MANAGING ICT


Glen Alexander from Archbishop Ilsley Catholic


Technology College and Sixth Form Centre describes his experience of the National Learning Platforms Conference 2010


by visionary schools, that showcased their learning platforms to inspire other schools to think beyond the school walls and see what can be achieved.


M Inspiration


Since the acquisition of our technology college status in 2000 we have used ICT and technological resources to support student learning, achievement and enjoyment. Teachers have been supported with the use of ICT in all classrooms, adding a wide range of variety to both teaching and learning styles. Having attended last year’s National Learning


Platforms Conference, I knew the 2010 event would not disappoint. We were keen to see how other schools are using their learning platforms and to speak to like- minded schools about their experiences with the hope that it would inject us with some fresh thoughts to take away.


Ordinary people doing extraordinary things


That’s us – the quintessential ordinary school. It was refreshing to see just how many schools are like us. Yes we are good at homework assignments and


ORE THAN 500 UK secondary school leaders attended the annual National Learning Platforms Conference in Manchester last term. The conference provided interactive workshops, led


The potential of learning platforms


communications using our learning platform and even our social networking is developing – but what happens all too often in schools is that we get bogged down with day-to-day admin tasks and so finding new and innovative ways to incorporate technology into the classroom takes a backseat. The conference showed us that any school can


achieve truly exceptional things – like Costello Technology College in Hampshire and The Abbey


Headteacher's PA of the Year Awards 2010


An opportunity to recognise and celebrate the people who are at the heart of a successful school


One of the most vital jobs performed in any secondary school is that of the PA to the headteacher.


The PA is invariably the confidante of the head and a key link with the staffroom, the governors, parents and pupils. Good PAs are an invaluable asset and few schools can operate efficiently or effectively without them.


In acknowledgement of this essential role, SecEd is proud to organise for the fifth year running, in association with UNISON, the SecEd Headteacher's PA of the Year Awards 2010, which will celebrate the achievements, commitment and success of the modern headteacher's PA.


Only PAs to the headteacher or deputy headteacher of a secondary or middle school (state, special or independent) may be entered. Nominations will only be accepted from the head or deputy head. To enter, write a statement of 500 to 700 words explaining why the nominated PA deserves the award.


Nominations should be sent to SecEd editor Pete Henshaw on the email below by no later than Monday, November 1, 2010. Full information and guidance for nominators is available upon request.


Email: pete.henshaw@markallengroup.com


School in Berkshire and I have taken some great ideas away with me.


Making creativity normal


Headteacher Martin Williams and deputy head Irene Large from The Corsham School in Wiltshire were the second keynote speakers of the day, following on from Lord Sutherland on his view that “schools are an engine for change in society”. Now this school has truly made creativity “normal”.


They look at the needs of their school and use their learning platform to enable achievement – whether that is encouraging creativity, improving communication or engaging with parents. The Corsham School describes creativity as


“imaginative activity to deliver an outcome that is original and of value” and for education it is finding that balance between brain, thought and creativity. Learning platforms and Web 2.0 can equip schools


with creative tools to personalise the learning experience for students and I saw a brilliant example of this at the conference. Our learning platform provider has developed a


series of applications that allows users to personalise their own learning platform by having access to more than 200,000 integrated applications available over the web, such as weather, games and wikis in the same way as iGoogle and the Apple iPhone Apps. However, Ninestiles School in Birmingham


showcased how they have worked with their learning platform provider to look at developing their own applications – allowing the school to further engage students in their learning through creating maths games, word searches; just about anything really.


From failure to success


We implemented our learning platform in September 2009 and now that it is used throughout the school, we are really starting to see what it can do for us; so I was particularly keen to visit Cramlington Learning Village’s (based in Northumberland) workshop on “From intranet and failed learning platforms to outstanding success” to discover the school’s journey and get some ideas on what a successful learning platform looks like. I particularly liked the toolkits, lesson plans and


online pigeonholes for teachers; their use of the learning platform as a one-stop shop for the school’s online services showed how a fully integrated solution for virtual learning can be achieved. This is evident through their log-in rates – around 5,000 every day. As our school is now starting to look at social


networking within our learning platform, it was refreshing to see how well Cramlington also combined the social networking element with students’ learning through news feeds, personal profiles and integrating this with lessons and homework assignments. We can spend our lives banning students from


games and social networking or we can integrate it into their learning so they can access information in a way that they are comfortable with.


Taking parental engagement one step further


The final workshop I attended was from Costello Technology College and called: “Engaging parents through educational technology – one year on.”


10 The workshop gave me a real insight into the


developments of its parent portal and how other technologies are supporting the development of parental engagement at the college. Parental engagement is the next step for our school and I was very keen to hear about the school’s implementation, its successes and failures. The school explained that its firm belief is that


transformational change derives from small steps and leads to big changes. The school successfully implemented this by setting up a parent focus group to shape requirements, engaging with stakeholders to secure their vision and key performance indicators, staff training, and reviewing current working practices. The school considered the importance of the


integrity of its data, such as making sure behaviour and attendance logs are up-to-date and correct – what use is a portal that provides parents with information on their child that is out-of-date, or worse, incorrect? Costello’s learning platform allows parents to


personalise the information they want, when and where they want to view it, through interfaces they are comfortable with. One parent’s information needs may differ from another’s. At any given time, one might want an update on their child’s attendance, while another might want to track their child’s progress in English or appreciate knowing when their child contributes well to a class discussion. The answer for Costello was to provide parents with access to information they want such as booking parents’ evening appointments online, making online payments and booking school facilities – this was a stage further than what our school was initially considering but will certainly be something I take on board.


Teaching and learning is evolving


This year’s conference has certainly boosted our confidence as a school and made us realise that ordinary schools like us can achieve extraordinary things. Costello Technology College has certainly inspired me to delve further into the potential for parental engagement and I have a whole host of ideas to take forward. Schools must now realise that teaching and learning


is evolving as students become more technically minded. This is an opportunity for us as school leaders to encourage ownership of students’ own work and development by giving them the tools and resources in a way that is familiar to them. With this in mind, the next stage for Archbishop Ilsley is to implement parental engagement using the learning platform as well as exploring the social networking aspect for the students and teachers. The National Learning Platforms Conference as


always did not fail to deliver a truly inspiring day. Our learning platform has the power to change our school fundamentally through teaching, learning and individuals.


SecEd


• Glen Alexander is assistant headteacher at Archbishop Ilsley Catholic Technology College and Sixth Form Centre in Birmingham.


Further information


If you missed the conference, you can watch some of the main workshops and access the presentations at www.frogtrade.com/conference. The next National Learning Platforms Conference takes place in June 2011.


SecEd • September 30 2010


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