FrogTeacher VLE Questions??

[rickjamesb]

I'd really appreciate some feedback on my 'frog - helpdesk' thread so I thought I'd highlight it here.

 

Apologies for blatent disregards for all forum etiquette.

[Maxine]

What is it that you want to know? We use this as a way for staff to report room problems, it works because we already use an email system so the transfer over to this was very simple. We just get the email from Frog instead of the user.

We also use the room booking system, although I don't use the calendar. I felt it was less intrusive and more user friendly to carry on with the simple excel spreadsheet I created. This way staff know how to use it they just don't have to open their email to request a booking. They can also access from home, which helps when they are lesson planning.

[sg11]

I've just come across this thread.

 

You have been advised in a number of places including uk.education.schools-it that it is not a good idea for you to continue to discuss this matter publically. You have also made comments that could be used against you. You neither work in IT in schools nor have a particularly good relationship with people who do. Please refrain from posting on this site in future. Tony - Site Admin

[Alis_Klar]

with a VLE module. I use it and find it great, its ace, powerful, amazing, and the staff know how to work it as its just like working Outlook. So it goes down a storm with them.

 

@John: Is this VLE module for sharepoint free to download? Was it written by MS? Is it ClassServer?

 

We have sharepoint which was slightly customised for us. We are displeased with the ImageViewer webpart. It is simply too difficult for teacher to display images in their pages. You first have to upload the images ascertain their URL's and them feed these URL's into the webpart. This is very long winded. The picture of the day slideshow webpart is easier but feeling very skeptical about sharepoint.

 

@Others: We are thinking about FrogTeacher. Any news on CMIS integration?

 

We need something that we can roll out fast that the teachers can really run with. Supporting AD single sign on integration and current or future support for CMIS.

[jenny_urey]

I believe the SIMS integration is done by using PARS software from TASC. Read data from SIMS is quite cheap but the write back requires the purchase of a full PARS licencne.

 

Thanks for the thread - TASC Software are involved in the writing of data although a small PARS licence is required to see SIMS data in Frog not the full licence.

[rpwillis]

Hi Alis_Klar,

 

The free SharePoint VLE is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK).

http://www.codeplex.com/SLK

There's also the Microsoft Learning Gateway (MLG), again free, where is to make a school portal.

http://www.codeplex.com/SLK

http://www.learninggateway.net

 

The SLK can be used in a vanilla SharePoint setup or integrated as part of MLG.

 

If you're unhappy with the ImageViewer webpart there's an open source replacement for it

http://www.codeplex.com/ImageUpload

This allows the user to upload the image into the webpart where it is then automatically displayed.

 

Regards,

Richard

[Divaldo]

Does anyone who is running Frog have it successfully published through ISA 2006? ie the VLE itself and all the management ports required?

 

Thanks.

Edited July 27, 2009 by Divaldo

[buaan]

Hi there.

 

I have a quick question for Maxine regarding Frog VLE

 

When creating lessons and adding resources what process do you like to use?

 

Do you add all resources (swf's, powerpoints, web links etc) to the Resource Development folder and then add them into a lesson from this repository?

 

Or do you use the development folder for work in process and add/move completed items into the relevant folder/lesson when they are needed?

 

Also what method do you use to display the key vocab in lessons? I was expecting a glossary arrangement but the interface seems to only allow a file upload.

 

Sorry for the questions. I am in the process of having the server installed and am having to wait for admin training until the install is complete. I've been having a play with the standard install and I'm finding a few problems.

 

One big problem is uploading interactive resources such as SWF's that connect to xml/folders containing pictures. The Frog VLE is quite restrictive in this manner and it might result in my having to SCORM package all my work

 

Any information on how you use the VLE successfully would be great

 

Bob.

[nens]

I have Frog published through ISA 2006 - it took a while! However I haven't yet got Secure Gateway to work.

[Divaldo]

I have also managed to get Frog up and running through ISA now, I've created seperate server publishing rules for the secure gateway and the maintenance access and it all seems to be working ok... Fingers crossed!

 

We're launching it to students and parents in January.

[mpe]

We are also getting this and im a little worred to say the least when i hear words like ad intergration i am offen not convinced.

 

Especially since it turns out that what Frog actually does turns out to be a rather obscure hack which provides rather minimal "intergartion".

[dsm]

Hi everyone,

 

We're a Frog school and have been for over a year now. Out-of-the-box the system authenticated our users against Active Directory. It also runs nightly syncs with the SIMS system to bring across pupil/staff timetables, registration groups etc. A live link with the SIMS server is planned.

 

We have since purchased the Secure Gateway so that we can publish our terminal servers through the VLE and access all of our software from home. Documents were available from home from day one but this meant downloading, editing, uploading. It's much easier now there is a direct link to the school's system.

 

Frog have been superb from a technical support point-of-view. We had a problem with our ISP and publishing the Secure Gateway. None of this was Frog's fault but they were brilliant at helping us resolve the issue with the ISP.

 

They monitor the system 24/7 although it is located in our school - another big plus for us.

 

I have been really impressed with Frog and the service they have provided us. There seems to be a lot of negative posts in this thread but most (all?) are coming from people without experience with the system. Trust me if you had it you would not swap it for any other VLE!

[duncane]

Hmm... I don't know.

 

It does seem to take them quite a long time responding to their ticketing system - I appreciate they've had problems with expansion, but I can't honestly say their service has been exceptional in the time we've had their system.

 

Sorry.

[apoth0r]

I must chip in and say more often than not, it's the quality of work and the time put into a VLE that is what makes it good.

If people don't want to know then it's not going to develop and provide the resources the school needs. Most of them do the same sort of things, its just about applying yourself and 'selling' the idea and pushing teachers into using it. Once they are onboard and realise the potential time saving and quality and consistancy of lessons they will often take it upon themselves to delve deeper.

I use Moodle at our school and LP+ at another, they both have benefits over the other but at the end of the day, one person can't make a VLE it is a collaborative effort.

[duncane]

I appreciate that probably wasn't in reply to the problems I'm personally experiencing from Frog. In many ways, it may be because of the time I'm committing to the platform that I'm coming up with issues.

 

However, my tickets refer to issues that (to me) suggest something fundamentally going wrong with frog (bricks spontaneously losing content within a page) - I'd expect a more timely response, even if they were just reassurances while the problems were being looked into.

 

So while I agree that ultimately the users have more of an impact on the VLE than the supplier, the underlying platform does play its part.

[john316]

I find their email support a little sluggish but their phone support is outstanding - you speak to the people you need to speak to and you'll get results MUCH faster that way.

[nens]

I would be very grateful if you could let me have details of how you got Secure Gateway working. I seem to be having lots of problems with it but I am struggling to see if it's our ISA, Frog or our ISP. Do you have a copy of the ISA rules and the Frog settings that you have used please.

TIA

Neil

[dsm]

I would be very grateful if you could let me have details of how you got Secure Gateway working. I seem to be having lots of problems with it but I am struggling to see if it's our ISA, Frog or our ISP. Do you have a copy of the ISA rules and the Frog settings that you have used please.

TIA

Neil

 

Hi Neil,

 

Are you the same Neil as the Neil on the Frog forums asking about the ISA server? If so, you will already have my ISA server set up info although I can send you the whole document created by our ISP on how to set it up.

 

Regards

[nens]

The very same Neil. I just don't seem to be having any luck getting it working but as yet we are still not sure which bit is not working. Access to frog itself is not a problem - that works internally and externally. It's the Secure Gateway and the email we still have issues with and is the most urgent. The email may be a simple domain name issue and we should be able to sort that with our ISP.

 

Neil

[dalbuc01]

We have frog VLE and it's pretty average. We've had many problems with it (too numerous to mention here) and found their support to be unresponsive- they appear to have a very basic understanding of the system but as soon as you ask a non-standard question they are fairly clueless. I recently asked about the parent portal system which their support team had no idea about. I asked to be put through to someone who could answer some really basic questions (e.g. can it access data from sims assessment manager) only to be told that no-one was availiable. This is in spite of it being a 'released' version?! On the plus side, they seem to have realised there's a problem and now have someone who is 'monitoring' issues that schools have had with the system. She seems to be very good. Edited December 4, 2009 by dalbuc01

[jiffy]

I just want to say that we have been with FROG for 3 years now and found the product absolutely brilliant. It has enabled the school to automate so much that we now use the VLE for everything from communication to lesson observations, from Student Internet Control to automated room booking systems.

 

I have found the the best support from FROG is in finding someone who works in support and build up a telephone relationship with them, so that you can call on them for just a little advice or for when you have that little emergency.

I'm not going to tell you who I contact else he may be on the phone to you when I desperatley need him

 

Their Parental Portal is great - The parent voice feature has enabled us to open two way communication with parents and actually find out what does really matter to them courtesy of the voting system.

 

I do believe though, that FROG suffer from lack of beta testing as when they release new features, I am often on the phone within 4 hours with about half a dozen different problems. Some of these can take a while to get resolved as they often need to be sent to the development team and can take months until a fix is released. But these problems do not effect the way the VLE works, it just tends to affect the new features.

[dsm]

We have frog VLE and it's pretty average. We've had many problems with it (too numerous to mention here) and found their support to be unresponsive- they appear to have a very basic understanding of the system but as soon as you ask a non-standard question they are fairly clueless. I recently asked about the parent portal system which their support team had no idea about. I asked to be put through to someone who could answer some really basic questions (e.g. can it access data from sims assessment manager) only to be told that no-one was availiable. This is in spite of it being a 'released' version?! On the plus side, they seem to have realised there's a problem and now have someone who is 'monitoring' issues that schools have had with the system. She seems to be very good.

 

I really can't understand any of your comments. The telephone support we have received has always been excellent. Yes, if you submit a ticket via e-mail it is normally always slower to get a response but that's the nature of e-mail ticketing against telephone support - almost all companies and schools, inlcuding ours, give more priority to telephone support than e-mail tickets. Telephone calls suggest the person needs something more urgently than someone who is willing to explain the problem in detail over e-mail.

 

You recently asked about their parent portal and which 'their support team had no idea about' - are you sure you phoned the right VLE provider? We purchased their Parent Portal in March, I think. The product has been available to purchase for sometime now so that statement confuses me.

 

As for being able to access data from assessment manager. This is currently being beta tested and due to be released in January - as their latest newsletter tells us. An excellent feature than I'm keen to start using in our school.

 

Regards

[Hacksawbob]

I just want to say that we have been with FROG for 3 years now and found the product absolutely brilliant. It has enabled the school to automate so much that we now use the VLE for everything from communication to lesson observations, from Student Internet Control to automated room booking systems.

yada yada yada... gush sush...

 

.

 

Rule one of Forums, give any low post count user who sings praises from roof tops of a product the due credibility they deserve.

[dalbuc01]

I really can't understand any of your comments. The telephone support we have received has always been excellent. Yes, if you submit a ticket via e-mail it is normally always slower to get a response but that's the nature of e-mail ticketing against telephone support - almost all companies and schools, inlcuding ours, give more priority to telephone support than e-mail tickets. Telephone calls suggest the person needs something more urgently than someone who is willing to explain the problem in detail over e-mail.

 

It was by telephone - generally companies then generate a ticket if a telephone support query is not answered during the call - a ticket is then created as the issue needs to be followed up...

 

You recently asked about their parent portal and which 'their support team had no idea about' - are you sure you phoned the right VLE provider? We purchased their Parent Portal in March, I think. The product has been available to purchase for sometime now so that statement confuses me.

 

Their support team informed me that since the product was 'so new' they hadn't received training on it.

 

As for being able to access data from assessment manager. This is currently being beta tested and due to be released in January - as their latest newsletter tells us. An excellent feature than I'm keen to start using in our school.

 

I am skeptical of this release date as it has already been pushed back on several occasions - they were allegedly 'beta testing' assessment data at BETT in Jan this year. I have asked for some info on how they are planning to configure the assessment side of the portal and as yet they are not able to provide any info or screen shots! Mind you nothing beats seeing a system working on 'live' data.

[Wallgo]

I just want to say that we have been with FROG for 3 years now and found the product absolutely brilliant. It has enabled the school to automate so much that we now use the VLE for everything from communication to lesson observations, from Student Internet Control to automated room booking systems.

 

What? With a webcam is it?