Case Studies

The Science Department were one of the early adopters of this technology. They experimented with think.com. When Fronter was purchased they were one of the first departments to collect detailed data relating to student access to online resources. The department set up a number of opportunities for students to complete homework assignments and upload them to staff for assessment and return. About 20% of students at KS4 returned work through the Learning Platform. The majority of those were students whose target grades placed them in the upper quartile of the year group. As one member of staff commented, 'The students who made most effective use of the Learning Platform were those who you would expect to make use of any learning opportunity that came their way.'

This is a simple example of a hand-in area on the Learning Platform. Students would be assigned to a class. They would not see other classes online. They also could not view the work of other students that had been uploaded but staff could easily track who had completed what.

The situation in science is a good example of what happens when you have a member of staff who has a keen interest in new applications, who takes a clear lead in the use of the technology and supports other staff BUT who eventually leaves ! You need to make provision for some kind of 'hand-over-of-leadership' otherwise the impact of innovations, technological or otherwise, will not be sustainable.

Science currently mainly uses Fronter as a file storage area, where students can upload and download material.

It will be interesting to note just how many schools (in the short term) do not get past this first stage of simply using their Learning Platform as a file depository.

‘the state of ICT in our schools is primitive and not improving’. (1997. Stevenson Report)