ICT Intent

The Learn for Life website has a podcast from Robin Ball, Learning Services Manager of BECTA, in which he talks about learning platforms, the framework , and pupils being unable to use Web2.0 from within schools (an e-safety issue).

Amongst a discussion about pedagogy and VLEs, Robin expresses some frustration that the framework has been interpreted as a list approved products rather than the capacity of those companies to provide a fully managed service (including training, support, migration from legacy systems…). However, it is difficult to separate those companies from their products. Would RM want to provide anything other than Kaleidos for example? Once again, we end up talking about the technology and not what we might do with it.

I was also interested to hear him talk about Becta increasing their role in supporting schools’ SMTs and LAs with strategic ICT development. This is especially interesting at a time when many LAs are reducing their ICT support and the National Strategy had decided that ICT is the lowest of its priorities. Are we seeing the movement of ICT support to the centre where it can be much more closely aligned with national policy–and funding? Is this a criticism of the work LAs are doing and have done in the past?

With regard to Becta’s focus, the next phase is to support regional broadband consortia, local authorities and schools in procuring LP technology with the longer term goal of achieving ‘total (i.e. dynamic) interoperability’ by 2010. Surely it would be better to build these things with interoperability from the ground up rather than trying to bolt them all together at the end? I’d like to be a middle-ware vendor in 2009!

So what should schools be doing now? Use the Learning Platform Matrix to gauge where you are and then get some advice on procurement (from your LA/ RBC) once you understand what you want.

What should LAs/RBCs be doing now? Trying to understand their position between schools and central government. Not an easy place to be on this issue.