Developing a culture of responsible use of devices
Aberdeenshire Council has a long history of commitment to and use of digital technologies to help deliver better outcomes for learners. This past year has seen them continue this as they have begun to explore the use of a range of devices in its schools with pilots trialling iPads, Android tablets and iPod Touches.
One of these pilots saw every pupil and teacher at Fishermoss PS in Portlethen being given an iPod Touch by the Local Authority ICT team. We were obviously very interested in finding out more about this ambitious pilot and visited the school late in 2012 to see how things were progressing.
We met with Charlie Barrow who teaches P7 and he shared with us his experience to date of using the iPods in his practice. Mr Barrow took some time to explain to us how the school had planned to ensure that a culture of responsible use of the devices was developed at the school, how parents were on board in terms of partnering the school and how the Acceptable Use Policy enables this agreement to be presented in a documented way.
Aberdeenshire Council has a long history of commitment to and use of digital technologies to help deliver better outcomes for learners. This past year has seen them continue this as they have begun to explore the use of a range of devices in their schools with pilots trialling iPads, Android tablets and iPod Touches.
One of these pilots saw every pupil and teacher at Fishermoss PS in Portlethen being given an iPod Touch by the Local Authority ICT team. We were obviously very interested in finding out more about this ambitious pilot and visited the school late in 2012 to see how things were progressing.
We met with Charlie Barrow who teaches P7 to ask him about his experience so far in using the iPods in is class. He talked about the fact that he had created a set of ground rules, such as the devices all being synced and charged first thing in the morning. The school had a docking station that enabled this to happen. He also talked about the way in which he had established an iPod pot system that ensure that he would get the class’s attention when he asked for it. All iPods had to be placed in the pots when the children were instructed to do so so that they could focus fully on the teacher.
Mr Barrow explained that he was developing his understanding of what the device could do and how his clearer understanding and awareness of its functionality could be best applied to help support and enhance the learning that happens in his classroom. Although he talked about using apps as starters and extensions for certain lessons he was beginning to apply some innovative approaches in the use of the device, such as exporting Smart Notebook lessons as a series of images. He would then sync these to the devices so that the learners had their own sets of digital notes that they could refer to at any time. These notes included learning intentions, success criteria and word banks. He noted that the learners in his class appeared to readily and easily accommodate not having such material in paper form.
Mr Barrow was of the opinion that devices such as the iPod Touch offered a lot in terms of enriching and extending learning and ensuring that the digital aspects of a high expectation culture could be addressed through the use of a range of apps and tools such as Augmented Reality, GPS, QR Codes and the range of tools that use still or video images. He was looking forward to bringing some of these tools in to his practice over the coming months.
Aberdeenshire Council has a long history of commitment to and use of digital technologies to help deliver better outcomes for learners. This past year has seen them continue this as they have begun to explore the use of a range of devices in their schools with pilots trialling iPads, Android tablets and iPod Touches.
One of these pilots saw every pupil and teacher at Fishermoss PS in Portlethen being given an iPod Touch by the Local Authority ICT team. We were obviously very interested in finding out more about this ambitious pilot and visited the school late in 2012 to see how things were progressing.
We met with Ashley Rennie who teaches P2/3 to ask her how her early experience in using the devices with her young learners had been. She explained that she was still very much finding her feet with the devices and with what they could do but at that stage she was allowing the children to have their iPod Touches at their desks all the time to use when they saw fit. A number of learning apps have been installed on the iPods and she was allowing the children to use them when they thought it would help them with their learning. Although she is allowing a degree of freedom of use of the devices she is using them in structured ways when carrying out tasks such as spelling and phonics work and she is differentiating her input at these times based on who she feels requires direct teaching and who is more capable of coping with increasing levels of independent learning.
Mrs Rennie remarked that simple things such as the World Clock on the iPods had created a real sense of enquiry and that it had stirred her learners curiosity about the wider world at large. As a result of a most probably overlooked facility in the iPod Touch the class have been motivated to explore areas of the world where they have visited and where they can see that the time is currently different from that in Scotland.
Technical challenges
Mrs Rennie told us that there has been some issues with the management of the iPod Touches in the early stages but that she did manage to take responsibility for ensuring that all the devices for her children had been synced and that all necessary apps had been installed. She felt that this was a challenge but that once it was done it was done and she could carry on with looking at how to use the devices in her practice. One problem that she did identify as an issue for her was the fact that the iPods could not play Flash games or resources that she felt were appropriate for her learners.
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.
Anne Munro (headteacher) and Willie Davidson (The Learning Centre) discussed the importance of ensuring that CPD opportunities to help support the iPad pilot were planned and offered. School management had given a commitment to not let the staff be left on their own with the device; however, the response they received to this offer was not quite what they were expecting. Mrs Munro commented that previous ICT initiatives had always required support and CPD opportunities to help them along, but on this occasion she was taken aback at the lack of support sought or required by staff, as they felt it was not necessary because they were at ease with the device. This reaction to an ICT initiative was one that both Mrs Munro and Mr Davidson were not expecting and was indicative, they feel, of the user-friendly nature of the tablet technology they were trialling.
Mrs Munro explained to us the mechanisms that were put in place to help create a supportive learning community for the staff involved in the pilot. The main aspect of this was the formation of an iPad committee that included members of staff from across all curricular areas. Through this committee good practice, new ideas and resources began to be shared via the formal processes that were being established and informally through the networks and relationships that were already in place in the school.
Bellshill Academy: Staff SupportManagement discuss the informal staff learning/support networks that have grown with the Apple pilot
Willie Davidson (The Learning Centre) also shared with us points of interest from a staff survey that the school carried out to gauge attitudes to the pilot and early perceptions of the impact it may be having on the learning and teaching in their classrooms. Some of the statistics from this survey included:
75% of staff felt that they were more confident in the use of ICT in the classroom
78% of staff felt that the device made delivering lessons easier, no-one felt it made delivering lessons harder and 21% felt that there was no change in this area
87% of staff felt that their pupils were more interested in learning now that they were part of the device pilot, 9% felt there was no change, whereas 4% believed their pupils were less interested because the device distracted them in class
95% of staff felt that there was now a more positive ethos in the classes involved with the device pilot
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