Google for Education partners up with itslearning
A partnership between itslearning, Europe’s most widely used learning platform, and Google for Education was announced recently, enabling teachers to plan, deliver, communicate and engage. The partnership will also allow educators to formatively assess student learning against academic goals, all within one platform, in any location and from any device. The ability to collaborate at any time, anywhere will help to maximise the benefits of both itslearning and Google’s G Suite products. The integration between G Suite and itslearning will combine users’ favourite Google tools alongside those of itslearning. Benefits include Google Drive integration and file uploading, Google file collaboration, giving feedback in real-time on Google Docs, creating Google document templates, Google Hangouts within Instant Messaging amongst others, all seamlessly within itslearning. Additional integration features will be released throughout 2019. Liz Sproat, at Google for Education, said: “We are looking forward to working with itsLearning who share a similar approach to us in the solutions they provide to schools. Both Google and itsLearning work closely with teachers to create tools to help enrich and streamline the teaching & learning experience in the classroom.” Matthew Jordan at itslearning UK said: “The best features of Google Classroom will be a prominent place in itslearning’s LMS and vice versa. The learning environment is easy to use for both students and teachers, and it makes the learning platform an even stronger educational tool.” The interaction between the itslearning platform and Google’s “G Suite” is intended to benefit teachers and students worldwide. These benefits will also be extended to Fronter customers (which itslearning acquired in 2015) via a free upgrade path to itslearning. For more information on Google for Education, see the website.
Whizz Education – a pioneering education organisation
Whizz Education is a pioneering education organisation committed to improving learning outcomes. Its proprietary personalised virtual tutor, Maths-Whizz, is available in five languages – English, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Kiswahili – and has been adapted to multiple curricula. Educators are supported by Whizz Education teams in London, Seattle, Nairobi and Dubai as well as partners in Russia, Mexico, Thailand and New Zealand, enabling communities around the world to reach their full potential through personalised learning. The team were announced as winners of the ‘Collaboration with a School’ award at the Bett Awards 2019, beating nine other prestigious finalists in their category. This marked Whizz Education’s third BETT Award in recent years and came at a time of unprecedented interest in the organisation’s approach to delivering measurable learning gains. Richard Marett, CEO of Whizz Education, who collected the award alongside Svetlana Tarassova, the firm’s director of global strategic partnerships, said: “We are delighted to be recognised by the judging panel at BETT for the contribution Whizz Education and its international partners have made in working with schools to achieve transformational education impact in some of the most challenging learning environments around the world. Eddie Ralston, project manager international development, added: “Our work in Kenya, and specifically our partnership with Bahati Primary School, who were the focus of this award entry, is immensely rewarding for all involved. “The headteacher and ICT lead at Bahati are wholly supportive and the students should be deservedly proud of their progress in maths since using Maths-Whizz. Bahati is an exemplar case of how an engaged school, iterative program design, evidence and insight coupled with on the ground support can achieve optimum learning gains.” Since 2004, Whizz Education has been entrusted and supported by schools, ministries of education, commercial partners and donor organisations, such as the Department for International Development (DFID), to implement education impact projects worldwide. Whizz Education delivers measurable learning and teaching gains through personalised virtual tutoring, teacher-led digital resources, real-time learning analytics and teacher and government capacity building. For more information about Whizz Education, visit whizzeducation.com Photo: Bett
Roehampton’s digital learning journey
Xavier Briche, Head of Digital Learning at the University of Roehampton, discusses how the Digital Learning department has enhanced the student learning experience. Here at Roehampton, we have created a robust Digital Learning Services department (DL) to support technology for teaching and learning. The department strives for innovation within the University and focuses on new and existing technologies to support the learner’s journey and to provide digital tools to the teaching community. We have separated the two departments to allow a greater focus on cutting-edge educational technologies to support the outstanding student digital experience. A solution for diversity In 2015, the University decided it was time to enhance the virtual learning environment (VLE) as a key enabler for improving accessibility. The existing solution wasn’t fit for this purpose as it was too static. We needed a versatile solution, one that would easily allow regular upgrades and product functionalities to help improve the user experience for less able students as they enter HE. We’ve been implementing an SMS plug-in as an add-on to our online assessment workflow. The plug-in automatically sends a text message to students when their assessment feedback is on the VLE, to engage our students in their learning and close the feedback loop more effectively. Complying with GDPR The new GDPR regulations and EU directive on online accessibility needed some close attention, therefore discussions between both teams about GDPR, and the steps needed to ensure the online learning practices, processes and system compliance were addressed. Clear results for students Universities are underpinned by their scores in the National Student Survey (NSS) and the Teaching Excellence Framework. Our DL follows these performance results closely, to see how outsourced services are performing and whether they are adding value to the student experience. The Moodle platform and the service, provided by CoSector – University of London, has increased student satisfaction by around 6%. Students now feel the VLE is reliable and robust, and can be accessed 24/7 from any location. We are pleased with the Moodle platform and the benefits of supporting the VLE as well as the teaching and learning ecosystems. Blended and online learning are priorities to engage and support our extremely diverse student population. Students and staff often rely on assistive technology integrations in the VLE, its therefore vital to ensure the VLE is an inclusive and accessible digital environment. Online learning and VLEs are hugely beneficial for students with disabilities as e-resources and teaching material such as course slides are systematically uploaded to the VLE. Most VLEs now provide a way of navigating around an online course with ease, accessing web links and additional files by using keystrokes only. Changing a VLE host can be a big risk because the system is embedded in all aspects of the delivery of teaching and learning. In terms of account management and value added for our students and teaching staff, it has proven to be well worth the switch. See roehampton.ac.uk for more details on how the university uses digital learning to enhance the student experience.
Protecting Universities from Cyber Attacks
Cyber security is rated as one of the top concerns for organisations worldwide. As a global leader in the security technology industry, Gallagher is working with Universities all over the world to help them mitigate risk and secure their systems against potential attacks. In looking at the cyber risks that relate to Universities, there are three main areas of concern: protecting Intellectual Property (IP), protecting personal data, and protecting facilities and infrastructure. “A vulnerability in any of these areas is serious business for our University customers” says Richard Huison, Gallagher Regional Manager for UK & Europe. “A cyber attack that steals IP, particularly with regards to unproven and unpublished research, could have significant impact on a University’s bottom-line by preventing them from commercialising their findings later down the track” says Huison. Similarly, IP relating to teaching material and course work must also be protected against cyber-attacks. The introduction of online teaching means that students are no longer required on campus to learn, and material is therefore accessible by more people in more places than ever before. In order to continue to deliver their core service and maintain competitive edge, it’s important for Universities to protect their academic IP with strong cyber security measures. Universities hold massive amounts of personal data on current and past students and staff. That data encompasses a lot of personal information, including residential addresses, next of kin information, performance results/grades, and – in the case of students living on campus – medical notes which could involve details such as a mental healthcare plan. “A huge concern for Universities is the risk of personal data being accessed by unauthorised parties” says Huison. “It’s vital that staff and students feel their privacy is being managed and protected by their chosen University. We work very closely with our customers to ensure they understand and maintain the most-up-to-date technology and, therefore, have the greatest cyber resilience possible”. Gallagher’s intelligent data management uses industry-leading standards for data protection. End-to-end encryption with secure, encrypted SQL databases and end-to-end authentication are all part of the Gallagher solution. They provide system hardening and configuration advice, and their network of fully trained and certified installers ensure your system is as cyber-secure as possible on installation. In a world where cyber threats evolve daily, so too must our defences. If you would like to talk about your cyber security concerns call us on 02476 641234 or visit security.gallagher.com to find out more.
ONVU Learning reviewing tool allows teachers to play back lessons
Ever wish you could look over your lesson to see what went right or wrong? Teachers across the country are doing just that – and getting independent feedback from experts outside of school. Editor Victoria Galligan spoke to Sean Warren at Bett about ONVU Learning – which films the class from above as the children work. ONVU Learning isn’t a CCTV system – although the small black dome camera placed on the ceiling in the classroom looks like any other monitoring device. ONVU Learning is actually a reviewing tool for teachers. The developers are keen to stress that this is not a way for senior leadership to “spy” on teachers – the footage is private to the teacher, who can choose to save some, all or none of a day’s footage as they see fit. And the footage can be reviewed by the teacher, or remotely by experts at ONVU Learning who advise on how to adapt practice based on the reflection of the teacher and their discussion about the footage. It’s like having an observation, only the teachers are observing themselves rather than being watched by a besuited inspector seated in the corner of the room – an experience which not only increases anxiety in the teacher but can also change the way children behave. ONVU Learning cameras blend into the background and become part of everyday life. The system works on the ethos that teachers and children have a relationship which they both have an investment in – but when there are 30 children in the class, it’s hard for teachers to nurture those relationships with every child, and for them to be aware of how each child worked throughout the lesson. This is where the observation tool comes in. ONVU Learning helps by reviewing a lesson – teachers can check who was on task straight away, who struggled to stay on task, who didn’t understand what was asked of them and what the “critical moment” of the lesson was. Sean explains: “One teacher found out after the lesson that a child hadn’t done a lot of work, even after re-explanation of the task was given. So we discussed and the teacher implemented a re-check method, where she returned to check if the child with the problem had implemented the instructions he had been given. The teacher noted the time she gave the instructions on the child’s book, which helped to track the amount of work done and to spur the child on to produce more work. “ONVU Learning is there to deconstruct what teachers do, and help them to articulate what happened in a lesson. “We focus on the teacher’s ‘with-it-ness’ – are they fully ‘with it’ during the lesson, are they monitoring those who need more help or are some children slipping under the radar?” Sean added: “Sometimes teachers will discuss footage with other staff or even show to parents where necessary – the other children in the footage can be blocked out to ensure privacy. Often it’s used to give positive feedback to families about their child’s concentration, hard work or kindness.” Sean said schools had reported excellent progress since ONVU Learning was installed. The obvious use of the observation tool is for new teachers who need a little help in tweaking their teaching style, although Sean said teachers with years of experience had also found the system useful. The self-reflection element of ONVU Learning gives teachers autonomy. Dan Thomas, executive headteacher of The Learning For Life Partnership, said: “I would recommend this system for any school that is looking for a simple way to develop teaching and learning in their school. This system gives the ownership of professional development to the teachers so they can reflect and develop their skills.” For more information on ONVU Learning, see the website here
5 reasons e-learning is a great option for introverted students
Livia Bran at Cypher Learning discusses why e-learning is a great option for introverted students… There are many things introversion is confused with. In a world that seems to have been designed based on extrovert ideals, introverted people get tags like shy, aloof, uninterested or anti-social. Even introverts have a hard time understanding themselves, and this can happen way into adulthood. Introverted kids have an even harder time. Chances are, one in three (if not even one in two) students is introverted. Meeting their specific needs besides their learning needs can be a challenge, especially for teachers that don’t understand what these students are going through. But e-learning has their backs. Why e-learning is a great option for introverted students Introverts live mostly in their inner worlds and they very much appreciate having options that allow them to do things their own way. Including e-learning in your instruction is a perfect way of providing that much-needed alternative to traditional instruction. Here are the main reasons why introverted students love this alternative: 1. E-learning happens online. A student does not have to be physically present in a certain place at a certain time to get new knowledge; they only have to be connected to the internet and usually logged in the school learning management system. Online there is no distraction like in the classroom — who says what, who does what, so the introvert student can spend their precious energy focusing on just the lesson. 2. E-learning is self-paced. There is less peer pressure and introverted students especially like the fact they can progress at their own pace. If they understand the lesson they’ll move on faster and finish the online course at a fraction of the regular time; if they need extra time to master a new concept they can take as long as they need, without feeling guilty for holding the rest of the class stuck at the same part of a lesson. 3. E-learning is all about writing. Introverted students often struggle to express themselves orally. (They can become surprisingly great debaters and presenters, mind you, but only if they’re interested in mastering this skill of public speaking). They prefer writing over talking anytime. In online courses everyone has to write more, so introverts feel more at ease and express their thoughts more easily as well. 4. E-learning puts the student behind the wheel. This extra control they get over their own learning process makes introverts rejoice. They can choose when to do their learning, how much time to allocate at once, if they want to engage in group discussions or compete with their colleagues, edit their thoughts before they publish anything, and so on. Online instruction comes with a degree of independence introverts simply love. 5. E-learning helps them improve. One thing that is often misunderstood about introverts is that they very much like competition; they just don’t like to compete against their friends and classmates. If their peers want to gain as many points as possible, add badges to their online profiles and get trophies for their work to be better that everyone else, introverted kids will do the same, but to be better than their yesterday’s selves. Closing thoughts Introversion is not something to be fixed. Being an introvert at schools comes with plenty of challenges from the start. Understanding introverted students is the first step in making them bloom into the great students they can be. Including e-learning in your teaching strategy may be a challenging task, but your students will be thankful for it — introverts and extroverts alike, because the above advantages of e-learning work for all students. For more information on Cypher e-learning, see cypherlearning.com
Prowise and Wizenoze increase the relevance of the internet in the classroom
Wizenoze and Prowise join forces. With the collaboration, Prowise enables users to gain access to The Web for Classrooms, through the free education software Prowise Presenter. This innovative technology provides relevant, reliable and readable online information that is suitable for an educational environment and offered at the appropriate level for students. The Web for Classrooms will be fully integrated in Prowise Presenter 10. This entirely free education software is already packed with content and interactive possibilities for teachers (instruction), groups (collaborative learning) and students (processing). With the integration of The Web for Classrooms in Presenter, teachers and students gain access to a more relevant source of online information for preparing their lessons or presentations. The technology, based on artificial intelligence, aligns the relevance of the information retrieved from the internet with the demands of the users in the education sector. Complete education software Presenter 10 is currently available as beta version and is the latest version will be presented to the public during the Bett in London, the world’s largest education convention. From April 2019 onwards, the latest version of the education software (including The Web for Classrooms) will be available in The Netherlands, England and Belgium. With the education software, teachers and students use images, videos, tools, Touch Table tools and 3D models, as well as ready-made education strands, quizzes and mindmaps. International development Both parties are enthusiastic about the opportunities that accompany this collaboration. Diane Janknegt, founder of Wizenoze, is ecstatic about the prospect that now hundreds of thousands of teachers can start using The Web for Classrooms, a source of online information especially fitted for use in the classroom. “With this platform, users can retrieve online information to strengthen their lesson or presentation. It is time efficient and students get better grades. Prowise has now given us the opportunity to rapidly develop The Web for Classrooms on an international scale.” Appealing to schools “The integration of The Web for Classrooms” makes our free education software Prowise Presenter 10 even more complete”, director Michael Ahrens adds. “Presenter runs perfectly on our hardware devices such as Prowise Touchscreen, Chromebooks EduLine, All-in-One PC and EduBook 360. Moreover, it plays an integral role in our online learning environment Prowise GO for teachers (instruction) and students (collaborative learning and processing). This makes the interactive Prowise solution extra appealing to schools.” About Wizenoze: Wizenoze was founded in 2013 by Diane Janknegt (previously at Microsoft) and Prof. Dr. Theo Huibers (Twente University). Their goal is to make quality content available for students, adolescents, functionally illiterate and anyone who enjoys acquiring readable information. This disruptive technology is developed by an international team of teachers, scientists and developers, specialised in language technology, search engine technology and artificial intelligence. Since 2018, Wizenoze has become a player on the international stage. About Prowise: Prowise is a leading global company that invests in innovation, quality and reliability in the field of digital learning solutions. By developing their own touchscreens, tablets and user-friendly software, Prowise makes learning more accessible, effective and enjoyable. In 2017, Prowise was awarded the golden FD Gazellen Award (region South in the category large companies) as one of the fastest growing companies in the Netherlands. The Budel-based company, that has only been operational for 9 years, recorded an average revenue growth of 151% over the past three years. Today, over 20,000 schools, 300,000 teachers and hundreds of businesses in over 21 countries use the Prowise solutions. Find out more
Russian Grandmaster and maths teacher share learning benefits of chess
Following the pilot of a chess-based educational initiative in Russia, global education technology provider, Promethean, will be bringing Grandmaster, Sergey Karjakin, and a Russian maths teacher to Bett 2019, to deliver a programme of activity which provides insights into the learning benefits of teaching chess in the classroom. After undertaking academic studies that demonstrated learning chess could help to improve student achievement, Moscow Education Department has introduced weekly chess lessons as a mandatory part of the primary curriculum. To support schools in integrating chess teaching into the classroom using technology, Promethean piloted the ‘Grandmaster Challenge,’ which gave all schools in Russia the opportunity to showcase creative ways of teaching chess with Promethean solutions. Commenting on why Promethean launched the chess initiative, Ian Curtis, Head of EMEA and APAC Markets, said: “We’re much more than a technology company. We are heavily invested in education and supporting teachers to develop lifelong learners. In today’s world, technology plays an increasingly prominent role in teaching and learning, just as it does in students’ home lives. In light of this, we wanted to encourage teachers to explore approaches which use modern technologies alongside traditional methods of chess teaching – the objective being to better engage students in learning to play chess.” Having emerged as the winner of Promethean’s Grandmaster Challenge, Bakhova Alfusya Borisovna, maths teacher at Secondary School No 6, Nartkala in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, will be delivering daily presentations on Stand B98 which share her innovative approach to chess teaching with technology. Presenting alongside Sergey Karjakin, who holds the record as the world’s youngest ever Grandmaster, Alfusya will provide insights into making chess engaging for even the youngest of students, while Sergey will discuss why he believes the game has an important role to play in developing children’s mathematical, critical thinking, and social skills. For more information, see Promethean at Stand B98 at Bett 2019 – there will be live chess games featuring Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin and the teacher from Russia taking place.
How to educate the innovators of tomorrow using technology
Technology permeates every stage of a child’s day, and embracing this is no longer a choice for schools. The students in the classrooms of tomorrow will be our tech innovators of the future, and head teachers must equip schools with the IT infrastructure and technology to handle the growing needs – and expectations – of their pupils, whilst also ensuring it’s affordable and secure for everyone. We are already seeing great strides in tech innovation within education. 2018 research by Ranstad Education highlights that the schools that have already adopted the latest tech do have higher pupil engagement. It predicts that lessons will become more project-based, with more interactive content to engage pupils – much of this can be aided through the use of schemes such as BYOD (bring your own device). BYOD schemes are found to allow pupils to feel responsible for their own devices, preparing them for more technologically advanced workplaces and making them active information-seekers; it also encourages pupils to work cooperatively. Despite the clear benefits, these schemes still have points that schools must consider and respond to. For example, welcoming a host of new and different devices into the school can compromise cybersecurity, something that is of utmost importance in a school environment. Everyone from academy trusts to head teachers and schools as a whole must be aware of new problems that arise with the constantly changing digital world, and act accordingly with companies that can organise the installation of safe IT infrastructure. We must also focus on delivering tech advancement in the classroom that improves the lives of our teachers, who are often burdened by overcomplicated admin processes. Technology can automate parts of the marking process, help teachers to design tests more easily, and keep better track of pupils’ work. Teachers can also give immediate feedback, important for the fast-paced pupils of the internet age. The more time we give to teachers, the more time is given to the pupils – who will be more engaged if we give them the digitally connected education they need. At BETT 2019, Stone Group will be showcasing our new scheme: AccessIT, to demonstrate the need for technology to enable learning, the potential for it, and what kinds of products and services can be offered in response to the growing need. The importance of digitally savvy schools cannot be overstated. Equipping classrooms for the tech innovators of tomorrow should be a priority, and there are ways to reach that goal while balancing the books. If you’re visiting BETT 2019, you can find Stone Group at stand E270.