Friday 24 February 2012

Manga High -Yippee! J2Webby class recognition!

Dear Colleagues,

 

I’ve just arranged for Manga High to be accessible via USO login. Manga High is a terrific collection of maths games developed as a collaboration between a professor of mathematics using game play qualities derived from the computer games industry.

 

In order to access it via a USO login you will need to ensure that Auto Update has class reports enabled. To do this you’ll need to do the following.

1.       Login as a nominated contact for your school

2.       On the User Accounts tab select Auto Update Settings

3.       Select your school, you should now see three tick boxes about halfway down the screen that read: Atomwide Classes, Atomwide Student<>Class links and Atomwide Group Supervisors (or something similar).

4.       Put a tick in each box then scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on Accept Selected Reports. You will then need to wait over night for the update to take place.

The next morning children in your school should be able to login to Manga High by going to: http://www.lgfl.net/curriculum-resources/Pages/manga-high.aspx

 

I’d also strongly recommend ticking the classes section on Autoupdate if you are blogging using J2E as this will mean that you see just the posts etc. for your class.

 

Please do let me know how you get on with this and get back to me if you have any questions.

 

Kind regards

 

Dan Warner

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Saturday 28 January 2012

Class Traveller

Hi,

 

I bought some Geocaching Travelbugs and have set a couple off. I’ve got one left over (worth £5) Your class can attach a traveller to it then track where they go as they are moved from one geocache to another by geocachers. If you’d like the one I’ve got just email me and I’ll leave it in an envelope in reception at the PDC.

 

All you need do is create an account on the geocaching website, decide on a mission for your traveller deliver the Travelbug to a nearby geocache and you’re off.

 

More information on Geocaching is available on www.geocaching.com

 

Dan

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Monday 9 January 2012

Important information about LGfL 2.0

Dear Colleagues,

 

A number of schools have been contacted by Virgin Media Business to arrange the survey for LGfL 2.0 this week. Generally they contact the person that is listed on the Atomwide site as the school Secretary or On Site support. This is recorded in the LGfL 2.0 section under My Account.

 

It is important to ensure that the listed contact knows to expect a call and follows up by arranging a date for the survey. It is likely that the school will be contacted by:

 

Charlotte Smith
Project Co-ordinator
Peterborough Programme Team
Virgin Media Business | Beechcroft, Southgate Park, Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, Peterborough, PE2 6YS
Direct Number 01733 772100
Alternative number 01733 392112
Team Hunt Group 01733 776412
Visit www.virginmediabusiness.co.uk for more information.

 

The actual survey will be carried out by a company called Plancast. If Haringey is the landlord of your school (generally this is non-church schools only) then Steve Barns (Haringey Capital Projects Property Manager) will attend and will be in a position to input into the suitability of routes and plans. The Headteacher also needs to be present during the survey. In the instance that a Headteacher is not present, but later disputes the route plan, requiring a repeat survey to be carried out there would be a charge to the school of £250!

 

Kind regards

 

Dan Warner

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Thursday 5 January 2012

TeachMeet

Dear Colleagues,

 

If you can’t get to Bett during the day but aren’t busy on Friday night (13th Jan) this event is arguably better than the whole show...

http://teachmeet.pbworks.com/w/page/48562279/Teachmeet%20@BETT%202012 You need to sign up but tickets are free.

 

Anyone can get up and present on any aspect of innovative learning usually using technology. After 5 minutes your time is up and a camel will be thrown at you if you don’t stop and let the next one up. There’s an outright ban on Powerpoint and a fruit machine decides the order. Oh and last year there was free beer and a slightly strange raffle!

 

Dan

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Wednesday 4 January 2012

TTS at the TecXitement Room at Heartlands

Dear Colleagues, 

 

RM will be running the following event in the TecXitement Room at Heartlands School in Wood Green.

 

It will offer an opportunity to see the new cutting edge classroom and look at some of the new TTS products available for ICT. To book a place please contact Sarah Williams of RM.

 

Kind regards

 

Dan

 

An invite to a TTS Twilight Event with RM Education

 

When? 3pm - 5pm Wednesday 29th February

Where? The TecXitment Room, The Heartlands High School, Wood Green

Who? An invite is extended to all Haringey Primary schools Senior Leadership team (max 2 per school)

What? 3pm-4pm a TTS presentation on new and old TTS primary products including hands on play. 4pm-5pm a tour of the TecXitment Room* and more play time with TTS products

Why? To find out more about TTS, to get hands on with new and old products. To discuss and share idea's with a TTS specialist, a Senior RM Educationalist and your fellow teachers

How? To find out more or book your places/s please contact Sarah Williams, RM Business Development Manager on telephone number or email address below.

 

 

Best wishes,

 

 

Sarah Williams
Business Development Manager
sawilliams@rm.com
07970 702807

 

 

Dan Warner

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Tuesday 20 December 2011

ICT in Schools 2008-11

Hi,

 

I’m still here! Just catching up on email from last week. The OFSTED report on ICT 2008-2011 was published last week.

 

The summary and full versions of the report are available online here: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/ict-schools-2008-11

 

It doesn’t provide anything that will come as much of a surprise but if the Government reads and inwardly digests then it might mean the axing of ICT from the NC is reconsidered, expectations for assessment are reinforced and more is expected around control and data handling.

 

Dan Warner

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Thursday 15 December 2011

Blogging, BETT, LWF, Ipevo, Klutz, Morpurgo and Wired toys....

Dear Colleagues,

 

The term is nearly over and the goose –or vegetarian equivalent- is getting fat etc...

 

The last few weeks have been very busy and a few things have built up so rather than send out in a number of emails I’ve compacted them into one big bumper one....

 

First the Blogging Course run by Jack at Ferry Lane is taking place at the PDC on 18th January. Please do book yourself in. Blogging is inspiring children to write and Jack’s course is ideal for getting you up and running. If you’d like to book go to www.cpdharingey.com

 

Don’t forget BETT -11th -14th January 2012! I’ll be going down on 11th Send me an email or text me on 07870122959 if you’re heading down there.

 

I’m attending the Learning Without Frontiers conference in London on 25th and 26th January (I’m getting an LGfL discounted ticket that sadly doesn’t come with an Ipad before you ask). If you can persuade your HT to allow you out then it should be spectacular, the line up of speakers includes some fantastically innovative thinkers around learning and the blurb on the site includes the following text that I rather like...

 

If you’re a leader, policy maker, innovator or inspired practitioner working in education or in an organisation seeking to positively disrupt entrenched thinking then LWF is THE conference and meeting place for YOU.

 

The tickets are expensive, but if you can get the green light on attending from your Headteacher then I will see what I can do to secure a much more economical ticket -albeit without an Ipad.

 

Ipevo –I bought one of these as the webcam on my home computers isn’t all that great. It offers most of the facilities of a visualiser for a fraction of the cost of a fully size one (£60). It does have a few little shortcomings: it won’t send directly into SmartNotebook, doesn’t have a microscope mode and on the supplied stand really only covers an A4 area. However for everyday use for sharing a child’s work with the class or showing little things or photographs on the screen it is brilliant.

 

Klutz –I bought the video and animation books by Klutz recently and they are full of wonderful ideas for creating video and animation tricks –scroll down the page for each to watch examples. I love the way the ideas are all low tech –there are absolutely no computer special effects involved. It seems that the fun and quirkiness of creating the films really helps to deepen understanding of the nature of moving images and telling stories through film.

 

I really like this recent summary of writing tips by Michael Morpurgo....Michael Morpurgo’s top tips for writing

 

And finally here are Wired magazine’s top 5 toys of all time:

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/01/the-5-best-toys-of-all-time/all/1

 

Enjoy your winter break!

 

Dan Warner

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Thursday 1 December 2011

Computer Programming

Dear Colleagues,

 

Finally a bit of interest in computers in education by the Government, though it may come together with the culling of ICT from the National Curriculum:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2011/nov/30/games-government-and-education

...a step forward and several steps back! Clearly the government has been steered by the industry though their focus might be too narrowly on computer programming!

 

Anyway it’s possible to get ahead of the game using Scratch so that children have a basic understanding of programming. However, the recent Young Games Design Bafta shows that it is the creative ideas that really count rather than the construction of the game itself. Have a look at the shortlist. None of the games have been created, they are ideas: http://ygd.bafta.org/Shortlist  Wouldn’t it be great to have a winner from a Haringey school next year!

 

Of course there is a nice link between computer programming and control technology. This Robot festival is taking place at the Science Museum. It finishes on Sunday but if you can get tickets they are free and it should be fascinating: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/robotville

 

Dan Warner

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Friday 25 November 2011

Mars

This mission mainly because the rover is the size of a car seems set to have a wow factor long missing from space adventures of late. The video showing how the mission will work is brilliant and would be fantastic to inspire children to write. Could also be good as the start of work around control: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15882485

Dan

ICT Adviser, London Borough of Haringey

Email: daniel.warner@haringey.gov.uk
Telephone: 02084895058

Thursday 16 June 2011

6 common data protection risks

Dear Colleagues,

 

A couple of data protection issues have arisen today and as I was going for my lunch I was thinking about a few of the common data protection risks I have seen in schools. Here we go.....

 

·         Writing down passwords and usernames in the inside cover of a diary (this goes on a lot!!!)

·         Not logging out  and closing the browser when you are using an online system

·         Not deleting pupil data when it is no longer needed

·         Keeping pupil data on unencrypted computers and memory sticks (if it’s lost on the bus....)

·         Not checking the credentials of contractors that support with ICT

·         Sharing usernames and passwords (treat it like your toothbrush –never share)

 

I don’t want to suggest I’m perfect - I’m not, I’ve made some of these mistakes myself. However, there have been some pretty high profile cases of organisations that have ended up with big fines that could have been avoided if a little more care had been taken...

 

And so finishes my sermon;-)

 

Dan Warner

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Tuesday 14 June 2011

FW: London MLE - Start-of-Year Process 2011

Dear Colleagues,

 

Find attached information about the London MLE Start of Year process. There are a few key changes to the process compared with last year, these are summarised in the email below and in the attached guide.

 

If you would like me to help you with the process please come along to either of the sessions I am running on 5th or 12th July 1500-1800 at the PDC.

 

Kind regards

 

Dan Warner

 

From: Brian Durrant [mailto:brian.durrant@lgfl.org.uk]
Sent: 14 June 2011 18:27
To: global@lists.lgfl.org.uk
Cc: tom.soron@fronter.com
Subject: London MLE - Start-of-Year Process 2011

 

To LGfL Global List

 

Colleagues

 

Please find attached the Start of Year guidance for the London MLE.

 

The text below containing important information about the SOY will be emailed to all Fronter Administrators in the next few days.

 


Please find attached the revised Start of Year guidance and scenarios for the London MLE for 2011/2012 academic year.

We would like to highlight some important changes which have been made to improve the process:

·         MIS data imports into Fronter will be automatically deactivated on 1st July 2011.

·         The MIS integration setup option in the admin section of Fronter will be temporarily removed to prevent Re-activation and will be re-added on the 1st September 2011.

 

NOTE: This means that data will not update within Fronter during this period giving you time to prepare your MIS systems for the new academic year without it affecting your Fronter building. Schools wishing to deactivate imports earlier than 1st July can do this manually themselves or contact the Fronter Helpdesk to request this.

 

IMPORTANT: Schools wishing to have their MIS integration switched on earlier than the 1st September must contact the Fronter help desk to request this.

 

IMPORTANT: On 31st August 2011 Fronter will perform some automated functions as follows: (the first two will not happen for schools who request early re-activation)

 

·         Fronter will auto archive all MIS (imported) rooms. This will also include any automatically generated rooms that are open from previous academic years.

 

·         Fronter will delete all MIS (imported) rooms that have never been activated from previous academic years

 

·         An update will be run to ensure that all schools regardless of their MIS system will receive a new set of rooms for the new academic year

 

Once your MIS is ready for the next academic year, you will be able to re-activate the import as from 1st September.

If you have any questions about the Start of Year process please feel free to contact the LGfL support line on: 020 82 55 55 55 (option 5)

 

On behalf of Tom Soron
Customer/Operations Manager
Fronter UK

 

 

Regards

 

On behalf of Chris Wood
Learning Platforms Manager           
London Grid for Learning Trust


CI Tower, St Georges Square, New Malden, KT3 4TE
t 020 8408 4455   f 020 8408 6014   m 07973 405 491 

 

www.lgfl.net                a school improvement partner

www.safety.lgfl.net         keeping learners safe online

www.content.lgfl.net         anywhere, anytime learning

www.news.lgfl.net              learn what is new on LGfL

Description: LGfL 2.0 Logo - 1000 Wide.gif   Description: cid:image004.jpg@01CBBEC8.A8681080   

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this e-mail is intended only for the individual, persons or entity to whom it is addressed. It may contain privileged and confidential information and, if you are not the intended recipient, you must not read, copy or distribute it, nor take any action in reliance upon it.  If you have received this e-mail in error, please inform the sender as soon as possible and delete the e-mail from your computer.

 

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Warning about LGfL Email hoax

Dear Colleagues,

Brian Durrant, CEO of LGfL has informed me this morning that some LGfL email accounts may have received an email purporting to be from LGfL requesting confidential login details. This is a HOAX and recipients should not respond in any way.

At this stage I don't know how widespread the distribution of the email is so it would be worth warning staff that they may receive this and should not under any circumstances respond. If any staff have received the email and responded they should immediately contact me and I will arrange for the account details to be changed.

At this stage LGfL have not indicated whether the hoax also includes London Mail. I have emailed Brian Durrant to ask about this.

I have copied the text of the message below for information.

Kind regards

Dan Warner

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

From: LGfL Webmaster Updates [accounthelpdesk@live.com]
Sent: 13 June 2011 23:08
Subject: Warning Update Your LGFL Account Now‏

Welcome to your London Grid for Learning

 

We are currently Upgrading our database for more LGfL Services efficiency, so therfore we are requesting that you send Us all information you used earlier to register the mailbox for confirmation and Upgrading your mailbox size by Microsoft Exchange. We are about Upgrading your mailbox storage limit to 600MB. To prevent your account from being deleted, you must reply to this e-mail by providing us the Information for confirmation that you still operate this email on regular basis:

 

Hosted by Microsoft in collaboration with LGfL for London Grid for Learning

 

Username : ...................
LGfL Login ID.................
Password : ...................
Confirm password:.............
Date of Birth :...............


A guide to this WebMail user interface is also provided.
We hope that you will enjoy using this product. Please share your experiences and feedback with us so we can continue to make this LGfL Services even better!
 
Thank you!
This service for the London Grid for Learning is supported by Atomwide Network Solution
Contact Us - Company Information - © 2010 LGfL

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Monday 13 June 2011

Filters

Colleagues,

 

I know that internet filters are not exactly fun but getting them set right is essential for ensuring that children and staff can access what they need and not what they shouldn’t be!

 

Now that Max Riley’s team is no more, adjusting internet filter settings falls into the hands of individual schools. To find out how to administer the filters for your school as well as the likely changes to filter arrangements resulting from the move to LGfL 2.0 please join us at the PDC on Wednesday 15th at 4pm.

 

Kind regards

 

Dan Warner

 

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Wednesday 8 June 2011

MLE Good Practice YES, Webfronter NO!

Hi Colleagues,

 

The MLE Good practice event is going ahead today hooray, but the Webfronter course scheduled for Thursday 9th June and the second session on 8th July have been cancelled due to insufficient numbers signed up.

 

I’m wondering whether there might be more demand in the Autumn term for Webfronter or whether a course on school website development using alternative tools such as Dreamweaver or Wordpress etc. would be more popular.

 

Dan

 

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Monday 6 June 2011

ICT events this week

Dear Colleagues,

 

A little reminder of a couple of ICT events happening this week:

 

Wednesday 8th June at 4PM at Haringey PDC, London MLE Good Practice, Bob Drew Headteacher of Gearies Infant School in Redbridge will be talking about he has used the MLE to support learning at his school. There will also be an opportunity to sign up for free support provided by Fronter.

 

Thursday 9th June 3PM to 6PM at Haringey PDC the first of two sessions on using Webfronter to build a school website. If you are thinking of getting started on building a site then this will guide you through the foothills of website design and construction. The follow on session is on 8th July 3PM to 6PM.

 

Other courses coming up this term:

 

20th June 9.00-3.30 at HPDC Beginners IWB training (note change of date from that previously published)

22nd June 1.30-3.30 or 4.00-6.00 at HPDC Subject Leaders meeting

5th July 1500-1800 HPDC Fronter End of Year process

12th July 1500-1800 HPDC Fronter End of Year process (note change of date from that previously published)

 

To book any of these courses go to www.cpdharingey.com

 

Kind regards

 

Dan Warner

 

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Friday 3 June 2011

LGfL 2.0 Updates

Dear Colleagues,

 

Find attached bulletins on the LGfL 2.0 roll out. I will also be sending these out to schools via Educoms, but I know sometimes the mailings don’t filter through to the people that really need them...  

 

Almost all Haringey schools are in phase 9 of the roll out. This is due to take place in February 2012. If your school is in an earlier phase I’ll contact your school directly.

 

So for most schools there is quite a bit of time. However it is worth being aware that moving to the new service involves a bit more than flicking a switch..In order for it to go smoothly the school will have to submit information (likely to include site plans, IP addresses and a photograph of the coms cabinet )  prior to the beginning of the installation phase. Then during the installation phase Virgin Media (an LGfL Contractor) will need to install a new cable to connect the school to the service and Atomwide (another LGfL contractor) will need to install new equipment in your school’s coms cabinet. Your school will then be responsible for making alterations to internal  network settings on computers and servers so that they can access the new service.

 

At this point it is worth logging on to the support site: https://support.lgfl.org.uk (you need to be a Nominated Contact) Click on the My Account tab and select the LGfL 2.0 menu option. This is where you can monitor what is going on with the installation and where information can be uploaded for access by Atomwide and Virgin Media.

 

I will do what my capacity allows to help smooth the transition to LGfL 2.0 but my time is very limited and often I will need to defer to LGfL anyway, so if you have  queries they should be addressed in the first instance to LGfL.

 

Kind regards

 

Dan Warner

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Friday 27 May 2011

Victorian Children video conference

Hi,

 

National Archives run free video conference role play sessions for schools. They have sessions running on 8th and 9th June and 2nd & 4th November, for more information see here. The conferences support historical enquiry objectives and understanding of life in the 19th century. They last an hour, are aimed at yrs 5 & 6 and would require the children to prepare in advance. The events are fully booked for the dates above. However, when I phoned up they said there was a waiting list with nobody on it so there is a chance that there will be drop outs and the opportunity for your class to have a session instead. If you would like to be put on the waiting list email sue.seber@nationalarchives.gov.uk . You can also phone on 020 8392 5365 for more information.

 

Dan

 

ICT Adviser

London Borough of Haringey

Haringey PDC

Tel 02084895058

 

Thursday 19 May 2011

Who IS Nigel Penstone?

Dear Colleagues,

 

As I’ve had quite a few responses to the offer of Nigel’s support along the lines of “Who is Nigel Penstone?”.....

 

Nigel is an LGfL Curriculum Consultant, his background is as a primary teacher and deputy head. He is able to provide support on use of the London MLE  and LGfL Content to support learning, so that could involve INSET, demo lessons introducing the MLE, one to one support for teachers in setting up their virtual classrooms, working with staff on developing specialised rooms such as virtual staffrooms, halls, maths rooms etc. etc.

 

Haringey purchased a large number of sessions of Nigels time and there are just 15 half day sessions remaining to be used before the end of the summer term.

 

Dan

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Find out about how they've used the MLE at Gearies Infant School!

Dear Colleagues,

 

In collaboration with Fronter we’ve arranged a presentation by Bob Drew, HT of Gearies Infant School in Redbridge where they have made really effective use of the MLE to support learning and save money!

 

It takes place at 4pm on 8th June at Haringey PDC.  I’ve attached the flyer for it.

 

If you are work at a school where the MLE has yet to really take off then this event is ideal for getting a glimpse of what is possible and hopefully inspiring a relaunch.

 

Kind regards

 

Dan Warner

ICT Adviser, London Borough of Haringey

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Internet Safety Report

Dear Colleagues,

 

See this draft report published today on ESafety and young people http://www.nen.gov.uk/esafety/222/nen-internet-safety-report-draft.html . There are some fascinating insights, the executive summary is highly recommended if you don’t have time to digest the lot!

 

Dan

Wednesday 4 May 2011

London MLE

Dear Colleagues,

 

See attached flier from Fronter with an offer of a free 2 hour review of the system. This is well worth considering as a means of reviewing where you are at and reigniting the MLE.

 

I’ve also received the MLE login statistics for the last quarter and things are looking better with several schools in the green band of over 50% of users logging in during a month. I am in the process of putting together a series of CPD courses relating to the MLE to take place this, and next term. There will also be a presentation to heads by a school that has made outstanding use of the system. Details will follow soon.

 

Dan

Wednesday 27 April 2011

26 Interesting Ways and Tips to use Google Earth in the classroom

Here are some lovely ideas for GE in the classroom: https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_175fp5qg9d3

Dan Warner

School Improvement Officer Primary ICT

Email: daniel.warner@haringey.gov.uk
Telephone: 02084895058
Mobile: 07870122959

Friday 8 April 2011

A Fond Farewell!

Dear all

As many of you are aware, I have taken voluntary redundancy and so will no longer be around after the Easter break. I just wanted to say what a pleasure it has been working with you all over the years and to wish you all the very best for the future!

 

I am going it alone as an independent ICT consultant offering schools various types of support and consultancy e.g. in-school ICT projects (film-making, podcasting, blogs etc.), Widgit symbol training and not forgetting the good old MLE!

 

My new email address is info@juneisik.com and you can visit my website www.juneisik.com

 

I will still be closely in touch with Dan and I’m sure I will be seeing some of you again. And thank you again for helping to make my time here so lovely!  

 

Best wishes

 

June

 

 

 

June Isik

School Improvement Officer ICT

Haringey Children and Young People's Service

Tel: 020 8489 5058

Fax: 020 8489 5001

Email: june.isik@haringey.gov.uk

P Think of the environment...please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.

 


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Monday 21 March 2011

Haringey recommends with working hyperlinks

Dear Colleagues,

 

Oops! The hyperlinks in the previous version of the letter weren’t correct. The version below has the correct links in it.

 

Dan

 

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

 

The London Grid for Learning Trust (LGfL) is a consortium made up of all the London local authorities.  It provides broadband and associated services to almost all Haringey schools.   Having re-tendered for improved pan-London IT infrastructure systems and services and in response to the changing funding landscape, LGfL has sent information packs and recorded delivery letters to all schools requesting that they sign new “LGfL 2.0” contracts online at www.lgfl2.lgfl.net by 28th March 2011.

I am aware that some schools have concerns about these contracts and are uncertain about signing up, believing that it might be possible to secure a similar service from an alternative provider at a lesser cost.

This letter explains the service that schools get from LGfL and the aspects of this service that cannot be sourced from alternative providers.  It also provides answers to some of the key questions that schools have been asking about the LGfL 2.0 contracts.

What does the LGfL offer schools?

The core services you get from LGfL 2.0 (see LGfL 2.0 booklet for the full list)

·     Broadband internet connection: this is a fibre-optic service with a 1:1 (not shared) contention ratio,

·     Internet filtering: this is a version of Netsweeper that has been specially tailored for use in schools. All filtering is done before the content arrives at the school so there is no hardware for the school to maintain. Filtering does not slow down the internet service.

·     LGfL learning content: LGfL has put together a comprehensive collection of online content to support teaching and learning. There is no way of accessing this content without subscribing to LGfL. To access a content grid of curriculum learning resources, visit www.content.lgfl.net

·     Anti-virus protection: SOPHOS with auto-updating for every computer in your school and also for teaching staff’s home computers

·     Professional Email and calendar: an industry-standard Microsoft Exchange based system that provides a standardised professional email address for every member of staff, the system also includes spam filtering and content filtering

·     Safemail: an email address for the school life for every learner. The system can be configured to restrict access to send and receive either within the class, the year group, the school or unrestricted

·     Unified Sign-On (USO): this allows a single username and password to access the LondonMLE, email, content and anti-virus.  This is only possible because these services are offered by a single provider

·     LondonMLE: a specially configured version of the Fronter Managed Learning Environment (MLE) system that has a range of add-ons and a low price achieved through LGfL’s pan-London tendering

Are there any services that are only available from LGfL?

Yes, the following LGfL services are not available from alternative providers:

·     LondonMLE: is the specially-tailored version of the Fronter MLE system.  It is only available to LGfL subscriber schools (via USO),

·     USO: is the system that provides the login accounts (that end in .309) that are used to access a range of services including LondonMLE, Anti-virus, Email and LGfL Content,

·     LGfL Content: this content is only available through LGfL and it would be prohibitively expensive to buy some or all of its elements individually.

Why the five year contract?

Within its tendering for improved pan-London IT infrastructure systems and services, LGfL has secured extremely favourable terms from Virgin Media Business (VMB).  VMB will be replacing Synetrix as LGfL’s IT infrastructure partner.

Prompted by the opportunity offered by LGfL, VMB is investing £33m building a new London regional network to serve schools. However, in spite of this huge investment, successful negotiations on behalf of London schools have resulted in no set-up charges, no installation charges, no ‘excess construction charges’, no annual core network fees (currently Synetrix is paid £1.8m pa, by LAs using Harnessing Technology Grant funding, for the regional core network which serves your school), and NO ‘Subject to Survey’ on LGfL’s prices (you would see this phrase on any and every other quote your school might receive).

To avoid schools having to pay these costs ‘up front’, they are spread over a longer term, and the longer the term the lower and more affordable the annual costs, hence five years.

What happens if I don’t sign up by 28th March?

Your internet connection will not be just switched off. However, just doing nothing may not be the best course of action for the following reasons:

·     The deal that LGfL have secured with VMB is dependent on a minimum of 70% take up of LGfL 2.0 across London. If this isn’t met then the VMB deal will have to be renegotiated and this is likely to mean higher prices for all.

·     The existing Synetrix-provided LGfL service will end in June 2012. In order for VMB to put in place the new infrastructure by this date they need to know the details of all the sites by the end of March 2011. LGfL is responsible for securing this information, as part of the process of ensuring best value for schools.

·     The LGfL is ‘owned’ by the 33 London LAs and their schools. Its income comprises annual fees from schools plus annual ‘core’ charges equivalent to about £2,000 per school. These have been met to-date from the Harnessing Technology Grant. As this grant will cease to exist from 2011/12 onwards, the ‘core’ charges are built into “LGfL 2.0” prices. If a school contracts with an alternative supplier, it is likely still to be liable for an annual LGfL charge of approximately £6 per FTE student in addition to the alternative supplier’s charge(s)

·     The 10% subscription discount for years 1, 2 & 3 of the contract is not available after the LGfL 2.0 contract deadline date of 28th March 2011.

Does the LGfL cost include the charge for LondonMLE?

No.  The LGfL 2.0 service does not include the cost of the LondonMLE. To find out the annual subscription charge for your school’s LondonMLE system visit: http://webfronter.com/mlewebsite/mle/menu2/Prices_and_Terms/Prices_and_Terms.html 

Can I continue to use LondonMLE if my school no longer subscribes to LGfL?

No.  LondonMLE is a specially-bundled version of the Fronter MLE. Fronter may be prepared to offer an off-the-shelf version of their MLE but this will have different functions to LondonMLE and there may be additional associated costs such as set up charges. It would also be necessary to change all staff and pupil MLE usernames and passwords as the current user identification system (called USO) is an LGfL service.

What happens if I want to exit the 5 year contract early?

The school can terminate at any time and the termination penalty is in line with that in place for LGfL services since 2002. The school would be charged for the whole of the current year at full cost plus 50% of the full cost of subscription for the years remaining in the contract. For example, a school that decided to terminate in the middle of year 2 would have to pay the full cost of subscription for whole of year 2 plus 50% of the costs for years 3, 4 & 5.

Is there anything to stop the LGfL increasing the cost each year?

In the first three years of the contract any increase in cost will be capped by the retail price increase (RPI). After this the LGfL has more flexibility, but remember LGfL is owned by you, so any increase would be subject to agreement by the schools and LAs that make up the LGfL board.

Will I get the improved Virgin Media service in April?

No.  Although the LGfL 2.0 contract will start in April 2011, there are likely to be over 2,000 schools that need to be connected across London so the upgrade in service will take place over the course of a year.  The LGfL have yet to formally release dates for installations, but it is likely that all schools will have the new Virgin Media service by the end of the Synetrix contract in July 2012.

What about multiple quotes or a process of multiple tenders?

To avoid the burden and cost of schools individually having to ask for quotes or run tendering processes, Haringey with other London LAs has undertaken an EU-compliant, fully-legal, procurement process. This is fundamentally why the LAs set up LGFL. The following detail provided by LGfL may be helpful:

"Note for Finance Officers regarding the regional procurement of LGfL 2.0 Services: This order may exceed the value of your school’s tender limits. This order is covered, for EU procurement compliance, by a mini-competition held in October 2010 by LGfL Trust on behalf of London LAs and schools under the Janet Transmissions Framework. Additional services provided as part of the LGfL 2.0 service have been procured through an EU Open Journal Procurement completed by LGfL Trust on behalf of London schools and local authorities in September 2009. The London Grid for Learning Trust is owned collectively by the London councils and authorised to procure services on behalf of LAs and schools."

I recommend that schools renew their subscriptions to LGfL services through signing the “LGfL 2.0” contract on the basis that alternative providers are not able to match the quality or cost of the LGfL offer.

If you have further questions about the LGfL 2.0 service or if you are investigating alternative providers and would like me to look over quotes they have provided then you can contact me on daniel.warner@haringey.gov.uk  or on 020 8489 5058.

Letter signed by

Dan Warner                Max Riley

 

Friday 18 March 2011

FW: LGfL 2.0 - Supporting Schools with Registration

Dear Colleagues,

 

I know you have been receiving a lot of information about the new LGfL and I apologise for it coming out in drips! This new communication from Brian Durrant clarifies the situation regarding possible cost increases in years 4 and 5 of the contract.

 

Dan

 

From: Brian Durrant [mailto:brian.durrant@lgfl.org.uk]
Sent: 17 March 2011 23:01
To: global@lists.lgfl.org.uk
Subject: LGfL 2.0 - Supporting Schools with Registration

 

To LGfL Global List

 

Colleagues

 

Thank you again for all our support with encouraging schools to move forward with registering for LGfL 2.0. 

 

The rate of sign up continues to accelerate with another record breaking day of well over 100 – with Barnet, Bromley, Croydon and Newham all jockeying for pole position – and all at around 60 schools apiece thus far.

 

The picture however is very mixed across the region with many schools, when contacted by LGfL, reporting ‘we don’t know anything about this; no, we don’t have an access code’.

 

Accordingly the LGfL office has today sent a timely reminder, a one page letter, to all schools which have yet to sign up. (not including schools in WAN LAs, or academy groups)

 

This is attached for the information of colleagues.

 

Please continue to support your schools in whatever way you are able in this process. Thank you.

 

There are a couple of necessary refinements to the terms and conditions for LGfL 2.0 which have emerged from recent feedback (concerns expressed by schools), and these will be incorporated retrospectively into the Network Services Agreement for all subscribing schools:

 

Cancellation Terms will be aligned in principle with those which have applied for LGfL services since 2002 i.e. for termination within the initial term there is a requirement to pay 50% of the charges for the remaining unused years of the term.  For termination during Y5 or after the initial term, there is no refund of any pre-paid term but otherwise no penalty.

 

Price adjustments: Any price increase in year 2 or 3, which will only be applied if needed to sustain the services, is capped by RPI; in year 4, following a financial review, any uplift will only be applied which is essential to the maintenance of the services for schools, however any such increase in Y4 will be capped at 10% in real terms; any uplift in Y5 will be capped by RPI.  If all London schools stay, as now, with LGfL, we would expect to reduce charges in the future, but some responsible provision has to be made as this cannot be guaranteed at this stage.  Clearly it was easier to make more reliable financial predictions when the relevant funds were managed by LAs.

 

These two changes both represent improvements in the Ts&Cs from the perspective of subscribing schools, so should assist in removing a potential barrier for any who were concerned to have greater clarity on these points.

 

Regarding the Registration Portal, if any colleagues wishes to review the registration process (at www.lgfl2.lgfl.net ) the access code TRIALA permits review of Part 1, and TRIALB review of Part 2.  However at the end of Step 6 please DO NOT click on SUBMIT – as this will then close off the record and prevent access by others.  Similarly, for Part 2 (TRIALB) do not click SUBMIT at Step 10.

 

Kind regards

Brian

 

Brian Durrant

Chief Executive         London Grid for Learning Trust

CI Tower, St Georges Square, New Malden, KT3 4TE

t 020 8408 4466   f 020 8408 6014   m 078 1134 1452

 

www.lgfl.net                a school improvement partner

www.safety.lgfl.net         keeping learners safe online

www.content.lgfl.net         anywhere, anytime learning

www.news.lgfl.net              learn what is new on LGfL

LGfL 2.0 Logo - 1000 Wide.gif   cid:image004.jpg@01CBBEC8.A8681080   

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this e-mail is intended only for the individual, persons or entity to whom it is addressed. It may contain privileged and confidential information and, if you are not the intended recipient, you must not read, copy or distribute it, nor take any action in reliance upon it.  If you have received this e-mail in error, please inform the sender as soon as possible and delete the e-mail from your computer.

 

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Thursday 17 March 2011

Haringey recommends....

Dear Colleagues,

 

I have copied below the letter that will go out to schools next week. It recommends that schools stay with LGfL and sign up to the LGfL 2.0 contracts before the 28th March. It also addresses some FAQs that have come my way over the last couple of weeks. If you would like further information or would like me to visit the school to talk through the options in more detail please do let me know.

 

Finally, if you are ever going to sign up to LGfL do it before 28th March as this will ensure you receive a 10% discount in years 1,2 and 3 –this could be a saving to your school of up to £1800!!

 

Warm regards

 

Dan

 

Dear Colleagues,

The London Grid for Learning Trust (LGfL) is a consortium made up of all the London local authorities.  It provides broadband and associated services to almost all Haringey schools.   Having re-tendered for improved pan-London IT infrastructure systems and services and in response to the changing funding landscape, LGfL has sent information packs and recorded delivery letters to all schools requesting that they sign new “LGfL 2.0” contracts online at www.lgfl2.lgfl.net by 28th March 2011.

I am aware that some schools have concerns about these contracts and are uncertain about signing up, believing that it might be possible to secure a similar service from an alternative provider at a lesser cost.

This letter explains the service that schools get from LGfL and the aspects of this service that cannot be sourced from alternative providers.  It also provides answers to some of the key questions that schools have been asking about the LGfL 2.0 contracts.

What does the LGfL offer schools?

The core services you get from LGfL 2.0 (see LGfL 2.0 booklet for the full list)

·     Broadband internet connection: this is a fibre-optic service with a 1:1 (not shared) contention ratio,

·     Internet filtering: this is a version of Netsweeper that has been specially tailored for use in schools. All filtering is done before the content arrives at the school so there is no hardware for the school to maintain. Filtering does not slow down the internet service.

·     LGfL learning content: LGfL has put together a comprehensive collection of online content to support teaching and learning. There is no way of accessing this content without subscribing to LGfL. To access a content grid of curriculum learning resources, visit www.content.lgfl.net

·     Anti-virus protection: SOPHOS with auto-updating for every computer in your school and also for teaching staff’s home computers

·     Professional Email and calendar: an industry-standard Microsoft Exchange based system that provides a standardised professional email address for every member of staff, the system also includes spam filtering and content filtering

·     Safemail: an email address for the school life for every learner. The system can be configured to restrict access to send and receive either within the class, the year group, the school or unrestricted

·     Unified Sign-On (USO): this allows a single username and password to access the LondonMLE, email, content and anti-virus.  This is only possible because these services are offered by a single provider

·     LondonMLE: a specially configured version of the Fronter Managed Learning Environment (MLE) system that has a range of add-ons and a low price achieved through LGfL’s pan-London tendering

Are there any services that are only available from LGfL?

Yes, the following LGfL services are not available from alternative providers:

·     LondonMLE: is the specially-tailored version of the Fronter MLE system.  It is only available to LGfL subscriber schools (via USO),

·     USO: is the system that provides the login accounts (that end in .309) that are used to access a range of services including LondonMLE, Anti-virus, Email and LGfL Content,

·     LGfL Content: this content is only available through LGfL and it would be prohibitively expensive to buy some or all of its elements individually.

Why the five year contract?

Within its tendering for improved pan-London IT infrastructure systems and services, LGfL has secured extremely favourable terms from Virgin Media Business (VMB).  VMB will be replacing Synetrix as LGfL’s IT infrastructure partner.

Prompted by the opportunity offered by LGfL, VMB is investing £33m building a new London regional network to serve schools. However, in spite of this huge investment, successful negotiations on behalf of London schools have resulted in no set-up charges, no installation charges, no ‘excess construction charges’, no annual core network fees (currently Synetrix is paid £1.8m pa, by LAs using Harnessing Technology Grant funding, for the regional core network which serves your school), and NO ‘Subject to Survey’ on LGfL’s prices (you would see this phrase on any and every other quote your school might receive).

To avoid schools having to pay these costs ‘up front’, they are spread over a longer term, and the longer the term the lower and more affordable the annual costs, hence five years.

What happens if I don’t sign up by 28th March?

Your internet connection will not be just switched off. However, just doing nothing may not be the best course of action for the following reasons:

·     The deal that LGfL have secured with VMB is dependent on a minimum of 70% take up of LGfL 2.0 across London. If this isn’t met then the VMB deal will have to be renegotiated and this is likely to mean higher prices for all.

·     The existing Synetrix-provided LGfL service will end in June 2012. In order for VMB to put in place the new infrastructure by this date they need to know the details of all the sites by the end of March 2011. LGfL is responsible for securing this information, as part of the process of ensuring best value for schools.

·     The LGfL is ‘owned’ by the 33 London LAs and their schools. Its income comprises annual fees from schools plus annual ‘core’ charges equivalent to about £2,000 per school. These have been met to-date from the Harnessing Technology Grant. As this grant will cease to exist from 2011/12 onwards, the ‘core’ charges are built into “LGfL 2.0” prices. If a school contracts with an alternative supplier, it is likely still to be liable for an annual LGfL charge of approximately £6 per FTE student in addition to the alternative supplier’s charge(s)

·     The 10% subscription discount for years 1, 2 & 3 of the contract is not available after the LGfL 2.0 contract deadline date of 28th March 2011.

Does the LGfL cost include the charge for LondonMLE?

No.  The LGfL 2.0 service does not include the cost of the LondonMLE. To find out the annual subscription charge for your school’s LondonMLE system visit: http://webfronter.com/mlewebsite/mle/menu2/Prices_and_Terms/Prices_and_Terms.html 

Can I continue to use LondonMLE if my school no longer subscribes to LGfL?

No.  LondonMLE is a specially-bundled version of the Fronter MLE. Fronter may be prepared to offer an off-the-shelf version of their MLE but this will have different functions to LondonMLE and there may be additional associated costs such as set up charges. It would also be necessary to change all staff and pupil MLE usernames and passwords as the current user identification system (called USO) is an LGfL service.

What happens if I want to exit the 5 year contract early?

The school can terminate at any time and the termination penalty is in line with that in place for LGfL services since 2002. The school would be charged for the whole of the current year at full cost plus 50% of the full cost of subscription for the years remaining in the contract. For example, a school that decided to terminate in the middle of year 2 would have to pay the full cost of subscription for whole of year 2 plus 50% of the costs for years 3, 4 & 5.

Is there anything to stop the LGfL increasing the cost each year?

In the first three years of the contract any increase in cost will be capped by the retail price increase (RPI). After this the LGfL has more flexibility, but remember LGfL is owned by you, so any increase would be subject to agreement by the schools and LAs that make up the LGfL board.

Will I get the improved Virgin Media service in April?

No.  Although the LGfL 2.0 contract will start in April 2011, there are likely to be over 2,000 schools that need to be connected across London so the upgrade in service will take place over the course of a year.  The LGfL have yet to formally release dates for installations, but it is likely that all schools will have the new Virgin Media service by the end of the Synetrix contract in July 2012.

What about multiple quotes or a process of multiple tenders?

To avoid the burden and cost of schools individually having to ask for quotes or run tendering processes, Haringey with other London LAs has undertaken an EU-compliant, fully-legal, procurement process. This is fundamentally why the LAs set up LGFL. The following detail provided by LGfL may be helpful:

"Note for Finance Officers regarding the regional procurement of LGfL 2.0 Services: This order may exceed the value of your school’s tender limits. This order is covered, for EU procurement compliance, by a mini-competition held in October 2010 by LGfL Trust on behalf of London LAs and schools under the Janet Transmissions Framework. Additional services provided as part of the LGfL 2.0 service have been procured through an EU Open Journal Procurement completed by LGfL Trust on behalf of London schools and local authorities in September 2009. The London Grid for Learning Trust is owned collectively by the London councils and authorised to procure services on behalf of LAs and schools."

I recommend that schools renew their subscriptions to LGfL services through signing the “LGfL 2.0” contract on the basis that alternative providers are not able to match the quality or cost of the LGfL offer.

If you have further questions about the LGfL 2.0 service or if you are investigating alternative providers and would like me to look over quotes they have provided then you can contact me on daniel.warner@haringey.gov.uk  or on 020 8489 5058.

Letter signed by

Dan Warner                Max Riley