What experience do colleagues have in the amount of training needed in setting up a VLE/Learning Platform?
I'm looking at a model which starts with a day for SLT, then another day with other managers, then getting them to work with their teams.
Any comments very very welcome!
The key, as i see it, is to get SLT/SMT/Senior Staff on side.
At the moment the general feeling in schools is that the VLE doesnt have to be used, some staff see the benefits and are very much willing and exicted to be involved.
I would demonstrate the VLE to SMT and show them the benefits of its use, how it can be used and how they, at there level, might use it. Things that help them fill in the school census usually work well here.....
They next step i would take is to gauge interest, do you have staff in school who would be interested in working with the VLE, you might have staff with very limited skills who would be very much interested in working with it....get a grey head on board lol
Once you have a small team together start to do a phased release, get the teachers who you have in your team to start working with the VLE in terms of there classes.
....Thats how i would kick things off, be interested in what everyone else thinks.
Ketlane (3rd February 2009)
We did a lot of background donkey work first of all so when we started to train on the VLE (a sharepoint solution for us) we had already got a lot of the bugs ironed out. It also meant we knew the system reasonably well.
We then did a training session (about 3 hours) with a number of departmental champions who were keen on getting this going. Myself and another person also attended the session so we could talk through our vision for use in our school.
The staff who were trained (mainly not HoDs) have since gone back to their departments and are developing VLE content/usage within their depts. They also act as point of contact for departments who haven't yet had anybody trained.
For me (and my view has changed over the life of the project so far) important things are SLT supporting you, not every department has to use it now or even in the same way, there is no one size fits all solution.
For example our head of IT is mad keen and is channelling lots of time and resource into basically converting all their materials for VLE use. The kids seem to love accessing lessons via it.
Our science dept. are also very keen and making good use of it.
Another department has just used it to make revision stuff available (normally he would be asking us to burn CDs) - again his students now have that material at home etc and love it.
The art dept are making less use but even a simple thing like uploading a picture and starting a discussion board is valuable. Eg asking every child to post a comment for homework.
The point I guess I am making is that we are happy to help people use it however they see fit for them.
The students love the My site and are using it to email, create profiles and store files.
All in all I am pleased with how it's going.
Happy to have a natter if I can give you any more info.
Ketlane (3rd February 2009)
Ketlane (3rd February 2009)
You need to pincer the staff..
1. Get a SLT on side... There must be a technically minded person on there, befriend them;
2. Get the ICT Teachers on side, and get them to show the students how to use it - the student use will lead it;
3. Get one Teacher from each dept (or at least the larger depts/faculties), and show them how to use it. There's usually at least one technically minded person in each dept, try and get the SLT to approve an extra PPA period as a "bribe" for them;
They must all be volunteers... but I'd like to be able to "vet" them.
We have no ICT Co-ordinator at the school, which is a pain, so myself (ICT Manager) and one of the SLT share the role. But ideally they would be "project lead", and have a plan of action.
I think there has been some good advice but unfortunatley you are not only training but you are involved in change management. If staff both curriculum and admin are not going to embrace it, then all the good work you do with training will come to nothing.
For most schools VLE's learning environments are a tick in the box. Before you start with training you need a commitment from SLT that they understand that for it to work they need to change.
For many schools if a learning environment was a car it would still be parked with no driver, no road tax, no insurance and certainly no petrol.
Sadly they would still expect ICT support to push it up a hill
Ketlane (3rd February 2009)
You know I am going to use that as a quote!
Its not copyrighted feel free.
Its true thats the worry!!!!
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote