C4DI-based EdTech company Cloud Design Box is delivering three free virtual events with partners SalamanderSoft to help teachers and school staff become confident in delivering remote and blended learning to their students.
Throughout January and February, the training sessions are free to anyone who works at a school, college, academy or multi academy trust.
“We understand the pressure teachers have experienced during the last year, and with the new Covid-19 restrictions resulting in many schools juggling remote and in-classroom learning, it’s easy for them to feel overwhelmed and struggle to find the time to adapt lesson plans and materials,” says Tony Phillips, Founder of Cloud Design Box.
“Our sessions aim to show schools how to make the most of the digital tools available, avoid duplication of work, save time on admin and find more time to focus on their students.”
The first session at 10am on Thursday 28 January is on Getting Started with Microsoft Teams. In this session, teachers can learn how best to use Teams to support home and blended learning with confidence, providing some actionable tips on how both staff and students can get started with Microsoft 365.
The second session at 3pm on Thursday 28 January talks about the importance of planning for the long-term when it comes to cloud-based and online learning.
“Cloud-based learning shouldn’t be looked upon as a temporary solution to our current situation, but instead as a tool that can be used to improve learning for the future,” Tony adds.
“By setting out a long-term strategy, we can ensure everyone in your organisation can use the technology with confidence.”
The final session, taking place at 10am on Tuesday 2 February reveals some Best Practices for Microsoft Teams. This session is specially designed for overworked teachers who may be struggling to get to grips with Teams.
Over the last year, Cloud Design Box has been working with schools and colleges across the country to support them with Covid-19 school closures and homeschooling through training and strategy sessions, as well as software set up and implementation.
One of their customers is local Wilberforce College:
“We realised that our students didn’t necessarily have access to lots of digital devices at home, and this was impacting on their ability to carry out independent work. We thought that by using one single platform where they could access all of their learning content on one app would be the best way forward. And that’s why we chose Teams and Cloud Design Box,” says Jonathan Butler, Assistant Principal (Teaching and Learning) at Wilberforce College.
“We’ve been looking for something like Teams for a long time and it’s changed the game for us during lockdown,” says Ashley Howe, STEM Faculty Head at Wilberforce College.
Thanks to Cloud Design Box’s product and training, Wilberforce College has become the only educational institution in Hull and the East Riding to be awarded status as an EdTech DfE Demonstrator College.
“Without the help of Cloud Design Box, we would have never been in the position to achieve this,” says Jonathan Butler.
Cloud Design Box’s training sessions, up until now, have been primarily exclusive to existing customers. However, they are now opening up free places to anyone who works in a school and wants to develop their understanding of Microsoft Teams and how it can be used to deliver learning in and outside of the classroom.
Partner company SalamanderSoft supports Cloud Design Box’s product with its own technology and is looking forward to sharing their knowledge with teachers and school staff:
“It’s been a pleasure to work with Cloud Design Box over the past few years, and we’re very happy to be able to offer these sessions alongside them, to help schools get the most from Microsoft Teams as easily as possible,” says Jon Atkinson, Managing Director of SalamanderSoft.
To find out more about Cloud Design Box’s latest free and virtual events, please head to www.clouddesignbox.co.uk/events.
Additionally, you can follow the company on social media @TeachRemotely on Twitter and @clouddesignbox on Instagram to access their latest tips and tricks for remote and blended learning.