Post on 18-Jul-2015
Classroom
in the Cloud
Chris Evans
Classroom in the Cloud
• Introduction
• What is Classroom in the Cloud?
• Project Background
• What We Did
• Challenges
• Results
• What’s Next?
About the College
• Birmingham Metropolitan College
• 3rd Largest in UK
• 3 Main Campuses in and around Birmingham UK
• GCSEs, NVQs, A Levels, Access to HE, HNDs,
Professional certificates and HE Provision
About Me
• Multimedia Developer
• Web Developer
• E-Learning Innovator
• E-Learning Manager
• E-Communications Manager
• Teacher - IT (HE) & Teacher Training
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_09H0Gk3xM8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB_M259F6Mk&feature=youtu.be
What is
Classroom in the Cloud?
What is Classroom in the Cloud?
• IBM Partnership
• IBM SmartCloud
• Virtual Bridges
• Collaboratory
• Access to Online Research
From a College Perspective
• Communities
• IT Support
• CPD
• File Sharing
• Web Meetings
• Online Lessons
• Lesson
Repository
• Online Meetings
• Apprenticeship
• Mobile Apps
• Cross Campus
• Home Working
• International
Engagement
• Real Time Docs
Project Background
A Good Time for Change?
When or why should
Further/Higher Education
organizations choose for working
virtually?
…Lets go back in time
Two Years Ago….
• Matthew Boulton College, Sutton
College and James Watt College had
merged to become Birmingham
Metropolitan College (Bmet)
BMet Guiding Principles
By 2014…
• “BMet will have enabled a significant expansion of
blended learning approaches to our teaching
delivery, including in relation to our partnership
working and international agenda”
• “Bmet will be communicating differently with each
other, using virtualised environments to meet,
challenge, innovate, share and thrive. Many of the
new technologies that can enable transformational
learning will also enable new possibilities for
professional development and quality improvement”
By 2014…
• “BMet will be recognised as a centre of excellence for
its technology enabled inspiring learning practice.”
• “Technology enabled solutions to deliver learning
content to new markets in new ways will have
supported BMet in its strategic ambitions to extend its
global reach and position itself as a global provider of
education, training and connectivity.”
By 2014…
• “BMet will have developed an extensive
suite of video enabled learning content”
• “Location Independent learning will be
used where appropriate across the
College as an integral part of the
teaching and learning programme.”
Classroom in the Cloud
“Virtual Bridges + IBM SmartCloud”
• How did the idea come about?
How IBM and BMet Met
Why IBM?
• Product met our needs
• Challenge Driven Client focused
approach
• Similarities of the two organisations?
• Sector Leaders
• Values
• Work with the best
Project Timeline
Project Timeline
Project Timeline
Project Timeline
What We Did
What We Did - Over 25 Scenarios
Teachers teaching Students
Students teaching Students
& Students teaching Teachers
Cross Campus Delivery
Sutton Coldfield Campus
MBC Campus
My Teacher Training Students
Communities
Challenges
• Strategic
• Technical
• Integration
• Cultural
• Accessible
• Pedagogical
• Sustainable
Types of Challenge
Challenges
Strategic
Technical
Pedagogical
Cultural
Sustainable
Accessible
Strategic Challenges
Technical Challenges
Integration Challenges
Cultural
Accessible Challenges
Pedagogical Challenges
Sustainable Challenges
Results
"I left the session (unwillingly – I could
have literally stayed there all night!) with
a sense that I had just experienced the
future of teaching. The possibilities and
opportunities where this software could
be used as a teaching tool and a
teaching environment, which I reflected
on after the session, were endless."
Learner Feedback
"The session itself was brilliant. We were
a mixed group of individuals with
participants as far away as Bromsgrove
to Birmingham Airport. But the distance
was not an issue during the session; for
all intents and purposes we were all in
the same place discussing the same
lessons. The world really did seem a
very small place."
Learner Feedback
“My experience of IBM SmartCloud for
Social Business was as exciting as it
was inspirational. The potential for
teaching and learning opportunities is
now a far more flexible and interesting
new journey for us all. It’s clear that
exciting times lay ahead.”
Learner/Teacher Feedback
"Thoroughly enjoyed this staff
development session. Would be nice to
have an opportunity to try it in practice
with the FD (Education) particularly as
we experiment with distance and
blended learning"
Teacher Feedback
"I was thrilled to be invited to take part
and hope we can develop further. Some
of our students travel from Devon,
Milton Keynes, Welshpool, Leicester
and so on – this could be very good for
tutorials and course delivery. It is a
great learning tool and fun at the same
time!"
Teacher Feedback
"I was thrilled to be invited to take part
and hope we can develop further. Some
of our students travel from Devon,
Milton Keynes, Welshpool, Leicester
and so on – this could be very good for
tutorials and course delivery. It is a
great learning tool and fun at the same
time!"
Teacher Feedback
“For me, the main benefit has been the
new teaching and learning opportunities
that this new platform has created. We
can teach our current learners online, at
a time and location that is suitable for
them. We can also reach out to new
learners and create rich online
environments in a way that was never
before possible”
My Own Observations
What’s Next?
Product Growth
BYOD and Mobile Access
Expand Global Opportunities
Staff Development
App Development
IBM Collaboratory
• Top UK College
• IBM Partner
• 27,000 Students• 1000 HE
• Inc. 250 International
• 1000 Staff
• Top UK University
• IBM Partner
• 23,000 Students• 13,000 UG
• 10,000 PG
• Inc. 6000 International
• 5000 Staff
What’s Next For Me?
• Jamie Smith Director of Systems and Policy, BMETC
• Cailean Hargrave IBM UK Higher and Further Education Business
Development Manager , IBM
• Thomas McErleanEuropean Technical Sales Lead
• Dan Viner, Enterprise Collaboration Solutions Sales, IBM
• Chris BernbrockGlobal Education Strategic Programs, IBM
A Special Mention to….
Any questions?