What do learners think about the learning with devices?
We spoke with some of the S1 pupils about their experiences of the Android device pilot at Forrester HS. They were generally excited and positive about having access to a tablet device all the time in school and at home. They talked about how everything was now much easier with the device! When asked to elaborate on this they talked about how it had enhanced the way they now edited their writing and how good it was to access tools that enabled them to respond differently to tasks rather than solely using pencil and paper. They talked about how some teachers are using Edmodo to help support homework and WordPress for blogging and about how they were able to access and download resources such as worksheets. The fact that there was instant access to their device and to the information they were seeking was much much better than having to wait to get their booked slot at the ICT suite. Finally, some of the learners talked about the fact that they come from a world where technology is part of their everyday experience and to have it in school was very appealing. They agreed that these initiatives, such as the Android device pilot, were about helping to develop an appropriate learning culture that met their needs.
The management of the Android devices and the apps that could be installed on them are fundamental to the success of any device pilot. The team at Forrester HS gave this great consideration in view of how it could be done as effectively as possible but in such a way that it would enhance the learning culture of the school. Mark Cunningham (class teacher) explained that, rather than put in place a controlled environment that the school managed, they left it much more open so that learners were able to download apps that they were requested to by their teachers as well as ones that the learners themselves felt were useful for their learning. The school has found this approach to be reasonably successful up to now and the fact that they have good bandwidth means that if 20 pupils are asked to download an app for a lesson at the same time then they can.
Mr Cunningham explained that all apps that they were using were free from the Google and that there had been no need for them to access any of the paid-for apps. He did however point out that at this stage of the pilot there was as yet still no volume purchasing option for Android.
In relation to the management of the devices, Mr Cunningham explained that the school had insurance in place as well as a two-year warranty. There had been a small number of instances where devices had been damaged and also where issues with devices had led to them being returned under warranty to be repaired. It was stressed that any necessary repairs were carried out satisfactorily by the manufacturer but when a device was away being repaired it led to challenges for the learning and teaching in a classroom that required access to a personal device. Mr Cunningham suggested that, if budget allowed, a small bank of school-owned machines could be used to temporarily replace any device that was out of commission due to damage or warranty repair.
Mark Cunningham (class teacher) explained that the main factor underpinning Forrester High School’s decision to go with the Android platform was that they believed that it was a more open platform than others available and that would allow them to move data about the device as they wanted to do. They also liked the fact that the all the devices they purchased came with a USB slot, which meant that they could use a memory stick to access and move any learner’s data from the device quite easily. The school were of the opinion that with Android they could manipulate the device more than the ‘locked in’ nature of the iOS platform would allow. The affordability of the Android devices was also a factor. Mr Cunningham was keen to stress that the school felt there was very little difference between the platforms that they considered and that they would have been happy to go either way at the end of the day.
Mr Cunningham commented that at the time the school made their decision to go with Android the iOS platform was the slicker of the two and that there was clearly a much more comprehensive range of apps available for that platform; however, he felt that the difference between the two systems was now much less than it had been and that the range and spread of apps available for Android via the Google Marketplace was constantly improving.
Forrester HS: Why AndroidMr Cunningham (Class Teacher) discusses the reasons why the school chose the Android platform
Finally, Mr Cunningham stressed to us that the school were always looking to review the platform and the equipment that they were using and that they were prepared to change if they believed that would best suit the needs of their learners.
The Android and iPad pilots in Edinburgh City are all put in place with the express intention that their impact would lead to enhanced learning and better outcomes for learners. Derek Curran’s (headteacher) ambitions for the device pilot in his school are no different from Edinburgh City’s and although his pilot was still in its early stages he was keen to share his thoughts and observations to date about just what impact he wanted to see and what he thought was happening.
Although he was content with the progress that was being made at such an early stage of the pilot, Mr Curran thought that there might have been more evidence of staff using a range of media beyond text to support their teaching than was the case; however, he was sure that this would come as the pilot progressed and the staff increased their confidence and competence in the use of the device. He felt that gradual improvements and lessons learned by his staff would have a cumulative effect that would lead to a gathering momentum of developing expertise and understanding of just how learning can be enhanced with the use of digital tools.
We went on to discuss with Mr Curran what he felt the device pilot would bring to his school in terms of helping to create opportunities for collaborative learning to occur in his school. He believed that social learning tools such as blogs and wikis can have an enriching impact on learning both in and out of school and that there was evidence of his pupils already engaging with these contexts for learning. He anticipates that as access to the devices and the online tools that they offer become more embedded in the life of teaching and learning across the school he will see enhanced collaborative, working with learners moderating their learning via shared wikis, for instance.
Mr Curran also talked about the unexpected wins that can be gained from pilots such as the one his school was trialling. His discussions with the school librarian brought up the fact that Edinburgh City library had a huge range of ebooks available to library members. He saw this as a perfect opportunity to get all pupils involved in the pilot to join the city library and have access to the range of texts that are freely available via this service.
Forrester HS: Unexpected winsMr Curran (HT) discusses the unexpected wins that such a pilot can bring to the life of learning of a school
Generic learning apps used more than subject specific ones
Marc Cunningham (class teacher) discussed the ways in which his teaching colleagues were beginning to integrate the device into their teaching. Initially there had been a focus on digitising existing content, but with a shared understanding and aspiration that the device would gradually shape the nature of learning interactions within classrooms and at home. It was evident that in the early stages of the pilot colleagues had chosen not to go down the subject-specific app route, but had preferred to use more generic learning tools such as the Evernote and Edmodo apps. Mr Cunningham had noted that there was evidence of a more collaborative culture growing, with staff taking opportunities in both formal and informal settings to share what they had discovered and new ideas they were trying out.
In relation to school-delivered staff CPD opportunities it was noted that there had been little appetite for such an input from the teachers at Forrester HS.Instead they showed determination to move forward together as a staff rather than being led by management. After-school events were led by staff and a staff working party – with one member from each department – would regularly meet to discuss a number of technical and teaching related matters.
Forrester HS: Staff CPD to support the pilotMr Cunningham (Class Teacher) explains how the staff at Forrester HS have led their own professional development in the use of the Android device
Forrester High School in Edinburgh is one of the schools who have been working with the Android devices as part of the city’s wider exploration of devices in schools programme. We met with Mark Cunningham (class teacher), who is one of the members of staff who has been integral to the setting-up and progression of the pilot to date.
Forrester HS: Pilot overviewMr Cunningham (Class Teacher) gives an overview of the Android pilot at Forrester HS
Mark explained to us that the school had looked at different platforms for their pilot and that they eventually decided to go with Android due to the flexibility they felt it offered. Having decided on the platform, it was then agreed that the upcoming S1 cohort from associate schools P7s would be the ones involved in the pilot. Staff from Forrester HS met with the P7s and their parents/carers towards the end of the summer term in 2012 to explain the pilot and deal with issues such as the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) etc.
A key factor in this pilot was that the learners were permitted to take their device home. The school saw this as fundamental to the pilot and felt that there would be limited impact were the devices not allowed to leave the school. They also decided not to exert an overly controlling influence over the devices and that they would let the pupils install apps on their device provided it was within the scope of the AUP. At the time of our meeting with Forrester HS there had been no instances of inappropriate use of the devices by any of the pupils.
Learners talk enthusiastically about learning with the iPad
Some of the pupils from Sciennes PS talked with us about how helpful some of the apps that they use to support their learning are. They gave examples of how they have helped them with timestables and spelling. In many cases they choose to use these apps in their own time in order to make progress with their learning. One child commented:
…I can’t even imagine school without iPads now. It’s so helpful in every day….I used to really hate maths before the iPads but once we started using them and apps like Cloud Tables it’s helped me with maths and now I enjoy maths. I never used to be good at my time tables but within one week of using this I knew my times tables up to the 10x table.
Some of the pupils from Sciennes PS talked about how having access to a device had improved their productivity in writing. Instant access to editing tools makes writing so much more enjoyable and is making them ‘want to do their school work’ now.
When I used to write on paper I would write maybe 100 hundred words, but now I am writing 1000 words, and my writing’s really improved because I’m writing more, I’m writing at home and before I was more reluctant to edit it because you have to rub it all out and it just makes a mess but with this it takes two seconds and you’ve got a very good piece of work.
The discussion continued and the size of the impact on learner perceptions that this device pilot was having became increasingly apparent. When learners were asked if they thought the pilot had been beneficial one response was:
Oh yes, it has completely changed my life at school, and at home too, because I feel that although I already had an iPad at home I just really played games and stuff but now I use it for… I’m actually wanting to finish off my school work and wanting to do more school work.
To bring the discussion with the pupils to a conclusion we asked them what having their own connected device meant for them as learners and what
they would say to adults who may be of the opinion that devices such as those might be getting in the way of learning. They talked quite openly about how they believed the device has helped them learn and how access to technology such as devices should be part of modern teaching strategies in schools. Comments included:
I’d say with it improving our maths and storywriting and stuff they should think maybe that it’s really helping us and that we should keep it.
and
If people think that we should still be writing on slates and that school should be the same [as it was] then we wouldn’t have learned as much as we have. Technology and modern teaching strategies help us to learn every day and I think that if any adults who are a bit sceptical would come in to the classroom and see how much it helps us on a daily basis.
Wendy French is one of the class teachers who has been leading the 1:1 pilot at Sciennes PS. We asked her where she thought she was seeing the greatest impact on learning as a result of the experience that she and the children in her class were having with their device pilot. Mrs French felt that she was seeing heightened levels of confidence in the children in terms of their willingness to be more creative and in so doing showcase their individuality when it came to using a range of apps that allowed them to record and edit video and audio etc. She also thought that she was seeing enhanced peer interactions as a result of her learners having access to their own devices and she described how their willingness to independently support each other has become a feature of the class dynamic. Mrs French felt that one of the greatest benefits of the 1:1 experience was that the children no longer had to wait for their weekly allotted time at the ICT suite. Now that they have access to what she calls ‘this versatile tool’ her learners are getting much deeper into learning tasks due to the fact that they can spend much more time on them. Having the technology at their fingertips means that in-depth working with digital tools has become integral to their everyday learning experience.
Mrs French also commented on the development of a stronger social learning bond between learners and that a culture of sharing learning is thriving now that the devices are part of the everyday fabric of learning in her classroom.
Much of the discourse around the advent of tablet devices in schools has been focussed on developing models where 1:1 provision is seen as the aspiration. In the schools that we have visited so far we have seen models where devices are being shared and models where learners have access to their own individual devices. Irrespective of issues such as cost and sustainability we were keen to get the developing thinking of staff on how their access to devices, be they shared or enough for individual use, was impacting on learning and teaching.
Lucy Gallagher (depute headteacher) at Sciennes PS is a strong advocate for the 1:1 model. She argues that, although the context of the school, the readiness of the staff and the resources available all have to be taken into account, fundamentally her experiences have led her to believe that individual access to a device in 1:1 setting should be the aspiration for schools. Sciennes PS has some classes that have 1:1 provision and also classes that share a set of iPads and the shared experience is always one that does not quite match up to the always-on, always-connected experience of the learners and pupils that have 1:1 access. Mrs Gallagher did not feel that individual access meant that learners were isolated in their own learning as a result of having their own device, but that on the contrary there was increased collaboration, discussion and sharing in the classes where the learners had their own devices.
Relationships with the parents and carers is a priority at Sciennes PS. The school is committed to ensuring that information is communicated effectively with parents and that parental feedback is taken on board and considered.
In relation to the parental response to the iPad pilot at Sciennes PS, Lucy Gallagher (depute headteacher) believes that it has been an incredibly favourable one. The only issue that she feels there has been was that some parents had a concern about, or questioned, whether the iPad was a learning device. Mrs Gallagher feels that this initial question has been addressed through the way in which the iPad is now used by the children to access their learning at home, so that the wider life of learning, more than just homework, has increased visibility to parents and carers. This perception seems to be echoed by many of the pupils who believe that their parents/carers are now much more involved and engaged with their learning. This is because their parents/carers can now see more of what what they have been doing and as a result are even keener to get involved.
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