Introducing Senso Cloud Parents

M A N A G I N G D I G I TA L B E H AV I O U R S IN THE CLASSROOM INTRODUCING SENSO CLOUD

NAVIGATING AN EVOLVING DIGITAL LANDSCAPE The pandemic accelerated the use of digital technology in education and led to many schools, including Oundle, equipping their pupils with personal devices for use in the physical classroom. Since their phased introduction in 2021, Oundelians now use their Microsoft Surface devices across the curriculum as digital exercise books, as well as to conduct research, collaborate on documents, engage with simulations and receive instantaneous feedback.

Educational technology should not, however, be seen as a universal tool suitable for all situations, nor should it be seen as an inevitable form of progress. We retain a steadfast commitment to the social and human dimension that lies at the heart of education, while also recognising the benefits of devices in the classroom. We are also mindful of our responsibility to equip our pupils with the digital skills required for life beyond Oundle, including their future workplace. Balance, therefore, is essential. Our updated Handwriting Policy, grounded in educational research1,2, is evidence of this balance in action.

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IT WOULD BE UNREALISTIC TO BELIEVE T H AT A L L O U R P U P I L S A R E A LWAY S A B L E T O R E S I S T T H E N E E D F O R I N S TA N T G R AT I F I C AT I O N T H R O U G H T H E L U R E O F D I G I TA L D I S T R A C T I O N S . I F W E A R E T O R E A L I S E F U L LY T H E B E N E F I T S O F T E C H N O L O G Y I N T H E C L A S S R O O M , W E R E Q U I R E A S O L U T I O N T H AT BOTH EMPOWERS TEACHERS AND PROTECTS O U R P U P I L S A N D T H E I R L E A R N I N G .”

Dr Adam Baragwanath Deputy Head Academic

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OUR BLENDED APPROACH Much like our School buildings, our approach to classroom teaching in the digital age blends the traditional and the innovative. Our teachers have the freedom and confidence to employ both technology and traditional teaching techniques to enhance pupil learning in their subject. Our pupils benefit from this blend in three key ways:

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They are exposed to different ways of working and learning, allowing them to find techniques which help them to learn best, be that digital or analogue.

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They can develop their own digital literacy, equipping them with the skills required for success in university study and the world of work.

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They become well-versed in the techniques still demanded of them in hand-written public examinations.

Given that the research on the added value of digital technology in education remains inconclusive3-5, and only 7% of education technology companies in the UK have conducted randomised controlled trials of their software6, this blended approach is cautious but wholly appropriate.

TACKLING THE ISSUE OF DISTRACTION While the presence of devices in the classroom provides teachers and pupils with many opportunities, it comes as little surprise that several studies have found that off-topic device usage can impede academic performance7-10 and that the digital behaviour of others can negatively impact performance11.

While engaging lessons are the mainstay of an Oundle education, it would be unrealistic to believe that all our pupils are always able to resist the need for instant gratification through the lure of digital distractions.

The mere presence of devices in the classroom is not the problem here, nor is the solution to simply remove them. To do so would not only deny our pupils valuable learning opportunities but also see us fail in our duty to prepare them for life beyond Oundle. The root of the problem lies in the fact pupils who are prone to distraction believe that they can digitally multitask at no cost to their learning. Surveys of university students suggest that digital distractions consume an average of 19% of their time13. In our own School context, if we are to realise fully the benefits of technology in the classroom, we require a solution that both empowers teachers and protects our pupils and their learning.

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INTRODUCING A WAY FORWARD We are clear that the solution for Oundle lies in managing the digital behaviours of pupils in classrooms setting, alongside a broader educational approach to digital literacy and knowledge. Last year, we trialled a Classroom Management platform called Senso Cloud, widely considered as one of the leading software programmes to support teachers in managing digital distractions on mobile and networked devices alike. The trial, which involved both staff and pupils, was highly successful in giving insights into digital multitasking and in demonstrating how such behaviours could be modified.

From the Lent Term 2024 therefore, we will be adopting the Senso Cloud Classroom Management software in lessons across the School. We will be talking to pupils about this roll out in due course, giving them ample opportunity to understand the rationale and ask questions. We will also use this opportunity to remind them of our expectations of them in a classroom setting when using digital devices, details of which are included in this publication.

ABOUT SENSO CLOUD Senso Cloud relies on a small piece of software known as a ‘client’ being installed on each pupil device. This client will be remotely installed on all School-owned Microsoft Surface devices. Once installed, teaching staff will be able to manage a device remotely using a browser-based platform.

What does the software do?

Senso Cloud works seamlessly with Microsoft Teams. Once logged in, teaching staff will be presented with a list of the class Teams of which they are currently ‘owners’ (i.e. a list of the classes they teach). Upon selecting a class, teachers will be able to perform the following actions for all devices in that class: •

View a live image of the device’s screen

•

Lock the device

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Restrict the browser to a particular website

•

Limit the device to one or more applications (e.g. Microsoft OneNote, calculator)

These functions will allow staff to manage the use of pupils’ Surfaces effectively and in real-time, minimising pupil distractions and enhancing teaching and learning outcomes.

What does the software not do?

To dispel any myths, Senso Cloud does not allow teachers to take control of a pupil device, nor does it allow them to take a recording of pupils’ screens. No internet or indeed no device activity is logged as a result of having the client installed on a device.

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YOUR QUESTIONS When can teaching staff access the software?

Teaching staff will only able to access the software from within the School’s network during term time, and during the time at which academic lessons are taking place, namely: Day

AM 1

Break

AM 2

Lunch

PM

Monday

08:25 – 10:40

No access

11:10 – 13:00

No access

14:10 – 17:00

Tuesday

08:25 – 10:40

No access

11:10 – 13:00

No access

14:10 – 16:45

Wednesday 08:25 – 10:40

No access

11:10 – 13:00

No access

14:10 – 17:00

Thursday

08:25 – 10:40

No access

11:10 – 13:00

No access

14:10 – 16:45

Friday

08:25 – 10:40

No access

11:10 – 13:00

No access

14:10 – 17:00

Saturday

08:25 – 10:15

No access

10:40 – 12:30

No access

No access

Staff trying to access the software outside of these times, or from another network, will be met with an error message. Once logged in, teaching staff will be able to manage the devices for all the classes they teach, irrespective of whether they are timetabled to be teaching them at that precise time. As far as we are aware, no software exists whereby access to manage class devices is governed by timetabled

lesson times. We nonetheless feel it important to set limitations across the week and to reassure pupils of our commitment to teachers using the software exclusively across lesson times. The only exception to this will be the permission given to Hsms to manage individual pupil devices during evening prep should a pupil be failing to make effective use of their prep time.

How are staff expected to use the software?

What about my child’s privacy?

We are training all staff in using this software.

Underpinning this training is the mantra that this is about device management not device monitoring. It is not about trying to ‘catch pupils out.’ Staff have been instructed that they should be using the software to minimise pupil distractions and enhance teaching and learning outcomes in lessons. They have been shown how to use the software to best effect while adopting this approach, namely by restricting pupil devices to the applications they wish them to use in that lesson. For example, by restricting the pupil devices to OneNote, they become a true digital exercise book without any potential for digital distractions.

Explicit training has been given to staff on the privacy issues associated with this software. Under no circumstance should staff seek to access it outside of their timetabled lesson times with a class, both to protect themselves and to respect the privacy of our pupils. Staff have also been made aware that a click-log of all their activity on the software is maintained by our IT department.

Can staff access the software during prep time?

Ordinarily, no. However, Hsms will be given permission to manage individual pupil devices during evening prep should a pupil be failing to make effective use of their prep time. Pupils will be notified of this in advance.

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Can staff manage my child’s personal device?

What information is passed to Senso?

No. Staff will only be able to manage devices on which the client has been installed, namely Schoolowned Microsoft Surfaces. They will not be able to manage any personal laptops, tablets or mobile phones on which the client has not been installed.

Prior to the adoption of this software, a comprehensive Data Protection Impact Assessment was completed to ensure the privacy of our pupil data. No pupil internet or device usage is sent to Senso.

My child is in the Sixth Form. Is this software necessary for this age group?

How will this software work with existing filtering and monitoring software?

Yes. The majority of educational research on the impact of devices on learning has been conducted on university students, with results indicating that off-topic device usage is prevalent in such settings.

Our wider approach to age-graduated access to technology is evidenced in our approaches to mobile phones and internet filtering, whereby our Sixth Form pupils are granted greater freedoms than their younger peers.

As outlined above, the Classroom Management software will not record internet or device activity.

The School already uses the Fortinet suite of tools to meet the latest UK Government standards for filtering and monitoring in schools14. These standards require all schools to block harmful and inappropriate content, without unreasonably impacting teaching and learning, and to ensure there are effective monitoring strategies that meet the safeguarding needs of the setting. Fortinet is a member of the IWF (since 2007), signed up to the CTIRU and block access to illegal content. This platform:

Does a device have to be connected to the School’s network for it to be managed?

Any device on which the client has been installed will be able to be managed, irrespective of the network to which it is connected. We will be ensuring that pupils are informed that their device could be managed should they be at home or out of lessons during the school day during term time. This will still only apply in the designated time periods as outlined above.

Will pupils know when a teacher is managing their device?

The software does not alert pupils if their device is being managed, unless it has been locked to particular websites or applications. They will, however, be fully informed about our approach to this software.

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• Filters and records all School internet traffic, including mobile and app content.

• Is applied to all users, including guest accounts, and to all devices using the School’s internet connection.

• Identifies and blocks VPNs and proxy avoidance services.

• Provides alerts when a user has content blocked, and records the device name, IP address, username, the time and date of attempted access, and the search term or content blocked.

• Compiles a weekly report of blocked or ‘risky’ search terms which is reviewed by the DSL and followed up as appropriate.

The School’s Online Safety Group review the filtering settings on an (at least) annual basis, ensuring the blocklists are age appropriate.

The SWGfL testing tool has been used to check the filtering system.

REFERENCES 1.

Mueller, P.A. & Oppenheimer, D.M. (2014) The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159-1168.

2.

Ose Askvik, E., van der Weel, F.R. & van der Meer, A.L.H. (2020) The Importance of Cursive Handwriting Over Typewriting for Learning in the Classroom: A HighDensity EEG Study of 12-Year-Old Children and Young Adults. Front. Psychol. 11:1810.

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6.

7.

Carter, S.P., Greenberg, K. & Walker, M.S. (2017) The impact of computer usage on academic performance: Evidence from a randomized trial at the United States Military Academy, Economics of Education Review, 56, p. 118-132.

Patterson, R.W. & Patterson, R.M. (2017) Computers and productivity: Evidence from laptop use in the college classroom, Economics of Education Review, 57, p. 66-79.

Linn Karlsson (2022) Computers in education: the association between computer use and test scores in primary school, Education Inquiry, 13:1, 56-85.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2023). Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in Education - A Tool on Whose Terms?, p. 3.

8.

Felisoni, D.D. & Godoi, A.S (2018) Cell phone usage and academic performance: An experiment. Computers & Education 117, 175-187.

9.

Demirbilek, M., & Talan, T. (2018). The effect of social media multitasking on classroom performance.

Active Learning in Higher Education, 19(2), 117-129.

10. May, K.E., Elder, A.D. (2018) Efficient, helpful, or distracting? A literature review of media multitasking in relation to academic performance. Int J Educ Technol High Educ 15(13).

11. Tindell, D.R. & Bohlander, R.W. (2012) The Use and Abuse of Cell Phones and Text Messaging in the Classroom: A Survey of College Students, College Teaching, 60(1), 1-9.

12. Mccoy, B. (2016). Digital Distractions in the Classroom Phase II: Student Classroom Use of Digital Devices for Non-Class Related Purposes. Faculty Publications, College of Journalism & Mass Communications, 7(1), 5-32.

13. McCoy, B. (2020) Gen Z and Digital Distractions in the Classroom: Student Classroom Use of Digital Devices for Non-Class Related Purposes, Journal of Media Education, 11(2), 5-23.

14. Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges

Glass, A.L. & Kang, M. (2019) Dividing attention in the classroom reduces exam performance, Educational Psychology, 39(3), 395-408.

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