ICT Targets in Education

As the UK education sector goes through a complex set of changes it has become essential that targets are set to ensure continuity of service provision and educational attainment, these are summarised as follows - how will the authority deliver personalised learning to ensure that every pupil is fully stretched and can access a broad curriculum that best suits their needs and talents. ICT plays a key role in translating these targets from both service provider and customer perspectives. Hence what ever level of strategic change you are about to engage in NexGen feel that wireless ICT solutions can make a considerable impact of many of the targets set out by the governing bodies within the UK. So whether your looking at creative teaching strategies, mobile learning, flexible access, personalised learning, CPD, community involvement, addressing the digital divide, or any aspect of a ICT e-strategy NexGen have solutions which will not only help deliver on these targets but also support you through the conceptual understanding of how wireless solutions can ease the delivery and attainment of your objectives.

Flexible Access

The logic of flexible access is simple yet highly effective, by providing pupils and staff access to more flexible learning spaces and the associated ICT infrastructure institutions are able to engage pupils better and hence help raise attainment.

Our approach to flexible access is simple, crate ambient and pervasive learning environments where the participants (pupils & staff) can decide how and where to teach and learn respectively. NexGen recognise that learning takes place everywhere and hence deliver infrastructure solutions which support home, school and community learning for all.

In doing so NexGen wireless solutions:

  • Complement exciting new buildings that are constructed to suit the schools' current and future needs
  • Enable schools to offer a wider variety of curriculum subjects
  • Providing learning environments which are safer, more comfortable and which promote further learning and positive behaviour
  • Enhance teaching and learning opportunities
  • Allowing schools to engage the wider community through extended service provisions in schools and community access to school facilities

CPD

As schools, colleges and universities continue on their CPD programmes with a specific focus on ICT the following areas, as outlined by BECTA remain key drivers of benchmarking for education provision:

  • How well does your school use ICT to improve whole-school performance?
  • Is ICT used for learning and teaching in all subjects? What evidence is there?
  • Are all pupils able to access the internet to support their work?
  • How easily can pupils choose to use ICT when they feel they need it to support their learning?
  • Are staff able to share and adapt electronic resources and planning tools?
  • Is assessment data stored and shared with staff electronically?
  • Do staff use email or web-based forums to communicate with each other?
  • Where pupils have special needs, does ICT enable them to access the curriculum?
  • Is ICT used for management processes such as recording attendance and performance data?
  • Is ICT used to communicate with parents and the community via a school website or email?

Personalised Learning

At the heart of personalised learning sits the ability of a pupil and teacher to come to a common ground to raise standards by focusing teaching and learning on the aptitudes and interests of pupils and by removing any barriers to learning. The fundamental issue is how collectively schools build on this offer for every pupil.

We believe that once designed programmes of personalised learning must be delivered also taking into account the context and optimal environment for learning. By turning all places into learning environments NexGen are able to support you in using mobile and wireless ICT to deliver the personalised learning to each pupil in a manner only possible within the context of an ambient and pervasive learning environment. The concept is so simple yet so effective.

The Digital Divide

By utilising existing infrastructure already allocated to schools, colleges and universities LA are able to address the concerns presented by the digital divide. NexGen are clear on how to build solutions which empower local communities and create fair and continuous learning opportunity for all regardless of background or geography.

Using our outdoor wireless solutions, the LA’s existing resources and a certain amount of passion for learning we are able to deliver community networks which directly address the digital divide and empower LA to deliver on core objectives of:

  • Extended community learning provision
  • Home and school involvement
  • Delivery of a scalable and flexible ICT provision for current and future use
  • The ability to deliver variant levels of service provision
  • Wider range of learning choices, flexible working, efficiency, safety and security

In doing so LA’s are able to directly address the realisation that the new learning paradigm is dynamic in nature and must be supported from across several context, including the home, community and school.

Handheld & Mobile Learning (HML)

If NexGen Solutions is the road then handheld learning is the pedalling of cycles. As one of the primary drivers of innovation in learning and teaching, handheld learning is the promotion of ambient and pervasive technologies which is geared towards to the transformation of how we teach and learn.

As a thought and practice leader in the area of ambient and pervasive learning environments NexGen has numerous examples of LA’s trialling handheld learning platforms over its campus-wide wireless networks across the country. Examples include Nokia’s internet tablet, Samsungs Q1, Acer PDA, Fujistu-Siemens EDA and so the list goes on…….

Not only are LA’s conducting these trials and transformational projects in school but are also able to push the boundaries of learning into the community and home through NexGen’s community wireless access networks (CWAN’s).

Handheld and mobile learning promotes organic learning, putting the person back into the driving seat of engagement and allowing flexible personalised learning to take place regardless of context. In addition to this HML promotes and enables an innovative and creative fusion of learning and teaching, leading to greater pupil engagement, reduction of the technological differentials between home and place of learning and access to rich digital content and communities. When aligned with balanced education planning and strategy NexGen feel that HML can result in a sustained competitive advantage for all involved and place the next generation on the map to success.

NexGen Solutions empower the next generation of learning – a fusion of technology, educators and the educated.

If you would like to discuss your HML project please contact our HML team at NexGen Solutions.