- Getting Going with Digital Brain
A step by step self-training course for the new user of Digital Brain. (23-11-2005) - A presentation given to Year 6 teachers at the Galpharm Stadium on 29th November
- A handout detailing how to upload pupil accounts and how to join the Together We'll Succeed Community
- Information for Schools on the Digital Brain project
Introduction from Clive Williams : February 2005
Following a successful bid to Kirklees Council, a subscription to a Virtual Learning Environment, or VLE, is to be provided for all the primary, special and middle schools in the LEA. The VLE is called Digital Brain, the system already selected for use in all of the secondary schools in Kirklees, and it is currently being successfully piloted in 17 of our primary schools. The funding is only for one year in the first instance so it is important that we fully exploit its potential for transforming learning and cross-phase collaborative work to ensure it is fully embedded in routine practice in order to bid for further funding in future.
The main portal for Digital Brain is callled the Kirklees Grid for Learning and the site can now be visited at www.kgfl.org.uk to get an impression of how it looks. In time, this will develop into a single access point for all of the VLE-related work in the LEA.
Every school will have its own Digital Brain to develop as it wishes but one of the main reasons for adopting the same system throughout the LEA is to facilitate collaboration and sharing of resources.
As the VLE is implemented for each group of schools, we will provide two days of training for a teacher from each school in the skills needed to manage and use the VLE. The trained person would be an advocate for the system and would train the other staff in their school. We are aiming for the training programme to be up and running for schools by September 2005. - Learning Platform
developments
Presentation to Area Heads meetings : Clive Williams May 2005
What is a Learning Platform?
A Learning Platform or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is the e-learning equivalent of a classroom : it is a personal and private work place where e-learners go to learn.
For example, in a normal classroom, pupils :
. talk to the teacher, teaching assistant, learning mentor (privately, in groups or whole class)
. talk to their friends (individually and in groups)
. find out about the learning objectives and tasks
. carry out the tasks (individually and in groups)
. access learning materials
. obtain help in completing the tasks
. have their learning checked and receive feedback
. hand in their work for assessment
All of these activities, and more, are available within a VLE. - Current Government policy indicates
the need for schools to move towards having
their own VLE :
Connecting the UK : the Digital Strategy - Cabinet Office, March 2005
"We want to use technology to make it easy for learners of all ages to manage their learning and educational progress. In the early stages this will mean having a personal online learning space provided by their school or college, where they can store their own course materials and assignments in digital form, and record their achievements. Over time we should see the technology join up better across institutions, so that this is available to learners to build on wherever they go - to further learning, or to work-based learning."
"We will encourage all organisations to support a personal online learning space for their learners that can develop eventually into an electronic portfolio for lifelong learning."
Harnessing Technology: Transforming Learning and Children's Services - DfES March 2005
This includes the following aims for students :
More flexible study : you will have more choice about where, when and how you study, making it easier for you to create your own mix between studying in a place with other learners, learning at work, learning at home, and learning online.
A personal online learning space : where you can store electronically everything related to your learning and achievements .... And being online, it will be accessible from home, from school, and, in the longer term, from each new organisation as you progress.
A recently announced DfES target for 2008 in the ICT in schools discussion is that :
All pupils will have access to a learning platfrom by 2008 - Digital Brain : Features
for the learner
. personal information management centre (calendar, Record of Achievement, notebook, e-portfolio)
. personal file storage area for all users
. private e-mail system for all users
. public forum for shared discussions with e-tutor, e-mentor and the other members of the group
. shared storage areas for lesson plans and details of the activities to be undertaken, teaching materials (eg teachers' Word/Excel/Powerpoint documents, images, audio files, videos, links to purchased content, recommended web sites, etc), learning resources needed to complete the tasks
. help in completing the tasks from e-tutor (and peers)
. facilities for submitting work for assessment - Digital Brain : Features for the
school
. virtual staffroom (eg shared calendar, file storage, discussion forums)
. remote access via the Internet to school documentation
. individual teacher and pupil e-mail accounts with personal web space
. a school web site
. improved links between schools, the home and the community
. efficient management of school and LEA licensed learning materials, maximising use within and outside normal school hours
. collaborative working between groups of pupils and groups of teachers within the same school or in different schools, LEAs, and countries (e.g. networked learning communities)
. sharing scarce teaching expertise (e.g. minority subjects, access to experts online and video libraries of lessons)
. pupil transfer between schools (e.g. Y6/Y7)
. access to online CPD activities for teaching and support staff in schools - Accessing the VLE
Being web-enabled technology, the VLE can be accessed wherever there is an internet connection. Thus the e-learner is presented with the same learning environment and resources regardless of whether they are :
. in school
. at another school (e.g. as part of a collegiate)
. at home
. in a public library, community centre or Youth Centre
. in hospital
. on holiday
. in an internet 'cyber' café
. in a wireless access hotspot
This makes "Any Time, Any Where" learning a reality, effectively removing some of the barriers to learning. - Issues for schools
An extended pilot phase started at Easter 2005 with a full roll-out to all schools planned for September - November 2005
Training programme : 2 days training at ITCAS provided free but cover costs and meals not included (1.5 days for admin, 0.5 for user)
Schools will need to provide follow-up training for all staff in school (~0.5 day)
Time is needed for key staff to set up and populate the web site and for teachers to develop resources for their own classes or subject responsibility
Digital Brain is provided free to all primary, middle and special schools for one year. Subscription renewal costs an average of £500 per school (eligible for e-learning credits funding). - Training dates
These documents show the groups of schools who will undertake Digitabrain training together
Schools who are part of the Primary Learning Networks (training from September)
Schools who are training in pyramid groups (training from November)
Together We'll Succeed with Digitalbrain
A new Year 6 Community which will allow pupils to access the Playing for Success Website from anywhere with internet access