BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE AND BLENDED LEARNING GUIDE
EDUCATE ENRICH EMPOWER
INTRODUCTION A blended learning curriculum is about maximising the learning opportunities using traditional teaching methods and discussion activities combined with the best opportunities that the capabilities of modern devices can provide. It is not about the technology itself: it is about the outcomes of learning activities leading to effective academic progress of the pupils. It is about using technology as a tool to ensure that our pupils achieve at the highest levels possible. Blended learning utilises the best tools at our disposal to provide modern teaching methods where working on a device becomes as natural as working on paper. The benefits of using devices in the classroom are many and varied. Its main strength lies in its ability to unlock learning by increasing engagement, personalisation and collaboration. It has the power to level the playing field for those who have difficulty accessing the curriculum or organising their own resources. Used well, digital resources can act as a catalyst to further learning, enhancing what the teacher is doing, often on a very personal level.The associated upskilling will boost the real-world readiness of our pupils and increase their global competitiveness, help them understand digital citizenship and e-safety and appreciate the power of using devices for productivity. Having a device that pupils are used to using for their learning also has benefits beyond the classroom. 24/7 learning can be accomplished, so that wherever they are and whatever time of day they are at their most productive, their learning can continue.
BLENDED LEARNING CURRICULUM
BLENDED LEARNING Blended learning is the marriage of excellent traditional classroom teaching with online tools and applications. Teachers will build in opportunities for the use of both methods in a synergistic way in order to maximise the learning potential of both methods.The blended approach of traditional classroom teaching with discussion and hand-written activities coupled with the ability to access resources and information at the tips of their fingers as well as collaborate with peers online can have deep effects on learning and personalisation thereof. Using a device both in and beyond the classroom provides fabulous opportunities for all learning styles and opens many avenues that are not possible with one or the other method alone.
ONLINE TOOLS AND APPLICATION
BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE We need to support our learners to develop their own needs and aspirations, as well as to take ownership of their learning and self-organisation. We also appreciate that many pupils already have their own device at home that they are perfectly happy with and know how to use. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is a programme that enables learners to bring their own device into school, connect it to the school’s digital infrastructure and work on it. BYOD has a number of benefits over school-provided devices. Some may be confident with a particular type of device or operating system. Others may need a different type of device dependent on their option choices. Some may like the use of a touchscreen and stylus where others prefer a keyboard and mouse. Allowing pupils to choose and use their own device ensures buy-in and customisation opportunities that are not possible using any other scheme. It also leaves pupils free to express their own wishes on the type of device they utilize. The core systems that we employ are cross-platform and mainly browser-based, so will work on any device, regardless of the cost, type or operating system.
BENEFIT BY USING YOUR OWN DEVICE
OUR VIRTUAL SYSTEMS Core systems that we use include Google’s G suite for Education This includes apps such as Google Drive with unlimited storage, Gmail and Google Classroom. Each pupil has an educational Google account managed by our IT department. G suite allows for multi-user collaboration on all things from writing a document in a French lesson, collecting data in a science experiment, building a website in an English lesson to creating a voting poll in RE. Google classroom is a powerful online resource-sharing tool for educators and learners and helps pupils keep track of their assignments and other work. Communication throughout the whole school community can be done using Gmail, Google Chat and Google Meet. We also use EduLink, which is a great admin tool for checking the school timetable and school reports. We have a school licence for TextHelp read&write, the world-leading accessibility software that can help our SEND pupils access the curriculum to the same extent and at the same pace as other learners.There is also a vast array of online subject-based content and apps that our teachers use to enhance media creation, visualisation and research in the classroom.
CLEAR ONGOING INSTRUCTION
ACCESSIBILITY AND LEARNING SUPPORT One of the big benefits of using devices for school work is for those pupils who need a little extra help with reading and writing or have other difficulties accessing the curriculum and organising their resources. IT can literally transform their experience of learning.The learning support department works with individual pupils to ensure they have all the tools they need to access their learning and trains them in their use.The department can access all the academic resources online and help their pupils collaborate and personalise their experience. TextHelp read&write provides these pupils with a full suite of support functions so that they can dictate, have text read out loud, highlight, collect, organise and look up everything on the screen. It also has an exam mode which can help them access the public exam papers. For younger pupils who struggle with writing, touchscreens with a stylus can help guide pupils with their handwriting and aid them in letter and word formation
TRANSFORM LEARNING EXPERIENCE
EDUCATE ENRICH EMPOWER CONTACT Plymouth College Ford Park, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 6RN T: +44(0)1752 505115 www.plymouthcollege.com