[senit] MLEs\VLEs

hi these are supposed to provide

I think "should" is the key word in your message Sean.

Would we we want all suppliers - Becta approved or otherwise to be able to? - yes of course.

Must they? No - you can't force any supplier to offer you the goods and services you want, unfortunately all you can do is tell them what you want and ask if they have it.  The more people who raise these kinds of expectations the more likely it is that commercial outfits will offer them.  We putting quite a lot of work at the moment in to helping institutions and local authorities make the kinds of expectations you're talking about more explicit in their 'shopping list'.

In our LP framework we lay down a minimum expectation based on accepted and proven open Standards and guidance.  These unfortunately arent' as broad in scope as we might hope especially in respect of meeting the needs of learners with cognative learning difficulties so we are relying on communities such as this to help us identify good products and the desirable features they contain so that we can look at how we can promote replication of the functionality more widely.

The tasks which the service must support for all learners on the Becta framework (those which are mandatory in the functional specs can be found at http://schools.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=re&&catcode=&rid=12884
Others are optional.

Adrian Higginbotham
Project manager: Learning services
Becta
Tel: Direct dial 024 7679 7333 - Becta switchboard 02476-416994.
Email: Adrian.Higginbotham at becta.org.uk
Web: http://www.becta.org.uk/
BECTA, Millburn Hill Road, Science Park, Coventry, CV4 7JJ 

-----Original Message-----
From: senit-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk [mailto:senit-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of Sean O'Sullivan
Sent: 06 March 2008 22:32
To: senit at lists.becta.org.uk
Subject: Re: [senit] MLEs\VLEs

You've picked up on a crucial point David. Suppliers of any Learning Platform should be able to demonstrate that they can offer tools that enable pupils with cognitive learning difficulties to do the kinds of things in your list.

Form what I've seen so far, very few indeed can do so, including many on the Becta approved list. Special schools need to shout very loudly to make sure our pupils' needs are taken into consideration, as there are real risks that the choices made now commit LAs and RBCs and individual schools to several years with a commercial supplier, who, once they have our contract, have minimal incentive to focus on positive developments for our comparatively large population of pupils who could do a lot for themselves despite little or no practical literacy skills.

Given the right tools such as symbols (and built-in symbol writing), photos, integral options to record sound and video clips built-in at every appropriate level, these pupils could be sharing messages with each other, commenting on each other's work, collaborating on projects within and beyond their school and home - essentially doing many if not all of the tasks you list. Many of the pupils would of course need to learn how to handle the tools, but as we all know, these children can and do learn some amazing things, our job is simply to keep the barriers to a minimum and use technology to give them a voice in the world, and to help them feel valued.

It will be fascinating to see if anyone turns the disability discrimination legislation against any of the software developers, or even against the LAs and RBCs who may commission a solution that ignores the needs and rights of their disabled students, should the VLE chosen prove to be inaccessible for them. Apparently, in our educational world now, every child matters.

Happy days,

Sean O'Sullivan
sean.frankwise at easynet.co.uk
Headteacher
Frank Wise School, Banbury
http://www.frankwise.oxon.sch.uk

http://www.parkroadict.co.uk

On 6 Mar 2008, at 21:44, david fettes wrote:

> hi these are supposed to provide
> students with the ability to;
> o	Create safe personal web pages and link to friends.
> o	Enrol and collaborate in personal interest groups
> and online courses.
> o	Subscribe to receive news on interests / concerns.
> o	Publish work on line.
> o	Save work in e-Portfolio.
> o	Access timetable.
> o	Access learning materials for
> courses and assignments.
> o	Check on assignments / targets.
> o	Submit work for assignments.
> o	Communicate with peers, mentors and
> teachers using email / messaging system.
>
> How does this translate to students who can not read or write any text 
> but may be able to read or write symbols , or if not symbols- photos?
> David