Last week saw the final 5 GEMS schools in the UAE
trained in the new ‘My Learning’ Learning Management System.
Along with the integration of Pearson’s Equella
repository, Office 365, Google Apps for Edu, a large range of high quality
digital content options and the flexibility to plug in pretty much anything
else our schools need, this growing ecosystem is already proving to be a
catalyst for revolutionizing the provision of digital and blended learning. We
have deployed 39 schools in the UAE along with one other managed school and the
Kingdom Schools in KSA. Overall, more than 100,000 students and 11,000
educators have been impacted.
The process of professional learning and digital
transformation continues, as we work to deliver an ambitious digital strategy
over the next five years. Next up is the launch of the GEMS My Learning parent notification
app later this term, which will provide unprecedented opportunities for empowered
parents to engage in their children’s learning anytime, anywhere.
Below is the article due to be published in the next
edition of the GEMS Family Magazine. We look forward to seeing some great
family engagement within the new ecosystem.
‘My Learning’ Overview (to be published in GEMS Family
Magazine, Issue 6, September 2015)
All GEMS schools in the U.A.E. have now moved from the
GEMS Learning Gateway (GLG) to an exciting, dynamic new online learning
ecosystem and parent portal, known as ‘My Learning’.
Research shows that average user satisfaction with
institutional learning management systems is less than 50% (BrandonHall Group,
2014). In particular, the ‘features’ and ‘ease of use’ categories are often
poorly rated, averaging less than 40% satisfaction. Given these statistics, we knew we would need
to innovate and do things very differently in order to provide each user with
an outstanding experience that would, ultimately, inspire and optimise every
student’s learning.
We know that every student - and every school
community - is unique. One size does not fit all, hence the need for a digital
learning ecosystem that provides a truly personalised experience for every
student, parent and teacher. And so it was that we embarked on a long process
of eliciting the views of a wide range of stakeholders from our schools and
implementing a solution to meet their needs. Andrew Nolan, Manager - Education
Technology, visited over 20 schools, interviewing focus groups of students,
parents, teachers and other school staff, asking the question: “What do you
want from an online learning environment?” It quickly became clear that there
were as many answers as there were people questioned, which led to the clear
understanding that a successful solution would need to be a pin cushion rather
than a bubble.
Pin Cushion
The history of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in
schools, colleges and universities around the world is not a happy one.
Students and teachers have not, for the most part, fallen in love with online
learning or digital workflows and this has been due, in large part, to the
approach taken by administrators at the district and institutional level. The
received wisdom has, for a long time, been that learning institutions should
create a ‘bubble’, within which all learning, productivity, collaboration and
communication should be contained. Teachers and administrators would control
all content, tools and interactions and all learners and teachers would be safe
and happy learning in their bubble, with what was on offer.
Groups of schools were forced to adopt the same
‘bubble’ VLEs and these were invariably not situationally fit for purpose. Even
worse, they tended to be inflexible in developmental terms, meaning that it was
difficult or often impossible for schools and individuals to request changes to
the structure, content and tools. The result in every case was that innovative
teachers and students naturally found new ways to learn. They burst out of the
bubble to use third party blogs and wikis, social media, YouTube, Google Apps,
Weebly, Edmodo, Voicethread and a host of other tools, too numerous to list.
These innovators weren’t trying to rebel – they were simply attempting to
improve learning by using tools they perceived to be more effective than those
they had been given.
For administrators, however, it became a nightmare.
They could not control access to the third party tools, teacher-student
workflows became fragmented and parents were confused as to where they could
find information about their children’s learning – even between classes and
teachers in the same school. Worst of all, questions around students’ online
safety arose, often without acceptable answers other than to force the shutdown
of everything outside the bubble. In many cases, this also shut down the
learning.
Developing a shared understanding that we simply could
not, and indeed should not, dampen the enthusiasm, nor doubt the expertise of
teachers and students in selecting the best tools for learning, was the first
step towards seeking out a pin to burst the VLE bubble. That said, there was
still a need to provide a structure for all GEMS schools, which would help to
ensure the online safety of our students, encourage innovation and optimise
learning through a clear and consistent workflow – as well as providing a
system that would enable parents to engage more effectively in the learning
process.
Equipped with a sea of data from stakeholders, Andrew
led the mission to find the best solution, knowing that we had to meet the
needs of hundreds of thousands of people. This would have to be a pin cushion
solution – a system that would provide clarity and structure, whilst
accommodating the tools that teachers and learners wished to use. The concept
of the pin cushion provides all users with a secure and robust system, together
with the ability to plug in the tools they need to optimise the learning
process in any given situation.
Following an evaluation of over 60 potential
solutions, the My Learning platform was selected as the preferred spine of the
new ecosystem. As well as the product itself coming out on top by a long way
when evaluated against the stated user needs, it was also important that the
provider was prepared to adapt to our schools’ individual requirements, both at
the outset and in the future. My Learning is an adaptable platform and the
provider has already shown impressive agility and customer-focus in delivering the
modifications, improvements and integrations requested. This is vital, as it
puts us in the position where we are able to accommodate innovative practices
and new tools as they arise in our schools, responding quickly to development
requests and ensuring seamless integration into existing workflows.
Meeting the teaching, learning and parenting needs of
so many users, in such a diverse group of schools, could only be achieved by
creating a solution that is capable of on-going customisation, augmentation and personalisation. Below are some of the features that
we hope will deliver an outstanding experience for all our school communities
in the months and years ahead.
Interface
Options
Students can customise their own dashboards and plug
in the tools they need to optimise their own learning. Flexibility and personalisation are key
because students learn better when they construct their own learning ecosystems
and use the tools they have chosen. My Learning has a choice of age-specific
interfaces and a wide range of themes for students, making it attractive to
learners across the 3-18 age range. Many students have already opted for the
popular ‘Minecraft’ theme to personalise their site! Our youngest students now
have the opportunity to learn how to construct an authentic digital workflow
and, at the other end of the scale, students headed for university will hit the
ground running as tertiary education moves rapidly towards online and blended
learning.
Language Options
The site is available in over 90 languages, including
Arabic, Hindi, Malayalam, Russian and Farsi, to name but a few. We hope this will prove particularly useful
for students who are new to English language learning and for foreign language
learners, as well as parents who would prefer to navigate the system in their
native language.
Online Safety
There is, of course, a secure login for all GEMS
users, including parents. Teachers and parents can, by default, see everything
their children do through My Learning. Also, the school administrator is able
to track all activity, including through the use of a customisable profanity
filter. A prominent ‘Report Abuse’ button acts as a medium for students to
contact the school’s Child Protection Officer discreetly and in confidence
about any issue of concern, including real life problems, and anything that is making
them feel uncomfortable online. Together with the established Digital
Citizenship programmes in GEMS schools, our young people are as safe as they
can possibly be in today’s digital world.
Student Profile
Every student has a space to build his or her own
social profile, within a safe and secure environment. Students can choose the
information they include and how to share their profiles within the system,
thereby learning good social networking habits from an early age. They can also
take a personality test, which is proving to be very effective in developing
emotional intelligence, empathy and self-awareness.
Options for
Portfolio Building
Students have a range of built-in options for
developing learning portfolios, from multimedia journals and diaries to
websites. They can also bring in other tools such as Google Sites, OneNote,
etc..
Parent Portal
Through the Parent Portal, parents are able to access
all the information they need about their children’s learning and welfare. Each
student’s homework, calendar, progress reports and on-going work are all
visible to their parents. Over the course of the 2015-2016 academic year, the
site will be developed further, enabling parents to access a wider range of
GEMS services.
Customisable
Parent App
Due to be launched in Q4 2015, the My Learning parent
notification mobile app will further enhance communication and parental
engagement in the learning process. Parents will have the ability to customise
the information flow, enabling them to receive the updates they want in a way
that suits the individual user.
Communication
with Teachers
Parents are able to contact their children’s teachers
through a secure, threaded discussion system, with instant, two-way
notifications.
Data Integration
Schools within the GEMS group employ different student
data management systems, reflecting the diverse range of curricula provided.
All of these systems are linked through My Learning, allowing the relevant
access to authorised users. This will allow teachers to manage data and
learning more closely and effectively and provide parents with relevant,
up-to-date information on their children’s progress.
High Storage
Capacity and Choice of Tools
In addition to the storage space in My Learning
itself, students and teachers can seamlessly integrate their other, preferred
cloud storage solutions, such as One Drive, Google Drive and Dropbox. My
Learning supports over 150 file types, providing students with the opportunity
to create a wide range of content and demonstrate their learning in the way
they choose.
Content Library
As well as a wide range of free content, the Content
Library provides Single Sign On (SSO) to the educational content already in use
in the school. This functionality saves valuable learning time that may
otherwise be wasted through students having multiple web addresses, usernames
and passwords to remember. Also, QR codes provide instant access to content,
which is particularly helpful for younger learners.
YouTube and
Flickr
A huge array of filtered images are instantly
available through the Flickr integration tool and YouTube videos can be easily
accessed and downloaded directly into My Learning, all within a safe and
secure, monitored environment.
Productivity
Tools
Google Apps for Education and Office 365 are both
available for students and teachers to integrate into their dashboards, again
with SSO to further streamline and enhance the learning process. Other tools
can be easily integrated, as required.
Social Media
Plug-ins
Schools can easily plug in their existing social media
feeds, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and parents are encouraged to
participate in these conversations!
Secure
Collaboration Tools
Chatrooms and multimedia
forums can be set up and moderated by teachers, providing students with a safe,
dynamic environment in which they can perfect their online collaboration
skills, whilst deepening their understanding of subject content.
Repository
As part of the learning ecosystem, all GEMS teachers
have access to an area where they can share their planning, resources and
innovations, helping to ensure that the most outstanding practice becomes the
norm in all schools and for all teachers.
It is recognised that the impact of any system is
reliant on the capabilities and engagement of the users. Teacher professional
development is, therefore, at the heart of the GEMS Digital Strategy and a full
programme of initial and continuous training and support for GEMS teachers is
on-going. Along with the high degree of personal ownership given to all users,
we hope that everyone will enjoy and engage fully in the My Learning
experience.
Schools will continue to work with parents to ensure a
smooth transition to the new system and, as always, we welcome your feedback as
we strive to constantly improve the personalised experience for all users.
