1. Developing and embedding Starz+ as a tool to support learning

2. How will you benefit from a learning platform? In the best examples, governors, staff, pupils and parents were all contributing to the development of the virtual learning environment and then using it for a variety of applications: planning; reporting to parents; accessing learning resources; assessment; newsletters; email and social networking. Pupils were able to upload their class work and homework, often using film and photographs, and they were proud of their material on the virtual learning environment. Ofsted 2011

3. How will you benefit from a learning platform? The virtual learning environment engaged them in learning outside the school day, and enabled their parents to play a more proactive role in supporting their children’s learning. Sometimes schools also provided licensed software for parents through the virtual learning environment. In some schools, online training manuals were made available to assist staff and parents. This supplemented the extensive training that had been provided as part of the set-up phase. In one or two cases virtual learning environment implementation had been incorporated into the performance targets of the headteacher and other staff. Ofsted 2011

4. Discuss: What are your current, whole school priorities?

5. How will you benefit from a learning platform? Whole School Vision New Curriculum Narrowing the gap Safeguarding / E-safety Home-school links Parental engagement Reading engagement Celebrating achievements Engaging pupils Anything else?!

6. Take one priority: E-safety…

7. At KS1: use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies. At KS2: use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.

8. Take one priority: E-safety… “If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you.” Bruce Lee www.hiddenlives.org.uk

9. How do I avoid the rainclouds?! Vision Skills Resources Incentives Action Plan: AwareDevelop Adopt Frustration Confusion False Starts Slow Change Anxiety

10. Making sense of the next steps… Key decisions at whole school level effectively communicated and written as a vision statement Practicalities: accounts, username and password choices… Staff training: targeted, formal / informal, well-timed, well- placed, with action points / next steps based on vision Developing day-to-day classroom practice > embedding your Learning Platform

11. Developing day-to-day classroom practice…

13. In this example, the home page is being used as a noticeboard and to raise the profile of key resources which are relevant to the children’s learning. These include: - What pupils will be learning next week - Class birthdays - Poetry video linked to this term’s theme - Events in other year groups e.g. hatching chicks that need names - Important notices - Video on how to use the grid method - A ‘funny’ video which helps to draw pupils to the page even if they don’t want everything else!

14. Developing day-to-day classroom practice… ‘Group’ pages can be used for any number of things. They have less functionality than project pages, essentially acting as an additional ‘class page’ but do allow pupils from different classes and year groups to be mixed together in one place. In this example, pupils from different classes have been linked to a residential visit group page where the teacher has shared: - an embedded countdown timer from http://datecountdown.com/ http://datecountdown.com/ - Links to a kit list, parental information page, souvenir shop price list, chat page for sharing spare / missing kit

15. Developing day-to-day classroom practice… This ‘group’ page simply shares a link to a video for how to make a Mothers’ Day card – very simple but VERY important and saves all those post it notes being used for writing down the web address in school!

16. Developing day-to-day classroom practice… A project page used to share ongoing progress towards making a class film for the Cambridgeshire Young People’s Film Festival. Included on this page is: - An intro the Film Festival and class project - A copy of the script – written by children in the class – for everyone to practice - Photos of the film making process - A copy of the finished video, embedded on the page - A link to other schools’ films on the FilmStarz website with guidance for the children on how to comment safely and respectfully on other people’s work (fitting in neatly with the Gold ACE unit)

17. Developing day-to-day classroom practice… Other project pages shown included: - Work linked to Dragon project including embedded videos, tasks, forums / chat spaces etc. - Literacy linked projects e.g. biography and autobiography, with pages linked to different famous people - Downloaded projects on the Big School Birdwatch and Penguins (linked to ACE) - An MFL French page with links to multimedia and pupil generated content (sound files of children singing French songs)

18. Embedding Starz+ across the whole school… Whole School Vision New Curriculum Narrowing the gap Safeguarding / E-safety Home-school links Parental engagement Reading engagement Celebrating achievements Engaging pupils Anything else?!

19. Embedding Starz+ across the whole school… Vision Skills Resources Incentives Action Plan: AwareDevelop Adopt Frustration Confusion False Starts Slow Change Anxiety

20. Think about: One at a time or all at once? Priorities, training, pupils…whole school or champions? What makes for successful change in you school? How have previously successful changes been implemented? Anticipate problems and barriers…expect them so they are not disheartening, note them…address them in time… Choose: Have a tightly planned out process OR let it evolve from an initial plan and review on a regular basis…

21. Thoughts / questions?