Shireland Learning Gateway Conference

[tosca925]

On Monday 3rd July I attended the Shireland Learning Gateway Conference in Oldbury, West Midlands. The conference was arranged by Shireland Language College to promote the use of VLE's and to highlight the benefits of these. Shireland use Microsoft's Learning Gateway and have done so for 2 years now. Microsoft were there as well along with Winvison, Teksys, Serco, Sybari and Azzurri.

Workshops included Primary MFL, 'A Day in the Life of the Learning Gateway' and 'Engaging Families through the LG', together with Keynote speeches on personalised learning from BECTA and the DfES.

One of the main reasons for Microsoft attndance was to intoduce Microsoft Sharepoint Learning Kit which will be the replacement for Class Server, also their was a workshop on Office Sharepoint 2007.

I'm not going to go on too much here but for those interested I think you should view the video here http://www.microsoft.com/emea/educat...ash/index.html

I have uploaded a word.doc listing the workshops in more detail and also a zip file which contains PowerPoint presentation from the day.

There will be more to follow for those interested including the 'Moving Forward' presentation form the Shirlelands IT Consultant Jon Nowicki.

I also have a podcast of Microsoft's Mark A'Bear's presentation on Microsoft Sharepoint Learning Kit which is accompanied by his own PowerPoint presentation. This will be uploaded shortly

[tosca925]

If you would like to know more details of anything im particular i will try my best to get hold of more Workshop presentations if i can.

Reply tho this post or PM me direct.


Ric_ if you need anything for the news letter let me know.

[bossman]

Thanks tosc925 it looks like the Durham LEA have been sold on this idea. This is the way forward for us but at what cost. No-one will give realtime costs to schools at the moment but there is talk that it will be staggered, this is the usual way that LEAs server the learning community give it cheap for the first year and thereafter it goes up every year so by the fourth year it is a large chunk of the ICT budget and everything else goes out of the window. It mentions also about easy administration not for us IT bods just for the teachers. I have to run everything at the moment as Webman has been taken off being a technician to fulfill a dream by the school and become da da da da.......VLE manager. and at the present has been twiddling his thumbs for the past 9 months doing nowt for the VLE cos there aint one at the mo. I personally think this is the thin edge of the wedge and that all schools through their respective LEAs will become like a thin client linked to server farms near their respective ISPs. This will enable the LEAs to further implement their designs by BSFs and then it will be over for the likes of NMs and TEcnicians as a whole as everything will be centrally managed by nimnols at county hall. would anyone else agree with that or are you all in favour?

[bossman]

Sorry for hoggin the post but i just want to mention also that we were supposed to go and evaluate this Monk Seaton school near us but this was over a year ago and still waiting.

[Sylv3r]

Thanks tosc925 it looks like the Durham LEA have been sold on this idea. This is the way forward for us but at what cost. No-one will give realtime costs to schools at the moment but there is talk that it will be staggered, this is the usual way that LEAs server the learning community give it cheap for the first year and thereafter it goes up every year so by the fourth year it is a large chunk of the ICT budget and everything else goes out of the window. It mentions also about easy administration not for us IT bods just for the teachers. I have to run everything at the moment as Webman has been taken off being a technician to fulfill a dream by the school and become da da da da.......VLE manager. and at the present has been twiddling his thumbs for the past 9 months doing nowt for the VLE cos there aint one at the mo. I personally think this is the thin edge of the wedge and that all schools through their respective LEAs will become like a thin client linked to server farms near their respective ISPs. This will enable the LEAs to further implement their designs by BSFs and then it will be over for the likes of NMs and TEcnicians as a whole as everything will be centrally managed by nimnols at county hall. would anyone else agree with that or are you all in favour?

Bossman

For info, the Durham Learning Gateway costs are as follows:

--> If your school wishes to be part of the pilot scheme it will cost £0.75p per user for October half term 2006 until Easter 2007.
--> From Easter 2007 schools will have a three year option at £2.25 per user per year
--> or a one year subscription at £3.00 per user.

Users include both Staff and Students. I am at Spennymoor tommorrow at a VLE meeting so will find out more information then. If you PM me your e-mail address I can send you what documentation I have so far.

[intrigue]

I think we have been sold the idea of Microsoft Learning Gateway and am half way through the "presentation" i must admoit that having been involved in the moodle rollout at WQEIC i was more then happy to go for that hear but it seems the powers that be are not interested.
To my great annoyance.
Matt