EdTech is in a key position to support schools in delivering a continuing educational offering, but doing this effectively is more challenging than some would make out – find out more here
CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on NAACE
For those in leadership roles within the education sector, the pandemic presented substantial challenges. Among these challenges was the task of delivering continuous education to students who were remotely studying away from the physical school premises.
In a bid to assist schools, the EdTech industry and EdTech community have been abuzz with offers of ‘Free Trials’ and an abundance of links to documents and suggested activities. How should schools respond safely and effectively to this need? What considerations should school leadership keep in mind?
Crafting an Effective Online Vision and Strategy Aligned with School Values
Before diving into multiple sign-ups for online services, it’s prudent to pause and carefully determine the objectives your school aims to accomplish through its developing online presence.
While it may seem straightforward, start with a fundamental question: “What kind of technology-enhanced online presence does your school wish to establish? And what essential functionalities are required?” Subsequently, devise a plan to achieve those goals. Avoid hasty reactions to ‘Special offers’ and quick fixes; instead, focus on shaping a well-considered, longer-term strategy.
Are you seeking to replicate numerous functions of your school in the online realm, or are you primarily aiming to provide specific content and activities for students?
Conduct a comprehensive assessment of your current online offerings, even if they are limited or underutilised. This assessment will provide context for developing a pragmatic strategy. Identify instances of existing effective usage and build upon those foundations, rather than hastily enrolling in numerous new services.
It’s paramount for schools to make it crystal clear that their real-world goals, values, and curriculum intentions should remain central to any virtual presence created or facilitated by the school. If a service falls short of meeting this standard, it’s advisable not to engage with it.
Virtual school or remote learning?
School leaders should decide if they are going to work virtually with the whole of their school community or just focus on specific members; such as providing remote learning for a limited group of pupils/students. Consider what provision is going to be made for working with:
Staff – not just teaching but all staff including – site staff, non-teaching, admin and support
Pupils/students – are all pupils/students to receive the same entitlement or is there a focus on particular age ranges or subjects?
Parents – How will parents be contacted and kept informed of not just general information, but of Pupil/Student work set?
Governors – How will governors be kept informed – Can meetings still go ahead?
Wider School community – provision for letting the community around the school know what is going on
Decide on how deep the involvement will be with each group of the school community. With answers to these questions resolved then appropriate and effective choices can be made on a strategic basis.
Aspects of school life best suited to EdTech delivery
Here is a list of the school functions that can be readily supported by tech.
School organisation – The continued day to day running of the school community – functional
Communication and Collaboration – Keeping the school community informed & enabling communication
Information management, Finance and Admin – Making key management functions accessible.
Learning and Teaching – Enabling learning to continue beyond the school environment. Teaching too?
Broadcasting and Showcasing – Storing, sharing and showcasing pupil/student work.
In the event of an extended school shut down, the school leadership will need to systematically address each of these school functions in turn and develop EdTech strategies and enabling solutions to suit.
When it comes to communication, it’s important to acknowledge that while email is a convenient method, it doesn’t always yield the most effective results. Initiating a review of the school’s email policy could serve as an excellent starting point. Revisiting the guidelines for employing CC (carbon copy) and evaluating the extent to which senior staff are included in and receiving emails might be beneficial. Using staff emails to communicate with pupils or students is a sensitive matter, and adhering to digital safeguarding advice suggests that direct communication with pupils/students in this manner is not advisable. Exploring alternative, less personal avenues, such as utilising a class or school-based system, should be considered for communicating with pupils/students.
Regarding the realm of Learning and Teaching, it’s possible that this aspect is well addressed among the listed areas. Begin by conducting an assessment of the school’s current online solutions and content packages, pinpointing staff members who have taken the lead in these areas. Empower these staff members to serve as dedicated digital champions; avoid placing the entire responsibility on the Computing lead.
Keep in mind that what might not have been ideal for on-site interactions might need to be reconsidered for remote working scenarios. While accessing key administrative systems via a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) might not have been the preferred norm for everyday operations, current circumstances could necessitate this as the only viable solution. It’s crucial to collaborate closely with your IT technical support service to determine the most suitable solutions and implement them with care.
Synchronous v Asynchronous
Sounds complicated, but is in reality, simple.
Synchronous – Does the EdTech service work in real time to provide live interactive access?
For Example – live streaming of a video meeting – Skype, Teams, Zoom, Hangouts
Asynchronous – Does the EdTech service provide access to communication content and information left to be utilised at the time convenient to the user in a relatively passive way? For Example – email communications and files left to be worked on in a document library.
Synchronous EdTech – requires more thought in terms of timing, security and bandwidth to deliver. It is immediate and can put pressure on less tech savvy staff, Pupils and Governors. However, users benefit from a more interactive nuanced experience.
Asynchronous EdTech – is much easier and less “Risky” to use as it doesn’t require a specific time for all participants to be available – it also is less “Personal” in that it enables messages, plans or work etc. to be pre prepared and then refined.
School leaders will need to match the ability of staff and pupils to the style of tech to be used. Jumping straight in with live synchronous lessons delivered by teachers would not be recommended. As it requires a massive amount of training, support and safeguarding advice before tentative use could be contemplated. The Twitter community and the hype around certain software solutions can make schools feel behind the curve – but it is essential that schools deliver what will be acceptable, safe and effective for them and their learners in a planned thoughtful way.
Home Access
Schools will need to find out the range of access to both broadband connections and appropriate hardware such as Laptops, PC’s or tablet. This information is important for all staff, pupils/students and governors. If schools have been engaging with online learning beyond school as a matter of course then they will have up to date information identifying Pupils/students and staff with limited or no access. Alternative provisions will need to be made. Key questions for school leaders include.
Do all of my Staff have a current email address? Can they Log on?
Does our school currently provide an email address for all pupils/students? Can they Log on?
Do all Staff have access to online facilities at home?
Do all pupils/students have access to online facilities at home?
Are home devices suitable for extended (i.e do they have a keyboard?)
As the majority of pupils/students are now learning from home – data around log on’s to services can inform school leaders where access has not been possible. Follow up by phone or text may be able to resolve individual issues. Schools may consider setting up a dedicated messaging service to detect those with no access. Where log on’s are an issue then consider setting up a specific email address for help such as “[email protected]”
Provision for providing paper based access to learning may have to be considered for some Pupils/students.
Train your staff and keep safe
This might seem obvious; but once more, this is often overlooked or added as an afterthought. If you are supplying new online services or content, then make sure your teachers have access in advance of the pupils and that they know how to use them. Train them in private – in advance on any software or cloud-based systems. Give them time to adjust to this new way of working before launching it to pupils/students.
Have a planned roll out of newly discovered resources to avoid staff becoming swamped and stressed.
Please keep everyone in your school safe online. In the current situation, it is really important for Staff to feel safe and secure and for pupils/students to comply with any accessible use policies (AUP’s) and digital safeguarding policies. Before signing up to any online service please make sure that it is safe and GDPR compliant. Treating the online presence of your school with the same values and behaviours as expected on the physical site is a sensible way to remind everyone of the safest and most respectful ways of working.
Remember to update your policies and check your government guidance.
Remember, just because your main school presence is online and using EdTech, the main focus for school leaders should still be their vision for education, curriculum intent and the highest standards that all schools aspire to, in terms of safety, pedagogy and personal integrity.
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