Tag Archives: infrastructure

Preston Lodge HS: Developing a digital learning culture and its impact on learners

Chrokebooks in Action at Preston Lodge HS
Preston Lodge HS: Learning not device centric

One of the class teachers at Preston Lodge HS who has been working with the Chromebook pilot is Feargal Kelly (biology). We took time out of his busy schedule to discuss with him what he thought he was seeing in terms of the impact on learning and teaching in his classroom as a result of his involvement with the Chromebook pilot. He talked about how having access to a web-enabled device that connected to the internet very quickly has changed things for him. Initially Mr Kelly used the device to help the learners in his class plan for their own learning but he felt that this approach was becoming too device centric, so now he has developed an approach that encourages the learners to dip in and out of using  the device when it is required.

Preston Lodge HS: Feargal Kelly interview 1 Mr Kelly gives an overview of the Chromebook pilot

Mr Kelly discusses how an open network enabled him to develop a culture of appropriate use and behaviour when accessing collaborative tools. He gave us some examples of minor misuse and he talked about the ways in which he addressed these and held conversations with his learners about appropriateness. He believes that these learning conversations happened because nothing was blocked on the open network that they were using. The issue of blocking sites and access to effective learning tools is detrimental to the development of successful learner  and responsible citizen aspects of Curriculum for Excellence and that if we are really in the business of educating young people then we should be having conversations to educate them.

Preston Lodge HS: Feargal Kelly interview 2 Mr Kelly discusses learning conversations that can happen with open access to the web.

Mr Kelly also discussed how the learners he works with have embraced the freedom to write for the web – a freedom that appears to have been enabled by the Chromebooks, the open network and the learning culture and climate that he has established with his learners. He gave the example of the Neil takes on Science work created by some of his learners and how Biology was no longer just learning facts or passing an exam, but how it had become a much wider learning experience, one that they owned and were intrinsically motivated by. It was also felt by those learners that they knew their science better as a result of creating the Neil takes on Science site because they had to think how best to convey their learning so that others could learn from the materials they authored and published.

Preston Lodge HS: Feargal Kelly interview 3 Mr Kelly discusses the learning culture that has developed in his classroom

Balbardie PS: Engaging with the local authority strategic approach

Learners with devices
Strategic plan to help enable devices to impact on learning

Balbardie PS is in Bathgate in West Lothian. The school has recently engaged with the central team at West Lothian Council to get their anywhere, anytime learning (AAL) channel switched on for learners.

Greg Welsh (headteacher) gives an overview of the supported network for school-provided devices and the AAL channel that pupil-owned devices can access in West Lothian schools. He talks about how he is managing a range of devices in school and how they are preparing the ground that will allow learners to bring their own devices in to school.

Balbardie PS: Greg Welsh HT – overview Mr Welsh (HT) gives an overview of pilot as Balbardie PS

Mr Welsh shared his experience of engaging with the central West Lothian team to prepare for his school’s AAL channel to be activated. This involved preparing a plan that indicated key timescales, key stakeholders, staff capability and support, parental engagement and, most importantly, how the introduction of the technology would impact on learning across the school. He described this process as a rigorous one but one that was fundamental to the school’s strategic approach to planning for better outcomes for learners.

Balbardie PS: Engaging with the Local Authority strategy Mr Welsh (HT) discusses the process for engaging with the Local Authority strategy at West Lothian

As a result of working with the central West Lothian team to prepare their learning strategy for their AAL channel Balbardie PS decided that there would be a focus on literacy and numeracy as well as encouraging a culture of independent learning with devices. Mr Welsh wanted to ensure that the learners at his school would be capable of making informed choices about what to use and when to use it to support their learning.

Balbardie PS: Vision for the AAL channel Mr Welsh (HT) discusses his vision for the AAL Channel at Balbardie PS

West Lothian Council: The AAL channel

West Lothian Council: The AAL channel
Pupil owned devices online in West Lothian schools

John Low explained to us that AAL (anywhere, anytime learning) is the definition that they use for the channel on their wireless networks that enables authority non-supported and pupil-owned devices to access the internet. The team at West Lothian Council had wrestled with the fact that learners were journeying on their learning by accessing the internet via the wi-fi on the local bus or in fast-food burger shops but not, alas, in school. The AAL channel was seen as a solution that would enable learning to happen anytime and anywhere – including in school!

West Lothian Council: The AAL channel John Low discusses the AAL Channel in West Lothian

The team at West Lothian were conscious that a situation was developing where the access to technology was restricted by their capacity to provide devices within schools. They were concerned that learners would only gain access to technology in Secondary, for example, when they chose a subject that required access to a set of desktop computers, and that the use of such tools would not permeate through to pupils. Although the central team are confident that progress has been made in helping to develop staff capacity to project online content, they were aware that this was teacher driven and not the individualised process of exploration and enquiry for learners that access to digital technology can enable. These factors came together and were the basis on which they determined to create a sustainable and scalable infrastructure that would enable a ‘bring your own device’ (BYOB) system to work across their school estate.

The central team stressed that the their AAL acronym was the same concept that one may associate with BYOD and that it was just that the AAL vision was well in place before terms such as BYOD, BTOT (bring your own technology) or even BYOB (bring your own browser) were commonly known and used.

All primary and secondary schools  have the capacity to have a channel on West Lothian’s enterprise wireless network that allows Authority supported devices to access the web. The AAL channel allows non-supported authority devices provided by the school and learner-owned devices to connect to the internet, and with this connection comes authentication, filtering and the recording of user activity.

There have been many challenges for  John Low and his team in setting up the AAL network, and none more significant than working with authority corporate colleagues who have responsibility for issues such as information security, data protection and code of connection. They have, however, managed to resolve many of the issues so that the AAL channel can be used by schools to help prepare the digital environment that can enhance learning and help facilitate better outcomes for learners.

West Lothian Council: Anytime, Anywhere Learning overview

West Lothian Council: Overview of AAL programme
Strategic focus on transforming learning

With a clear strategic focus on  increasing attainment and achievement and transforming learning, teaching and assessment approaches West Lothian Council has been implementing a substantial programme and investment to improve infrastructure to realise their vision of having ‘Anywhere, Anytime Learning’ (AAL) available across the school estate.

AAL is intended to support a transformation in learning and teaching by enabling a school and classroom environment where every pupil and teacher can use personal mobile devices to communicate, collaborate, research, share and expand knowledge. In parallel with a curriculum and pedagogy which promotes: active learning, independent learning, collaborative learning, learning how to learn, investigating, exploring, purposeful play, personalisation and choice in contexts that are relevant to life and work; AAL can help us engage learners in the highest quality learning activities.

To enable a change in culture, pedagogy and behaviours and to ensure social inclusion and sustainable approaches the Learning and Teaching (ICT) Development Team planned with Corporate IT Services to design an infrastructure which would allow West Lothian funded devices and personal-owned devices to access the network.

John Low and Laura Compton from the Learning and Teaching (ICT) Development Team shared West Lothian’s vision for their AAL programme.

West Lothian Council: Overview John Low and Laura Compton discuss the vision for West Lothian Council’s AAL Channel

Bellshill Academy: Technical challenges with their iPad pilot

Bellshill Academy
iCloud details are the same as school network logins

Willie Davidson (Learning Centre) at Bellshill Academy was a central figure in the planning and implementation of the iPad pilot at the school. In our discussions he talked of the many technical challenges that he faced in order to ensure that the pilot moved forward, such as those associated with wi-fi, iTunes accounts, parental issues and infrastructure.

One of the first challenges he recalls was associated with the  purchase and management of apps for the iPads. He told us that when the pilot began there was no way of managing apps for a number of iPads centrally and as a result he had to buy 150 iTunes cards at a local store, scratch off the material to reveal the 15 digit number, then type those numbers into the computer for every card. This proved to be a time-consuming and laborious process and at the time was one that he was concerned about in terms of the sustainability of this process. He is aware that this issue has now been addressed to some extent with Apple introducing Apple Configurator and Volume Purchasing, services it is hoped will make the purchase and management of apps an easier process.

Bellshill Academy: Technical challenges Mr Davidson (The Learning Centre) discusses the technical challenges that the pilot faced

When the iPads were set up it was decided that the school would retain control of absolutely everything. iCloud accounts were set up using the school network login credentials that had already been allocated to pupils. Pupils were informed that they were not allowed to change the details of these accounts and this rule was written in to the Acceptable Use Policy. The pupils and their parents/carers were informed that the apps installed on the device were the property of the school and parents/carers were advised against tying their credit card to an iTunes account due to the fact that any purchased apps would still belong to the school and also because it would limit the chance for their account being hit with the costs of many purchases.

As part of the pilot a new wi-fi system was installed; however, this needed to be reviewed, particularly when it became apparent that the signal was not reaching the areas that it was intended to. Mr Davidson stressed in the interview the need to have a strong data connection for any school that intends to embark on a similar device pilot to theirs.