Are all the users finding it easy to work well with the tools?
As some of the colleagues in the schools had never worked with itslearning before, we hosted some online seminars covering the basic functions. In addition, teachers who already had a sound working knowledge of itslearning also stepped up to the plate and created their own tutorials, making them available as courses for their colleagues on the itslearning platform. All told, that worked very well, even if things maybe aren’t working 100% in all cases just yet. As the lack of classes means staff also have more time and freedom to explore itslearning and begin working with it whilst the pressure to provide online content is of course growing in parallel, the number of users is rising steadily.
In addition, we as the local education authority are operating a telephone hotline that teachers can use for real-time assistance if they have forgotten their password, for example. This hotline is manned by colleagues all day long.
What other measures have you got planned for the short and medium term?
Above all, we are looking for a data protection-compliant alternative to Dropbox, which some teaching staff are currently using to make materials available online. At present, we are checking out Nextcloud. In contrast to Dropbox, we could host Nextcloud on our own servers and thus maintain control over the data created by the students and staff. However, its introduction is subject to the proviso that we have the requisite funds available, as in the State of Bremen there is still no approved budget with which we could plan and launch new projects.
In addition, we urgently want to introduce a data protection-compliant messaging app. After all, even though it is officially not permitted, we know that many teachers communicate with their classes via WhatsApp.
Furthermore, we are planning to introduce a video platform where staff can make clips available without intrusive ads, as is the case on YouTube. That is simply not suitable for use in a teaching situation. We are currently considering Vimeo.
Is there anything that you pay particular attention to when introducing new digital solutions?
We certainly need to ensure compliance with the pertinent data protection regulations. Even though we are currently in a crisis situation and everyone is looking for quick and easy solutions, it is not as if the basic data protection principles simply no longer exist.
Students’ data in particular must be protected. Many of those who are introducing new solutions ad hoc as they are particularly easy to implement or free of charge will come to regret that in a few months and have problems turning back the clock. For this reason, we consult our data protection officer regularly and seek his advice on such matters.
In your opinion, in addition to the data protection already mentioned, are there other things that education authorities and schools need to pay attention to in these times?
I believe that IT administrators in the schools need to focus on consistency and a central approach. For us, this includes connection to our central, UCS-based identity management system, for example. Insofar as possible, every new solution should be integrated into it, allowing every user access with just one password and username.
If this is not the case, pupils and students are required to install different apps in parallel on their devices, for example when using conference tools, depending on which solution the teacher of the specific subject prefers.
If we let everyone do as they please or introduce what they believe to be the best solution, we will be left with an extremely heterogeneous IT infrastructure which is impossible to maintain and control in next to no time. For this reason, I can only advise everyone to use sound judgment in these times and compile concrete recommendations for the schools and staff, recommendations that everyone can work with and that need to be observed and followed by everyone.
Another essential point is transparency and communication. To keep the rumor mill under control and stop the differing opinions and fake news circulating about the length of the school closures, for example, we publish up-to-date information via our official channels on an almost daily basis. That has worked very well up to now.
Mr. Froberg, thank you very much for your time and the interesting insights into both your work and the current situation in the world of education in Bremerhaven. We wish you every success with your work and hope that a certain degree of normality will return in the foreseeable future.