A presentation from a 20 minute workshop on Online Learning to help support independent learning. Workshop brief: Examples will look at the use of department websites, twitter, schoology, flipboard and pearltrees to support independent learning. The examples used will show how resources and links can be shared easily with students to create online resource repositories. There will be a particular focus on how these can be used with KS4 and KS5 to encourage students to (i) take responsibility for their own learning and read around topics and (ii) follow up lessons using resources used in class at home to support revision.

1. Workshop 20
Online Learning
(Supporting Independent Learning)
Rob Chambers
Head of Geography, St Ivo
@RobGeog rchambers@stivoschool.org
• An online learning hub – Websites / Schoology
• Use of social media in teaching and learning
• Flipboard – creating online ‘magazines’
• Pearltrees – collaborative curation.
INDEPNDENT LEARNING - Joint Training Day (St Ivo School and Hinchingbrooke School) – 16th April 2018

2. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
An online learning hub
Our online hub centres
around our department
website
www.geobytes.org.uk
Key aim: Bringing together
all teaching and learning
resources for the
department creating a
“centralised online home”

3. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
An online learning hub
Why else?
Celebrating student
achievement
Student support
Promoting the department
Geographical news
Strengthen connections with
parents
Transparency
ENCOURAGE INDEPENDENCE IN
LEARNING SO STUDENTS HAVE A
ONE-STOP SHOP FOR WHERE TO
LOOK FOR IDEAS / SUPPORT /
RESOURCES

4. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
An online learning hub
Social Media Feeds Department Online Learning Courses
Department Blogs
Student Support and Advice
Bringing all department
resources & support together

5. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
Online learning – Schoology Courses
- Lesson resources
(powerpoints)
- Revision materials
- encourages
independence in
learning
- Video clips (can be
embedded)
- Supporting links
- Can create pages
- Useful for student
‘catch-up’ following
absence
- Supports students on
long term absence
Students able to
take responsibility
for some self
guided learning –
particularly when it
comes to revision /
following up
lessons.

6. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
Online learning – Schoology Courses
Very well used at A
Level (and students
come used to it from
GCSE)
Use more of discussion
function, polls,
photograph/media
albums and also
providing supporting
resources for NEA /
undergraduate study.

7. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
Online learning – Schoology Courses
Again – particularly useful at A’Level –
providing addition links to articles and
other resources – encourage students to
read around the subject independently.
Updates function provides a ‘blog’ like
function to which resources / links can
be added and even polls set!
Members of the course get notifications
when updates are added.
Particularly useful at pressure point
times – e.g. Revision times.

8. Twitter
Online Learning – supporting independent learning
Use of social media in teaching and learning
Facebook
Instagram
At St Ivo our geography department is active on a number
of different social media sites.
Each is used with a
different aim or purpose
(some with a different
audience in mind)
All hope to teach students the responsible use of social media and
how it can be beneficial in education and with links to websites /
extra learning / competitions etc. encourages some independence
allowing students to go beyond the constrains of lessons.
All accounts comply with
school policy with regards
to the use of social media.

9. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
Use of social media in teaching and learning
Why do we use Twitter
in the department?
- Promote
- Collaborate
- Learn
- Share and Celebrate
- GeoTweet Revision
-Reminders
-Engage with students and
parents
- Polls
Department Twitter Feed: @StIvoGeography

10. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
Protected A Level Twitter Feed: @StIvoGeogAlevel (only department students)
Why do we use Twitter
with A Level?
- Provide targeted support
for topics or VI form
issues (e.g. UCAS).
- Share links
- Revision
-Reminders
-Build a ‘community spirit’
-Encourage background
reading
-Protected as fieldwork
photos shared
Use of social media in teaching and learning

11. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
Use of social media: Professional Development
Twitter provides an invaluable source of professional development which in turn can impact on
our teaching at KS4 and KS5.
Benefits of developing a PLN with twitter:

12. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
Flipboard
Flipboard acts a news
aggregator enabling you
to curate and create your
own online magazines –
collecting and sharing
articles for students on
particular topics.
Students can also be
encouraged to create
their own to build up
their own research –
could support EPQ and
other research based
work at A Level.
You can sign up to follow
particular flipboards and
create your own.

13. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
Flipboard – Online ‘magazines’ curated by you or students…

14. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
Pearltrees – Collaborative Curation
Pearltrees
allows you to
organise,
explore and
share any URL
as well as
upload photos,
files and notes.
Easy to use –
can either drag
and drop items
into Pearltrees
or download
the Pearltrees
browser
extension to
add webpages
at a touch of a
button.Apps also available to make use even easier!

15. Online Learning – supporting independent learning
Pearltrees – Collaborative Curation
There is a free user version
although there are also
paid for plans in which you
can create private
collections.
There is an education
version but has to be paid
for as a school.
I just use the free version
for the basic tools. (Get
1GB free)
It is also possible to embed
your pearltrees collections
into a webpage so they
become an integral part of
your department’s “online-
learning hub” so that all
resources are easily located
in one place.

16. Workshop Summary – things to think about…
For more links / resources / ideas – scan the QR code on your sheet…
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions: rchambers@stivoschool.org or @RobGeog
Here are 5 tips/techniques you could try to help build independence in learning using online
learning provision.
1. Try creating a ‘department online-hub’ using Schoology (or similar) to bring together supporting
resources, links and up-to-date subject knowledge in a single ‘one-stop shop’ for students for
follow up work to encourage them to take ownership of their learning.
2. Online learning enables us to be facilitators, creating an effective learning environment, but in
doing so consider ways in which we can use it to help challenge students to think at a higher level
3. Try making use of Flipboard to create online ‘subject knowledge’ updates for A level students –
why not also encourage them to create their own! https://flipboard.com/
4. You could create a department collaborative ‘Pearltree’ to save links and ideas which can be
shared with students and used to support department professional development.
http://www.pearltrees.com
5. Make use of any school / department social media accounts to maximise the ‘instant-
information’ we can provide students with to encourage them to read around their subject
area / see it in its wider context.