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| Jim Fanning |
Jim Fanning, Assistant Headteacher at Tideway School,
describes what they’ve done and what they’ve learnt in this area.
By 2008 every junior and secondary school in the UK will have it’s own
Learning Platform. The technology will allow access ‘anytime-anywhere’ to
teaching and learning resources. Students will maintain their own online
ePortfolios of evidence to show how they have progressed through the key stages.
Parents and guardians will be able to view student work and school assignments.
And best of all, integration into a school’s management information system will
save time and allow teachers to more effectively track student progress. Or at
least that is the DfES vision.
Learning Platforms are old technology not new. The term is a generic one that
describes software platforms that integrate services such as web pages, message
forums, chat or conferencing, file sharing and assessment tools. Products such
as First Class, BlackBoard and Moodle have been in use in further and higher
education for at least ten years or more.
At Tideway School staff were
first introduced to a Learning Platform or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE),
through the New Opportunities Fund training. The Open University, with its
Learning Schools Programme, was our training provider. The experience was not a
good one, with the VLE proving to be slow and unreliable. In its review of the
NOF training, OFSTED described this particular aspect as a technology ahead of
its time.
In 2002 the school was awarded a Best Practice Research Award from the DfES
to examine the ways in which message forums and chat could have an impact on
student achievement. This led in 2003 to a pilot programme, involving History,
PHSE and ICT Departments in the use of Think.com, a free VLE from the Oracle
Corporation. The pilot year allowed staff to explore the uses of a Learning
Platform in the classroom and understand more about the effective use of such
technology.
In 2004 the school decided to purchase a commercial Learning Platform. A
number of companies made presentations to staff. The Tideway criteria for
selection included a product that had a simple interface and that was easily
accessible to students at all levels. It had to be easy for staff, teaching and
non-teaching, to design their own ‘rooms’ or learning spaces; we did not want
the platform to become the preserve of the specialist ICT technicians. We did
not want to purchase content as a package deal but wanted a choice over what we
deemed suitable. And the price had to be right!
The implementation of the commercial Learning Platform has been a steep
learning curve for all involved. Looking back over the two years that the
platform has been in use it would be good to say that we had implemented an
efficient master plan that saw the technology smoothly rolled out across school,
into every curriculum area and to every student. The reality is somewhat
different. The technology has been used most effectively where staff and
students have seen a clear benefit. In English, GCSE online revision areas have
proved incredibly successful. Science has begun to develop some very good
assessment opportunities. In History a major Holocaust Project has used the
platform to build up a unique collection of learning materials. In PHSE message
forums have been used to discuss a range of pastoral issues. Most recently the
assessment tools have been developed to run elections for the UK Youth
Parliament and gather student views on bullying and healthy eating, which have
in turn impacted on school policies.
We have also piloted the appointment of a range of part-time posts to enhance
use of the platform. These have included an eLearning Technician who supports
our local junior school partners; a design assistant who has worked with staff
to develop content; and a group of ex-student eModerators who have been
investigating after school use of the platform. The latter aspect remains our
greatest challenge. With up to 25% of our students lacking the technology at
home to access the Internet we need to find ways of providing out-of-school
access to the platform.
In November of 2006 the school set up a website at www.learningplatforms.info to share
our experience of implementing and using a learning platform. The site contains
a range of case studies and practical advice and continues to grow as our use
and understanding of the technology develops.
Jim Fanning
Notes:
Despite what it says at the bottom of the page, this article is (c) 2007 Jim Fanning. This article first appeared in Computers in Classrooms #25, under the title "Learning Platforms: The Experience of One Primary School" -- thanks to Colin McQueen for point out the error, ie that Tideway is a secondary school.
Jim Fanning informs me that his e-moderators are presenting on the PC World stand (F60) at the forthcoming BETT show on the Friday. There seem to be no details of when this demonstration will take place, so you'll need to visit the stand itself to find out.
A similar situation obtains in relation to Fiona Aubrey-Smith who, according to Colin, will be presenting on the Fronter Stand (H50) and the South-East Grid for Learning Stand (T14). Fiona has done a great deal of work showing that even 5 and 6 year olds can make good use of a virtual learning environment.
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