CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY


CLASSROOMTECHNOLOG Y


Goddard points out: 'Coffee shops have faster broadband than many schools!' It was too disruptive moving groups into ICT suites midway through a lesson but there was no way the network could support a mass of mobile devices so there was a carefully considered investment to improve he wireless network across the whole school site.


They also made the brave decision to retire some of the hardware and software: ‘Just about every school bought handheld voting devices for assessment for learning,’ said Emma. ‘You had to pay for the device and the software but found sometimes they wouldn’t charge or connect properly.We realised that they had been


superseded by free software so you could get the same result in a more efficient way.’


They carried on their good work by ditching their learning platform too and now use GSuite instead so all pupils and teachers have address, and, thanks to good connecti leadership meetings are almost paperless as verything is on the team drive and can be ccessed electronically.


a e


Emma Darcy


comes from teachers who see a need and make their own. One of the all-time success stories is Crick Software. This year Clicker 7 won the Special needs award at Bett, but it started life as a product with word banks and writing frames to help children with physical disabilities Now one of the most popular products for EAL students these days, recent research fromWensum Junior School in Norwich shows that it impacts vocabulary and fluency and the effect spills over into handwritten work too. Six pupils times the amount o


f independent work recorded in the survey produced three


during the spring term than at the start of the autumn term. One teacher commented that children relied less on teacher support and that it made 'lesson materials easy to differentiate and, with 20 of the clas s being EAL the read back facility has made the lesson more accessible for all children.'


, Ty was especially impressed by Shireland


Collegiate Academy in Smethwick. 'Schools need to get the vision for teaching and learning articulated and then look at how the technology can enable that.' Shirelands' vision focused on community involvement, parental engagement and the flipped classroom where students prepared work at home before the lesson. He liked the ‘class sites’, which used standard software – Sharepoint and Office 365 – to create a hub for teachers, students and parents: 'Teachers can now see pupils’ homework before lessons, adapting their plans as required. Parents have a window into school life and can see their children’s class work. This is ‘extended schools’ in action, for a new age.'


Emma Darcy is Director of Technology for


Learning at Denbigh High School in Luton, part of the Chiltern Learning Trust.


A whole school vision was the starting point for them too. In 2013 they made Technology for Teaching and Lear ning a priority in the School Improvement Plan. Targets included a whole school audit to see what staff were using and their level of skills and confidence and a survey of pupils to find out their views and the technology they accessed at home.


Like many schools they quickly realised that poor connectivity was holding them back. as Ty


4 0 www.education-today.co.uk.co.uk www March 2019 2019


After the cull, they started to be more strategic and focused on software that could be used across all subjects. GCSE Pod is now used by all learners in key stage three and four and year 10 and 11s are creating their own playlists, picking the podcasts they need for revision.


Last year they gave one class of Year 7s a Chrome Book to use in all their lessons and measured the impact. The students learnt at a faster pace; their writing improved as they became braver in their choice of vocabulary and phrasing and they would use the technology to draft and check work and then if necessary, copy a final version into books. Last term they rolled this out to all year 7s, looking at the impact on teacher workload and the pace of lessons. Emma pointed out:


'If we had introduced 400 Chrome


vity, senior a Gmail


Books onto the network four years ago, it would have ground to a halt.’


After-school clubs are a good way to boost the profile of technology. Denbigh High School attracted media attention for their success in Apps for Good, an annual competition wher e students design and create a marketing plan for an app. The best entries go forward to an event in London where they pitch to a panel of 'dragons'. In 2016 a team of 12-14 year olds won the Accessibility category sponsored by Samsung with an app to help disabled jobseekers. Apps for at ran for two full terms. It of Computer Science and is ll learning needs to be in


reminder that not a changed the image Good was a club th


lessons.


Other schools are using Kaz, another Bett Awards finalist, a program that teaches touch typing in just 90 minutes and once candidates ar e up to 35 words per minute, they can sit a City & Guilds assessment module which consists of a multiple choice paper and a typing test, recording speed and accuracy. Successful candidates receive a digital certificate and badge to showcase on their social media profiles, C.V.s and job applications.


Both of these are good for schools because they provide certification and are recognised by employers as useful job skills. 'Our students love getting extra qualifications,' said Emma, 'and it was a catalyst for our school to look at industry links.'


These could be very good times for the edtech community in Ty Goddard's view: 'The new secretary of state is leading by example, willing to talk about edtech and go and meet those who are using it,' he said. 'Now we need greater clarity about how we drive forward the positives.'


The re Th results ts of EdTe April at a recepti


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the House of Lords ds


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