Matrox Monarch HD Barco ClickShare iBoardTouch
30 Showcase Projectors
8 4
18 Flipped Learning
Changing the learning process for better outcomes
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OPINION
EMMA & CHARLOTTE ROBERTSON Recognising and addressing a blind spot for schools
t’s no secret that schools are currently facing a plethora of digital-related issues – from cyberbullying to sexting to security violations. But it’s not just the students. As a social media safety organisation – Digital Awareness UK (DAUK) – we’re seeing a trend in schools that often gets overlooked: ‘teacher fails on social media’. It’s almost expected that with such little awareness children will take risks online, sharing content and behaving in a way that could come back to bite them. Some schools are taking a proactive approach, ensuring digital awareness is part of the school’s DNA. Others are fighting fires as and when they ignite. But the focus in schools is predominantly about safeguarding students, meaning responsible use of social media amongst staff often takes a back seat. The most common issues we see in schools happen as a result of teachers posting or doing something on social media that they didn’t even consider being an issue. This could be anything from teachers being friends with parents on Facebook and being tagged in an image of themselves out posing with a glass of wine, to them taking pictures of students at a school outing and innocently posting them on social media without parental consent. In both of these scenarios your average person would question what
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the teacher had done wrong. But the result was that in the former, a parent filed a complaint saying that they didn’t feel it was appropriate for the teacher of their child to post images on social media of themselves scantily clad on a drunken night out. With the latter scenario, a child who was on the ‘no photo list’ suddenly had their identity published on a teacher’s Twitter feed and their safety was put into question. Perhaps the most infamous example of a teacher posting without thinking happened back in 2011 when two primary school teachers (including the deputy head) were photographed ‘drinking and pole-dancing’ on a night out. The images then went viral on social media. While it may seem unfair that teachers are accountable for the reputation of the entire school on social media, it’s not something that can be ignored. In our experience, these issues almost always happen as a result of limited or non-existent CPD training on social media safety, social media policies and/or understanding of how the technology works – such as checking security settings.
To mitigate against these risks, it’s critical that schools don’t just create e-safety policies, social media policies, user agreements and so on, as a box-ticking exercise. Our research shows that the majority of e-safety policies aren’t read or fully understood, but rather ignored along with their implications.
‘A child who was on the ‘no photo list’ suddenly had their identity published on a teacher’s Twitter feed’ A robust social media policy for teachers and students is the cornerstone of safe, responsible social media usage in schools. At DAUK we write bespoke social media policies for schools – sometimes this is part of a broader e-safety policy and sometimes it’s a stand-alone policy. It’s also invaluable that the responsibility of the development
and implementation of these policies, as well as any CPD carried out, does not just fall onto the shoulders of ICT personnel. Where we’ve seen the most success in schools, these efforts have been shared amongst those working across ICT, PHSE and governors, as well as with senior members of staff. Finally, these policies shouldn’t just be copied and pasted from a ‘school social media policy help’ Google search (although many free online resources are extremely helpful when used as a guide). Every school is unique and therefore requires a bespoke policy that addresses the school’s individual needs. There are several teachers out there such as Ross McGill (aka Teacher Toolkit), Mark Martin (aka Urban Teacher) and Matt Britland, who use social media both inside and outside the classroom to build a positive profile for both themselves and the school. With this in mind, social media policies and related CPD should also be empowering and inspiring, demonstrating how staff can use social media to communicate effectively. n www.digitalawarenessuk.com
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OPINION
DAN HARDING Implementing technological change can be challenging, especially without the right support
t’s fair to say that higher education’s relationship with technology has been a turbulent one. From the mainstreaming of virtual learning environments to the popularisation of large-scale lecture capture, it’s easy to see how the constant wave of innovation makes supporting the effective use of technology an increasingly difficult task. Whether on the rise, at their peak, or falling into the trough of disillusionment (see Gartner’s Hype Cycle), maintaining an overall awareness of technologies past, present and future is one of the most important skills a learning technologist can have. But how does an individual transfer this knowledge, keeping colleagues well informed whilst simultaneously promoting engagement? Trust me, it’s not easy. Recent research from JISC showed that 45% of students reported technology influenced their choice of university or college – proving its value as a marketable quality. Yet it is higher education’s worst kept secret that institutions find ongoing technological change difficult, raising expectation faster than staff can update their skills. In response, it is the emergence of learning technologist-type roles that are helping to bridge this gap – HE’s very own digital divide – translating IT jargon whilst understanding the pedagogical concerns of academic staff. However, a lack of support staff/
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specialist skills/ resources moved from fifth place to first as the biggest challenge facing universities in the latest UCISA report, despite the overall number of learning technologists in the sector rising. So if demand is outstripping supply, are we missing a trick?
‘It is HE’s worst kept secret that institutions find ongoing technological change difficult’ As institutions more capable of change use it to entice prospective students in an increasingly competitive environment, learning from each other’s success by examining how we communicate information can offer up fresh approaches for those seeking to get ahead of the curve. Similarly, time spent researching colleagues’ use of technology offers a deeper contextual understanding as its reward, not only focusing the work of the learning technologist but helping to establish what educational theorist Etienne Wenger might describe as a ‘domain of knowledge’ – essential for any shared
practice to be established. From here, employing practical frameworks such as those designed by the Digital Practice Team at Nottingham Trent University or the SAMR model (substitution, augmentation, modification, redefinition) can help to conceptualise a series of activities, drawing a line between digital development and staff as learners. Not only this, but learning technologists’ instinctive use of tacit knowledge to design personalised resources can enhance the effectiveness of even the most limited support provisions. Frustratingly, it is the simplified theories, the ones based upon generational differences (think Prensky’s digital natives/immigrants or Oblinger’s Net Generation) that have crept into the academic subconscious, reinforcing age old stereotypes but doing little to drive up levels of digital literacy among university staff and students. Encouraging those we encounter to ignore such labels and
avoid being overwhelmed by the possibilities that technology affords, is also where the role of a learning technologist becomes most useful. Of course, these are only personal observations condensed into a short article, but I hope the message is clear: technological change is a collaborative process, and only by developing localised knowledge based upon colleagues’ requirements, giving them the confidence to try new things and sustaining a lasting interest, will more universities achieve their goal of consistently enhancing the ‘student experience’ where technology is concerned. n www.keele.ac.uk
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OPINION
PIP THOMAS Schools should think differently about technology
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alt Disney had an innovative, and let’s face it, a hugely successful approach to movie development. He divided the brainstorming process into three roles: the dreamer, the realist and the spoiler. The dreamer’s role was to do just that; to dream, to come up with an amazing concept – a ‘what if’ idea – regardless of whether it was possible, achievable or even desirable. The realist’s role was to define and rework the ‘what if’ into something achievable. The realist’s job was to work out how to make it happen. The role of the spoiler or critic was to pick holes in the idea, to find the weak spots in the reasoning and identify anything that could prevent the idea from being achieved. If an idea could survive this Disney brainstorm process, then it would be considered for further development and, considering the extraordinary films created by Disney over the years, it seems fair to say it was highly successful. You may be wondering what relevance the Disney brainstorming tradition has to educational technology, but bear with me. Separating the roles meant ideas could be worked on in an atmosphere of pure innovation and creativity, unencumbered by practicalities and without being shot down by the ‘it will never work’ spoiler. I see this as a great model for schools to follow when planning for
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the future, especially when it comes to investment in new technology. It’s all too easy to look at new technologies, whether it’s tablets, videoconferencing or cloud-based software and services, and then try to work out what they could be used for. If we lack conviction and enthusiasm at the start, is it surprising the intended users don’t ‘get it’? This goes a long way to explain why a lot of technology bought by schools is being underused. And not just schools. Did you know that 70% of a technology product’s features typically go unused? Usually because the user did not know how or, more significantly, why they should use these features. If we really want to benefit from technology we need three things. We have to know how to use technology. We have to know why to use it. And we have to want to use it. Fail to achieve these three crucial factors and the technology will be under-used or even abandoned. But by doing a Disney, we can put the emphasis firmly onto the desired outcome – the vision. It’s not easy to be visionary and inspirational, but follow Disney’s model and you create the ideal conditions. The dreamer stage is one in which all stakeholders – students, teaching staff, IT, parents and any other interested parties – can get
‘It’s all too easy to look at new technologies and then try to work out what they could be used for’ involved. By focusing on the idea rather than the practicalities, the brainstorming process often leads to some real breakthrough moments. You might, for instance, start by asking your stakeholders: What is the ideal classroom? What would be in it? How would it be used? This might lead to you to ask: Is the classroom actually the place where students learn best? How do students want to learn? What if students worked outside of the classroom? What if they could do their work anywhere they wanted? And so on. This brainstorming process might produce ideas that would otherwise have been rejected or perhaps not suggested. It could produce several ideas worth taking through the realist and spoiler stages. This is when you look
at what you’d need technology-wise to make it work. This is the perfect time to involve technology specialists. Consult with your own IT team and trusted suppliers. Why not invite a couple of manufacturers to get involved? The really great thing is that when you have an idea, a vision which excites everyone, you already have a high level of that essential factor – buy-in. You will have already engaged with the students, teachers and parents. You will have already won their hearts and minds and they will believe in the project. As Cinderella says: “If you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” n www.n-vest.co.uk
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INTERVIEW: BOB HARRISON
‘WE NEED A PARADIGM SHIFT’ Bob Harrison is a former teacher, lecturer and college principal. Now education adviser to Japanese electronics giant Toshiba, he chaired the government’s computing expert group and was part of the team behind of the new computing curriculum. Throughout his time working in education, he’s never been shy about saying what’s on his mind
WHAT DOES YOUR WORK WITH TOSHIBA ENTAIL? I help their people to understand the language of education. I do training with their sales and business people and I update their board of directors about where education is going. Where you get other technology manufacturers saying, ‘Buy our stuff and it will help you improve learning’, our position has always been: there’s no evidence, whatsoever, of any relationship between kit and improved learning. Our position is it’s teachers who make the difference.
WHY THAT APPROACH? You cannot treat education like you would treat corporate customers. I have this line I use in presentations: I grew up with teachers, I went to college with teachers, I trained with teachers, I’ve employed teachers, I’ve dismissed teachers, I married a teacher, I’ve been divorced by a teacher, I re-married another teacher and I’ve got kids who are teachers. And what I’ve learnt is: you can do an awful lot with teachers but nothing to them. The Toshiba approach to education is: you don’t give them the hard sell, you don’t push product, and you don’t even say, ‘buy this and it will do this’. Our position is: teachers are the people who make the changes, so good technology plus good teaching equals improved learning.
Bob Harrison has been involved in education for over 40 years
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HOW DO YOU VIEW THE CURRENT EDUCATION SYSTEM? What we’ve got is this system – both in schools and in FE – built on an industrial, mechanised, Taylorised set of principles. Do you think those design principles are fit for purpose in a world where my grandchildren will be able to use voice-detect recognition, text to voice, touchscreen, anytime anywhere online and virtual augmented reality? It doesn’t work.
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INTERVIEW: BOB HARRISON My 22-year-old stepson is finishing off his history degree. I don’t think he’s written anything in two-and-a-half years. In the summer, he’ll have to sit down and write an essay for three hours. That can’t be fit for purpose, can it? Our kids in our schools are going to have to memorise things that they’ve learnt in September and spew them out using a pen and paper. It’s a bit like teaching our kids to drive in a Formula One car and then when it comes to the assessment, we put them on a horse. It’s nonsense. The way people learn has changed and is changing. I learned to play the guitar using online videos, whereas 20 years ago I would have enrolled at my local college. Now I can watch Bruce Springsteen. I can play along with Bruce and if I get it wrong, I just press stop, rewind and I play it again. I don’t think the system that we’ve got will survive unless we make the paradigm shift.
HOW DO WE FIX THE SYSTEM? The money is trapped in the wrong asset base – it’s trapped in land and buildings. How do we take that asset base and re-invest it in teaching skills and digital infrastructure. It’s not hard, is it? Cloud. Wireless. People’s own devices. We don’t need big suites of ICT equipment. We don’t need big teams of ICT technicians anymore. So, the challenge for the education sector is: how do we take an asset base that was designed for this period of history and realign it for now and for the future?
WHAT’S THE NEW SYSTEM GOING TO LOOK LIKE? We need to spend money on hearts and minds and teacher skills because the technology infrastructure is going to be there. But unless we’ve got a workforce and a system that’s designed to take advantage of that – and that doesn’t mean learners sitting in a row at 8:50am on a Monday morning, doing things that they could’ve done online – it’s not going to work. We need to get rid of half of the land and buildings and invest it in training. We can get more learners involved in the system with fewer resources but we need to sell off the land and buildings to pay for the resources. We’ll need more teachers – more teachers supporting more learners, but not stood in front of a group.
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The world has changed and it’s changing fast. We know the technology has changed already. Why hasn’t the education system changed as fast? Because we’ve got all these constraints, like Ofsted, Ofqual and so on. The teachers are desperate to innovate using technology. The teachers want the space to innovate but at the moment they’re being micromanaged. They’re focused on the wrong things, like getting kids ready for their SATS, their tests and everything else like that. The new national curriculum in computing is one way of improving but it’s not just about computer science – 96% of jobs now require some degree of digital literacy. And it’s not just about young learners; it affects adult learners and it affects everybody’s lives.
YOU’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN SOME VERY IMPORTANT INFLUENCING GROUPS… One of the things I’ve been noted for is my honesty. I tell things as they are and teachers like that. They like to be told the truth – it resonates. I’d written these two hypercritical articles. One was called ‘Where has all the money gone?’ which was basically an analysis of the amount of public money that’s been invested in, and wasted on, education technology, and yet the surveys coming out showed that less than 30% of educational institutions were using technology effectively. My thesis was and still is: it’s not really about technology, it’s about paradigms, and it’s about thinking. The second one was, ‘Where are the paradigm pioneers?’ If you ‘ve grown up in this system and become a head teacher or a principal of a college, you’ve come up in a system that’s got culture, a way of working, a funding methodology and an audit regime that has shaped the way that you think. It’s virtually impossible, therefore, for you to make that paradigm shift – to think about how education and learning could be, should be and will be because of the advances in technology. You’re still stuck in that old paradigm. My wife and I are sat here one Sunday night, two years ago. I’m on Twitter, like I always am. I get a direct message from Matthew Hancock, the minister for FE and skills, saying: ‘I’ve read your articles. I agree. But I don’t have any money. Come and see me next time you’re in London.’
Harrison is invited to talk at exhibitions, conferences and workshops around the UK and abroad
And he gives me the number for his private secretary. So I go down there and I have half and hour with him and that leads to my involvement in FELTAG. I think the combination of education and technology is probably the most powerful political movement. Put those two things together and you’ve got an incredible force. If you want an example of it – trite as it might be – a Tory education minister picking up on something I wrote because of social media gives you an indication of the power of education to change things. If you put the power of technology with the power of education – I can’t think of two things, when united, that can actually make a bigger difference.
network is essential. We have to have a workforce that’s got the confidence and capability to use technology to enhance and improve learning. Then we need an assessment and accountability system that recognises the potential that technology’s got to improve both effectiveness and efficiency. www.setuk.co.uk @bobharrisonset
BriefBiography
IS IT AN EXCITING TIME IN EDUCATION? I think it’s a fantastically exciting time but we need a paradigm shift. It’s frustrating because it’s like trying to turn the Titanic. The frustration is not with kids and adult learners and it’s not with teachers. The energy is there and the vision is there – they’re just being stifled. It’s claustrophobic. They’re banging their heads off a brick wall, so they get frustrated and they give up or leave because they feel nothing will change.
WHAT WOULD THE NEW SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EDUCATION NEED TO DO TO SUPPORT THIS PARADIGM SHIFT? In my view, there are four things that need to happen. We need a better and longer-term vision. We need a more robust and widespread and accessible for all infrastructure – for example, a superfast and widespread broadband
Bob Harrison Bob Harrison has been involved in education since the 1970s He taught in secondary schools, then moved in to FE, becoming a lecturer, head of department, vice-principal, then principal In the late 1990s, he joined the National College for School Leadership, where he trained headteachers Around the same time, he became Toshiba’s education advisor He recently chaired the National Curriculum Review on ICT, was part of FELTAG and is part of the Education Technology Action Group Harrison is currently a chair of governors at Barnsley’s Northern College – adjudged as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted – and is on the governing board of a school in Trafford, Manchester April 2015
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FEATURE: BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE Samsung’s Digital Classroom programme saw the Baden Powell Primary School in Cardiff take delivery of 30 Samsung tablets and 10 Chromebooks
BYOD AND BEYOND The use of portable electronic devices by students in classrooms and lecture theatres is unquestionably on the rise – but it’s a trend that isn’t without its challenges, reports Ian McMurray
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recent Ofcom report, Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2014, found that 54% of British children aged eight to 11 and three-quarters of 12 to 15-year-olds have three or more digital, media or communications devices of their own. Given that level of laptop/mobile phone/tablet personal usage, it was perhaps inevitable that the BYOD phenomenon would spread from the corporate world to the classroom and lecture theatre. A study by education charity Tablets for Schools, for example, found that there is at least some tablet use in almost 70% of all UK schools, and estimated that total usage would more than double from 430,000 last year to almost 900,000 next year. That’s an interesting finding in its own right – even more so when set against a trend in which tablet sales are said to be dropping (by 14% in the last quarter of 2014, according to tech consultancy Canalys) or at least, the rate of growth is slowing if researcher Gartner is to be 10
believed, with expected sales increasing by only 8% in 2015. It’s not just about tablets, however. While tablets may be front and centre of the BYOD phenomenon, alternatives include laptops, netbooks and mobile phones. At Bett this year, for example, Acer introduced two new Chromebooks – the C740 and C910 – specifically designed for the education market with features such as reinforced hinges and displays. “There has been rising interest, both from students and schools in the Chrome platform,” says Matt Beresford, Google business development manager at IT distributor Tech Data. “In many ways, Chrome is built for BYOD. It has a specific advantage due to the manageability and shareability of the platform, which is one of the key reasons so many schools are starting to take a much closer look at Chrome devices.” Just before Bett, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Education also received its UK launch.
“Unlike most other tablets on the market, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Education is built exclusively for education,” according to Graham Long, vice president of the Enterprise Business Team at Samsung UK. “As well as delivering enhanced durability, manageability and access to digital learning resources – such as Google Play for Education – it allows administrators to set up an entire classroom of tablets in minutes, rather than hours. It also includes numerous other features that are particularly valuable to educators.” If it’s not just about tablets, though, it’s not just about schools, either. “BYOD in education is being driven by tech-savvy students who use mobile devices in all areas of their lives,” notes Yag Depala, head of education sales at audiovisual integrator Reflex. “One of the markets in which we specialise is higher education, and what we’re seeing is that practically every student brings a device to their establishment to integrate in the teaching and learning
environment. They use them for assignments and collaboration as well as for personal use.” It’s important to make the point that, while many of the challenges in
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FEATURE: BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE
‘BYOD potentially creates a two-tier education system in which the less well-off are disadvantaged’ Kirsty Prigmore, Tech Data
embracing BYOD are shared, there are also important differences in those faced by primary/secondary schools on the one hand, and colleges/universities on the other. However, there can be little doubt that technical, administrative and educational challenges are shared – and those are exacerbated, especially in schools, by the fact that BYOD is potentially both divisive and discriminatory.
TWO-TIER EDUCATION SYSTEM? “BYOD is certainly becoming more popular in secondary schools as well as further and higher education. It offers a number of advantages for students, parents and education institutions,” says Kirsty Prigmore, public sector marketing manager at Tech Data. “A lot of teachers and parents are still apprehensive about BYOD, though, with many worried it will cause segregation in the classroom. Better-off families may be able to equip their children with expensive and powerful devices. Others won’t be able to afford the same kind of technology. It potentially creates a two-tier education system in which the less well-off are disadvantaged.” Various schemes have been introduced to address this. One
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example is the Learn Anywhere scheme from finance company Syscap that helps schools and parents fund the purchase of mobile devices via 24 or 36 monthly payments by parents. Such schemes can also be beneficial to the schools themselves, where budgets are often highly constrained. Despite those constraints, a subtle but important change in approach is occurring that weighs initial investment against ongoing cost and, potentially, quality of teaching and learning. It also addresses perhaps the single issue most often mentioned in relation to BYOD; that of security. We’re seeing the rise – reflected in the corporate world – of CYOD: choose your own device. “CYOD allows users to choose their own device and/or which environment they want to use from a standard set of predetermined options,” explains Peter Hubbard, managing director, UK & Ireland of Tech Data Mobile, a distributor of mobility devices. “The devices will usually be owned and offered by the organisation; students get a really smart mobile product, so they’re engaged and can work more efficiently, while the school or college benefits by knowing that the device is properly locked down and as safe as it can be from potential threats.”
The Acer C-740, which is specifically designed for education, is a Chromebook featuring an 11.6in display
“With CYOD, the organisation can balance its own needs against the desires of students,” he continues. “The IT department can ensure that only devices that can be connected to the network and used securely are used, and that the devices have the appropriate functionality to enable maximum productivity. They will, of course, also want to provide devices users will find intuitive and which they will want to use every day. CYOD gives the organisation much more control, security and peace of mind and also provides users with the flexibility and easy access they need and expect.” John Bird, head of systems and support services at technology distributor Exertis, which provides a complete educational solution from a broad range of mobile devices through to unified communications, networking, security, firewall protection and so on, explains: “CYOD – or COPE, as we call it – enables schools and colleges to support the given specifications of products, manage applications and, importantly, ensure staff are familiar with the use and operation of these devices. You need to consider that some staff may be less tech savvy, and as such may not be best suited to managing hardware and applications on multiple third-party
devices provided by the student; this could be a significant contributor to lesson disruption.”
NO ‘ONE SIZE FITS ALL’ “Our advice is to make sure the organisation weighs up the pros and cons of taking on a BYOD strategy rather than implementing a strategy that allows the learning centre to provide their own devices,” adds Bird. “That’s because, with BYOD, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution. A school or academy needs to consider whether they want to move to a BYOD policy to offer a better learning experience, or to reduce costs of having to provide and maintain their own products. It is questions like that that mean you need to think long and hard about why BYOD is perceived to be the best solution, as it may not be; it may be easier to provide one device you can specialise on in order to provide a better student and learning experience.” Stuart Davies, business development manager – higher education at integrator Saville Audio Visual (who was vice chair of SCHOMS, the Standing Conference for Heads of Media Services, a body of AV managers working within UK higher education) sees similar advantages. April 2015
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FEATURE: BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE While tablets may be front and centre of the BYOD phenomenon, alternatives include laptops, netbooks and mobile phones
Matt Beresford, Google business development manager at IT distributor Tech Data
Graham Long, vice president of the Enterprise Business Team at Samsung UK
“Yes, this route can be advantageous from the point of view that devices can be pre-configured per student so that they work ‘straight out of the box’, meaning that adoption by the user is increased from the outset,” he believes. “Pre-configuring also means that most network security concerns can be dealt with.” “If more manufacturers and HE establishments are willing to invest, then we will see the shift to CYOD increase,” says Reflex’s Depala. “This in turn will bring another set of challenges and rewards to students, lecturers and guests within the education market.” He also notes a recent shift that’s seen higher education organisations providing tablets as an incentive to students to gain a competitive advantage. Graham Long adds: “Samsung has worked with a number of educational institutions – both schools and universities – to roll out a uniform technology programme that helps create an interactive, engaging and collaborative learning environment and help pupils develop a self-guided learning style.”
CONUNDRUM
Peter Hubbard, managing director, UK & Ireland of Tech Data Mobile 12
It’s an interesting conundrum. The BYOD/BYOT approach is lower in capital cost but presents a range of challenges in terms of implementation.
The implementation challenges of the CYOD/COPE approach appear to be fewer. Long’s reference to ‘uniform’ is perhaps telling but initial investment for the establishment is likely to be higher. But, the BYOD/CYOD debate aside – what advice do industry insiders have to offer? “Trial and test the various products available,” says Davies. “Engage with the academics to see if it’s exactly what they want. Provide training on the use and set-up of the devices; the last thing academics want is to feel embarrassed or frustrated in front of a class.” John Bird picks up the theme. “It’s vital to ensure staff are familiar with the use and operation of these devices,” he adds. “You need to consider that some staff may be less tech savvy.” “The audiovisual infrastructure should never be excluded or become a BYOD afterthought,” continues Bird. “This is because content from individual devices is often shared with a class or group via large format displays or touchscreen panels. Therefore, education institutions need to make security a priority, because BYOD devices can bring malware and viruses into the education environment. That’s why it’s important to work with a company experienced in the education market with a track record of helping schools and colleges with their BYOD strategy and deployment.”
Depala, too, notes the importance of managing security, access and control, and recommends, to some degree, the implementation of appropriate policies and procedures: “You can, for example, provide separate guest and student/ lecturer access to the wireless network or put controlled measures in place to only allow a select number of platforms on the network.” The Open University’s Innovating Pedagogy 2014 report said: “When students bring their own smartphones and tablet computers into the classroom, this action changes their relationship with the school and with their teachers.” That change in relationship is a potentially profound one, with implications far beyond the mechanics of successfully implementing a BYOD/CYOD strategy. It is, however, a change that is not only occurring – it is accelerating. For educators, and those who support them with technology, there are unquestionably exciting – and challenging – times ahead. www.exertis.com www.reflex.co.uk www.samsung.com/uk www.saville-av.com www.techdata.co.uk www.techdatamobile.co.uk
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FEATURE: TECHNOLOGY THE DIFFERENTIATOR Universities are exploring new ways of improving their technology offer
CREATING A USP IN HIGHER EDUCATION Steve Montgomery investigates how universities and colleges are using technology as a way of adding value and standing out to attract students, especially in light of the rise in tuition fees
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e live in highly competitive times. We compete against each other for attention, for jobs and success in life. Commercial organisations compete against each other for our business and to be noticed. Competitive encounters begin at school and develop though secondary and university education. Those encounters prepare us to enter the job market and continue our success through our later careers. It is no surprise, then, that educational establishments take advantage of the technological tools at their disposal to compete for students to generate the fees they need to operate, particularly at the university level where there is a wide choice of course and location. For their part, students will evaluate an educational establishment on a number of factors, not least the way that it deploys learning tools that will make teaching more effective and introduce them into the ways of business yet to come. 14
Universities and colleges must be seen to be encompassing the latest technologies. “Technology is a part of everyday life for everyone, and potential students increasingly expect the university to make use of mobile technology to support their learning,” points out Professor Neil Morris, director of digital learning, University of Leeds. “Therefore, it is very important that universities make full use of education technology, wherever pedagogically appropriate, to support flexible and effective learning both within the curriculum and for the broader student experience. “There is a wide range of evidence in the literature that educational technology, when embedded effectively in the curriculum and used appropriately to support students, can enhance students’ learning, engagement and motivation. The most significant gains are realised when educational technology is used consistently within all student learning
activities, so they can adapt their study habits in the knowledge that the technology will be available.” One of the most common applications of technology in higher education is lecture capture, which Morris says can be used in a number of ways to support student learning, including the opportunity to revisit, review and revise material. Students commonly perceive the availability of recorded lectures to enhance the quality of the educational experience. This naturally runs the risk of emptying the lecture theatre as students rely on the freely available notes. However, in practice it does not occur on a widespread scale – students appreciate that they are there to learn and will take full advantage of the resources. Chris Thomas, a computer science student at the University of Newcastle, admits to missing some lectures: “I relied solely on the online resource for whole modules that I thought were being delivered poorly. The
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FEATURE: TECHNOLOGY THE DIFFERENTIATOR
Technology enables universities and colleges to attract the brightest and best students
modules taught with some degree of interactivity were the ones I would come to in person and therefore perform well in. One lecturer had a novel way of dealing with potential absentees: he simply omitted key parts of the slides on the recorded version which meant we needed to attend on the day to fill in the gaps.” A fellow student, Daniel Doyle
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explains his experiences: “My routine with lecture capture consisted of keeping a note of the parts of the lecture I’d thought were interesting or required special attention, and I’d go through the lecture recordings each day and add notes to the relevant sections of the recording. That way I’d have easy access to the specific place in the recording at a future date if I needed to look up a specific point. At the weekend, when I reviewed my notes, I’d go back to the highlighted sections and watch again until I was satisfied. The ability to jump about in a recording is great. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t wished to rewind a lecturer on at least one occasion.” Lecture capture technology, combined with online delivery, has led to the successful use of ‘lecture flipping’ to radically enhance efficiency in the learning process. Lecturers record a presentation available and require students to view it prior to attending. The face-to-face session then becomes a much more productive means of discussing and learning a topic. “Students these days want to spend time with the top academics – the
ones who can help them learn and develop – and they want more than to simply sit in front of the lecturer and take notes. This is particularly relevant in universities seeking to attract topgrade overseas students,” says Carsten Sorensen, reader in digital innovation at the London School of Economics. “Online notes and video recordings are not a luxury but an expectation as far as they are concerned. It maximises face-to-face time and allows a debate to develop around a subject with much more interaction. We have used the flipping lecture technique for three years with great success.”
SOFACASTING One of the issues encountered with committing material to video is that it very quickly becomes out of date, so its use does need careful consideration and frequent updates. Nevertheless, it allows what Al Holloway, learning technologist at the University of Northampton, terms ‘sofacasting’: “It goes beyond lecture or classroom recording. In essence, lecturers have the flexibility to record content from home, using whatever device is
convenient – be it a laptop, an iPhone or an iPad. This was the case with one of our lecturers from the School of Education who couldn’t deliver one of his taught sessions live, so he recorded his lecture at home. As mobile delivery becomes more ubiquitous, I’d expect an increase in this kind of approach which helps lecturers and students connect whatever their location.” Beyond the delivery of lectures, Holloway points out: “It is fascinating to see how video is being used in ever more inventive ways to transform teaching and learning and offer students a more engaging educational experience; from offering students video feedback on their assignments to using live broadcast to connect with distance learning students. The use of student-generated content is emerging. For example, the School of Health films students so that their practical skills can be assessed. It is crucial for them to be able to show that they can perform certain procedures, as opposed to merely writing about them. From a teacher’s point of view, the recordings are incredibly useful in the moderation process, both internally and externally.” april 2015
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FEATURE: TECHNOLOGY THE DIFFERENTIATOR Using systems like Panopto, staff can record multiple video sources
Many universities are creating informal collaborative working areas, based around tables that seat a few students and with a large format display with wireless connectivity to link to tablet devices. At the University of Derby’s Department for Learning Enhancement and Innovation, Simon Birkett, technology-enhanced learning manager, spearheads the new learning spaces initiative: “Individual pods comprise a large touchscreen display that gives all members of a group intuitive touch control of content as they would a tablet device. This is combined with collaborative software. Students are of the ‘digital age’ so need very little instruction in using this technology. Higher education is hugely competitive; it is imperative that we demonstrate to prospective students that we understand their needs and can provide the facilities which are conducive to the ways in which they want to learn.”
KEY SKILLS DEVELOPMENT Birkett points to another factor that is important in the process: “Using these techniques enables students to develop key skills such as teamwork, creativity and a professional digital presence – for a future workforce who will be expected to work and collaborate remotely through the use of technology. A key element is boosting their employability by enabling them with the skills they 16
need after they graduate.” Whilst technology can greatly advance the learning process, the latest and greatest devices and software may not necessarily provide the best results, and in the worst cases lead to a negative result. They should be chosen with care. “Depending on the tool and technology and degree of functionality required, integration with other IT systems can be very challenging. However, it is always worth integrating new and existing data systems to increase the seamlessness of the solution, thus increasing functionality and ease of use for the end user,” points out Morris. “Increasingly, suppliers are providing tools within software to allow systems to speak to one another. It is incredibly important to consider the needs of the end-user when designing new educational technologies. Academic staff will only adopt new tools that are easy to use and have a proven benefit on student learning.” Sorensen agrees: “We do not need more distraction and stand to lose the battle for attention. Technology and especially video should engage and involve students, recapturing their attention. One of the most powerful learning techniques is to interact at different levels with students, and this is where personal devices and other tools are valuable. We often run sessions of three hours or more, split into a series of sub-sessions – a lecture
followed by a video, then a student activity and plenary group discussions. Throughout the course of the day, different tools will be used including their personal devices so that the can collaborate.” To that effect, the most powerful tools are the ones the students choose themselves, which in many cases are the same as the social media applications they are already familiar with. Students will naturally gravitate to common tools and set up Google Docs, Dropbox accounts, WhatsApp threads and Facebook pages to facilitate communication, without feeling the need for the newest tools. In many cases these tools are not of the ‘industrialstrength’ required for commercial environments, but as Sorensen states: “They aren’t so secure, but who cares?” One of the most effective collaboration methods is the use of blogs, which allow students to post comments and ask questions of each other and teaching staff, without needing to load and learn new techniques. As a result, Sorensen believes that commercial collaboration tools will not become mainstream teaching applications for five to 10 years. Research is an important aspect in attracting funding and grants for universities, as well as enhancing the prestige and attractiveness of a university to students. Technology has a major part to play in keeping establishments at the forefront of
science and learning. Dr Jon Blower won funding for a videowall installation at University of Reading for scientific data visualisation and exploration from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). “The videowall is used regularly for scientific meetings and I am keen to ensure that it is as easy to use as possible, avoiding some of the complexities with which videowalls are sometimes associated,” says Dr Blower. “It is positioned in a meeting room, rather than an auditorium, and designed for collaborative research as well as presentation. The videowall has certainly enhanced the profile of the university, giving external stakeholders a view of the innovation that goes on here.” The use of technology in education is crucial to the competitiveness and success of major universities and colleges, as it enables them to attract the brightest and best students and maintain their position in the university hierarchy. Students are in a powerful position to exercise choice and universities are cognisant of that fact, seeking to develop attractive propositions to compete and gain tuition fees in an ever-more expensive environment.
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FEATURE: FLIPPED LEARNING
PAUSE, REWIND AND PLAY
Technology’s maturation has reached the point that it is influencing teaching methods and techniques. The most dramatic example of this is the flipped classroom model, which turns the learning process on its head. Chris Waterworth champions this modern teaching phenomenon
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ave you watched a YouTube video to learn a new skill and then fixed your car, sketched a portrait or baked a cake? How many times did you pause and rewind different parts of the clip? The biggest advantage of flipped learning is that you can pause and rewind and play your teacher. Flipped learning enables students to complete the knowledge and understanding aspects of a learning journey outside class time. They are then ready to apply, analyse and evaluate the concepts inside the classroom. The traditional method of ‘chalk and talk’ and the perception of the teacher as a font of all knowledge are removed completely. The teacher’s role is to engage the children in higherorder thinking.
FLIPPING BLOOM’S TAXONOMY At the moment, in schools, colleges and universities around the world, many students are subjected to a 18
stand-and-deliver model of teaching. Why shouldn’t they gain knowledge and comprehension via websites, blogs, online encyclopaedias and videos, specifically created for them by their own teachers? This model of learning encourages students to bring their knowledge and understanding to school, allowing teachers to spend more time working alongside them whilst they apply, analyse, synthesise and evaluate. Developing the ability to use higherorder thinking supports students to become more reflective learners. Aaron Sams and John Bergman, flipped learning advocates, said at Bett 2014: “If there is a YouTube video explaining what you’re about to say to your class, then you should be out of a job...” Teachers shouldn’t spend time delivering content that is readily available somewhere on the internet. Give children the link, send them away to absorb it, try it and question the information.
“Flipped learning has taken my classroom to higher levels of engagement, comprehension and collaboration than I could have ever imagined,” says Josh Korb, maths teacher at Eastern York High School, Pennsylvania. “I have been flipping my high school maths classes for about three years now and my students and I saw the immediate benefits of the flipped classroom. “They were able to pause and rewind my instruction, utilise their time in class more efficiently, and expand their understanding of the concepts they had learned the night before. “My students found that the one-on-one time in class that I was able to provide them with was tremendously more beneficial than struggling on their own at home. The even more exciting benefit we found in flipping our class was the ability to enter Bloom’s Taxonomy at any level and really stretch our knowledge bounds.”
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FEATURE: FLIPPED LEARNING LEARNING IS A SOCIAL EXPERIENCE Standing in a classroom and telling children information is not always wrong. There remains a time and a place for this style of teaching – after all, many students have become successful learners in this way over many years. However, there will always be students who do not understand and need a personal, human intervention to dispel their misconceptions. Relationships are key to a successful learning experience, especially when flipping your classroom. Children and adults need to know that you care and that you are there to listen, understand and help them with their next challenge. “My students are confident they have a number of options to ask questions in response to a flipped learning resource,” explains Jules Shaw, media teacher and iPad lead at Astley Sports College, Tameside. “They can email me directly using school accounts, tweet or arrive in class with queries written down to hand in or drop into a box at the start of a lesson. Having this variety allows students support directly from the teacher whilst allowing some anonymity from classmates. “All students know it’s acceptable to ask questions relating to a flipped learning resource as firstly, it proves they’ve done their homework but secondly, they know it’s how to make the most effective progress. Student questions can be incorporated into the lesson in different ways – either directly as starter tasks or through activities in a sequence of lessons then assessed using self/peer assessment activities.”
Learning is at its most powerful when it is a social experience, involving children and adults engaging in a shared dialogue to solve problems and build understanding. The early years foundation stage excels in using this model to build, fail, question, improve and engage in a purposeful learning dialogue. Can we take this model and put it into our flipped classroom? The first version of the internet (Web 1.0) held information online – that’s it, nothing else. The internet in its current form (Web 2.0) is based around how information is shared between us – enter social media in education. Children can collaborate and peerassess throughout the curriculum, but should be encouraged to do it online
WHERE DO I START? Start small Don’t expect students to buy into this way of working straightaway Model the whole process in class first to make sure the children understand it Explain the new way of working and what the benefits for the children will be Teach students the best method for watching a video Watch again, modelling how to make notes when the video is paused Model how to write down any questions or misconceptions they may have Plan with them how to use the information Publish something as a class, giving them free rein over format Email a video home for the next unit of work
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as well. Collaborate when writing computer code, share websites on a particular topic, and when they’ve published, seek online peer assessment via Edmodo, class blogs or email when they are away from school.
A LEARNING CULTURE In a non-flipped scenario, homework is often used to reinforce a piece of learning from the previous week or to satisfy the expectations of parents. When first introduced to the concept of flipped learning people often say: ‘Yeah, it’s just homework, isn’t it? Nothing new’. Well, they’re partly right but also partly wrong. Students need to put the effort in outside the classroom, but this effort is linked to future learning, not past. Homework is a large part of the flipped classroom and students need to have completed the ‘pre-learning’ before coming to the next session. It can be a challenge to get students (and some parents) to commit to this initially. The key is to show that completing the knowledge and understanding element at home is worthwhile so that they don’t need to spend time in class doing it while others are applying and evaluating projects. Students quickly see that the application element is much more interesting and, by completing the pre-learning, they can spend more time engaged in the exciting parts of the projects.
ENGAGING PARTICIPANTS Students need to buy into this way of working and believe they will be better and more efficient learners because of it. Flipped learning will not happen overnight; students and parents may be sceptical at first, particularly if they have been educated in a very traditional way. Getting students watching videos will give them more time to think about different concepts and write down any questions they have. This enables teachers to unpick any misconceptions quickly in the classroom – the children know and understand exactly what april 2015
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FEATURE: FLIPPED LEARNING ///////////////////////////////// their next steps are. Keep the videos short to start with and make sure the application of the knowledge back in the classroom is exciting. Pose a problem or question, rather than setting a learning objective (learning objectives can spoil the surprise of the outcome) and give students free rein to present their findings in a format of their choice. Email the video links to parents so that they can watch them as well. Doing this can also enable parents to update their own skills to help their children. One of the biggest advantages of making the videos accessible to parents online is to help them understand the teaching methods being used today, many of which may be different from the parents’ own experience at school. It creates a level playing field for the child, the parent and the class teacher. For primary teachers, flipping one area of the curriculum to begin with is sensible. Start with something like mathematics or science and then begin to flip other areas of the curriculum throughout the remainder of the school year. For secondary teachers, try flipping your next unit of work for one class. For all teachers, don’t expect too much too soon. It takes time to embed a flipped learning culture where children can take some control and parents are on board and supportive. “This year has been the first that I have used the flipped learning approach with a view to improving the curriculum in my BTEC Level 3 Sport and Exercise Science Research Project unit”, says Dan
TOP 10 FLIPPED TOOLS 1. Screencasting applications: such as Explain Everything or Vittle. Easily create ‘on the go’ videos and upload them to the web to share with students 2. Video sharing: using YouTube or Vimeo is essential for sharing content. Find a platform that all your students can access on multiple devices 3. Video camera/tripod: a quality video camera is essential if modelling something on a whiteboard. Just because you can read it in the classroom, doesn’t always mean you can on video 4. Video editing: iMovie or other video editing applications are essential to producing quality videos for your students 5. Pen drives and DVDs: if students can’t get online at home, give them a DVD or pen drive with the content on 6. Social media: sign up for Edmodo or Showbie to allow students to share content and get feedback. Posting the videos directly in one place cuts down the workload for you and your students 7. Email: get a school email address that parents and students can use to contact you with any questions they may have about the flipped learning 8. Tablets/laptops: having these available in the classroom for on the go video access, research and publishing is essential. Independent access to content is crucial to breeding the ethos of a flipped classroom 9. EduCanon: having the ability to embed questions into your flipped videos and receive feedback from them is a great way to make sure your students are watching the content before the session 10. MOOCs: using online MOOCs is a good way for students to drive their own learning without the input of a teacher in the classroom
Connolly, teacher at Barnsley College. “Its implementation has reflected a culture change – one whereby students regularly undertake tasks and activities, such as watching instructional videos, prior to class that prepare them for learning within the classroom.” Thornden School’s Sadie McLachlan adds: “As a languages teacher, I initially thought that the flipped classroom was yet another fad in the world of education that simply wouldn’t fit my subject area. Frustrations with the
dependency of my pupils on me as the teacher encouraged me to give it a go and, with a colleague, we set about initially flipping our Year 8 Spanish scheme of work. “The feedback from the pupils was overwhelmingly positive. They enjoyed this new style of homework and loved coming in to class to show off what they had learned. I would encourage any teacher to have a go at flipping their class, no matter what their subject area. Start small, perhaps with a piece of
reading, or a video already on YouTube, and see for yourself the effect this has on pupils’ resilience, confidence and progress.” Josh Korb concludes: “Flipped learning has opened up our classroom to new and innovative ideas and engaging possibilities. I am no longer just feeding information to them, but actually creating, analysing, developing and discovering mathematics at an entirely new level of application and understanding.”
THE FLIPPED MODEL
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11/11/2014 15:08
SHOW REVIEW: EICE 2015
EDUCATION INNOVATION CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION Michael Nicholson reports from the Manchester event that doesn’t like to be compared with you-know-what
T
he third Education Innovation Conference and Exhibition was held at Manchester Central on 26 and 27 February. Aimed at a cross-curriculum audience, the event attracted a broad spread of companies and organisations, and offered an interesting and varied conference programme. Coming in the month after Bett, it’s easy to compare the two, but that doesn’t do either event justice, explained EICE event manager Alex Dilleigh, speaking at EICE 2015: “Everyone calls it Bett of the north. I don’t think that’s fair on either Bett or us. The profile of exhibitors is very similar, but all the events we run as part of Hamerville Media Group are designed to be more intimate. We’re all about the quality of the people who walk through the door.” Since the show started in 2013, it has changed considerably from year to year. As it has aged, it has broadened, said Dilleigh: “The background of the show is very much targeted towards ICT and networks within schools. We found that, actually, that was quite a narrow approach to a show that has education in its name. So, over time, it’s expanded to be a cross-curriculum event.
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“Ultimately, everything in that hall is designed to offer solutions that can better a school’s performance and that comes in a variety of methods. It can be a teaching method, it can be a piece of software or it can be an app on an iPhone – it’s extremely varied. It is broader than technology alone, but when you say ‘innovation’, naturally that lends itself to technology.” The packed conference programme was very much part of the show floor. This, explained Dilleigh, is fundamental to the event’s ethos: “The conference programme is what gets people to come in to the show. It’s like the editorial of a magazine. Ever year we analyse what’s popular and what’s not popular, and we’ll change that for the following year. Every year is a trial, to some degree, and you can only truly work it out once the visitors are here because they’re the ones who lead it. The conference programme is at the heart of the show. We also encourage exhibitors to do as much as they can on their stands to engage the visitors. So the hands-on trialling of the products is really important.”
Many of the exhibitors picked this up, including Microsoft, which was located in the Tablet Village. Craig Parker, schools manager for north of England, explained: “Really the focus has been around the educational output, there’s no sales. Everything we’re showing is free – free add-ons to Microsoft 365, what is already a free service. We’re demonstrating some of the ways technology can influence pedagogical change, rather than the use of technology for technology’s sake. So that’s really been the focus. “One of the big things, of course, is that just before the show we announced that Office is now free for the majority of schools in the country. Five copies for staff and five copies for students, to put on any device they want – on their home machine, on their iPad, their iMac or PC. All that’s now free. Microsoft wants people to get the best Microsoft experience on any device, using our productivity platform.” Toshiba’s education and college lead, Dan Perkin, said: “We set up the stand in a way that allows us to put the technology in context. We talk about
how you can actually use the technology, by getting an understanding of what schools want to achieve and questioning that before actually recommending any products. So if someone comes along and asks about a tablet, I talk about how they’re going to use it, how they’re going to help their teachers understand tablet technology and how they’re going to use it as a learning tool.” Toshiba showed the new Z20T detachable laptop, which Perkin explained gives teachers flexibility and freedom to roam around the classroom. The one negative overshadowing EICE 2015 was the low footfall. This has, in part at least, led to Hamerville postponing 2016’s event. A statement from the company says: “Having considered the show’s evolution thus far, and having listened to exhibitors and visitors alike, we have concluded that for the event to achieve the success we desire, for all involved, it will not be held in 2016. This will afford us the opportunity and time to formulate fully what content and event format will best serve the needs of the sector.” www.educationinnovation.co.uk
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SHOW PREVIEWS
FUTURE EDTECH 2015 F
uture EdTech 2015 will take place at London’s Millennium Gloucester Hotel on 2 and 3 June. Organisers state that the two-day conference and exhibition, which is aimed at enabling transformational change in higher education using technology, offers the ‘impact lacking from larger, less focused events’. The conference will feature more than 50 speakers and hopes to be the only event in Europe to bring together more than 250 thoughtleaders, innovators from institutional
administration, IT, plus academics and pedagogy experts. They will address the strategic and tactical value of technology in changing higher education operating models. Speakers currently confirmed include: Dr Jeremy Pritchard, head of education, bio sciences school at University of Birmingham; Professor Yike Guo of Imperial College London; Professor Jeff Haywood, CIO at University of Edinburgh; and Clifton Kandler, head of web services at University of Greenwich.
On Tuesday 2 June, topics up for discussion include e-learning, which will be covered in a Drill Down Round Table Session starting at 11:45. A series of workshops will focus in on student success and experience, and supporting teaching innovation with technology. Another highlight from day one’s programme is a discussion about the internet of everything, everything mobile and BYOD, which is at 15:40. The following day will begin with a breakfast briefing at 08:30 where attendees will be able to debate how
to gain the most ROI, both for student support and as a deployment within the VLE. This will be followed by a keynote session on ‘Driving change in teaching and learning’, which will look beyond the hype of MOOCs and ask what’s really keeping students engaged and improving outcomes. Registration for Future EdTEch 2015 is free for universities and higher education institutions. Suppliers and consultants should contact the organisers for details. www.futureedtech.com
THE DIGITAL EDUCATION SHOW 2015 H
eld at London Olympia on 30 June and 1 July, The Digital Education Show will explore the various areas of digital education in schools, through strategic keynote plenary sessions, interactive workshops and dedicated networking events. The show aims to give visitors the opportunity to tailor their participation and experience to their needs. Visitors will hear from world-renowned
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educational experts like Sir Ken Robinson, Professor Sugata Mitra and Ewan McIntosh, and will join around 750 other educators who are expected to attend. The packed agenda of speakers will run alongside an exhibition, which will welcome more than 40 exhibitors. Various attendance packages are available, starting at £50 for access to the exhibition only. www.terrapinn.com
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SOLUTIONS: PHEASEY PARK FARM PRIMARY
TESTING THE THEORY Technology’s true impact on learning is a much-debated subject in education. Presented with a ‘requires improvement’ challenge, Pheasey Park Farm Primary School became the subject of a real-life study
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he use of technology in the classroom environment is regarded by many people as having significant benefits for students and teachers alike. Depending on the types of technology and devices used, school budgets, teacher training and what the technology is being used for, one of the aims can be enhancing collaboration that can support individual learning. But just what are the benefits of having and using digital technology in the learning environment? With this in mind, Professor Don Passey, of the Centre of Technology Enhanced Learning at Lancaster University, supported by David Whyley, a learning technologies consultant with a 35-year track record in education, conducted a year-long study that explored the role that digital technology played in improving the performance of a single school – Pheasey Park Farm Primary.
dominated by the teacher, especially in Years 1, 3 and 4. When a new head teacher was appointed in January 2013, it was found that information and communication technologies (ICT) were not being used to any great degree within the classroom environment to support teaching or learning. It was found that the school’s ICT room was being used as a storage room and that its existing interactive whiteboards were being used as traditional chalkboards or not at all. As a result, developing a strategy that would see ICT being integrated into the classroom became a priority in the school’s improvement plan. The study began in 2014, when students were able to access facilities they had not previously used. This included the use of a SMART collaborative classroom for Year 4 and other digital technologies for the other age groups.
THE CHALLENGE
A NEW CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
Pheasey Park Farm Primary School in the West Midlands was placed into the ‘Requires Improvement’ category following an Ofsted inspection in October 2012. The category indicates that the school was underperforming and it was given the chance to improve. The Ofsted report found that the teaching quality of the school varied too much and was considered outdated. In addition, it was found that achievement in the subjects of English and mathematics was not high enough and that overall, lessons were
With the deployment of SMART technologies in the classrooms, the study focused on how the digital technology was being used, how technology training and professional development were integrated into a whole school change management plan, and on associated training and professional development in the whole school setting. The research looked at the way in which SMART technologies were integrated with other technologies to involve, motivate and engage the major stakeholders in the
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ICT has now become so embedded that if it was removed, it would negatively affect both teaching and learning
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SOLUTIONS: PHEASEY PARK FARM PRIMARY management activities of the school, including teachers and staff, Research conducted students, parents by Professor Don and governors. Passey, University of Lancaster. All contents After a full technology remain the property audit, SMART boards of Prof D. Passey and (interactive whiteboards) Steljes Ltd. © 2015 were deployed in each classroom, a collaborative classroom was created and several SMART tables were provided for the school and adjacent children’s centre. The SMART tables feature a multi-touch surface that encourages small group collaboration. In addition, cameras and a visualiser were given to teaching staff. In March 2014, research evidence Don Passey, professor of technology was gathered through the use of enhanced learning at Lancaster University questionnaires and interviews, and this exciting; and collaboration improving continued throughout the calendar year. Halfway through the study, further understanding. Lesson content and Students, teachers and parents were evidence was gathered through surveys delivery were seen to be improved all surveyed. with key school staff and parents. At the across the school as a whole. Evidence was gathered at the end of the study, key staff, support staff, Other results included: enrichment of beginning of the study which included parents and students were surveyed teaching and learning in specific ways the creation of a form of baseline once again. in specific classrooms; mathematics for analysis. This was done through Additional information was also results improving most in the questionnaires and interviews with gathered – documentary evidence – in collaborative classroom environment; students, parents and key school staff terms of the attainment of outcomes pupils gaining confidence, especially to identify what technologies were and changes in attendance throughout those who were less able in some available and used prior to 2013 when the period. subject areas; pupils gaining greater the new head teacher took up her post. ownership of their learning; attendance In addition, interviews and surveys ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT were conducted with support personnel improving so it was above the national One of the clearest outcomes of looking at the digital technologies, average; pupils being seen to help each the study and inclusion of digital what training had been provided and other more, and to share responsibility; technologies in the classroom was future plans for use. Students, parents success celebrated more; lessons academic improvement – especially and governors were questioned on being conducted at a faster pace; and in writing and mathematics. Looking their perceptions of ICT use, both boys’ attainment in mathematics being at these subjects, the percentage of past and present. overtaken by that of girls. students achieving Level 4 and above The head teacher even went as far improved dramatically. From 2012 as saying that ICT has now become so to 2014, there was a 5% increase in Integrating ICT into the embedded that if it was removed, it reading, a 21% increase in writing and classroom became a priority in the school’s improvement plan would negatively affect both teaching a 6% increase in mathematics. and learning. COLLABORATION AND Responses from students ENJOYMENT indicated that there was greater By late 2014, the school’s head teacher satisfaction and more enjoyment in identified some specific outcomes of the learning environment as a result the study. These included the better use of the introduction and use of digital of resources and improved knowledge technologies. Levels of enjoyment – of and skills when using them; improved being in the classroom, of the teaching staff confidence and motivation; and of learning itself – improved greatly, enhanced team work between staff, while reported levels of activities rose pupils and parents; practice from the and stayed high. Pupils indicated that collaborative classroom being shared they felt greater improvements in their with other groups across the school; progress, were now more involved, they lessons seen as more visual and more felt like they wanted to attend school
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SOLUTIONS: PHEASEY PARK FARM PRIMARY The study focused on how the digital technology was being used
more and wanted to do more at home as well. Students indicated that while the use of laptops and PCs remained the same, there was a slight increase in the use of interactive whiteboards and a significant jump in the use of mobile devices. Prior to the study, very few pupils reported using mobile devices such as iPads, whereas in 2014, this figure went up to 32%. Evidence shows that learner enjoyment has increased and been sustained since 2012. That enjoyment is related to changes in learner experiences, arising from different activities deployed within classrooms. It is clear that a variety of activities within lessons are now in place and that learners are experiencing stimulating rather than passive interactions. Professor Passey highlights: “The speed of change within this school has been really remarkable. There has been a dramatic and rapid shift, which clearly demonstrates that it is possible for schools to bring about significant improvements in a short space of time. Overall, this is one of the most positive outcomes of a study that I have ever seen, with very few negatives.”
CONCLUSION The integration of ICT into the classroom environment formed a major part of Pheasey Park Farm Primary School’s improvement 26
strategy. As a result, the school has been supported through external consultancy and internal digital leader posts. It has gained input from Steljes training, the suppliers of the SMART technologies and it has been provided with ICT facilities that have enabled the educational value of SMART products to be used within a flexible classroom environment and started to explore the deeper use of large screen interactive technologies. It has also begun to explore the educational benefits of the SMART tables. At the end of the study, the following points were identified: the value of the training product and input that was provided by external and internal agents; the types of teaching and learning that were being developed in all classrooms, including the collaborative classroom; the educational value of the technology products adopted and used in these ways; the continuing importance of large-screen interactive technologies deployed to support specific teaching approaches; and the educational benefits of collaborative tables. Technology does have a role to play in education – of that there is little doubt. As technology advances, so does its use within the learning environment. What this study demonstrates is that there are clear benefits to having collaborative technology in the classroom. In this case, the rate of absenteeism dropped and there
were tangible increases in academic achievement. However, it is not the technology alone that is responsible for the change within Pheasey Park Farm Primary School. It is the ways in which the technology was deployed, used and managed. In this study, improvement has been focused through collaboration,
supported by external and internal consultants and agents of change, with teacher interaction and collaboration, and with learner involvement with a variety of approaches to engage them in collaborative, as well as independent, learning activities. www.steljesnetworks.co.uk
One of the clearest outcomes was academic improvement
Evidence shows that learner enjoyment has increased and been sustained since 2012
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PRODUCT REVIEW
MATROX MONARCH HD Streaming and high-quality recording capability at an affordable price
KEY FEATURES Record master quality video while streaming Ready to edit and upload with MP4 and MOV Robust and practical design Stream and record HDMI signals Presets and profiles for simple configuration Remote command and control Integrate Monarch HD into your own application or environment Integrates with Crestron Installed in a rack
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atrox’s Monarch HD is designed for teachers and lecturers who want to stream live lessons and at the same time record a higher quality version, which can then be used as a reference for students. The first thing to note about the Monarch HD is its compact size. It’s roughly the size of a CD case, only twice as thick. Its front and back are busy with various inputs and outputs, including two USB ports, an SD card slot, a LAN port, HDMI in and HDMI out, plus audio in and out. There are also two buttons – one to activate streaming and one to start the recording function. By separating the task of recording from streaming in a single integrated unit, the Monarch HD ensures that the video provided to your content delivery networks is optimally formatted for streaming to your audience while you independently control the quality of the recorded version. The thinking here is: if an event is worth streaming, it is worth recording at the highest possible quality. The better the recording quality, the more flexibility you have to repurpose the content into a variety of post-event assets. If you’re in the market for a
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streaming/recording device like the Monarch HD, the chances are you already have access to image and audio capture equipment, as well as an outsource for live and/or captured content. The next thing users need to do, is check that the Monarch HD can access your network – once you have, you’re ready to go. The Matrox Monarch HD generates an H.264-encoded stream compliant with RTSP or RTMP protocols. While encoding the video at bitrates suitable for live streaming, the unit simultaneously records a high-quality MP4 or MOV file to an SD card, a USB drive, or a network-mapped drive. It is remotely configured and controlled using any computer or mobile device with a web browser. Once configured, it can be controlled from pushbuttons directly on the unit. There are a number of ways of utilising the Monarch HD’s capabilities.
Users can stream to a network computer. This set-up would typically be used to send a live stream to a web audience while simultaneously recording a high-quality version directly to a PC or Mac on the same LAN as the Monarch HD. The PC, logged into the Monarch HD Command Center web page via a web browser, can be used to start and stop the recording and streaming operations at the beginning and end of the event. Alternatively, users can record to a USB drive, loop-out for local monitoring and stream to a mobile device to preview. Because the unit doesn’t have an inbuilt hard drive, the extent of the recording is determined by the external device’s memory. Users can stream only, stream and record, or record only. When in stream-only mode, Monarch
HD can stream video at 20Mbps at any resolution. There are lots of other features and attributes to discuss, but not enough space on this page. At £699 plus VAT, the Monarch HD will prove to be excellent value for schools, colleges and universities that are looking for a streaming and high-quality recording device. As lecture capture and flipped learning grow in prominence, the demand and relevance of the facilitating technology, such as this, is bound to grow. As these approaches to learning move from ‘what can we do?’ to ‘how well can we do it?’, devices like the Monarch HD will understandably grow in popularity. www.matrox.com
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PRODUCT REVIEW
BARCO CLICKSHARE KEY FEATURES No installation necessary Windows, Mac, Android and iOS friendly
An easy to use presentation and collaboration tool from a big name in visualisation
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nyone familiar with Barco will know that it is a huge name in visual displays, projection and videowalls: the company has been behind some of the most extravagant entertainment spectacles of recent times. So when one of its products appeared on the education technology radar, there was a degree of surprise and a smattering of intrigue. Could the AV giant replicate its success in a very different market? As you might expect, ClickShare – Barco’s collaboration technology – is slick in design and clever in purpose. It is a presentation tool, which allows users to share their screens with the touch of a button, regardless of their chosen device. Let’s say you’re in a tutorial and one group of students is working on a PC laptop, another on a MacBook and a third group on a tablet or even a smartphone, ClickShare will break down the barriers of sharing screens. And, crucially, it will happen quickly – without the need to swap over cables. There are currently two versions of ClickShare. There’s the high end, executive level CSC-1, which offers 28
Frame rate of up to 30fps Full HD 1920 x 1080 output Up to eight participants
functionality and a price point that are firmly aimed at business environments. The second, and the one under review, is the CSM-1. The CSM-1 comes with two USBpowered ClickShare buttons and a base unit. The base unit has a fixed connection to the classroom’s display or projector – connected via the HDMI or 15-pin VGA port at the back of the unit. The ClickShare button connects to a user’s laptop via its USB port. Other connections include a second USB port on the front, an RJ-45 LAN port and audio line out mini jack socket (3.5mm). To activate the button and connect to the base unit, the user follows the same method they would to access a USB memory stick, double clicking the ClickShare application. When the user is connected, a notification will appear on the laptop screen and the button will stop flashing. The user will stay connected to the base unit until the button is disconnected from the laptop. During the trial, we connected a laptop running Windows 7, an OS X 10.9 MacBook and an iPhone on IOS 8. iOS and Android
smartphones and tablets can connect to ClickShare and share content using the free app. Users show their personal screen on the main display by simply clicking their button – either the physical USB button or the one built in to the app. The latest button to be pressed overrides the previous displayed device. Up to eight devices can be connected at any one time, up to a distance of 30m. The system is very easy to set up and use. It takes less than five minutes to unpack the box, plug in the base and connect it to the display and connect the devices that will be active during the session. Other than some very minor connection issues – such as being bumped off temporarily when a
new device joined – there aren’t many negatives to talk about. A very short lag between the device and main display may irk some users, but in the context of the clumsy methods most of us are used to when connecting multiple devices to the same screen, it’s barely worth mentioning. The challenge, as it often is with really good technology, is cost. The scaled down CSC-1, in RRP terms, is over £3,000 cheaper than the CSC-1. But it is still north of £1,600 for a base and two USB buttons. Extra buttons can be added for around £295 (inc. VAT). www.barco.com
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PRODUCT REVIEW
IBOARDTOUCH KEY FEATURES Simplified collaboration Full two-way communication Stream content to all devices in the room Distribute tests and quizzes Share participant notes
Tablets, screen and software designed for collaboration in the classroom
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hen the opportunity to sit in on an iBoardTouch product demo at Bett Show 2015 arose, it proved too tempting to turn down. Channel accounts manager Bruce Brassington took a willing audience through a lively demonstration, which actually involved three different elements – the DigiTab tablet, the 80in iBoardTouch screen with Pro Pack and DigiClass software. Since this is all about collaboration, it seems right to proceed in exactly that context. First up, DigiTab. There are two options – a 9.7in Android tablet for
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students and a larger 13.3in Windows teacher tablet, both of which have powerful Intel Core Quad chips and 10-point touch. These can be bought individually or in classroom packs, which include 30 DigiTabs for students, each with a leather pouch, Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, a 30-user DigiClass licence and one DigiTab teacher tab. The iBoardTouch screen comes in various sizes, from 42in to 80in. Each one offers six-point multi-touch and anti-glare. With Pro Pack, the screen comes with an integrated PC module that can be quickly and easily installed in the iBoardTouch, eliminating tangled cables and benefitting users with easy maintenance and low power consumption. It was pointed out that its lifespan when running for eight hours a day, five days a week, for 52 weeks per year, is something like 29 years. The cost
Built-in visualiser software
of running it is around £80 per annum, compared to a typical interactive whiteboard cost of approximately £440 per annum. Finally, DigiClass software, which ties everything together and injects the collaboration. It enables up to 40 mobile devices to connect with the touch screen wirelessly. That’s any mobile device, not just DigiTabs. Any content displayed on the Touch screen will also appear on the connected tablets, including web pages, PowerPoint, Word or Excel documents, video and all annotations made using the whiteboarding tools. The two-way wireless connection means that all the content and annotations on the main board display on the student devices’ screen, plus control can be handed to a student so that their tablet display is shown on the big screen along with any annotations made. This provides real-time interactive collaboration in the classroom that is easy to set up and use. The teacher creates a ‘class’ in DigiClass, which the students select and join using the password provided to create the wireless connection. Teachers can set multiple choice quizzes for students using the DigiVote feature, which is built into DigiClass, to measure levels of understanding at the
start and end of a class, to stimulate debate and encourage less vocal students to participate. The results can be displayed for the class to see or kept private and the teacher can view individual answers to questions by each student. Because DigiVote is built into DigiClass, there’s no need to have a separate learner response system or source and download any apps or software to each tablet. During this particular demo, there were a couple of glitches – such as the program freezing. Brassington pointed out afterwards that the software in question was an early version and that updates arrive as and when they are necessary. He went on to highlight that because iBoardTouch has control of the hardware and software, any issues can be ironed out without having to wait for an external supplier to react. The DigiClass pack, described earlier, costs £7,790 (RRP). To complete the set-up described, users would need to add the screen but even without it, there are a great deal of collaborative possibilities. This is a system that is customdesigned for education, which merits proper consideration when it comes to choosing collaborative learning devices for the classroom. www.iboardtouch.co.uk April 2015
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TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE: PROJECTORS
THE BIG PICTURE Visual technology that is helping to shape the UK’s classrooms
BENQ TH681+ Featuring a full HD native resolution, a brightness of 3,200 ANSI lumens and a high contrast ratio of 12,000:1, the TH681+ offers a full-screen presentation with strong detail, regardless of the ambient light level. It supports multiple video formats including 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p – giving users the flexibility to present in the latest video formats, with full HD quality. The Triple Flash technology integrated in the Texas Instruments DLP chip improves 3D viewing. To smoothen the projection, the frame rate is tripled from 48Hz to 144Hz, which gives a better sensation of 3D perception. BenQ TH681+ has been built using the latest DLP technology to support 3D functionality, allowing schools to bring an immersive learning experience to their
students simply by adding 3D glasses and 3D content from a suitable Blu-ray player. BenQ states that the TH681+ offers ‘lower maintenance cost, uncompromised brightness, exquisite picture quality and optimised lamp life’. The company’s SmartEco technology, it is claimed, has developed what a DLP projector can do in an education projector. With this innovation, users could be able to save up to 70% of lamp power consumption, while also achieving lower maintenance costs through dynamic power saving features. www.benq.co.uk
EPSON EB-5 SERIES
CASIO UST The Casio Ultra Short Throw (UST) projector has been designed to work in very close proximity conditions, creating an 80in image from a distance of just 27cm. This is suited to a teaching environment where presenters stand in front of the source, as it avoids shadowing and interference. As with all Casio projectors, the 3,100 ANSI lumen UST is a hybrid light source technology, combining a laser with LEDs to deliver bright imagery. Therefore the design is completely lamp and mercury free, meaning increased efficiency due to minimal energy being expelled as heat. This has environmental and sustainability benefits, such as power savings of up to
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35% compared to a typical lamp projector. It also keeps maintenance to a minimum, as lamps don’t have to be replaced. The effective lifetime is an impressive 20,000 hours, while the beam strength is capable of overcoming the challenge of high ambient lighting, as the light source remains consistent with minimal colour drop-off from aging. The UST can also be put on a timer, something that isn’t generally possible with lamp-based projectors, which contributes towards the unit’s energy saving attributes. A further benefit is the reduced waiting time – often spent while a lamp warms up and cools down. www.casio.co.uk
Epson recently launched a new range of ultra short throw education projectors, which feature its first finger-touch interactive product. The EB-595Wi enables users to interact with the projected image just by using their fingers, allowing teachers and students to get handson and take control, making lessons and lectures more engaging. The EB-595Wi is part of the new EB-5 ultra short throw projector range, featuring both interactive and non-interactive models, WXGA and XGA resolutions, and an improved light output of up to 3,300 lumens compared to the previous series. The whole range benefits from Epson’s 3LCD technology, which ensures high-quality images with equally high white and colour light output for vivid colours and bright
images, even in daylight. These models have a long lamp life thanks to an eco mode setting, dynamic lamp control and auto brightness adjustment. Dual VGA and dual HDMI inputs provide comprehensive connectivity. All of the EB-5 Series projectors have optional wireless capability, making it easy to share content from a range of smart devices using the iProjection App. The moderator function allows teachers and students to share their content simultaneously. Teachers remain in complete control, as they can choose when to display student content, enabling interaction in a collaborative teaching or training environment. www.epson.co.uk
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TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE: PROJECTORS INFOCUS IN3130A SERIES The IN3130a Series is a range of high-power network projectors from InFocus. Each member of the series boasts a lightweight design and offers high brightness, strong audio and numerous connectivity options, making it suitable for a range of classroom situations. The IN3136a has widescreen WXGA resolution with 4,500 lumens, the IN3134a is standard XGA with 4,200 lumens and the IN3138HDa is 1080p high definition with 4,000 lumens. Weighing around 3kg, they are all portable and have 1.5x optical zoom and large throw ratios for installation flexibility and for providing the best image size when moved from room to room. There is an on-board 10W speaker, 12V screen trigger, controls on top of the device, and a full-function remote control included. The IT manager can connect the projectors to a local area network in order to manage and control them remotely, or quickly install them with AMX Discovery and Crestron RoomView control systems. The projectors deliver bright 3D content from a variety of sources. IN3130a projectors use Texas Instruments DLP Dark Chip 3 technology and also incorporate 3D Triple Flash technology, which gives a deeper, more immersive 3D experience. In addition to dual HDMI ports – one with MHL support
for HD display from mobile devices – the IN3130a Series features two VGA inputs, S-Video and composite video inputs. www.infocus.com
OPTOMA EH320UST
NEC UM SERIES The NEC UM Series is a range of ultra short throw projectors that offer relatively low operating costs for applications within classrooms. Innovative eco functions and reduced power consumption mean that each unit can achieve up to 8,000 hours lamp life. This, says the manufacturer, translates into a very low cost of total ownership. Users can choose from an interactive or a non-interactive version that is compatible with interactive whiteboards. With a nod to the trend towards tablet-based classroom solutions,
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the DisplayNote Presenter software allows any connected device to annotate and share its screen with any other connected device, making the UM Series a friendly solution for BYOD initiatives. Students can present and lead class discussions for an engaging collaborative classroom solution. Combining performance and reliability, with advanced connectivity and flexibility, the UM Series offers functionality that is backed by NEC’s robust warranty and service package. www.nec-display-solutions.com
Optoma’s EH320UST is a 1080p ultra short throw interactive projector that is suited to school, college and university applications. The 4,000 lumens unit uses a new generation of TouchBeam finger-touch interactive technology, which enables several people to work simultaneously on the screen without using a pen. It is easy to draw and annotate on the projected image, open Microsoft Office files or web browsers and interact with the content without even touching a computer. The throw ratio of 0.25:1 means that it can project a 100in image (diagonal) from just 55cm away. This avoids presenter shadows being cast across the image. This full 3D projector can display true 3D content from almost any 3D source, including 3D Blu-ray players, 3D broadcasting and the latest generation games consoles. It comes with a built-in speaker that delivers 16W of good sound quality. Despite the small dimensions of the projector, the built-in audio is capable of filling a normal size classroom. An audio output is also included, enabling connection to external sound systems. It has a range of input options, including two HDMI inputs and two VGA inputs, making switching between Blu-ray player, computer or other sources possible through the push of a button. The EH320UST’s networking capabilities make it easy to manage remotely. www.optoma.co.uk
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TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE: PROJECTORS PANASONIC PT SERIES A study commissioned by Panasonic evaluated the performance of the Panasonic 6,500 ANSI lumens PT-RZ670 laser projector against a range of the mostpurchased lamp-lit projectors in higher education. They found that total cost of ownership was 11% lower, carbon emissions were reduced by 26% and light output was 22% greater overall. Panasonic has been at the forefront of development in laser projection, and recently supplied 170 LED/Laser PT-RZ370 projectors to Kingston University. The 3,500 lumen, full HD projector, offers up to 20,000 hours of maintenance free operation with no lamp or filter replacement required. “Our academics love the new projectors,”
VIEWSONIC PJD6350 The ViewSonic PJD6350 LightStream DLP projector delivers ‘true to life’ colours in even the most challenging lighting conditions. Designed with smarter features and extensive connectivity, it is said to be ideal for use in learning environments. The networkable projector features 3,200 lumens, native XGA 1024x768 resolution and an intuitive design. The SuperColor 6-segment colour wheel maximises colour saturation and brightness, while SonicExpert – ViewSonic’s proprietary sound enhancement technology – powers a 10W speaker to deliver clear and audible sound. PortAll – a neatly enclosed HDMI/ MHL connection compartment – supports streaming media from wireless HDMI dongles or MHL connectors, while a cable
explains Simon Harrison, acting pro-vice chancellor (operations) at Kingston University. “They are fast start, so they can get the material up almost immediately. What’s more, content looks great – exactly as our academics intended it to be presented.” The PT-RZ370 also offers ease of installation with flexible 360° installation and Digital Link connectivity, which allows transmission of HDMI, uncompressed HD digital video, audio and control signals through a single Cat5e cable or higher. Tom Gibson, Panasonic’s product marketing specialist for visual system solutions, says: “The education sector is currently seeing a major shift from lamp based projection to solid state illumination. Laser light projectors offer low total cost of ownership to education institutions and little maintenance.” www.panasonic.net
VIVITEK DH758USTIR
management hood connects onto the back of the projector and eliminates unsightly cable clutter. ViewSonic has addressed the requirements of education establishments looking to replace their existing 3LCD projectors. Many of these customers want a replacement projector that can be easily swapped to an existing ceiling mount and fit an image within a pre-installed screen. DLP projectors were previously unable to meet this requirement due to a typical throw ratio of 1.8-2.1 compared to the average 1.5-1.8 throw ratio of 3LCD. ViewSonic is now bringing to market projectors like the PJD6350 with a 1.5-1.97 throw ratio to open up a whole new world of replacement possibilities for existing 3LCD users. www.viewsonicglobal.com
The Vivitek DH758USTIR HD education projector offers four-finger touch technology, which is designed to take interactive creativity in the classroom to the next level. The projector, with its ultra short throw lens, is suited to installation at close range, making it ideal for installation in any type of classroom or education environment. It is capable of projecting a 100in image from an ultra short distance, which avoids shadowing on the screen. With a full HD 1080p high-definition resolution, high brightness at 3,500 ANSI lumens and 10000:1 high contrast ratio, the DH758USTIR allows teachers and students to show the fine detail in, for example, technical drawings or large Excel files. The projector also offers very good 32
connectivity options with HDMI v1.4, MHL/HDMI v1.4, 2x VGA-in, 1x VGA-out, microphone input, audio-in/audio-out, RJ45 for network administration and control – AMX, Crestron, Extron and Telnet compatible. With the addition of a Laser Finger Touch module, the DH758USTIR can have IR and a laser curtain, which can simultaneously sense up to four touch points on the screen or two stylus pens for both writing and drawing. To increase collaboration and interaction even further, the additional NovoConnect application allows up to four students to share content from his or her connected device through a wireless network directly to the projector. www.vivitek.eu
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The Global Broadcast, AV and Pro Audio Resource Library
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BACK PAGE PICKS ///////////////////////////////////////////// COMPETITION Win an Android tablet from iBoardTouch
Tech&Learning UK has teamed up with British interactive brand iBoardTouch to offer readers the chance to win an award-winning DigiTab – a powerful 9.7in Android tablet. Not only does DigiTab have an Intel Core Quad chip and 10-point touch, it has a high-resolution IPS screen for crisp images and video, built-in speakers, WiFi and Bluetooth and up to eight hours’ battery life. It comes with its own leather pouch and Bluetooth keyboard, and is pre-loaded with DigiClass to connect wirelessly to your classroom touchscreen for ready-made interactive classroom collaboration. To enter the draw, all you have to do is complete the following 1-2-3: 1. Follow @TechLearningUK on Twitter 2. Follow @iBoardTouch on Twitter 3. Retweet or tweet the following: “Follow @iBoardTouch and @TechlearningUK and RT to WIN a powerful £275 DigiTab Android tablet! #winaDigiTab” Remember to include the #winaDigiTab hashtag when you tweet/RT. The competition is open to UK residents only and ends on Friday 8 May 2015 at 17:00. The lucky winner will be contacted by PM on Twitter. Good luck! www.iboardtouch.co.uk
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EDITORIAL CALENDAR Coming up in future issues of Tech&Learning UK September
Making the most of newly installed technology Bringing assessment systems up to date Tech focus: Visualisers How to: Reduce total cost of ownership
November
Is the education system too resistant to change? Making social media work for you Tech focus: Collaboration technology How to: Make the most of free resources
Thinkrolls 2
The Thinkroll sequel from Avokiddo mixes problem solving with applied physics and a healthy dollop of fun. Each chapter is built by introducing new sciencebased concepts and properties with which to experiment. Themes such as gravity, electricity, force and space are delightfully represented and reinforced by these engaging little balls of fun. www.avokiddo.com
January 2016
EdTech trends for 2016 Developing apps for education Tech focus: Charging devices How to: Make your school paperless 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 34
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