Paper 2: What does C2k provide for schools? C2k –a learning technology service for Northern Ireland schools

C2k (1) is funded by the Department of Education, through the Western Education and Library Board, as part of the Education Technology Strategy, to deliver to schools high quality, sustainable infrastructure, connectivity and resources which meet strategic targets.
Grant-aided schools receive, at no cost to themselves, a core entitlement, based on pupil numbers, including:

  • an infrastructure of 40,000+ networked computers connected to the Internet and linked to legacy systems
  • access to a wide range of content and services to support the Northern Ireland Curriculum and the professional development of teachers
  • an integrated suite of services for school administration and management
  • connection of schools' networks into a single education network across Northern Ireland, with tools to facilitate the development of on-line teaching and learning
  • first-line support through a central help desk

C2k works with a wide range of partners from both private and public sectors to deliver an integrated and supported service, installed, maintained and upgraded by specialist providers.

The diagram below represents the network layout

Digital content delivered on local school networks
Teachers and others have welcomed the regional licence negotiated by C2k, which allows them to run most of the C2k curriculum software packages (80 titles in primary schools and 120 in post-primary schools) on school laptops and other legacy systems. Titles are supported by educational and library board advisors and by education consultants employed locally by software companies.

Learning NI: online digital content and services
Learning NI, a new online learning environment, is funded by the Department of Education, contracted by C2k, and built, serviced and maintained by HP for all education users. Initially, content will be licensed from educational publishers. Local adaptation may be supported through partnership with the publishers. Over time, schools, teachers, advisers, librarians, professional officers, assessors, examiners and anyone who creates content, resources, services and courses will to able to develop local content and services, working collaboratively whenever possible. In Learning NI, many activities, whether hosted by organisations, interest groups, or individuals, can take place in safety. Learning NI will be one software platform, which may house various learning environments, accessible to the registered users. In practice, schools, teachers and others will define how it is used and how it will grow.

Learning NI will provide:

  • all teachers and pupils with Internet connection, each with personal, secure email
  • a range of digital resources from a variety of sources, including subscriptions to online libraries of curriculum content, which can be drawn down and modified for local use in the Northern Ireland curriculum
  • online tests and formative assessment tools
  • collaboration and sharing (teacher-teacher, pupil-pupil, teacher-pupil) through email, online classrooms, text and video conferencing (educators will be able to share best practice, pupils will be able to work on joint projects)
  • easy access to learning resources and personal work files from inside and outside the school network
  • personal home pages and calendars for teachers and pupils
  • a flexible means of setting and submitting homework
  • tracking, recording and reporting the use made of the content by individuals
  • one-to-one feedback between pupil and teacher
  • access to the school’s administration system.

The diagram below represents the learning environment

( “Towards a restructuring of the Learning Environment for Northern Ireland“ Mary Mallon, Frank Kappe, Brian Neale, 2003)

Once it is fully developed, Learning NI will support best practice in:

  • creating resources and cources once, adapting them and delivering them flexibly - anywhere, anytime
  • tracking and recording the use of content by the learner
  • assessment to aid differentiated, diagnostic and individualised approaches to teaching
  • providing online courses to support professional development
  • facilitating collegial cooperative networks and the building of communities of practice
  • supporting critical reflective practice in initial teacher education, as well as in early and continuing professional development
  • enabling the integration of curriculum/administrative applications for all teachers
  • involving parents more closely in their children's learning. (2)

References

1  http://www.c2kni.org.uk/
2  More details are available on www.c2kni.org.uk

JANUARY 2004