I've been reading a lot of articles lately in regards to mobile technology and BYOD in education.
The not so Technical capable
A lot of the time unless you work in IT full time, you generally will not have the knowledge of terminology nor understanding. After all if you are a teacher you will spend every day educating students and not learning to understand technology.
VLE
Five myths about classroom technology
I chose these two as prime examples, both are completed by some one who has a speciality field and it's certainly not the technical.
The first one talked about Virtual Classrooms but this all boils down to one thing - Any Where Access. This term is referred to when you want something created at work but you can access it on holiday, while at home and all you need is a device with signal (4G/Wi-Fi or cable).
There is a no physical hardware for virtualised systems.. wrong - there is a physical device for everything on the internet. The term Cloud is a bit like Wi-Fi where the "Fi" doesn't actually mean anything, it's a simple non techie designation for the every day user.
Everything you save will be saved to a physical server with a physical disc. It could be stored any where in the world. As a result there is a lack of actual education towards the students, we are creating in their minds that technology is simple every day. It's easy to maintain, use and pay for which sadly in the real world it's not.
The second one talked about internet filtering shouldn't be so strict, wrong. We have a duty of care to protect Students at School. They can be bullied at School which is why we have to hammer that hard, so what if they get bullied at home? that's not the attitude to have. If a student can get bullied at home you don't ignore bullying on site. If a student is racist at School you don't ignore that because the student can be racist at home. They are real life issues that require tackling.
Teaching a student that there is "a reason why filtering exists", educates them in to realising that's how systems are setup every where. Even service providers are now by default blocking inappropriate materials which requires the parent to "opt out" why? for safety of children.
I once dealt with a case where a student was being bullied on Facebook, that student refused to delete that person because she wanted to know "what was being said". Instead of reporting it asap and blocking that person, it escalated to a much severe incident.
Educating the students doesn't always work which is why you have a plan B - Internet Filtering. And in the day and age of extremism we have even more responsibility to protect children - they are after all children.
The people who vote against filtering are rarely those who deal directly with student behaviour - coincidence?
5 Reasons Organizations Embrace BYOD
This one, doesn't exactly show what the 5 reasons actually are but there is one. AnyWhereAccess which I have mentioned before, if you are able to access all your work anywhere this is the biggest benefit. BUT what has this got to do with BYOD?
Nothing actually. Most people have access to IT in some kind of way, but why BYOD? I can't produce professional work on my latest iPhone. I can't spend hours and hours typing up reports or going through budget spreadsheets so why would I just have a phone?
This is where it makes no sense, the article writer has not actually spent time doing BYOD instead he has simply pointed out that more and more people have mobile technology. I use my mobile for email, internet and Apps. I have a calendar on it for meetings and of course instant messaging plus phone calls. I can't exactly do my job on it, I can't use it to remote on to systems to do maintenance with it's small screen. I can't restore any work, alter data drive sizes, reset the endless amount of passwords and generally perform 90% of my work.
I can do some of it but again with it's small screen does it make it a "productive" method? No.
This is why again it goes back to my original assessment that a lot of people reviewing technology actually have minimal experience of actually using it. Spending time with kids, less tech savvy adults and the general public. People want things to "work" and work fast, to have everything they need at a click of a button which is why BYOD schemes are failing. When they fail - they are costing tens of thousands...
Fit For Purpose
It should always be this title, if you go on holiday and don't plan on producing work. Having access to your emails is great on the phone. If you plan on being productive does it make sense in just using the phone?
As an artist creating a painting you would always have the correct tools, likewise for any job out there. So I say to you - use the right tool for the right job.
iPad Apps
Again, looking through the above. You see a lot of wonderful Apps and some of them I have personal experience with. Not all of them are the full versions of the product when compared to software versions installed on Windows/Macs. What's also not mentioned is the fact where is the Office replacement? Productivity is very important for Ofsted and results, if you don't get them right the School suffers and so does educating students.
There is a severe lack of "fit for purpose" on technology and it creates that blindness because people protect their jobs and don't necessarily want the truth out there. It's very easy for anyone to claim "this is great and works" but to put it through every day life with students is a very different subject.
I take one look at the first paragraph - "In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m quite a fan of the iPad (the Lollipop Nexus 9’s not too bad either). Not because of its design or because its by Apple or any of that, but because of its keen heritage in the learning arena"
Unfortunately what is not mentioned is the fact that iPads have not long actually caught up with education. When they were first invented, every School wanted one and realised there was no management controls - nothing. Only lately could you actually manage them simply and easily.
BUT that's not what this is about, it's the learning side of things which again - The iTunes store only has around 10% better quality apps and availability. With the GooglePlay store fast catching up, after all the iTunes store is older than Google's. Yet according to this article writer, it's keen heritage in the learning area. Even though Apple has only made learning a priority in the last 3 years - not really a heritage to learning and certainly not "keen". Microsoft have been a major part much more than Apple in education plus business's (that includes learning) yet even M$ have been far behind what education is about. Likewise for the iPad, Microsoft have had to fast catchup to what learning is about with Office 365, email, tools and even the new "Whiteboard".
So again, this assumption that Apple/iPad have has that keen heritage to learning is sadly a lie. It would be similar to claiming a brand new football team has a lot of history after a few seasons.. which wouldn't be the case for a new team, new board, new stadium etc.
The simply fact is this is about being that pro "Apple" and "iPad". Which I have talked about plenty of times before, don't hide the fact you are pro Apple and don't pretend it's not the main reason why.
Simply state facts so people don't get the wrong information.
The Salesman
I've already covered quite a bit about the salesman, he or she will not care in any way about you. They don't care about the impact on teaching and learning nor budget issues for the School, their main purpose is to sell you what they have.
Having met many salesman over the years and proved that even the most friendly ones can con/over charge you I can only say they always have their own intentions. Even consultants will have their own preference and will want to prove their own opinion as fact.
In my job I have no choice but to prove best value, fit for purpose and what I know will give the least amount of issues and least amount of work required for teachers.
Always keep an open mind, avoid looking at what seems 'pretty' and make sure you have a problem that requires solving. People simply have a habit of buying something then deciding how they can use it instead of thinking how to use technology before the purchase.
Showing posts with label VLE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VLE. Show all posts
Tuesday, 12 July 2016
Friday, 17 June 2016
VLE's, Portals, Platforms - AnyWhere Access
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A few years ago the Government had this great idea of forcing Schools to get a VLE. Call it what you will it essentially means - Anywhere Access.
On paper the whole idea was great and I understood it. The way it was done really was poorly executed and companies didn't even have products that were ready nor fully functioning.
What kind of programs are completely ready? None. This is why Universities have setup their own systems. So let's start with what should Anywhere Access provide:
Students
No Internet Access
For many years I had been told that Internet access would never be widely accessible due to costs and Parents not knowing anything about IT. How wrong were they? Well let's just say they were beyond wrong and it was obvious the way technology was going with more devices relying on Wi-Fi.
Now we see Wi-Fi offered in restaurants, buses and now cars. The people who went against this are the same ones still lacking any ability to look ahead with technology. They are the ones usually holding Schools back and concentrate too much on the finer things.
Only ten years ago the % of Parents that had Wi-Fi was around 35%, now it's roughly 99% with very few Parents who don't have access. How do I know this? I've worked at multiple Schools in the last 6 years and the number has never been below 90% in that time and it's still increasing.
Out of a single year 99% adds up to 2-4 Parents which in my current job for year 7 is a spot on assessment. How do I know these results? I've done surveys over the years.
What's interesting is the ones who say Parents still don't have internet access are the same ones who claim Students can't survive without their facebook.
When things work in a School, the next task should always be future planning, perfection and new technologies.
Why the rejection?
In simple terms - most don't want them, don't want the work, can't afford and don't see what they can really bring to a School. Every month that passes, Schools and companies want more external access to everything. How do I know this? because now we have a dozens of Staff access all sorts from home and not just their data areas. A lot of Staff use email at home (as shown by endless amount of surveys showing workers do this).
What to use?
There are plenty out there to choose from, some are costly, a few are free but depends what you really want from the system.
Moodle
The greatest positive over this one is that it's free. Unfortunately that is the only really good benefit. To sync up to your data system without costs is no easy task and requires a bit of time/patience. This also goes towards setting up a decent system of Moodle. The basic install on to a server isn't a problem (you will need a reliable piece of kit if this becomes important). We currently use this and it's setup, done and rarely have to do any work. Only issues we tend to deal with is keeping staff in the know how. Developing Moodle though would require more time and some one who is clued up. You wouldn't be able to trust a newly employed technician to get this up and running in a few weeks.
The biggest negative over Moodle is that Support doesn't exist other then online forums although you can pay for it - support does exist on that front.
Google Freebies and Office 365/Azure- Although not quite a VLE
The likes of Gmail, Docs and even this Blogger but the problem with all these freebies - they are pretty basic. When you compare Google Docs to say Office 365, it's a no win scenario for Google. We attempted an entire year to use Google Docs and unfortunately there are many functions not available.
Frog
This one has huge potential, the idea of Frog was that Students loaded this no matter where they were and got everything. Unfortunately when I last used this setup there was several issues and it seemed that maybe they took too much on and concentrated too much on quantity of functions/services instead of quality. The idea that it was easy to create online content, lessons, homework all in a single area really is appealing. The massive and biggest negative is the cost. The huge cost wouldn't be so bad if there was rarely problems and all the current functions at the time worked. Their technical support was also inconsistent. At times you may find issues are quickly resolved and other moments you can wait weeks, months and even a year for problems to be fixed.
RealSmart
Little potential, no ability to link up to your AD system and generally not worth it. The positive on this is it's low cost £4000 a year compared toe other major VLEs. Unfortunately I can't say anything else that is positive other than they use the Google Apps. Having met one of their trainers and had the dictation of scrapping Microsoft in favour of RealSmart and Google you can probably guess I wasn't too impressed. Anyone who works in our job will know the big picture that it's not a simple switch over to one system to another. You have too many implications which have been covered in other posts.
So this VLE is a simple system to share online content and assign - that's really it.
The above VLEs are ones I have personal experience in although there are plenty to choose from my only advice is ask your self - what do you want before you purchase a VLE.
And remember the implications:
A few years ago the Government had this great idea of forcing Schools to get a VLE. Call it what you will it essentially means - Anywhere Access.
On paper the whole idea was great and I understood it. The way it was done really was poorly executed and companies didn't even have products that were ready nor fully functioning.
What kind of programs are completely ready? None. This is why Universities have setup their own systems. So let's start with what should Anywhere Access provide:
Students
- Access to the data area - Google Drive or One Drives are perfect examples.
- Timetables, calendar information and diary dates.
- Access to software, apps and programs - call them what you will.
- Email, chat and general communication tools.
- Learning materials, course books and documentation.
- Useful links to external sites - even department specifics.
- Assignments, tasks, work and send back to the tutor.
- Single Sign On
- Linked to other systems e.g. Cashless Catering/Printing
- Video content
- Compatible with most devices
- Ability to access Student assignments.
- Lesson planners.
- Ability to create all the Student materials.
- Marking, assessments and data entries.
No Internet Access
For many years I had been told that Internet access would never be widely accessible due to costs and Parents not knowing anything about IT. How wrong were they? Well let's just say they were beyond wrong and it was obvious the way technology was going with more devices relying on Wi-Fi.
Now we see Wi-Fi offered in restaurants, buses and now cars. The people who went against this are the same ones still lacking any ability to look ahead with technology. They are the ones usually holding Schools back and concentrate too much on the finer things.
Only ten years ago the % of Parents that had Wi-Fi was around 35%, now it's roughly 99% with very few Parents who don't have access. How do I know this? I've worked at multiple Schools in the last 6 years and the number has never been below 90% in that time and it's still increasing.
Out of a single year 99% adds up to 2-4 Parents which in my current job for year 7 is a spot on assessment. How do I know these results? I've done surveys over the years.
What's interesting is the ones who say Parents still don't have internet access are the same ones who claim Students can't survive without their facebook.
When things work in a School, the next task should always be future planning, perfection and new technologies.
Why the rejection?
In simple terms - most don't want them, don't want the work, can't afford and don't see what they can really bring to a School. Every month that passes, Schools and companies want more external access to everything. How do I know this? because now we have a dozens of Staff access all sorts from home and not just their data areas. A lot of Staff use email at home (as shown by endless amount of surveys showing workers do this).
What to use?
There are plenty out there to choose from, some are costly, a few are free but depends what you really want from the system.
Moodle
The greatest positive over this one is that it's free. Unfortunately that is the only really good benefit. To sync up to your data system without costs is no easy task and requires a bit of time/patience. This also goes towards setting up a decent system of Moodle. The basic install on to a server isn't a problem (you will need a reliable piece of kit if this becomes important). We currently use this and it's setup, done and rarely have to do any work. Only issues we tend to deal with is keeping staff in the know how. Developing Moodle though would require more time and some one who is clued up. You wouldn't be able to trust a newly employed technician to get this up and running in a few weeks.
The biggest negative over Moodle is that Support doesn't exist other then online forums although you can pay for it - support does exist on that front.
Google Freebies and Office 365/Azure- Although not quite a VLE
The likes of Gmail, Docs and even this Blogger but the problem with all these freebies - they are pretty basic. When you compare Google Docs to say Office 365, it's a no win scenario for Google. We attempted an entire year to use Google Docs and unfortunately there are many functions not available.
Frog
This one has huge potential, the idea of Frog was that Students loaded this no matter where they were and got everything. Unfortunately when I last used this setup there was several issues and it seemed that maybe they took too much on and concentrated too much on quantity of functions/services instead of quality. The idea that it was easy to create online content, lessons, homework all in a single area really is appealing. The massive and biggest negative is the cost. The huge cost wouldn't be so bad if there was rarely problems and all the current functions at the time worked. Their technical support was also inconsistent. At times you may find issues are quickly resolved and other moments you can wait weeks, months and even a year for problems to be fixed.
RealSmart
Little potential, no ability to link up to your AD system and generally not worth it. The positive on this is it's low cost £4000 a year compared toe other major VLEs. Unfortunately I can't say anything else that is positive other than they use the Google Apps. Having met one of their trainers and had the dictation of scrapping Microsoft in favour of RealSmart and Google you can probably guess I wasn't too impressed. Anyone who works in our job will know the big picture that it's not a simple switch over to one system to another. You have too many implications which have been covered in other posts.
So this VLE is a simple system to share online content and assign - that's really it.
The above VLEs are ones I have personal experience in although there are plenty to choose from my only advice is ask your self - what do you want before you purchase a VLE.
And remember the implications:
- Impact on broadband bandwidth (peak times)
- Costs (annual costs, additional Staff)
- Training (Staff, IT Support and Students)
- Administration (general admin work)
- Administrator management (IT Support, maintenance)
- Fit for purpose (does what you want)
- Reliability (bugs, failures and downtime)
- External access
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