BETT 2015 ETAG Reflections 5 & 6

Reflection 5: Evidence – surely there must be some ….

Really? A whole section of the report devoted to tell us that finding evidence about the impact of digital technologies is difficult. REALLY! I don’t believe that there is no evidence out there.

OK, much of the evidence may be that digital tools played a part, small or large, in improving learning outcomes but there must be evidence somewhere or how can we say we are part of an evidence-based profession?

Even I, in my small way, managed to collect evidence of effectiveness with the use of simulations in science learning and also in the use of effective feedback to support low achieving learners. In fact in the 80’s I was collecting evidence about the use of LOGO to support low achieving pupils ability to make use of complex geometry concepts in maths.

ETAG 2016 MUST include some evidence as to the effectiveness of digital tools to help enable improved learning.

Reflection 6: Access, Equity and Funding

ETAG says

“Increasingly education technology means on-line. Cloud-based computing enables cost savings, ensures content and software is always up-to-date and allows access anytime, anywhere and on any device. Collaborative learning crosses institutional and geographical boundaries. Resources and opportunities are global.”

How true this is and I’ve been shouting on about this since 1997. At last the technology is catching up with the vision and today should be the start of your move towards an Internet-based strategy for infrastructure, services, tools for learning, teaching and administration. This is perhaps the one, major step that most schools could make that would help them begin their journey to change.

Opening up the learning resources you use to enable learners, staff and parents to access them for anywhere is a first step towards connected, collaborative learning for all.

I will be doing a post about this soon and discussing ways you can model your approach to get the best out of this approach.

The four key recommendations in this section are:

• Schools, Colleges and Universities should provide learners with an entitlement to a substantial minimum level of fast broadband connectivity which is based on number of learners and a rising expectation of increasing, institutional and personal use.
  
• Schools, Colleges and Universities should provide learners with a minimum entitlement to a safe, secure, resilient and robust organisation-wide Wi-Fi system for all their devices with access to both use, and contribute to, all learning resources when learners are not on the premises/campus.
  
• School, Colleges and Universities should build BYO (Bring Your Own) approaches into their immediate and medium term digital technology strategies.
  
• Schools Colleges and Universities should have access to an independent, objective help/advice/support service for technology procurement and deployment.

It really is difficult to argue with the first three of these and, to my mind, they seem a given if schools are going to realise the potential benefits of digital technologies. Again, I will be doing a post about this in the near future as it really is the only way to go.

It’s recommendation number 4 which is perhaps the most challenging since whilst it is probably a good idea I wonder how it could be created. Good Local Authorities used to fulfil this role but even then there were many, mostly secondary schools, that did not see the need.

BECTA could have done this but never really managed to make it happen and academy chains are meant to provide this sort of expertise but often end up not taking into account the individual needs and contexts of different schools.

Procurement is hard. Group procurement is even harder. Advising individual schools or groups of schools about procurement for their specific needs is MUCH harder and, importantly, much more costly. I think I will do a post about this as well soon …… I’ve seen enough procurement in my time to have some pretty robust views on the whole topic.