managing ict managing ict
Schools without walls
Jayne
numbers of a levels, the new Diplomas, or specialist
subjects like latin – schools can not only cut down on
McIlgorm
costs, but also improve the education that they can offer
their pupils and share knowledge between classes.
also notable is the impact that video communication
looks at the
is having on addressing the transfer of pupils between
primary and post-primary schools. Pupils entering
C2k project in
post-primary education may be impacted if they are
unfamiliar with the new school environment.
Northern Ireland, which
Connecting primary school children with post-
primary school teachers – for instance, in the teaching
of modern foreign languages – allows these pupils to
centres around video-
become familiar with the different methods of learning
used in post-primary schools. in addition to this, the
conferencing and enabling
pupils meet their potential teachers, which also helps
to smooth the transition process. if a child feels more
learning beyond the
confident and comfortable when they start post-primary
school, then it follows that they will start concentrating
classroom
on the content of their lesson as opposed to their new
learning environment.
Of course, there are clearly issues around child
uPils at primary and post-primary protection, network security, and the protection of
P
schools today were born into an internet personal information when accessing content across
generation. tech-savvy, when at home the internet. But, organisations like C2k make use of
they communicate in real-time with technologies such as firewall traversal for protection.
their friends using instant messaging this allows schools to call securely to anywhere in
(iM), social networking sites, blogs, the world. With this in place, there is no reason why
and video-sharing sites. every classroom in the uK should not avail of video-
Email does not always provide the immediate conferencing, making every subject available to every
response expected now by many students. they are pupil.
completely accustomed to instant communication; in in this way, no pupil will be excluded from learning.
fact, most of this generation simply do not know any similarly, teachers will have the scope to collaborate
different. so, if the traditional classroom offers limited and learn from each other, improving the learning
means of communicating and sourcing information, there experience of their pupils.
may be a lack of stimulation and motivation to learn. Perhaps the most important point here is that
But, what if we could turn the classroom into a we are not talking about offering this to the next
more interactive experience? How can we go about generation of learners; this is happening across
implementing this? i work for C2k, a project funded by England, scotland, Wales and Northern ireland today.
the Department of Education in Northern ireland that the technology is ready and waiting. We just need the
provides and supports schools with iCt facilities. vision to take it on. SecEd
C2k is part of the government’s aim to enrich
learning and provide students with the skills to compete • Jayne McIlgorm is a technical consultant for the C2k
in the global economy once they join the workforce. Project. Visit www.c2kni.org.uk
We have helped implement video communication
in schools across Northern ireland, and these schools curriculum. Video should not replace school trips, but it
can literally see the benefits. Just as iM and social can be used to supplement them and enhance learning
networking allow a child to communicate with when physical trips are not practical.
people outside of their home environment, video- as demonstrated by Parkhall, video-conferencing
conferencing allows them to extend the school can make lessons come alive. Pupils can see visual
beyond its physical boundaries; essentially creating content and ask questions that may not have occurred
schools without walls. to them while reading books, studying factsheets or IS YOUR SCHOOL WEBSITE
Video-conferencing has come of age with improved browsing the internet. History lessons can be made
technology and greater bandwidth capabilities. it now more exciting and interactive.
offers a completely natural way of communicating that imagine meeting with a 102-year-old World War
WORKING FOR YOU?
allows staff and pupils to focus on the lesson rather One veteran who was a stoker on a Royal Naval
than the technology or delivery mechanism. usually vessel, or a “pirate” at Fort Nelson in Portsmouth. Field
associated with higher education, distance learning is trips are rewarding and while virtual field trips do not
being used in primary and post primary schools more provide all the benefits of a physical field trip, they offer
and more to enhance learning and solve many of the opportunities that would otherwise not be an option for
issues affecting schools today. some schools. Distance is no longer a barrier and many
Bright Schools provide a wealth of interactive
video-conferencing opportunities are free and can be
Access to education for all
scheduled more frequently.
website tools to improve communication and
One of these issues is how to deal with pupils who are
excluded from school, or cannot attend due to illness or
Economic benefits
create a vibrant online school community
for other reasons. a lot of teachers worry about the cost of implementing
all too often, these children can miss out on their video-conferencing, yet the Joint academic Network
lessons and be isolated from their classmates, which (JaNEt) and organisations such as C2k have funded
potentially adds unnecessary stress to what is an already much of the central infrastructure required; schools just
difficult time. if a school uses video-conferencing need to purchase the video-conferencing endpoints.
and the child has access to a computer, the internet, a it is also important to note that a video-conferencing
headset and a webcam, they can join in their lessons unit can last many years and benefit numerous pupils
as usual. year-in, year-out. the cost can easily be justified when
it is a solution that pupils at ashfield Girls’ school return on investment is this good.
in Belfast are benefiting from. the school is one of JaNEt is the uK’s education and research network
many in Northern ireland that is enabling students who which also provides an excellent video-conferencing
are absent due to illness for long periods of time to service (JVCs). JVCs offers opportunities from over
participate in lessons via video from home. 80 content providers and experts, many of which,
in addition to keeping up with classmates on an such as the National History Museum and National
academic level, using video means that these pupils feel archives, offer some of their services free-of-charge.
less socially excluded and are better placed to integrate in addition to this, for schools with iP-based (internet
back into their school life when the time comes. protocol) connectivity, all video calls are free.
a video-conference can be as easy as making a
Bringing learning to life
telephone call, and the services offered by C2k and
CONTaCT BRIGHT SCHOOLS FOR FLExIBLE WEBSITE
ashfield is also using video-conferencing to transport JVCs, include web-based call scheduling and can
the world into its classrooms. Girls in year 8 currently provide training and technical support to teachers to
SOLUTIONS TO SUIT YOUR ONLINE REqUIREmENTS
meet up with american counterparts each week for make video-conferencing as easy as possible to use.
a creative writing lesson. this kind of peer-to-peer learning is enhanced and teachers can focus their time
learning allows students to bounce ideas off one another on teaching, confident in their use of the technology.
for their poetry and writing work and makes the lessons
much more fun and dynamic.
Expanding the curriculum
as well as collaborating with other school children, schools in Northern ireland are under increasing
distance learning via video-conferencing can also take pressure to broaden the range of subjects they offer
the form of virtual trips to museums and other sites to their pupils – up to as many as 24 at GCsE and
of interest. For instance, pupils at Parkhall Primary 27 at a level. the economics of an individual school
t 0800 680 0327
school in antrim produced their own 30-minute online employing a teacher for each subject is obviously
e info@brightschools.co.uk
programme about ancient Egypt on the internet, not viable, as is physically moving students between
which involved a live video-conferencing link with an locations, especially in rural areas.
w brightschools.co.uk
Egyptologist from the World Museum in liverpool. By connecting classrooms using video-conferencing,
Of course, nobody is suggesting that physical visits and with consortia and collegiate arrangements
to museums and galleries should be removed from the delivering a range of subjects – be they increased
SecEd • July 2 2009 11
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20