That was my reaction when I saw RMLightbox’s RMEasimaths. Its like RM Maths online. But with oh so much more…

In my work as an ICT AST I get frequent briefs based around using ICT to support Maths. There are several things I recommend, one being the proven RM Maths. Yes it’s old but it personalises and supports learning and has a track record of impacting on attainment. I always felt it was limiting though. Not the program itself but the fact that it was PC based. That means that you are relying on class computers to offer frequent use and it makes classroom organisation a little trickier to roll it out across a school if you want the majority of children to benefit from its use.

Fast forward a decade and welcome RM Easimaths to the scene. The first thing that made my eyes open wide when I came across this premium product was that it was based online. Shouldn’t make that much difference should it? Wrong. It makes ALL the difference. Online means you are not restricted by classroom PCs. Our school has invested in 6 tablets for each class and Flash based tablet compatibility is on its way to RM Easimaths meaning that each class will have the ability to use 10 machines (teacher laptop, 3 class PCs and 6 tablets) at a time when using the program. So as a class teacher I just need to organise my day so that there are 3 x 15 minutes sessions where RM Easimaths is the focus and everyone in my class will have frequent access. Obviously not everyone has the luxury of having 6 tablet machines within their grasp but many schools have netbooks and a growing number do have access to tablets and there is no reason that if Maths is a school improvement target that they cannot be deployed within each classroom rather than in a trolley for one class to use at a time.

The other HUGE impact of making RM Easimaths online is home access. If you are lucky enough, as we are, to sit in a catchment area with decent home access (again, any Flash enabled device will do) then you can offer home access to your pupils. We plan to roll out RM Easimaths as homework for Maths across school from September. There are 3 reasons:

1. It personalises learning. What’s better quality homework that will actually impact on Maths attainment, a worksheet that the whole class get (or differentiated 3 ways if you are lucky) or a personalised learning experience that gives feedback and adapts and changes right there and then.
2. Teachers don’t need to spend a minute setting it. And you are going to know that what your children are accessing is appropriate for them at whatever stage of learning they are at. You can’t really ask for much more than that.
3. The ability to look at reports and problems that the program flags up for each child. We plan to expect teachers to check weekly on progress and then use the information the package gives to follow up misconceptions and learning barriers in class with individual, groups and the whole class where necessary. For us this supports the move we are making to further tailor learning so that all children are given accurately differentiated work with clear next steps that will help them make good, ney, outstanding progress.

Outside being online it is clear the package has had a complete re-write front end and back. The characters and engagement are fantastic with my particular favourite being this rather sinister monkey…

Where the program is similar to the original RM Maths is that if you answer a question incorrectly the package will support and adjust so that in your next logins you are presented with the same type of skill. Continuing incorrectly makes the package regress the child to an earlier skills and likewise answering consistently correctly moves the skill level higher.

Below are examples of the types of questions that are given.

The final cog in the wheel is the ability to interrogate the data the RM Easimaths stores in the form of reports. One excellent feature here is the ability to create groups from any children within the system, so you could have classes but you could also have KS1 and KS2 girls, more able year 2s, free school meals etc. Even though the reporting is still in its infancy, you can currently get to problems that children have flagged up and therefore lead follow up sessions in class with those children based on their performance on RM Easimaths, now that is proper linked up technology married together with quality first teaching that will really make an impact.

Whilst it is early days for the package and for our use, it is clear that RM Easimaths has a huge potential to support children’s development in Maths. I plan to publish new posts in the Autumn term both in terms of the impact in my classroom and implementation across school. Personally, I can’t wait to start using it on the Blackberry Playbooks we have, as it should be a marriage made in heaven!

In short, the introduction of 6 handheld devices for every class from Y1 to Y6 (72 in total) with the goal of primarily impacting on standards in Literacy and Maths. The plan is to extend this to Foundation stage when possible.

You may have read a detailed previous post on the plan to introduce the Samsung Galaxy Tab into school (which turned into netbooks in the interim simply due to cost). Unfortunately, they remain cost prohibitive. However, one device that had previously been overlooked by both consumers and educators slashed its prices to the point where they have become comparable with an average netbook. That device? The Blackberry Playbook. “What?!” I hear you cry. You heard correctly. Why? Here goes:

Whilst I would love a 10 inch screen, the 7 inch playbook has a great resolution and is fit for purpose (1:1 use and as a tool for group work). It is also extremely portable, pretty robust (we are still maximising this with screen protectors and cases).

Primary purpose: to give learners frequent access to websites that form our custom learning platform (Digital Wings). Part of the vision for use is it actually doesn’t matter what the device is, as long as you can access the same materials whether it be a tablet, laptop, PC or home computer etc. So bye bye IPad as an option with its glittering apps and distinct lack of Flash support. Hello to sites such as @zondle, @busythings, @educationcity, @sumdog, @bugclub, Oxford Owl, ICT Games and TES Iboard.

Furthermore, at the risk of erupting the wrath of a thousand fanboys, often IPad apps can take precedent over learning objectives and become activity led. I would go as far as saying that whilst the world goes crazy over apps (don’t get me wrong, my IPhone is full of them), the apps model is an updated ‘install CD rom model’, with licenses and lots of time installing things. I would argue the true revolution is in web apps, which don’t require installing or license costs (unless purchasing a subscription service). Certainly there are exceptions where apps enhance learning brilliantly and IPads are clearly making an impact in some schools, such as at @xannov’s school in Nottinghamshire but for the context we find ourselves at our school, one that I am sure is familiar in many, we need to drive standards up in Maths and Literacy. And when I say standards I mean SAT results at KS2. My thoughts on SATS as a measure of learning and the use of the results by Ofsted is a whole other ball game (or post, if you will) but I am pragmatic enough to know that without consistently good to outstanding SATS results and with raising standards in Literacy and Maths the main target of the School Improvement Plan, you need to ensure 95% of the use of technology is focused on impacting directly on Literacy and Maths. The other 5% less directly but still impacting.

Sure there are a few setup issues on the Playbook (currently having issues updating to 2.0 which has an Android emulator so certain apps will run on the playbook such as the Kindle app. I know I know I’ve just been banging on about how apps are not the be all and end all. Just wait for the next paragraph…)

So I’ve talked about the primary purpose of the devices, accessing www.wldps.com/digitalwings, but you can do that from any Internet based device right? (well, except all the Flash based stuff on an IPad, of course) Firstly, touchscreens are more intuitive for children. Fact. Secondly, the added value you get from a tablet is a camera, video, etc bundled in. Thirdly, apps can do a very useful job. For example, even on the limited Blackberry App World you can still find a remote control app so a teacher or child can control a desktop machine and therefore an interactive whiteboard display from anywhere. You can still get blogging apps so if you are a school that blogs, children can access and create from the device. You can still get online storage apps such as Dropbox or Box.net so you can easily serve up files to all Playbooks (by the by, you can access all Playbook user files wirelessly from your computer). You can access neiche technologies that have learning potential such as a QR code reader (see this post on using QR codes with targets). All the type of apps mentioned have learning, classroom organisation or pedagogical change at their heart. Fourthly (you remember we are still counting, right?) that 5% of less direct impact on Literacy and Maths. For example, you’re a child in a Maths lesson on column addition. You don’t understand the success criteria as you have forgotten some of the steps. So you ask your partner. They don’t know either. Your teacher is working with another group and although you know they will come over soon(ish) you need help now. So you and your partner grab the Playbook that is on your table, click on an icon that takes you straight to a Vimeo video showing the steps to carry out column addition. You pause, rewind and watch a couple of times before you and your partner have another go and work out where the steps you missed were. You get the success criteria and make progress. Good progress. Possibly even outstanding progress!

The above example shows just one way a bank of handheld devices could change learning across a school. You could do the same with netbooks, but tablets are just that bit quicker to come out of standby, that bit quicker to access the content you want and that bit more child friendly to use which in my mind adds up to better learning. You could take things further, getting children to record videos of themselves and their partner going through the success criteria and a couple of examples. This would check learning as well as create a growing resource (obviously as a teacher you would check the quality of the steps given) to share with other learners. Pretty good assessment for learning. And that is just one idea (video tutorials). One tablet function (video). One website (Vimeo).

Now there may come a time in the future where Flash isn’t used on tablets (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15648899) which might throw a spanner in the works until all websites adopted html5 (or 6 by then probably). But whilst planning for the future is essential, you can’t live your strategic planning by a never ending list of ‘what ifs’. The tablets might not last more than 3 years but this is a 3 year plan! If there is no measurable impact at the end of that time, it won’t continue. If there is a significant impact (which I firmly believe there will be), a next generation (IPad 6 anyone?) tablet might be the perfect all round learning device in a technology that will have matured considerably. Hopefully the impact in 3 years will be so significant (alongside other measures being taken) that the focus can shift from 95%/5% to 80/20 or beyond in which case some of those lovely IPad apps might be more appealing (whilst still focused on learning and not the activity) and Flash might not be so critical.

So in conclusion, I am extremely excited by the opportunities widespread handheld devices will provide for the children in our school and although it is a long journey to really transform learning, I can’t wait to get started and will of course be sharing the difficulties and successes as we travel onwards!

Have 3 trays (one green for objective understood, one orange for getting there but need more help or time, one red for don’t understand).

Children put their work in the tray that relates to their learning at the end of a lesson.

Could extend to children in the green tray picking up someone else’s work from a different tray and helping pick apart what they didn’t understand or couldn’t do (therefore giving the green tray child time to verbalise and consolidate their own understanding).

You can then extend this to getting the children to draw a circle, triangle or square in their books to self assess their own work or their partners to peer assess.

This stops copying of answers, gets an air of anticipation and keeps pace high. Particularly useful in phonics and maths sessions.

In other words the only person to touch the computer is the robot. The only person to decide what to do is the human.

After a set amount of time, switch over who is the robot and who is the human.

It seems that by counting down, a sense of urgency is created for the children and there is a lot less ‘slack time’ between whole class times and independent learning using this method. It has also helped to start from 5 and not from 10 (again increasing the urgency).

So if you don’t count when changing from one classroom area to another, try it and your lesson pace should stay high. If you count up and it isn’t working well, try counting down. Conversely, if you count down and it doesn’t work as you intend, try counting up!

If you are confronted with a child who has difficulty in smiling then make the smile you give them the biggest ever (stopping short of a Nicholas Cage from ‘Face Off’ style smile).

If you have children who have come in without a breakfast or are upset, take the time to help calm them, ground them and where necessary, feed them!

Then what is your morning routine? Is it something for the children to calmly get on with or will you have to constantly pick up on negative behaviours bringing the atmosphere right down? With one particular class I have taught I found I was doing the latter until I changed what I was asking them to do as a starter activity. They used to do handwriting practice until we switched to a whole class Mental Maths starter so instead of constantly picking up on noise levels, off task behaviours etc the same children were engaged in their Maths. I moved the handwriting session to a different time of the day and they coped a lot better (whilst still being far from perfect!). Of course, every class are different and my current class cope with a handwriting starter activity brilliantly, you just need to find what works for your class to create a calm and positive atmosphere right from the start of the day.

They are not intended to be purely useful to inexperienced teachers nor redundant for experienced practitioners.

The intention of the series is to offer opportunities to improve classroom organisation and therefore make a positive impact on children’s learning. I am not trying to suggest I have mastered it, far from it, I believe everyone can develop new strategies or refine existing ones to improve on their own practice, I certainly can. It is the process of trying something out, being reflective and deciding what worked for your children and scrapping what didn’t that will lead to a positive impact on learning, which is after all the entire purpose of classroom organisition in the first place.