East Sussex County Council’s Children’s Services Department, working with West Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council and schools and colleges across these boroughs, secured funding from the DCSF to develop a strategic network of innovative and technologically advanced Creative Learning Centres. The aim was to provide places where youngsters could have improved access to leading edge technologies and increase participation in Diploma learning for 14 – 19 year olds. EdICTs supported a project across seven schools in 3 Local Authorities (LA).
The network consists of Creative Learning Centres located at six schools, four in East Sussex, one in West Sussex and one in Brighton and Hove, plus two FE Colleges. Four of the Creative Learning Centres are new builds and others required elements of building works, with linked ICT provisions across all sites. The four strands to the project were:
• Development of the Showcase Centre at Beacon CC;
• Development at the Hub schools;
• Development at the Colleges;
• Integrated technology across all institutions.
EdICTs was commissioned to deliver Strand 4 – ‘Integrated technology across all institutions’. Our remit was to provide the infrastructure, technology and resources required to support the teaching and learning at and across the Creative Learning Centres. The first stage of the programme was to establish exactly what types of technology were already familiar, those that would be unfamiliar – but acceptable, those that were too advanced or out of scope.
The original vision was based on the delivery of a transformational agenda that entirely reconfigures learning and the way we think about it. EdICTs was required not only to project manage Strand 4, but also to work closely within the overall project management team responsible for successful delivery of all four strands.
EdICTs facilitated all the stakeholder engagement in order to establish the most appropriate solutions for the learning and educational requirements of the schools and LAs. The team had to bring their expertise from similar projects into the discussions and had to guide practitioners towards solutions that the entire group of stakeholders would be comfortable with. EdICTs also developed the technical specification and assisted in the procurement stages of the project. While firmly based upon an understanding of recent educational developments and the potential for technology to support these, EdICTs’ advice and recommendations were also closely aligned to the schools’ vocational and broader curriculum requirements.
One objective of Strand 4 was to provide linked technology provision across all the Creative Learning Centres, creating world class facilities which would significantly enhance the learning experience. This networked model now enables large numbers of learners to access resources and Diploma accreditation through the linking of interactive 3D technology, video conferencing and other associated ICT resources. The solution is potentially a cost effective solution for staffing and promotes the use of experts as mentors for learners from any location.
EdICTs had to make sure that all proposals and solutions were a clear interpretation of the original project vision and the individual aspirations of the schools. This done, EdICTs was able to use its expertise and initiative to push the boundaries of the project even further, and make the client aware of additional possibilities that could add value to the original specification.
A good example of how this was done was the ‘Diploma Channel’. While the original vision outlined a ‘virtual archive’, after providing examples and worked solutions, EdICTs was able to extend the range and breadth of resources and tools. The Diploma Channel now includes a set of dynamic, web-based self-assessment and e-portfolio tools. EdICTs used its knowledge of and working relationship with the SmartAssess organisation to demonstrate for the client the potential there is for including such learning tools. The Project management team saw the potential and issued a tender for such services.
With the addition of video conferencing, schools will also be able to deliver high quality learning, communicate effectively between schools and develop a sustainable community of best practice. They are also able to provide learners with cutting edge web 2.0 learning tools and facilities, with links to Cloud technology, thus introducing the latest and most powerful applications available online.
