Synergy School Radio - Breaking Boundaries

With education sector budgets facing cuts under the new coalition government, procurement decisions within schools are increasingly measured, with non-essential expenditure being reduced in some schools.

Here, Tim Ennion, assistant headteacher at Noadswood School, an 11-16 sports college in Hampshire, discusses the importance of reaching learners with technology that is relevant to them. Despite many ICT based solutions seeming costly, the benefits and return on investment (ROI) is high, and Tim explores how technology can increase student and parental engagement, thus enhancing a student’s learning journey.

Leading the path of innovation

Noadswood School is part of the Learning Futures programme (www.learningfutures.org) for 2010/2011 and one of six schools in the country to receive funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. We are therefore responsible for developing and implementing new and innovative approaches to learning, which also support our parental engagement aims; as a result sourcing cutting edge ICT solutions is a driving force within the school. One of our key aims and strategies is 'extending boundaries'; we strive to promote learning that is unrestricted by the confines of the traditional timetable and the school gates. Our aim is to motivate learners and we achieve this by maximising the use of our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and using it to engage parents also. We have recently been shortlisted by Becta for a 2010 ICT Excellence Award for our novel use of ICT beyond the school.

Tapping into a familiar medium

In terms of engaging learners and parents, technology’s potential is immeasurable. Young people’s lives revolve around technology; whether it is iPods, mobile phones or games consoles. It is absolutely vital that we tap into this if schools are to engage today's learners, otherwise learning will not be seen as relevant and current. If teachers do not exploit the technology that children typically use, the risk is that learners attach a tedious tag to the curriculum. Young people are often not enthused by traditional spreadsheets and databases; they are however enthused by making videos to demonstrate their learning, for example.

In terms of engaging parents with ICT, there are of course challenges that arise due to the barriers technology can create. Some parents are not familiar with technology and feel daunted. We believe the key to successful implementation is that it should be integrated with face-to-face contact. For some parents there needs to be a link with traditional communication, otherwise, they may feel detached. In order to combat this we run evening sessions to help parents gain first-hand experience of how technology such as our VLE works and, more importantly, how they can use it to support their child's learning.

The changing face of education

For the previous 18 months, we have focussed heavily on our 'Films for Learning' initiative. As part of this we encourage students to use digital video cameras and our Mac editing suite to create films on various topics. These can then be shared with other learners via the VLE which promotes both independent and group work. This activity can be continued beyond the school day, and everyday technologies such as mobile phones can be used to record film footage. Under this initiative, instead of producing written reports, we encourage students to create films which deliver an exciting and fresh approach. There is also huge scope for parental engagement here, with parents and siblings able to become actively involved in the process.

We have placed a high emphasis on pod casting, which is extremely accessible to all learners. Online reporting is ever-being developed and we have created our own automated system where emails can be sent to parents to provide them with frequent updates of their child’s progress in between traditional reports.

Another innovative solution we have introduced to engage students is a Synergy radio studio. Radio equipment delivers a wide scope of benefits in terms of motivating those who are difficult to engage. Also encouraging interdependent work, the intuitiveness of a digital radio broadcast suite enables the teacher to act as a facilitator rather than the controller. In terms of the broadcasting angle of radio, this again connects with our strategy to extend the boundaries of learning since broadcasts can then be streamed onto the internet. It provides the perfect way to promote the school’s ethos whilst also delivering endless cross-curricular and extra-curricular uses. Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) for example, have suffered a decline in many schools in the number of students opting to take them, however, this type of technology has the power to reverse this due to its ability to engage.

The ROI of technology

Holding back funds for technology is potentially devastating for learners of the future.
A school’s decision to reduce funds is often dependent upon the head teacher’s philosophy; if rooted in the power of technology then they will seek modern solutions and ensure budget is streamed into this. A forward thinking head who appreciates the value of achieving innovation will ensure the procurement of engaging ICT solutions. However, the understandable preoccupation with exam results requires visionary thinking on the part of head teachers if learning innovation is to flourish. In a target-driven culture, convincing heads that a radio studio will impact on results can be a real challenge. When you initially discuss introducing technology, such as a radio studio, the inevitable initial question is how will this improve results?

It can be incredibly difficult to measure the impact of a newly introduced technology and without hard and fast facts it can prove a challenge to demonstrate the value.

Consideration for successful implementation

Learning through innovation holds huge potential for improving learning and teaching outcomes, yet to be successful, certain elements need to be in place. Most importantly is that the whole school impact is considered; it should be questioned as to whether it has a broad influence across the whole school curriculum. If a technology is expensive, it needs to offer far reaching benefits. Also the quality of aftercare is key. Staff training should be ongoing and comprehensive. Thirdly, and arguably most importantly, is simplicity! With many teachers overworked, they need easy to implement resources that will not take up extra time. For example, Clyde Broadcast provides resource packs for its radio studio which support schools in ensuring equipment can be effectively used by both learners and teachers.

Innovation funding is important. If budgets are slashed this is likely to be one of the first to be cut. In order to maintain our strong position in innovation, we strive to establish partnerships with businesses to provide a back up should budgets be reduced in the future. Through building relationships with businesses we can seek their expertise and form strong links.

In the face of budget cuts, we must rely on forward-thinking school leadership teams that embrace the power of technology to motivate learners. We are currently witnessing a shift from the traditional classroom to student-centred learning and this will undoubtedly pave the way for technology to continue to emerge and motivate students across the country.

Noadswood School uses Clyde Broadcast’s Synergy School Radio solution

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With education sector budgets facing cuts under the new coalition government, procurement decisions within schools are increasingly measured, with non-essential expenditure being reduced in some schools.