Chris Mitton, Senior ICT Consultant, BSF

1. Transforming Education in BirminghamBuilding Schools for the FutureThe Role of ICTBITES 11th October 2006 Chris Mitton, Senior ICT Consultant, BSF Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future

2. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • TSE / BSF • Transformation of all our secondary schools • All to be either rebuilt or undergo major refurbishment • Six phases, 15 year programme • Government investment more than £750m • Substantial City investment • Integral part of “Vibrant Urban Villages” • See http://www.bgfl.org/tse • Transform Education first, a Building Programme second

3. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • ICT's role in TSE / BSF • Birmingham's vision for secondary ICT • Strong, far-reaching, challenging (DfES) • See http://www.bgfl.org/tse • Transform Education first, a Building Programme second • ICT as enabler of new learning paradigms • Implications for Learning Spaces • Work with school designers to realise schools' and students' aspirations • Build on BCC's existing achievements

4. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • Phase 1 School Visions – common challenges and opportunities • Schools face significant issues relating to multicultural diversity • Premises often old and in poor condition – inappropriate for new learning paradigms • Implementation and use of ICT high (ratios often significantly higher than national average) • Clear desire to be part of the BSF Programme • Buy-in to the authority vision of student centred approach to learning • Desire to extend learning beyond the standard school day • Keen to explore electronic means of extending learning to home and enabling equality of access

5. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • Phase 1 School Visions – common themes • ICT in support of • 14-19 Agenda • Personalised learning • Every Child Matters • Multiculturalism • Innovation • Sharing resources rather than competing • Enabling closer ties with primary schools

6. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • Phase 1 School Visions – more common ICT themes • Improved integration and use of MIS system with VLE / MLE to create a Learning Platform • Schools’ specialisms • More social/multi-user spaces • Enabling easier open access to other child development agencies, such as health and police services • Use ICT for increasing parental engagement • CPD including use of CLC’s • Practical effects of Workforce Reform

7. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • Phase 1 School Visions – ICT issues • Resourcing and support of advanced ICT facilities • Management and implementation of new technologies • Testing new and innovative solutions with LA and partners • Establishing effectiveness • Value for money • Alternatives / Choices • BCC developments such as Digital Birmingham

8. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • Phase 1 School Visions – themes from individual schools – exploiting ICT • Desire for ecologically sensitive environments – with the use of ICT to exemplify such • Enable access to members of community other than those with direct links with school – eg. Mosques, community centres and local businesses • Teachers ‘digital toolbox’ • Biometric access devices • Cashless catering • Electronic library book system • Teaching assistant professional qualifications • Holographic technology!!

9. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • Realising the Vision - what will schools get? • WAN connectivity and thence to National Education Network and public Internet • VLE/MLE integrated with MIS to provide Learning Platform • Birmingham Grid for Learning (being enlarged to KILT) • Standard set of hardware and infrastructure (advanced specification) including some Intelligent Building functionality • Software and applications in each school to deliver combined schools’ visions above and beyond the National Curriculum • Hardware, software and applications to support school Specialism and aspirations (provided from Local Choice Fund)

10. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • What else might schools get? • Connectivity to homes • Possibly through wireless community (filtered) links (WiMax) • Linked to, eg, Digital Birmingham initiatives • We seek innovative ways of extending access to education systems beyond the school into the community so they become a true focus of the Vibrant Urban Village

11. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • What will learners get? • Innovative Personal Portable Learning Device (PPLD) • Small (pocket size? A5?) • Wireless connectivity anywhere / anytime • Automatic synchronisation of data with school system • Camera • Primarily a data / image capture device, not information processor • Need to make it non-marketable – safety issues • Access to school network 24 / 7 / 365 • Access to network via single sign-on (Shibboleth compliant) • Student ideas - PPLD discussion forum from YPP March • Discussion forum at http://www.bgfl.org/ppld • ....and competition!

12. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • What will schools get - equipment / services • Desktop computers spread out across school and concentrated in learning areas (ICT-rich environment everywhere) • Specialist equipment in specific areas (eg music synths etc. / media studio / science equipment / PE / etc) • Teacher’s toolkit enabling simple access to whiteboard/projector/speakers • Potential toolkit to extend to still and video cameras / visualisers • Printers / scanners / fax machines / other peripherals • Video conferencing • Video on demand

13. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • What will the Learning Platform look like? • Contains all functions of present VLE • Links to learning resources (indexed / catalogued) • Personal email, calendar / timetable (linked to MIS) • Collaboration tools – email, instant messaging, unified messaging, discussion fora, chatrooms • Virtual classrooms • Communication from / to learning mentors – defining learning pathways • Online assessment tools • Links to relevant MIS data • Personal Digital Portfolio (blog, e-CV, personal webspace...)

14. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • Learning Platform – the challenge • Enables access to learning resources and collaboration tools anywhere, anytime • Needs to drive engagement between learners and mentors to ensure online activities are purposeful and relevant • Needs to enable reflection and dialogue to ensure achievements out of school are captured and can then be used to drive Assessment for Learning • Needs tools to celebrate / publish achievement • Birmingham working with Becta, DfES and partners on Proof of Concept to ensure all these components interoperate

15. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • Connectivity out of school • Home links to network – enable continuous parental engagement • We will seek interest from telecom companies to enable low cost / free connectivity from school to home • Wireless provision may be enabled by WiMax – enabling broadband speeds via wireless • All learners and those connected with the school or LA will be able to access their personal portfolio and Learning Platform via web browser connectivity • Potential employers – work experience • Health professionals • Police • Educational support services

16. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • ICT in the Intelligent Building • Integrated electronic system combining • Cashless vending • Access control • Registration • Network can also be used for • Monitoring of environment (alarms) • CCTV • Heating / lighting control • Telephony • We seek other imaginative proposals for greater efficiency

17. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • Delivering the ICT Vision • ICT will be delivered as part of the Local Education Partnership (LEP) • ICT providers will work with architects, builders and FM providers, as well as the schools themselves, to produce new buildings fit for purpose • ICT provider will also collaborate in providing Intelligent Building functionality • LEP will be working to transform schools in parallel with Service Birmingham's role in transforming the City's business practices for its citizens

18. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • Delivering the ICT Vision • Birmingham's vision for ICT in its secondary schools is “strong, far-reaching and challenging” (DfES).... • But it is also, both in the view of the Government and of potential industry partners..... • Achievable ....... and • Affordable

19. Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future • Follow-up..... • Public web site - http://www.bgfl.org/tse • Questions to • Chris_Mitton@birmingham.gov.uk • or • Stephen_J_Pincher@birmingham.gov.uk • or • Paul_Bowman@birmingham.gov.uk

20. Transforming Education in BirminghamBuilding Schools for the FutureThe Role of ICTBITES 11th October 2006 Chris Mitton, Senior ICT Consultant, BSF Transforming Secondary Education - Building Schools for the Future