To ask for feedback on different online learning platforms?

[nellodee]

I really don't want this to be about teachers. This one is about different learning platforms and online provision, so things like PurpleMash, TTRockstars, BBC Bitesize, Oak Academy. I'm posting here for traffic as everyone is interested in how good teaching resources are at the moment!

Which ones have you as a parent found most useful?

Do you get annoyed if teachers refer you to these?

What can you access on Smart TVs, what do you need a PC for?

Teachers, what kind of feedback have you had about these? Do you find them helpful or do you create your own resources?

[nellodee]

Sorry, I didn't mean to put the vote up!

[LucyLastik]

In our trust, we are writing our own plans with very little input from these other sites.

[nellodee]

@LucyLastik Are you getting good engagement? Is every teacher making their own material? What kind of feedback are you getting from parents? Thanks

[LucyLastik]

You can see what we've been providing at www.q1e.co.uk

Engagement has been high. I have 27 in my class and all of them are accessing the work and uploading it to seesaw. I do feedback to them about their work but it's not to the standard that it would be in school. I am in constant contact with my class through email, seesaw and phone calls home.

Parents seem impressed with our offer. Our plans are deliberately written to minimise parental involvement or to rely on internet or technology. That's not to say that we don't signpost to videos (that we mostly make ourselves) or other online resources, it's just limited. The children can access and upload their work independently which I think has made things easier for working parents.

We also have a Twitter and instagram account that children can send work to so that also motivates them to complete it.

[hopeishere]

DS1 is 12 my main issue is that first he has to check email as some work is sent that way. Then over to google classroom where there are word docs, pdfs, links to you tube, PowerPoint. He is not used to learning on a computer so gets muddled and misses stuff. Plus varying deadlines for work to be handed in. He's struggling to manage.

DS2 gets three things each day on seesaw. Much simpler!

[Aragog]

We are using SeeSaw as the platform for parents and pupils to access home learning. We used it for the blog purposes before and all,children has used it a bit in class.

The teaching staff are producing the lessons/activities. These include videos teachers have made (mainly on screen recordings with voice but also,sometimes showing themselves demonstrating something or,reading a story) worksheets, templates, links to other sites, etc. They sometimes add links to BBC Bitesize (for none English. Maths and phonics lessons which are done 'in house') and use some Twinkl worksheets. Children can respond to activities online in seesaw or they do it in paper and take a photograph to upload. They can also add videos and voice recordings too.

Before lockdown we already had activeleanprimary for Bug Club (reading) and maths factor. We also now use the spag bit. It was used a small amount at school but we've pushed it as a supplement since lockdown too. We've also set up Numbots and TT Rockstars since using the free access codes - we choose this as the juniors most of our children go to use this site anyway so was useful for the year 2s to,get to know.

I oversee home learning and I monitor engagement.

We know that currently around 81% of children have engaged with at least one of the forms of home learning, or have been in school childcare. We can't monitor access to the shared google drives which has copies of the home learning to print, but do know some have used this instead (others use it as well) but no numbers.

Approximately 65% are posting on home learning on SeeSaw - we know more are accessing it but not posting though.

Around 40% are using the activelearn primary options.

And around 50% are using either Numbots or TTRS.

We've also broken this down into disadvantages groups such as pupil premium, BAME, SEND, most vulnerable, etc.

[nellodee]

Lucy, that website looks really polished. Aragog, I'm really impressed with the way you are monitoring engagement. I don't think there has been any centralised request for those kind of figures, but I think if there was, it would really make schools up their game plan.

Hope, I worry about that with our school - we use quite a mixture of different platforms and I've definitely noticed some of the children have missed work that's been set, not deliberately, but just because there is too much to take in.

[Aragog]

No, we've not been asked to do it but, as the person overseeing it all, I thought it would be interesting and it has been.

Of the 18% not engaging with anything we've called - some say they are using the shared google drives to print (which I've not managed to find numbers for and wouldn't be able to get names for and I don't want to set up passwords, etc for a range of reasons. Some of the children are accessing online materials of their parents choosing, some have specific send which means they are doing alternatives. We do have a handful who,don't appear to be doing anything but they are being contacted by school so,at least it's being monitored.

I can see frequency of use etc so some are flagged as the official numbers only show who has accessed them at least once. But I can delve further and have done for some children of particular concern.

To make it easier for the teachers to monitor Ona surface level I also take screen shots of pupil use on TTRS, etc and post them onto the child's seesaw journal in a 'teachers only' folder so that they can see but the child doesn't.

[nellodee]

Good ideas, there. We send out spreadsheets to show how many students have completed work, but I think a little summary for teachers of how much each class is engaging would maybe nudge some of the teachers to make more of an effort in getting their classes better involved.

[nellodee]

For the teachers, obviously!

[Aragog]

We do try and balance this all with the fact that we have told parents from the start that there is no expectation and that we understand the difficulties of balancing wfh and home learning.

So,we don't monitor too much specific work being done, just really that we are having some contact and that children are able to access things if they choose to.

[Greengrapes1357]

Our school swapped from power points to whiterose maths as this has video, questions and answers. It's really helped the children understand. Learning maths without a teacher at the front of a class seems to be harder than other subjects. (ks2).

[rawlikesushi]

We provide a timetable that uses a mixture of our own resources and some of the websites/apps you've mentioned.

We have subscribed to White Rose Premium, and are getting good feedback about that from parents and children.

I am less impressed by Purple Mash. It is an easy way to set and then mark submitted work, and again good feedback from parents and children because it's easy to use, but the resources are not great quality imo.

We haven't used Bitesize really, or Oak Academy.

[nellodee]

Is White Rose Primary only?

[rawlikesushi]

Meant to add - we are not monitoring how many children are doing the work. Our message has always been to focus on family and wellbeing, and to use the timetable as a support if required.

From my weekly calls it sounds like most parents are dipping in and out on days where it is convenient, and vastly prefer activities that their dc can just get on with.

[rawlikesushi]

White Rose homelearning goes up to Y10 I think.