Robin Ball

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Robin Ball

• Project Manager Learning Services

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Learning Services

• Planning for personalised online learning

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OJEU Procurement Process

• Becta is entering a procurement process which
  will result in a Learning Platform Framework
  Contract.
• As such the following statements apply

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OJEU Procurement Process

• The fact that some suppliers are present at the
  RBC Roadshows does not give any indication that
  they will be included in the Procurement
  Framework. 
• Becta does not endorse any supplier offering.
• Becta will run an objective procurement process
  which will apply pre-defined criteria to the
  bids.
•  
• Becta will not take into account extraneous
  matters such as supplier attendance at RBC
  Roadshows.

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The e-strategy

• Transform learning and teaching through shared
  ideas, stimulating activities and online support
• Engage hard to reach learners with more choice
  about how and when to learn
• Create an open and accessible system with
  information and services available to parents,
  carers, children, adult learners, employers
• Greater efficiency, reduced burdens through
  streamlined administration
• Opportunities for professional development
  through peer to peer networks, online research
  databases

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In a nutshell?

• A key objective is to provide
• a personalised learning space with the potential
  to support e-portfolios available to every school
  by 2007-08

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What will it mean for my school?

• Tailoring content to user needs and learning
  styles
• Breadth flexibility of resources
• Customising learning
• Student engagement
• Continuity of learning and out of hours learning
• Home learning
• Parental involvement
• Access to performance information

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What will it mean for my school?

• Supporting anytime, anywhere learning
• Remote access
• Removing boundaries
• Re-engaging disaffected students
• Enabling peer/mentor dialogue
• Sharing, adapting repurposing
• Spreading exemplar and innovative practice

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What will it mean for my school?

• Assessment for learning
• Share aims of learning with students
• Monitor progress
• Planned interventions
• Involvement of pupils in their own learning
• Ownership of learning
• Increased motivation
• Anytime, anywhere learning

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Planning strategically

• Defining institutional readiness
• Where are we now?
• Where do we need to be?
• What needs to be in place?
• Measuring progress
• How do you make it happen?
• Infrastructural change
• Involving everyone
• Investing in new skills
• CPD

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Planning strategically

• Cultural change and change management
• New ways of thinking
• New ways of doing
• Planning for change
• Involving everyone
• Support for change management
• National Remodelling Team resources, Touching
  tomorrow
• NCSL

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Planning strategically

• School development planning
• Constantly under review
• Exploiting new technologies
• Continuous improvement
• Short, medium long-term investment
• Enabling data flow
• Management information
• Data outside the institution
• Access to data about learning
• Parental involvement

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Planning strategically

• Building in accessibility
• From inception
• A constant
• Sustainability
• Planning for the short-term
• Planning for the long-term

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What is a learning platform?

• Simple web-based learning content systems
• Internet-based
• Upload/download of files
• Basic communication tools
• Message boards/chat

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What is a learning platform?

• More advanced systems such as Virtual Learning
  Environments (VLEs)
• Learner support
• Learner tools
• Management tracking of learner activity
• Assessment

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What is a learning platform?

• Comprehensive Managed Learning Environments
  (MLEs)
• Share exchange data
• Links to management information
• Include staffing, finance etc.

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So what should I look for?

• Most learning platform systems will offer a
  variety of functions in a number of ways, from
  basic, hosted systems to fully integrated,
  managed systems.
• There is no one-fits-all solution, and success
  will be determined by ensuring a coherent match
  of learning services.

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Forget labels and acronyms!

• Think about your requirements and look at
  available functionality
• Communication and collaboration
• Content sourcing and delivery
• Content repurposing and sharing
• Curriculum mapping
• Assessment and recording
• Accurate intervention and reporting
• Effective administration

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Forget labels and acronyms!

• Think about your requirements and look at
  available functionality
• Data transparency (adherence to agreed standards)
• Connectivity
• Security
• Support and maintenance
• Training

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Support from Becta

• Planning for personalised online learning,
  available from the Becta web site at
• www.becta.org.uk/publications

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Support from Becta

• An introduction to learning platforms for school
  leaders, available from the Becta web site at
• www.becta.org.uk/publications

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Support from Becta

• Functional specifications
• Defining levels of functionality for learning
  platform technologies
• Created in collaboration with industry
• Currently in production for release March 2006

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Support from Becta

• Self review framework
• Online interpretation of functional
  specifications
• Enables management to establish current position
  and create action plans for future investment
• Available from March 2006

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Support from Becta

• Practitioner stakeholder group
• Online community to validate advice guidance
• Involved in developing messages
• Invitation to join
• jacqui.drudge_at_becta.org.uk

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Support from Becta

• Procurement framework
• Currently being developed to support aggregated
  purchasing
• Informed by the functional specifications
• Evaluation process

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Postscript - How to get it all wrong!

• Based on experiences from the FE sector
• Keep it all to yourself
• Dont provide any content
• Dont train the staff
• Train the staff in the wrong things at the wrong
  times
• Forget about the underpinning infrastructure
• Everyone is going to be enthusiastic about
  learning platforms
• Forget about quality control
• Saying all lessons should be supported or
  delivered online

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Postscript - How to get it all wrong!

• Spending the money too soon!
• Technology for e-learning, How to get it all
  wrong
• http//ferl.becta.org.uk