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MWR
ICT Register schools have been participating in a truly cutting edge software pilot. The project was funded by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and run in partnership with the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) and MWR Ltd. MWR Ltd have developed a set of online tools for creating bespoke interactive learning objects, and have worked with a network of primary, secondary and special schools on the ICT Register to research the impact this can have on teaching and learning. The aims and objectives of the trial were:
Aims:
- To develop and refine a toolkit for the creation of Interactive Learning Objects for teachers and students.
- To produce example content.
- To investigate the value of such a tool to teaching and learning.
Objectives:
The objective is to set up a network of schools to test-bed online 'Personalised Learning Toolkits'. The network will use the toolkits to generate, share and use interactive learning objects. The specific focus will be on Literacy and Primary/Secondary transition. This will be developed through up to 4 curriculum areas initially: Science, Humanities, Art and Technology.
MWR will set up a secure online environment within which teachers will be able to trial the technology, publish their work for the network to see and offer feedback to the MWR team.
Executive Summary
Meeting the Objectives
All the project objectives were met and the participants have gained a greater understanding of the requirements for the use of online interactive toolkits to create and personalise learning objects and digital evidence, including online and in-class usage.
It is encouraging to note the following positive outcomes of the project:
There was significant use of the toolkit – 380 Learning Objects were built and 573 assets were created/uploaded; Most of the teachers and students completing the programme found the toolkit easy to use and enjoyed using it. Over 1,300 individual assignments were set using the toolkit.
It was disappointing however that:
of the 25 schools who started the project only 12 schools completed the full evaluation process; the secure environment in some cases was very slow, although it is not clear whether the delays were a result of the school network connectivity or the environment; of the 380 learning objects produced only, 32 were shared, 16 were tagged and 25 had keywords added; the knowledge of teachers regarding copyright issues has been only slightly advanced.
Nature and extent of the use of the toolkit
In the main, the toolkit was used to generate personalised learning objects which acted as an excellent way of introducing the topic for the lesson. The learning objects worked particularly well as resources for interactive whiteboards for whole-class discussion; they provided an opportunity for pupils to engage in revealing information and to engage in lively class discussion. Some pupils also produced their own learning objects.
In total 380 learning objects were produced, a significant number of which can be used independantly.
Teachers noted that it was time-consuming to find good quality and copyright-free assets to use to produce objects.
Sharing of assets and objects between the community was limited within this programme. Based on the available response, it is difficult to be certain as to the reasons for this, but we hope that as the new technology and methods of creating resources become more prevalent, teachers might be more willing to produce and share their resources with the wider education community.
Significant use was also made of the assignment feature, and feedback would indicate that it was easy to use and interesting for the students to complete assignments in this way. Some teachers felt that certain aspects of the assignment feature could be improved in order to deliver a more appropriate challenge to the student and to improve evaluation and assessment of assignment outcomes.
The Curriculum Tagging feature was only used in a few cases but from the limited responses gained it appears that curriculum tagging needs to be made much easier.
Impact on Learning
Within the Primary Phase, teachers felt that objects created with the toolkit provided an excellent introduction to a lesson, particularly on interactive whiteboards which enabled whole-class discussion.
However, there were concerns that the objects created did not match the visual standard children were used to and that it took some time to find content to create objects .
Within the Secondary Phase teachers highlighted the ease of use, but that the quality of objects created depended on the teacher’s ability to create challenging and interesting activities and on availability of good assets.
Teachers’ reported successful use of the tool had a positive impact on lessons and could also provide interesting revision exercises.
Some secondary schools also felt that more variety in the types of objects that could be produced would be needed to fulfil the potential of the tool.
Most students had interesting and valuable experiences using the objects and the tools in cases where they created their own learning objects. However, there was some feedback which would indicate loading times need to be improved and that some tools would need to be developed to offer a more interesting end product.
Teachers’ felt that there is definitely a place for this type of learning experience in schools, and we feel that the identified areas for development will deliver an enhanced and more productive environment.
Factors for development
There are a number of areas which would improve the toolkit beyond its success in this test-bed:
The issue of finding the right resources with the necessary copyright is still a difficulty for teachers. Providing a source of authoritative, relevant and easy to access assets would we feel encourage teachers to produce more learning objects and set more assignments based on these assets. Improving load times would lead to a more beneficial user experience.
A number of teachers suggested that a separate interface be developed specifically for the Primary phase. Improvements to the visual design of the interface and development of more tools to create different types of objects would encourage greater usage. Providing closer integration with existing school environments would make interoperability easier and further encourage use.
Methods of collecting teacher and pupil experiences
Evidence for this report should be regarded as anecdotal as it was collected through the completion of case study templates and evaluation forms and is based on the experiences of teachers and pupils using the toolkit. The schools were not visited or observed and no evidence was collected in any other way. Full copies of the completed templates and forms are available on request.
Acknowledgements
The ICT Register would like to thank the following schools contributing to the delivery of this project:
Secondary Schools
Berwick upon Tweed Community High School, Berwick upon Tweed
King Edward VII School, Melton Mowbray
Philip Morant School, Colchester
Redruth School, Redruth
Sunnydale School, Bishop Auckland
Wildern School, Southampton
William Howard School, Brampton Nr Carlisle
Primary Schools
Hartside Primary School, Durham
Jessie Younghusband Primary School, Chichester
Prestbury CE Primary School, Macclesfield
St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Portslade
Willington CE Primary School, Crook