The City of Leicester College – BYOD Trial ProjectFinal Report – September 2014

Contents

1. Introduction2. Review of milestones3. Progress data4. Final App list5. The future 1-to-1 scheme6. Conclusions

1. Introduction

This is the third and final report for the City of Leicester College’s Bring Your Own Device Trial project, funded from Leicester City Council’s BSF ICT Innovation Fund.

The City of Leicester College BYOD project has run for over a year now. We purchased a class set of iPad minis, and gave them to a tutor group to use both in school and at home for an entire academic year. The positive impact of this trial has been real and measurable in terms of academic progress, behaviour, attendance and engagement.

Our College Leadership have been impressed with the opportunities this project has given to the students concerned, and have given their backing to the TCOLC 1-to-1 scheme, based on the iPad mini, due to commence in October 2014. This new scheme will be rolled out over the next two years and aims to offer all students the opportunity to hire purchase an iPad mini at a subsidised rate to use in school.

The First Interim Report (July 2013) detailed the rationale and early preparations for the project, and the Second Interim Report (January 2014) discusses implementation and initial results from the trial. This final Report reviews the impact the project has made on progress for the students and provides details of our new 1-to-1 iPad-mini scheme.

2. Review of Milestones

The project has proceeded much as anticipated and we have made progress on nearly all of the objectives we set out to achieve. The time scale slipped slightly, mostly due to complications with moving into the new build.

Fully achievedSome Progress MadeNot yet addressed

Report Date Milestone

First interim Report

28/02/13 Bid AcceptedApr 2013 Applications from tutor groups to be the group to run the

pilotMay 2013 Selection of the groupJun 2013 Identify and timetable key staff onto Pilot group lessons.Jul 2013 Parental consultationJul 2013 Evaluate current device project, interview students, collate

useful apps identified.Jul 2013 Draft Acceptable Use Policy and e-Safety Guidelines

Second Interim Report

Sep 2013 Devices purchasedOct 2013 Set up devicesOct 2013 Staff trainingNov 2013 Devices issuedNov 2013 Student trainingNov 2013 – Dec 2013

Review Acceptable use Policy & e-Safety guidelines

Nov 2013 – Mar 2014

Devise projects in subjects and in pastoral themes

Nov 2013 – Mar 2014

Use registration time to share student experiences, ideas and app recommendations

Nov 2013 – Mar 2014

Teaching and learning with Devices including PSEnt

Nov 2013 – Mar 2014

Develop collaborative learning opportunities using Apps such as facebook, pinterest, join.me, etherpads, etc

Nov 2013 – Mar 2014

Develop Scheme of learning resources using iBooks Author and iTunesU

Nov 2013 – Jul 2014

Pilot Staff CPD opportunities

Jan 2014 Analysis of December tracking dataJan 2014 Autumn Term (interim) evaluation report

Final Report

Apr 2014 Questionnaires to parents, Staff & StudentsApr 2014 InterviewsApr 2014 Analysis of March tracking dataMay 2014 Identification of student work to showcaseMay 2014 Student Showcase material collatedJun 2014 Presentation and final report produced

Questionnaires and Interviews have not been conducted formally, but I have discussed the project extensively with teaching staff involved, the students and with parents throughout the year. All have remained extremely positive and supportive of the project.

Many examples of the students’ work were included in the last report, and also showcased on the project blog at http://madaboutipads.wordpress.com

3. Progress Data

In the last report, I showed that during the past year both behaviour and attendance had improved within the trial group. Behaviour in particular improved dramatically, with the group regularly winning awards for the best behaved tutor group. I suspected that this would lead to an improvement in progress over time, and so I examined the end of year data for the trial group compared to the rest of the cohort in both Year 7 (prior to the project commencing), and in Year 8 (whilst the project was running).

I looked at average point score for each subject studied. Point scores is a convenient measure of progress against national Key Stage level criteria. 2 points represents progress of one sublevel on this scale – e.g. moving from a level 4B to a 4A, or from a 4A to a 5C. 6 points represents a whole level progress – e.g. moving from a level 4B to a level 5B.

In year 7, the trial group 7ABT were performing at a significantly lower level than the rest of Year 7, averaging 0.6 points per student per subject, compared to 1.1 for the rest of the cohort. They were above average in only 3 out of the 13 subjects studied.

In Year 8, the trial group performed slightly higher than the rest of Year 8, averaging 5.5 points per student per subject, compared to 5.4 for the rest of the cohort. They were above average in 8 out of the 13 subjects studied.

Year 7 Year 87ABT rest 8ABT rest

English 1.9 2.9 5.0 4.3Maths 2.4 2.2 3.6 4.5Science 2.9 2.5 4.1 3.8Art -1.7 -0.4 6.3 5.8Drama 1.6 1.6 6.1 6.1Music 1.2 2.4 4.5 3.8PE 1.4 2.0 5.0 5.3Geography -1.8 -0.3 7.3 7.0History 3.3 1.5 5.0 3.9RS -1.8 0.0 6.7 6.0ICT 2.1 2.4 2.7 3.7French -2.2 -2.1 8.2 7.6Spanish -1.0 -0.8 7.0 8.1

Average 0.6 1.1 5.5 5.4Difference -0.5 +0.1

Point scores often appear depressed in year 7, as the starting points are often based on an English/Maths composite KS2 level rather than prior performance in the actual subject. However, it is clear when comparing the two groups, that 8ABT have noticeably improved relative to the rest of the cohort.

The improvements in progress measured are in no way profound, and perhaps not as significant as the impact on behaviour. However, improvement is most noticeable in subjects where the students have been taught together as a tutor group such as in Music, History, Geography and RS, rather than mixed with other students who do not have the devices. In many of these mixed classes, the use of the devices has been much more sporadic and entirely student-led rather than part of the lesson plan.

In summary, it is clear that there has been a positive impact on progress. In combination with the results on behaviour and attendance reported previously, there is a strong case that the devices had a positive overall effect on the students’ time in school.

4. Final App List

Many apps have come and gone throughout this year. We have refined our list, removing apps whose functionality is duplicated or done better elsewhere. What remains is a solid set of apps that have wide applicability.

When considering which paid apps are worth the money, my advice is to avoid narrow subject specific apps and consider instead purchasing a few quality productivity or presentation apps that will be used across the college. Apps like “Explain Everything” and “iBook Creator” are worth investing in and will offer excellent value for money, especially if students (and staff!) are given some initial training in what can be achieved.

A keeper – Great app, regularly used by students and will remain part of our installationUndecided – Apps with potential but not yet widely adopted by staff and studentsDelete – Not widely used or done better elsewhere

App Type Starting Apps

(* paid apps)

Additions/Replacements/notes

Reference Apps

Dictionary.com Widely used by studentsWikipedia Mobile Setting language to “simple English” makes this

much more useable for younger studentsMyscript Calculator Scribble down your maths sum and watch it resolve

and solve itself.Calc Pro HD Free This operates as an old-style “backwards” calculator

(ask a maths teacher!). We switched to CALC by QApps, which is less pretty but follows BIDMAS.

Google MapsGoogle EarthGoogle Translate – translation toolTheasaurasize - Thesaurus

Wordreference – translation dictionaryCollaboration Apps

Nearpod Solid app, but not yet found a useful workflow for itJoin.me Solid app, but not yet found a useful workflow for itSocrative - Student Great for creating quick quizzes for students to joinWhiteboard Lite Explain Everything does it better

Organisational Apps

Class Dojo Nice but a duplication of our reward/sanction system. Also no student version of the app.

Microsoft OWA for iPad

Mail (stock client) can connect to our Microsoft Office 365 exchange server, will import contacts and calendar and is good enough for everyday use. OWA is helpful at times for finding older mails no longer cached, etc.

Microsoft newsfeed

Provides access to our SharePoint newsfeed. We are still developing this, so this currently gets limited use

Microsoft Skydrive Pro

(Now renamed OneDrive for Business) – gives access to files stored in Office 365, but not as widely supported as other cloud services. Useful to have an alternative cloud service such as dropbox.

Citrix Receiver Excellent if you have a Citrix server as part of a thin client setup. Run your Windows applications, even a full windows desktop, on your iPad.

myHomework Student Planner

Electronic student planner, where either students can record their own homework tasks or teachers can push out to the whole class via the accompanying Teachers.io appDropbox – allows background syncing your photos/movies, which can then be deleted from the device to save space.

Productivity Apps

Evernote Excellent app – provides powerful workflows for students to store and search their notes (see below)

Evernote Peek Useful revision add-on for EvernoteDocuments 2 Free We will be moving to the MS Word and MS Excel

Apps once we get the licencing sorted out.Presentation Apps

popplet Lite *Popplet – A great mind mapping app. Intuitive and versatile. The free version is good but only allows one popplet at a time and no way to save your work. Get the paid version, and groups can work on a popplet at the same time.

ShowMe Explain Everything does it betterPocket Pals 2: Free Fun story telling/role playing app*Comic Life Fun presentation software – comic book style*Book Creator Create your own iBooks directly on the iPad.*Explain Everything

Excellent! Whiteboard/flipchart/PowerPoint app, intuitive to use and with lots and lots of ways to import/export your workKeynote – Amazingly powerful PowerPoint-style

presentation app. Loads of templates. Takes up a LOT of storage space though.

Subject Specific Apps

Merck PTE HD Swish Periodic tableGeogebra Fantastic tool for exploring both geometry and

algebra, and what lies betweenKhan Academy Set of maths videos*Garageband Great music creation software*Reason Slick rhythm creation software*French Linguascope

Requested by our MFL faculty but rarely used. Not sure I would buy these again.

*Spanish Linguascope

Requested by our MFL faculty but rarely used. Not sure I would buy these again.Puffin Academy – allows use of MyMathsQuick Graph – excellent free equation graphing tool suitable for GCSE and A level maths

Video & Photo Apps

iMovie Make your own movies from scratch or using template trailers. Some nice graphic overlay tools. Import your movie sound track from garageband!

PlayerXtreme HD Free video player that copes with lots of different formats – useful

Adobe PS Express iPhoto has become our go –to image manipulation app.Action Movie Studio – add some special effects to your iMoviesStop Motion Studio – free stop motion animator*Green Screen – Add another dimension to your iMovies with this intuitive and effective Chroma Keying app.

Other Apps Audioboo – record sound clips which are posted to a cloud service. Useful for homework tasks, or for providing feedback

As well as identifying useful apps, attention needs to be given to developing effective workflows for students and staff. Productivity apps such as Evernote can be used very effectively in school. Below is an example of students using Evernote to create a digital version of their exercise book. Students take a photo every time they complete a page in their exercise book using Evernote, which then scans them using Character Recognition. Their written notes become a fully indexed searchable resource which they always have access to– even when they forget their book or the teacher has collected it in for marking. Because Evernote can also store photos, typed notes, pdfs, web clips and audio files, students can keep their whole learning experience together in one place. Students can also share this notebook with their teachers, who can view it any time, and create their own notes to give feedback.

We are looking at introducing some training on apps and also useful workflows on the ipad as part of the year 7 and 9 ICT curriculum this year. This will focus on core apps such as Evernote, Explain Everything and iBook Creator, along with tasks such as moving files to and from cloud services, email, etc.

5. TCOLC 1-to-1 Scheme

The BYOD trial has provided an invaluable opportunity to show that a 1-to-1 scheme is logistically possible, allowed us to figure out the best way to deploy the devices, and proved the case that 1-to-1 has a positive effect on progress and attitudes to school. The next step for us is to now widen out these benefits to all of our students, and we are about to embark on an ambitious scheme to bring this about.

The TCOLC 1-to-1 Scheme will commence in the Autumn Term, initially with Year 9 – the same year as our pilot tutor group. All year 9s students will be given the opportunity to purchase an iPad-mini directly from the College at a substantially subsidised price, and be allowed to bring this device with them to school each day. The device will come complete with a case, insurance, and all the Apps they will require for the classroom.

Only devices purchased through this scheme will be allowed in school – as they will need to be pre-configured to work with our network. For e-Safety, the devices will have Mobile Device Management (MDM) software pre-installed, using a layered profile approach as explained in the last report. The MDM will need to be kept in place whilst the device is

used in College, and we will need to develop systems to periodically check devices remain compliant and collect them in for reinstallation if necessary.

We are additionally looking into moving to local web filtering using a Lightspeed Rocket. This will allow us to pass all internet traffic to and from the 1-to-1 devices through the College web-filtering system at school, at home or wherever else the students happen to use the device. We are commencing a trial of this system later this term.

The basic package offered to students will be an iPad mini 16GB device, provided with a case, and 1 year insurance (Burnett’s Educational Accidental Damage and Theft policy). Additional to this is the MDM solution offered by Lightspeed, which needs to be licenced on a per device basis.

Unit costiPad mini 16GB 179.00Insurance (Burnett) 15.50Case 8.51MDM (Lightspeed) 10.00

213.01

We will be looking for parents to contribute a total of £170 towards the scheme. This would either be as a one-off payment, or alternatively a £50 deposit followed by six monthly contributions of £20 to help parents spread the cost. Ownership of the device will transfer to the parents on receipt of the final contribution, but use within school will remain subject to the conditions laid out in our Acceptable Use Policy. Once the student leaves the College, all our MDM software will be removed and students will then be free to use the device as they wish.

Within six months, the majority of the initial outlay on devices will have been collected back in, and this will be recycled into purchasing the next set of devices for year 7. The program will continue in this fashion for the next 18 months, by which time we aim to be a fully 1-to-1 school.

The College will thus be subsidising the purchase of each device in the region of £45 per device. We are examining different levels of subsidy for students experiencing particular hardship or with more than two children at the college, and may introduce some variations to cater for this.

Over the first three years, we estimate that the scheme will cost the College approximately £55,000, assuming a high level of take-up (95%+). However, there is some risk involved, especially around parents reneging on payments. It is hard to assess before time what level of defaulting we might expect. However, by setting the deposit quite high (25% of the purchase price), plus keeping the repayment length short (6 months) we are hoping that this will minimise the risk.

There are some issues that will need to be addressed along the way. We must develop a plan for parents who choose not to join the scheme, so that their children are not

disadvantaged in the classroom. We will look to repurpose our existing 200 school ipad minis for this function, creating a per day/lesson lending scheme.

Issues around inappropriate use will also need to be addressed. With the devices technically being the property of the student, we will need to have a robust Acceptable Use Policy signed by parents and students which clearly lays out what is acceptable, and what the consequences of misuse will be. Capacity for dealing with technical issues will also need to be addressed, and we may need to consider appointing a dedicated technician as the scheme widens out

Conclusions

The TCOLC BYOD trial has shown us:

The iPad mini is a great size for students – fits in with their exercise books, is light for students to hold and use. 16GB is sufficient for school use and all the apps required (although it doesn’t leave much space for games so may limit dual home-school use)

The best setup for the devices was using a layered profile approach, allowing the college to push out its own paid or required apps silently over wifi, whilst leaving the student able to install their own apps via the app store.

Personal safety and device security has not really been an issue. Students quickly become very attached to their devices and look after them very carefully.

The best apps to purchase are not narrow subject orientated apps, but good quality productivity or presentation apps with wide applicability.

1-to-1 impacts positively on Behaviour, attendance and progress Teachers don’t necessarily need to change how they teach their 1-to-1 class, but it

worked best where their use was encouraged and staff were flexible about the format students chose to output their work in.

Invest a little more in cases – if you buy cheap, you buy twice (or end up with cracked screens)

The trial has demonstrated that a 1-to-1 solution based on the iPad mini is feasible and shown that it has a positive impact on students. It has provided the College with the knowledge, understanding and most importantly the confidence to launch our TCOLC 1-to-1 scheme later this year.

I would like to thank the Leicester City Council BSF ICT Team for supporting this project.

Anthony Tompkins

September 2014Bring Your Own Device Trial Report by The

City of Leicester College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-

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Based on a work at http://madaboutipads.wordpress.com.