Learning Technologies for C21 st Roy Beattie –Services Integration Director C2k

“The use of Information Communication Technology is essential for a truly modern 21st century education service” “ ICT is now an integral part of our society, both at home and in the workplace, so young people must be afforded every opportunity to avail of the latest technology to prepare them for life out of school ” Government Commitment

“Government is making significant investment in ICT in schools and we can be proud of the fact that Northern Ireland has acquired an international reputation for its progress so far ” “It is right to put in place a strategy to ensure that elearning will be fully integrated into the overall change programme which the education sector is facing ” Jane Kennedy Former Minister for Education in Northern Ireland at Westminster on PRACTICE

Northern Ireland Educational Technology Strategy Wide Area Network Curriculum Review Teacher Education C2k Role

NI Curriculum Review Clarify aims and values: 21st century Focus on progression in skills development “for life and work” Improve relevance and enjoyment Better balance, more coherence, diversified provision and more choice Formative assessment mechanisms ICT at the heart of the learning process

Northern Ireland Statistics Province of the UK Population 1.6M 330,000+ school children 5 Educational administrative regions (ELBs) 910 Primary Schools (4-11 years) 240 Post-primary Schools (11-18 years) 50 Special Schools (4-16 years)

The C2k Provision Overall investment NI Department of Education committed to a 10 year development programme Projected budget in the region of €750M Delivered through strategic private sector partnerships

Strategic Objectives Within the classroom To provide a world class learning environment for children populated with relevant resources To help develop ICT skills To support the partnership between home and school To place the learner at the centre of classroom practice To embed technology in all aspects of teaching To support curricular reform

The C2k Service 5 Major Service Categories –School Based Infrastructure –Educational Content –Help Desk and User Support –Wide Area Services –Service Development and Enhancement

The C2k Provision Across the country - LearningNI 80,000 seat country- wide network 375,000 core users Anytime, anywhere access LearningNI - Mail and messaging Filtered Internet connectivity Collaborative tools Application sharing Text and video conferencing Publishing facilities Digital content hosting Course creation and management tools 2Mb links

- 14 Core Sites - Providing 4 resilient rings to 200Mb/s between Cores - All other schools connected via a Core Hub site High Speed Core Data Centres C2k – Wide Area Broadband Network

- 2 Data Centres - 14 Core Hub Sites In 4 Rings Post Primaries directly connected to Core Sites Aggregating Primary School Hubs - Primary/Special Schools Network Layers C2k – Wide Area Broadband Network

Business Systems Curriculum Mapping Assessment Communication Delivery Tutor Support Tracking Other Agencies (e.g. ELBs) Other Organisations Virtual Learning Environment Management Information System Off-Line Learning Registers Managed Learning Environment Learning Resources

The C2k Provision Across the country - LearningNI 80,000 seat country- wide network 375,000 core users Anytime, anywhere access LearningNI - Mail and messaging Filtered Internet connectivity Collaborative tools Application sharing Text and video conferencing Publishing facilities Digital content hosting Course creation and management tools 2Mb links

Peoples Network Northern Ireland Internet 2Mb/s

Five Layer Model

UK Regional Networks

Topology – 2-PoP

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Partnering Arrangements Key strategic partners –Public Sector Partners –Local: reliable service SX3, BT –National: UK educational focus Viglen, RM 200+ digital resources and tools from national providers –International: strategic direction HP Prime Integrator Microsoft MoU and the development of ESTIC (European Schools Technology Innovation Centre)

Managed Services: The Story So Far Infrastructure: –Biggest in Ireland (Cisco endorsed) –WAN, Integration, Security, Messaging, MLE Development Enterprise Active Directory Service –world first in education HP/Microsoft Global Partnerships at work! –Global Address Lists BBC/Microsoft/HP –£300m digital curriculum Relationships −Trust & Confidence/Knowing where you stand −Co-location −Quick Response/The Local Angle

Final Thoughts: –Threatening –Challenging –Exciting –Motivating

“If we build it they will come”