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There will always be challenges to overcome when making a change in an organisation, although the benefits of moving to the cloud certainly makes this something worth pursuing. We've identified some common challenges below and go some way to bust a few myths that some staff may have when making the change.
There will always be challenges to overcome when making a change in an organisation, although the benefits of moving to the cloud certainly makes this something worth pursuing. We've identified some common challenges below and go some way to bust a few myths that some staff may have when making the change.
Security
Security
The security of your data in the cloud is particularly important, and some people mistakenly don't trust the security, privacy or ownership of data held in G Suite for Education or Office 365. In both cases, Google or Microsoft simply act as the data processor and the school remains the data controller and as a result has sole ownership of the data staff and students create.
The security of your data in the cloud is particularly important, and some people mistakenly don't trust the security, privacy or ownership of data held in G Suite for Education or Office 365. In both cases, Google or Microsoft simply act as the data processor and the school remains the data controller and as a result has sole ownership of the data staff and students create.
Your data is also kept incredibly secure with the same encryption structure and data centres used by government departments and multi-national business organisations. In fact there are hundreds of best-in-field security experts dedicated to ensuring that your data is secure. The security benefits of using cloud platforms at this scale can't be easily replicated on a school server (and definitely not on that USB stick on your key ring!).
Your data is also kept incredibly secure with the same encryption structure and data centres used by government departments and multi-national business organisations. In fact there are hundreds of best-in-field security experts dedicated to ensuring that your data is secure. The security benefits of using cloud platforms at this scale can't be easily replicated on a school server (and definitely not on that USB stick on your key ring!).
For those who do have to handle sensitive data, there's loads of extra functionality that is easy to configure to keep users secure such as sharing restrictions and 2 factor authentication.
For those who do have to handle sensitive data, there's loads of extra functionality that is easy to configure to keep users secure such as sharing restrictions and 2 factor authentication.
Both G Suite and Office 365 worked extensively with DfE to ensure that they met and exceeded all criteria on their Cloud Providers checklist. They also both fully comply with current EU data protection laws and are ready and compliant with GDPR changes implementing in May 2018.
Both G Suite and Office 365 worked extensively with DfE to ensure that they met and exceeded all criteria on their Cloud Providers checklist. They also both fully comply with current EU data protection laws and are ready and compliant with GDPR changes implementing in May 2018.
Change management
Change management
Purposeful transformation using technology in a school is not as simple as just buying a load of devices, giving users an account and just expecting the school to change organically! As we discussed in the realisation section, the technology is actually probably the easiest thing for your school to adopt. At every point in your transition, make sure that you always consider the end user and their potential barriers to change. For many people, change is hard, so it's easier not to! Ensure you find a convincing reason to help them see the purpose.
Purposeful transformation using technology in a school is not as simple as just buying a load of devices, giving users an account and just expecting the school to change organically! As we discussed in the realisation section, the technology is actually probably the easiest thing for your school to adopt. At every point in your transition, make sure that you always consider the end user and their potential barriers to change. For many people, change is hard, so it's easier not to! Ensure you find a convincing reason to help them see the purpose.
Another login!?
Another login!?
At no additional cost to you as an LGfL school, we can synchronise your current USO accounts with your school G Suite and Office 365 domain. This means there is one less login for students to remember (or forget), and no additional burden on your IT support to manage users - everything is synced on a daily basis.
At no additional cost to you as an LGfL school, we can synchronise your current USO accounts with your school G Suite and Office 365 domain. This means there is one less login for students to remember (or forget), and no additional burden on your IT support to manage users - everything is synced on a daily basis.
Managing Tools
Managing Tools
The role of the IT/Network administrator is evolving rapidly as more and more schools adopt cloud platforms. Less time is wasted managing servers, or networked devices. The value that can be added by people with relevant technical expertise is greatly increased as they are no longer dealing with troubleshooting menial issues.
The role of the IT/Network administrator is evolving rapidly as more and more schools adopt cloud platforms. Less time is wasted managing servers, or networked devices. The value that can be added by people with relevant technical expertise is greatly increased as they are no longer dealing with troubleshooting menial issues.
Observations and Ofsted
Observations and Ofsted
One of the biggest reasons we hear from teachers regarding change resistance is the ability to show 'evidence of learning and feedback' during an inspection, or even an informal observation. Traditionally this has been done through looking in student exercise books to see work and crucially teacher feedback and it's a common myth that this is the prescribed method for Ofsted to judge learning and feedback during a lesson observation.
One of the biggest reasons we hear from teachers regarding change resistance is the ability to show 'evidence of learning and feedback' during an inspection, or even an informal observation. Traditionally this has been done through looking in student exercise books to see work and crucially teacher feedback and it's a common myth that this is the prescribed method for Ofsted to judge learning and feedback during a lesson observation.
Fundamentally, there are two things that need addressing when moving to working in the cloud if this is the status quo at your school:
Fundamentally, there are two things that need addressing when moving to working in the cloud if this is the status quo at your school:
1) Firstly, a culture of risk taking and trying new methods needs to exist to enable teachers to transition from solely exercise book work to other digital methods. Marking and feedback policies need to be updated to include giving feedback directly on digital documents and other methods such as voice and video feedback. Staff need to be comfortable that they aren't going to be held accountable for lack of visible learning as they start going paperless. It's incredibly easy to share digital student work among staff and see feedback and snapshots of the learning journey - so this needs to be explored.
1) Firstly, a culture of risk taking and trying new methods needs to exist to enable teachers to transition from solely exercise book work to other digital methods. Marking and feedback policies need to be updated to include giving feedback directly on digital documents and other methods such as voice and video feedback. Staff need to be comfortable that they aren't going to be held accountable for lack of visible learning as they start going paperless. It's incredibly easy to share digital student work among staff and see feedback and snapshots of the learning journey - so this needs to be explored.
2) Treat an Ofsted inspection as a 'Show and Tell' exercise rather than 'Hide and Seek'. As your staff and students start doing more digital work, there will naturally be less work in their exercise books. It's good practice to create an account for the inspection team and encourage teachers to share student work with it. It's then really simple to sit an inspector down and walk them through some fantastic examples of the realtime feedback and learning that students have been experiencing.
2) Treat an Ofsted inspection as a 'Show and Tell' exercise rather than 'Hide and Seek'. As your staff and students start doing more digital work, there will naturally be less work in their exercise books. It's good practice to create an account for the inspection team and encourage teachers to share student work with it. It's then really simple to sit an inspector down and walk them through some fantastic examples of the realtime feedback and learning that students have been experiencing.
Hardware Costs
Hardware Costs
Schools are facing budget cuts and many don't have the budget to splash out on 1:1 devices. It's worth looking at creative ways to support this, such as offsetting current device maintenance costs or photocopying expenses that you can save by going paperless. You may also want to consider parental contribution or leasing schemes or even a BYOD rollout - remember that most of these tools can be accessed on mobile devices, too!
Schools are facing budget cuts and many don't have the budget to splash out on 1:1 devices. It's worth looking at creative ways to support this, such as offsetting current device maintenance costs or photocopying expenses that you can save by going paperless. You may also want to consider parental contribution or leasing schemes or even a BYOD rollout - remember that most of these tools can be accessed on mobile devices, too!
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