AoC Conference Session - Nov 2008

1. 11/24/2008
How to meet the future
technology demands of Colleges
Robin Gadd
Head of Information Services
Brockenhurst College
About Brockenhurst College
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2. 11/24/2008
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On the agenda today...
Understanding the future
 What policy context?
 What timeframe?
 What expectations? Meeting demands
Whose demands?

What demands?

Pre-empting demands?

But which future? Which technologies?

 Thinking hard And when?

 Undertaking pilots
 Projects
Whose demands...?
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What demands...?
The policy demands
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Transforming...
 To change the form of; to change in shape or
appearance; to metamorphose; as, a caterpillar is
ultimately transformed into a butterfly.
 To change into another substance; to transmute; as,
the alchemists sought to transform lead into gold.
 To change in nature, disposition, heart, character, or
the like; to convert.
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“Technology has been used in
education for many years. It has not
yet transformed teaching and
learning, but it has made a major
impact in many schools, colleges
and universities. It has also made
information more accessible and
administration more efficient.”
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Gazing into the future
Making technology predictions
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Chicago Tribune, 25 May 1958
Neil Ardley, ‘School Work and Play’, 1981
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Not so different on the outside...
Using the past to predict...
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Extrapolating from what people say...
Demography...
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How are we doing?
Becta: Harnessing Technology Review 2008: The role of technology and its impact on education
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Becta: Harnessing Technology Review 2008: The role of technology and its impact on education
A Pause
Comments and questions?
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What are we doing at Brock?
Some technology projects in progress
Project: interoperable data systems
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Why make systems interoperable...?
Enrolment data is Data is imported into
exported and Microsoft Active
Learner is enrolled Student can login to
onto Tribal student files, email, portal,
manipulated by IT Directory system, end
records system VLE etc.
staff into required dates setup,
format passwords generated
Day one -------------- Day two ------------------- Day three ------------------
Because it’s good customer service...
Learner is Student can
Enrolment data is automatically retrieved and
enrolled onto login to files,
processed into Microsoft Active Directory system
Tribal student email, portal,
with all attributes setup
records system VLE etc.
Minute one -------------- Minute two ------------------- Minute three ---------
And because it saves time, increases accuracy etc...
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Data in context...
Unique Learner Numbers
 The ULN pilot
 Connecting student
records to national ...the Unique Learner Number (ULN)
is a 10-digit identifier for anyone
ULNs over the age of 14 involved UK
education or training.
 Data interoperability
The learner record is an aggregation
 The Learner Record of records about an individual’s
learning that has already been
Service collected by UK education bodies.
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Course confirmation...
Learner
application
input including
Courses and
predicted
grades
Learner is
Learner’s prior
Learner starts at
offered a
achievement is
conditional College
confirmed
place
Actual
achievements
input
following
receipt of
results
Or... using a ULN and the LRS...
Learner
application
input, ULN
retrieved, and
information
about current
studies
downloaded
Learner is
Learner’s prior
Learner starts at
offered a
achievement is
conditional College
confirmed
place
On publication
of results,
actual
achievements
retrieved...
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Project: computing in the cloud
Student email, files, IM etc
 Has always been a pain for many colleges
 Volume, disk space, bandwidth
 Cost
 Keeping control – external sending, reputation etc
 Security
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Project: mobile computing
Why mobile computing...?
 We’re currently blowing >70% of
our IT expenditure on just staying
where we are
 Our PC access ratio is beginning to
decline below 1:5 because we’ve
got no more space to put
computers
 How will we ever get to ubiquitous accessibility?
 Personal device ownership - >40% of 16-18 learners
already have a laptop with a wireless connection
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brock.mobi and Molenet
Another Pause
Comments and questions?
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So what does the future look like?
quot;Colleges wanting to become part of future education are
creating change rather than waiting for it to happen to them.“
(Michael Heppell – The Independent, 15 Nov 2007)
Personalisation
Underpinned by technologies
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Becta: Harnessing Technology Review 2008: The role of technology and its impact on education
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...a new framework designed to make both the
system and the qualifications offered far more
relevant to the needs of employers and more
flexible and accessible for learners.
Partnerships
Underpinned by technologies
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Partnership working
 Schools
 Universities
 Learners
 Parents and employers
 Interoperability?
 e-portfolios?
 ULNs?
Partnerships: are we ready for diplomas?
Becta: Harnessing Technology Review 2008: The role of technology and its impact on education
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Digital generations
 We know that learners born since 1990 are “digital
natives”
 Learning as networking and communication:
“While in residence on one campus or in one
community, students may obtain a third or half of their
credits via the global information network”
Glen Hiemstra, futurist.com, January 2008
 Social interactions, cross-cultural exchanges, new
feedback channels
What does all of this mean for our workforce and our training needs?
And the future of technology?
mobile, wireless, cloudy, intelligent, personal, networked
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http://www.kable.co.uk/
“The” VLE will disappear...
 Every College has one... And in most cases it’s full of
boring interactive content
Becta: Harnessing Technology Review 2008
 In future, virtual learning will use more asynchronous
discussion tools, videoconferencing (telepresence),
synchronous presentation tools, and online testing
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BI
 Business Intelligence
 Data transparency
 Data connectivity
 Data relationships
 Better planning and decision-making
 Evidence-based?
 Up-to-date?
 One version of the truth?
The network – maximum flexibility
 This is the one thing we can be sure we need
 We have to get this right in our new builds
 Wherever we put power, we’ll put network also...
 Don’t just think wireless (yet)
 Imagine the buildings’ operating costs over their life
 Intelligent buildings and Building Management Systems
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We’ll need to break this situation...
And this one...
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A Final Pause
Comments and questions?
How to meet the future
technology demands of Colleges?
Thank you!
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