St Edmunds

Finally just a few photos from St Edmunds - I've put these in to illustrate one of the devices which seems to be quite popular. It is the HTC Advantage. The great thing about this device is that the keyboard can be removed from the screen and used separately. Or the screen can be used without the keyboard at all.

Unfortunately it does not seem to be available in NZ -there are some other models that are on offer though.

A visit to FutureLab

I spent the afternoon with Dan Sutch from Future Lab. (In an amazing converted Banana Warehouse overlooking the Bristol Canal!) I could write a huge amount about what we discussed, but would not do our conversation justice.

My feeling is that visiting their website is by far the best way to get a glimpse into some stunning work that is currently underway and what is around the corner.

I still can’t get my head around 3D Imaging printers…u design it and then the printer creates it!!! And a very short throw projector which sits virtually up against the whiteboard on the floor!!! NO MORE CABLES!!

Make sure you particularly look at www.createascape.org.uk


Thanks Dan!

A BIG THANKYOU

Thanks Sheila for pulling together my visits while in Bristol.

Sheila works for the iCity Learning Centre, part of ICT the support provided by the Local Authority to schools in the area.

The best comparison I can give is that they are a little like eTime for those of you who know them, but are funded by what would be our local Ministry of Education

I will attach some of the photos of the Learning Centre - what was fantastic was that local students also used this space as a place to come to Learn and work as well as Teachers!

21st Century Learning Environments

I was privileged to be able to look around Brunel Academy in Bristol. (Secondary School starting at Year 7)

Brunel has recently been rebuilt as part of a British Education strategy.

Brunel featured open naturally lit spaces and a clearly understood and easily seen set of values.



Main Entrance.

They are currently looking at how Mobile Learning will be used at their school. Currently they are looking towards Netbooks as their preferred solution.

Thanks Amando for all of the time provided.



Main Corridor




Yes all students carry a swipe card! taken from the main Office area looking towards lower corridor.




You can learn many things from Harry Potter



These plaques illustrated the thoughts of the students and were located on both sides of the entrance.



Looking down on one of the open computer pods. The school philosophy on display is very evident throughout the building.

Lord knowle Primary

Long Knowle is a Primary School located in Wolverhampton. Students at the school are from Reception to Year 6. They have been trialing the use of Mobile Learning Devices for approximately three years. The initial implementation was done at the Year 5 & 6 level with the programme now moving down as far as Year 3. Long Knowle have chosen to use an HP PDA as their device.




Although this particular device does have some limitations such as not having a camera, their choice fits what they believe. The device has a clear screen and is easily held and used by the students. Navigating around the PDA is straight forward and the students were confident using the devices. I watched a Year 3 student opening and closing documents and programmes very happily after only three weeks with the device.

The school has chosen programmes which are interactive in nature rather than passive. It seems that this is a very important factor when considering any mobile learning.



What they are actually asking their students to do is to be involved with their learning by using programs which they create the content for, rather than just being passive and responding to what the program tells them to do.
There is heavy use of “Pocket Slides” and “Sketchy.” (See the links previously) and the students enjoy using these.

Another lesson I observed was around the use of eBooks. The eBook reader allowed students to read the books on their devices, but more importantly let them make annotated notes and links on pages as needed.






Some observations…
• High levels of engagement for both boys and girls
• Devices used as part of the lesson – but not the point of the lesson
• Clever software which allows management of the devices in bulk
• The PDA’s were coded so that each student knew exactly which was theirs
• A swap out system was available if a student had trouble with their device. A loan one was available
• The lack of camera was worked around by having a digital camera available in the room…still a negative in my opinion. New models do have cameras, but cost is prohibitive
• Parents commit to a monthly fee over a two or three year period. This includes insurance. (Approximate ten pounds) Students then own these after the period is finished. The PDA also had the ability to act as a phone if a Sim Card was fitted. This option not available at the school
• The look of each of the devices was the same.. this means when they started them up all the software was in the same place for each device. This allowed for the teachers to be able to help and demonstrate to students by hooking up their PDA’s to the Smart Boards. Students then did not have to try and locate programmes in a different place
Thanks to all the staff and students at Long Knowle.

Huston we have a problem!

Wireless technology is great until it packs a sad! I have been reduced to finding an internet cafe as my laptop has decided that it no longer wants to talk to any wireless connection. So as a result all of the work I have prepared cannot as yet go up online. I have emailed for help - so here's hoping that I can get it sorted.

Hopefully at some stage I will have the opportunity to plug in and get things up online - until then all I can do is wait!

Posting from a Distant Land

Wolverhampton Learning2Go Project
Special thanks to Dr David Whyley and Sue Morris for all the time spent with me while here in Wolverhampton!

Some Background…

L2Go is a mobile technology initiative based in the city of Wolverhampton (UK). Its aims are to prepare students for learning and working in the 21st century. The project has been running for approximately 8 years with the full backing of the local education authority.

Students use handheld devices in a fun and interactive way, from recording using voice and video on location and authoring work on the spot to using pre loaded software and eBooks.




Currently the programme reaches 2500 thousand pupils and teachers with the aim to have more schools on board over the next few years. By 2011 the number of devices available to learners in the area will be over 18000.


In the early stages of the project trials were carried out using simple non connected PDA’s this has been highly effective. These devices allowed students to operate outside of the classroom with technology when and where it was needed. The benefit to the learner was that for example pictures / videos / recordings could be made while on say a school visit and quickly and easily worked on using the other programs available on the device. Once back in the classroom the devices were synced with a desktop computer for final editing if necessary. From there the final product could be uploaded to the web or downloaded to the PDA to be taken home to show to mum or dad.


The devices were initially purchased by the LEA and then rented out to parents. The contribution was equivalent to ‘a pint of beer a week!” Schools then supported any shortfalls out of their ICT budgets. Students were then able to take these devices home with them, but ownership was maintained by LEA (Local Education Authority)



The next big step!

L2Go is now embarking on a more ambitious phase. As the technology has improved, so too has the capabilities of mobile devices. The PDA has been superseded by the increasing availability of ‘Smart Phones,” The model they will use calls for a generic device to be rolled out across the trial schools rather than learner owned multiple devices.

Their reasoning for this is that only lower levels of mobile learning could take place if there was a wide variety of phones in use. In other words both students and teachers would be restricted by the capabilities of the lowest performing device.
L2Go has also decided to go with platforms which run Windows Mobile as the operating system. Windows Mobile allows the phone to be integrated with other Windows devices, including being able to be displayed via a projector onto an interactive whiteboard.

While the iPhone is the device many talk about at the moment, the problem is that the applications are not available which allow students to be authors and creators rather than just consumers. Hopefully this may change.

The devices they will use are 3G enabled so that data can be downloaded. Data costs in the UK are significantly lower than in NZ. L2Go has also worked with O2 a major Telco to develop a safe and reliable filtering process. Essentially this is a 4 stage filter. WHITE list – approved content BLACK – Blocked Content, 18+ Access for students who require special permissions to research subjects which may fall outside what is normal, this is most likely to be at University level. FULL – unrestricted access. The device can be customized through the SIM Card allowing for the appropriate filters to be activated.

Management of all the devices can be done via a nifty piece of software called “GO MANAGE.”

For anyone embarking on a trial of this type eSafety is vital. Currently in NZ, (At least as far as I know!) the technology is not available which allows the O2 type filtering.

However one simple solution according to Dave would be to use the smart phone capabilities on wifi through current school networks. This provides the filtering in the same way as other devices connected to the internet at school are subject to. The only modification to the phone would need to be the removal of the SIM card. This disables voice and data capabilities outside of the school environment. As the technology in NZ changes and prices drop for data the ability to add these back in could be explored.

Currently the first school in the Wolverhampton area is about to trial full data and voice access for their students.
Some essentials in setting up any mobile technology programme.
Device needs to be ready to go out of the box
The screens and setup (imaging) needs to be the same
Programs need to be able to be loaded quickly and in bulk! Setting up an SD card is one solution used.




Techs who know what the device is and how it works.
Tech support – you will be increasing the amount of computing power in your school, so you will need to increase the amount of time. The size of the device does not matter!
Teachers who know how to effectively use ICT tools in their lessons
Professional development
Minimum specs for your devices
A clear vision
A champion for the project
A project timeframe
Engaging the community
Policy / procedures
Infrastructure

Some interesting links....
iSTARS - eBOOKS

GO MANAGE - Handheld Device Management

Pocket Slides - Full PowerPoint for Mobile