Stream Transcripts

Have played around with Microsoft Stream a little recently but only briefly, when I spotted someone having issues exporting the automatically created transcripts.     The issue is the transcripts are formatted with time codes and the person wanted only the text of the transcript without all of the timecodes.   Removing manually was a pain but thankfully the format of the transcript files appeared uniform in nature…….time to roll out the Macro code and some VBA

As such I put together the below simple VBA code to delete the timecode lines and leave only the text.   Will admit the code isn’t particularly tidy but my intention was to simply hack together a solution as opposed to creating elegant code.

The Code:

Sub Macro1()

Dim introw As Integer

introw = 7

Do While Cells(introw, 1).Value <> “”

Rows(introw – 2).EntireRow.Delete
Rows(introw – 2).EntireRow.Delete
Rows(introw – 1).EntireRow.Delete
introw = introw + 1

Loop

End Sub

Now I will admit that I havent tested the code on more than a basic level, having run it on a couple of transcripts I have.   Please let me know if you have issues with it.

*Update: It would appear WordPress converts the minus ( – ) character in my code to a similar looking character in the above.   As such you may get a syntax error if copying and pasting.  If so just delete and replace the minus with the correct character in your code.

2019, another new year

It is that time again to write my new years resolutions, my pledges for the year ahead and once again I face the same challenge.   I could select SMART targets such as to read 12 books but in picking something so easily measurable there is a danger that I focus on the target, and select 12 books which are shorter and easier to read rather than picking more challenging reads, which may take more time to read however in the long term will be more useful.    There is also danger that I pick a target that I then quickly achieve early in the year, leaving me to look back at the end of 2019 having achieved everything in the first couple of months.    The other option is I pick bigger goals such as to develop my understanding of learning and how individuals learn.    This is a much bigger goal however is difficult to measure in terms of my success in achieving it.

For 2019 my plan is to set some over arching strategic targets, which are big goals, but within each to also indicate some initial shorter SMART targets.   My hope is this should give me a balance of micro and macro level goals.

And so onto the new years resolutions, pledges or goals for the year ahead:

Family                                 

A key target for the year ahead is to have a family holiday together.    This is something we haven’t done for a while, other than last summer.   As such I think this should now become an annual event as it gives the opportunity to spend some uninterrupted family time together, to decompress and to relax.

A wider target would be to make more family time together.   This needs to involve actually sitting down to dinner together, to playing football with my youngest, to going out as a family on the occasional weekend.   Myself and my wife will also need to seek to make more time for each other, with “date night” a clear possibility however given our working patterns we will need to work on resolving the logistical issues.

Exercise, Wellbeing and Reading

This year rather than having separate targets for exercise and readings I have decided to roll them all up into a single area for focus.

In terms of SMART targets, my key targets will be to complete the 9 weeks of Couch to 5K before the end of the calendar year and to read my usual 12 books, one book per month.

Looking towards a wider target, I want to feel happier in myself at the end of the year.   This will mean trying to strike a balance between work and personal life.    In with work I include my efforts in blogging and posting on social media.   My work doesn’t just include my job but includes other tasks and activities which I do as part of my wider professional contribution to education and to IT.  I would also like to start podcasting during 2019 however I need to be conscious that I need to achieve a better work/life balance and to be more comfortable taking time out to relax.

Professional Development

Having achieved certifications in each of the last three years, and conscious of the fact that I will need to re-certify which will require me to repeat my exams, I am not going to set myself a target of a specific certification in 2019.   Instead I am going to focus on some specific areas of interest with these being cyber security and data analytics in particular.   I hope to be able to use Udemy courses and various books as my method of study with a view to being knowledgeable and experienced in relation to these topics by the time 2019 draws to a close.

Work

I have found thinking about work targets a little difficult as I have a number of projects currently underway which therefore could all make for good, SMART, targets.   It is therefore key for me to think about what is most important and for this I think the development of a key statement of the schools IT strategy, to be shared with all staff and pupils, is most important.   Linked to this will be our approach to staff training on EdTech and also our device strategy for the next couple of years.    As it stands we are using 1:1 iPads however with these devices up for review in the next couple of years, now is the time to consider alternatives and make a decision as to the devices we will be using for the next 4 or 5 years.

As a more strategic goal I think my key area to work on in 2019 will be empowering my team such that they can lead on various projects across the school.    I think this year I need to make more use of my middle leaders and their skills, experience and knowledge and support them to be more proactive.

Overall

I have noted on social media a number of people identifying a single word to symbolise their plans for 2019.    I have given this some thought to try and identify what word I would most identify with and in my case it would be:

Balance

I need to reach balance as I seek to engage in social media, contributing to both the education and IT sectors, deliver as a Director of IT, be successful as a family member, father and husband and continue to develop as a professional and a person.    Balance therefore seems like the most important word.    My hope would be that next year when I get to the end of the year I can be more positive on what has been achieved having actually built in time to sit and reflect throughout the year, rather than rushing to cram everything in and finding the year has sped past in the blink of an eye.

And so 2018 draws to a close and 2019 begins.   I look forward to the year ahead which would be my 21st year working within education.    I have worked in international schools, further education, higher education, state schools and now independent schools.    I wonder what new opportunities and challenges I can find or create in the year ahead.

Summary: My 2018

And so another year comes to an end.    2018 has flown by although as I think back I realise how much has been accomplished during the year.   That said the year hasn’t been without its challenges.

In reviewing the year I am going to use the same headings I used when I created my new years resolutions and pledges a year ago.   These seem to make for a sensible framework for writing this review.

Family

During the summer of 2018 was the first time in around 10 years that myself, my wife and our youngest went on a family holiday abroad.    We have each been abroad separately for various reasons, including school trips or returning to the UK while we were living out in the UAE, however we never did these together.     Our week away in Tenerife was both enjoyable and relaxing and something which hopefully we will repeat either this year or next.   The weather was very warm and we went for daily walks, plus had a few beers as well.   The fact that the world cup was on at the same time was also a benefit as we went and watched a few games in a pub on the seafront.   It was all an opportunity to decompress, relax and reorient towards what is important.

During the year I have also spent time out on the football park with my youngest.    This has been nice in spending time together as opposed to both of us sitting on our respective computers either gaming or watching TV or doing work.    It is something I need to do more of.

Looking back on the year though, other than the holiday I don’t think we made enough time for each other as a family and this is something we will all need to consider and work to resolve in 2019.

Fitness

Fitness has long been something I have wanted to improve albeit with very little improvement being made.   I have acknowledged this lack of progress in my review of the year over the last couple of years.   This year I finally made some progress engaging in Couch to 5k.    I managed to get quite a few weeks of running in, running every 3 times per week.    I only managed to get to week 5, however managed to get to this point on multiple occasions before the winter weather and dark mornings kicked in.    In the grand scheme of things only getting to week 5 isn’t a massive achievement but considering my lack of progress over multiple years means it is a major improvement and major progress on my previous level of fitness.   Week 5 means running 3 times per week, for over a month, a level of consistency I have never previously got close to.   I hope to restart my couch to 5k efforts early in the new year as soon as the dark morning cease.

Reading

I continue to enjoy reading and 2018 was no different with me once again working my way through more than 12 books throughout the course of the year.   As before I have tried to pick books across a number of different topic areas, however continue to focus on non-fiction as opposed to fiction.    I think reading across different topics makes the experience of reading more interesting plus is more useful in that it allows me to see different viewpoints on various topics and concepts.   This year neurobiology, digital citizenship and psychology have been just a small number of topics which I have read about.   I have, as I did last year, already started filling my book shelve with my books for 2019.   Christmas marks a great opportunity to get some titles lined up for the year ahead.

Professional Development

2018 saw me complete my CRISC exam and receive certification.   This means I have now achieved CISA, CISSP and CRISC in consecutive years.    On considering my next steps I am conscious that each of these certifications will require me to redo the exam and therefore I am reluctant to take on CISM or CGEIT which are the other two certifications I might otherwise consider.

During 2018 I also started some non-certificated PD in a couple of areas including cyber security and also data analytics.   Sadly in both cases I didn’t make much progress which I suspect was largely due to the lack of a fixed exam date or something to help me maintain my motivation.    This is something I need to bear into consideration in future.

Throughout the year I also engaged in a number of smaller professional development activities relating to specific work areas or areas of personal focus.   This included spending time learning how to better use PowerBI plus learning about GDPR in preparation for the May 2018 implementation date.

Work

GDPR was a significant area of focus during 2018 and I think largely this went well.   There are obviously ongoing requirements in relation to GDPR but I think this is in hand.

It has been a very challenging year for me as Director of IT and I think these challenges will continue into 2019.   That said, if things were easy I would suggest that maybe I am not being innovative enough or seeking new solutions with sufficient vigour.     I need to try to remain more positive and focus on the fact that time often solves issues in a way that simple effort cannot, or at least cannot as easily achieve.

I also need to accept that frustrations will occur especially when dealing with the views and perspectives of others.   I need to be conscious that my “truth” may not necessarily be the truth of others and therefore I need to more appreciative of their views and their truth, and use this to help me in bringing them around to my view or to reaching a negotiated viewpoint.

From a teaching point of view I continue to work with Lower 6 students.   I need to acknowledge that my role and therefore the significant reduction in the time I spend in a classroom has meant I don’t feel things go as well as I would like.    This is something I need to work on in the year ahead, redesigning the way I approach the sessions I deliver.

Conclusion

2018 draws to a close and 2019 is almost upon us.   2018 has been a busy year and in this it has flown by.   I find myself a little bit depressed at the moment and I think that is simply the result of realising I have reached the end of the year, and realising that maybe despite being busy I haven’t achieved as much as I would have liked in the areas I would consider to have been important.   This focus on that which is important is something I will need to be more cognizant of in 2019.    It may also be related to a deflated feeling having reached the end of the year and not being quite so busy, having spent the whole year being very busy.   A lack of a to do list, lessons to do, meetings to attend, etc, leaves me feeling as if something is missing, leading me to feel a little depressed.   I need to be wary of this as life is more than just work, blogging, etc, and sometimes you need to stop and simply enjoy the scenery.

I also think I need to be more conscious of my own feelings and of how to manage these.   The cold wet winter combined with the dark days seem to have made me feel down during the opening months of 2018 when looking back on my journal, and as we again are in winter the same appears to be occurring now, and therefore is likely to continue into the start of 2019.   I need to find a way to manage this in myself possibly through treating myself or finding another way to lift my spirits.

So 2018 is almost finished.   Bring on 2019.   Let me wish you all the very best for 2019.

My 2018 reading list

2018 saw me once again complete my target of reading one book per month, a total of twelve books during the course of the year.

My books this year were:

  • The fourth education revolution, Anthony Seldon
  • Make it stick, Peter C Brown, Henry L Roediger and Mark A McDaniel
  • SUMO (Shut up and move on), Paul McGee
  • The upside of rationality, Dan Ariely
  • Open, David Price
  • The gift of failure, Jessica Lahey
  • Change, Richard Gerver
  • The Cyber Effect, Mary Aiken
  • The $100 Startup, Chris Guillebeau
  • The marshmallow effect, Walker Mischel
  • Mindfulness, Gill Hasson
  • The Art of balance, David J Bookbinder
  • Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error, Kathryn Schulz
  • It’s complicated, Danah Boyd

I am also currently part way through Behave: The biology of humans at our best and worst by Robert Sapolsky.   Am hoping to have it finished before the year is out but acknowledge that is quite a heavy text which thus far has included plenty of technical discussion of neurobiology.   As such I am not sure if I will manage to complete it this year.

Looking back the book list is a bit of a mix covering various topics including neuroscience, educational technology, the impact of social media and the internet, and mindfulness.

On reflection I think my favourite books from this years reading have to be Make It Stick, Being Wrong and the Cyber Effect.   Make It Stick covers so much about how learning takes place and how a lot of what goes on in the traditional classroom doesn’t align with what research tells us about how we learn.   There are lots of suggestions as to how we might redesign learning or at least experiment in classrooms with different approaches more in line with research findings as to successful learning.   The Cyber Effect presents an interesting exploration of cyberpsychology, exploring how our behaviours online and offline differ.    From the point of view of an educator this has interesting implications for the students within our schools where they are spending more and more time online however personally I believe it has even wider implications for society at large given changing normative behaviour.  And finally, Being Wrong was a book I found very interesting in its coverage of the difficult topic of “being wrong”.    That we as human beings can progress through life in such assuredness as to our correctness, when we are so often wrong, through differing perspective, through inaccurate recollection or memory and through a variety of other errors.  That we can, upon realising our error, change our stance and in the future forget that any such change in position ever occurred.   We are almost hardwired for ease over accuracy.

I am already in the process of building my initial booklist for 2019 with nine books on the list, albeit one of the books is something I have read before.

  • Hamlets Blackberry, William Power
  • Declutter your life, Gill Hasson
  • Twitter Power 2.0, Joel Comm and Anthony Robbins
  • Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
  • Dare to Lead, Brené Brown
  • The power of meaning, Emily Esfahani Smith
  • The chimp paradox, Steve Peters
  • Mistakes were made (but not by me), Carol Tavris
  • 10 mindframes for visible learning, John Hattie and Klaus Zierer

Here’s to 2019 being another successful and enjoyable year of reading.   As always I am open to suggestions and recommendations so please feel free to share.

Some thoughts on educational research

We want our educational efforts to be informed by research as research will be able to show us what works and what does not.   Hattie’s longitudinal study for example indicated the effect size of various educational interventions, drawn from a large number of studies conducted over a significant period of time.   From this research we can identify the activities that we need to do more of and the activities which have little effect and therefore we shouldn’t spend as much time on.   This all seems simple.    Taking a research informed approach seems logical so why wouldn’t you take this approach?

As is normally the case the world isn’t as tidy and simple as we would like it.    Hattie’s study is a good example of research in that it gathered data from across a number of different studies and contexts, plus over a period of time.   It therefore presented findings which could be more easily generalised across educational settings and contexts.   The issue here is the generalisable nature of the findings.    It means that the findings “generally” hold true.   In specific contexts or situations it is therefore possible that the findings may not hold true.   Looking at education in general this is all well in good but teachers are dealing with individual students in their classrooms and therefore should be seeking to find what works for each child.    Holding too strong a view in relation to research findings may lead to practices that don’t work with certain students being applied because the research shows they “generally” work.   Worse still it could lead to practices that do work in a given situation and/or context being labelled as “generally” inappropriate and not being tried.     We need to see educational research as a guide but be careful to understand that in some situations, doing the opposite may equally be effective.

Hattie’s study is based on a thorough and large data set meaning its statistical reliability is reasonable high.   One problem with educational research is that most studies are not based on such a large data set.   They are often based on a very small sample of schools and students.   Studies are often conducted within a specific context such as a certain geographical area, national or region culture, certain age range or curriculum subject.    The validity of the findings when generalised outside the context of the study is often questionable.   I remember my own masters level study when we were guided on the need to state that the findings “suggested” or “pointed towards” as opposed to “demonstrating” or “showing” something to be true.   You will find in most good education research a similar language in the conclusions.    Without a large amount of data gathered from different contexts across a period of time it is highly unlikely any research findings can be generally applied across all or even most educational contexts.    Even where findings are generalizable this doesn’t mean they are replicable in an individual context.

I need to be clear, I am not saying we shouldn’t use educational research in directing practice in individual schools and classrooms.   What I am saying is we should do so with an awareness of the limitations, and bear these in mind.

Working with a Surface Go: Week 2

Have now reached the end of my 2nd week using a MS Surface device as my main device.   Must admit the Go continues to grow on me as a device, however there are a few compromises or issues.

During the week I managed to get a Microsoft wireless display adapter.    This is a very simply little device which just plugs into a display or data projector via HDMI and then gets its power from the USB connection on the display device.   As such it was very simple to setup.   Following setup my first concern was the unit we had appeared to have very limited range, and therefore my Go didn’t pick it up despite being only a couple meters away.   I suspect if deploying to classrooms across school we would need to consider an Enterprise grade solution as opposed to these adapters, so that connection could be via the school Wi-Fi, given our Wi-Fi coverage is very good.   Once connected managing the settings of the adapter was easy.  It was simply a case of downloading the appropriate app, connecting to the adapter and then controlling it from there, including setting a password so that pupils cant simply change the setup plus also setting a pin code to stop pupils connecting across classrooms.   All very easy to do such that the adapters could be quickly and easily deployed however the range would be a concern.   Once going I really liked that while presenting via my Go device, it hid my email pop ups.   As such no GDPR issues with email details showing in pop ups which appear on displays for all pupils to see.

This week I started making greater use of inking to take notes and annotate documents.   I don’t particularly like Edge as a browser, preferring Chrome however liked I liked the ability to use Edge to display a web page then to use inking for highlighting and annotating the page before saving this to OneNote for later review or to share with pupils.   I could see real potential in the use of this functionality in lessons.

OneNote in particular has came into its own this week in being able to drop documents into a page for reference, or to drop them in as a print, for annotation.  I have also spent more time taking notes on screen using the stylus, having decided to force myself to do this.   Normally I carry a blue book around with me to write my notes, thoughts, etc, in so this week to force myself to use the Go I locked my blue book away.   It tool a little bit of time to get used to drawing on the screen and the different sensation provided when compared with writing on paper.  In addition it also took time to get used to the smaller writing surface of the Go when compared to an A4 book.  I know that a Surface Pro would provide me a bigger surface than the Go however it would also result in surfacing some of the portability and weight benefits presented by the Go, not to mention the additional cost.   Once I got use to the smaller screen size I quickly started scrolling around in OneNote to take my notes, and then zooming in and out to review or edit.    It didn’t take me long before this was working well and I could quickly take my notes as before.

I did during the week have one issue with my Go when it seemed to get stuck logging me in while I was chairing a meeting.   This was a little annoying as I needed to rely on others to remind me of the agenda given I couldn’t access it on my device while it logged in.    This continues to be a concern, in the little glitches that occur in using a windows device versus the more reliable nature of an iPad.   The flip side though to this is that the Go and Windows provide me a full desktop experience and allow me to do much more than the apps on an iPad.    This therefore is a decision of accepting which trade offs you are willing to make.   For now my trial with the Surface Go will continue, and I will make a decision further down the line once I have more time with the device under my belt.   The dreaded Windows Update also made an appearance during the week, however thankfully not at a critical point in my day.

One of my concerns with the Go has always been the overall processing power of the device so this week I decided to put some of that to the test.   I opened a couple of large spreadsheets in addition to my email, plus also tried working in PowerBI.   All in all the Go was a little slow however not significantly slow.   It actually pleasantly surprised me in its ability to handle this processing work.  I will note that a larger spreadsheet with pivot tables, etc, is likely to cause to Go to pause as it processes the data, however for the normal kind of data I would expect to see teachers using, including tracking sheets, the Go should be up to the task.

And so my second week with the Surface Go had a few issues, but it hasn’t had me reaching back for my laptop and A4 book.   I am even using the Go to type this post, sat on my couch, with the Go perched on my lap.    Onwards to week 3.

 

 

 

 

 

Teacher5aday calendar: Dec 1st

 

Taking up the #Teacher5aday Calendar challenge see below for my “3 things you are most looking forward to over the festive period”

One of the things I am looking forward to doing over the Christmas break is reading.   I currently have just started reading Behave by Robert Sapolsky however haven’t made much progress in the last week or so.   I note that it is quite a substantial book running at 675 pages excluding the appendices.   I also have a book on Data Science which has been sat on my bedside table for a while now.

I am also looking forward to doing my annual reflection and pledge.    Actually setting time aside to look back on 2018 and the successes and challenges is very useful.  In the day to day it is often difficult to see what has been accomplished so to put time aside to actually sit down an reflect is very useful   It is also useful to consider those things which haven’t been done and those things I want to tackle in the year ahead, and to put some initial prioritization into these, identifying what is really important and what is less so.

And my final item is family time.   My wife will be largely busy during Christmas so I will be stealing whatever time she has free, and outside this plan to spend some time with my son working on our new PC and also having a kick around on the football park.      We are hopefully going to explore podcasting and video/audio editing which is something we both have an interest in.

 

Surface Go: After one week of use.

Microsoft’s new Surface Go device has caught my eye in its potential to bridge the gap between a desktop and a tablet.  It is due to this I got a trial device for a week however as with any limited trial there is a massive difference between having the device for a couple of days and having to live with it for a prolonged period of time.

Following reading Kevin Sait’s (@kevin_sait) piece (you can read this here) on how he gave up their Surface Pro to try a Go I decided to do the same.   And so, it was early in the week I closed my Dell XPS laptop and picked up a Go device with the plan to use it as my sole machine for the coming weeks and months, dependent on how successful the device was.   This therefore represents my initial thoughts after just under a week of using the Go as my sole device.

My first issue with the Go was the large number of un-needed apps which cluttered up its Start screen.    Thankfully this just took a little time for me to tidy up and if deploying large number of devices we would most likely make use of inTune and Autopilot to customise the start screen, etc before devices get into the hands of users.  I would therefore not really consider this much of an issue.

On the positive side, one of the things I really liked was having the go hooked up to my docking station where it happily powered two 24” screens plus charged via a single USB-C connection.     The fact that a single connector allowed me to benefit from a proper keyboard and mouse, two screens, wired network access and also provided charge to the device was perfect.   I should note that I was originally under the impression that the Go didn’t charge via the USB-C however this is not the case; it is quite happy charging but I am led to believe you will need to make sure the dock provides more than 15watts of power.    This all means my morning just involves pulling the device from my bag and connecting the USB-C and then the end of my day is simply a case of pulling the connector out and slipping the Go back into my bag.

Another positive related to the above was Thursday morning when I had an early meeting.   Midway through doing emails and working on a couple of documents I realised I had allowed time to slip a little.    Realising I needed to get a move on to be at my meeting I quickly disconnected from the dock and went on my way.   Arriving on time to the meeting things were a little slow to get started so I was able to simply grab a couple of minutes working on emails and my documents on my Go right from where I left off.  The benefits of having a device which was my desktop and my mobile device were clear.

Having bought one of Microsoft Type Covers, the keyboard size and the usability of it when compared to a standard clamshell laptop was a concern for me.     This doesn’t seem to cause me the difficulties I had anticipated.   I am actually sat on my couch typing this on my lap and neither the keyboard size or the fact it isn’t really a proper keyboard are causing me any problems.   I am able to maintain my usual respectable typing speed.   I will admit to it not quite being as comfortable and easy to use as a standard clamshell however I suspect this is simply due to years of habit, and of using a laptop.  With time I suspect I will become much more used to the slight flexibility and less sturdy feel which the type cover provides when compared with a normal clamshell laptops keyboard.

In meetings I found myself quickly taking notes using the stylus and OneNote has been my app of choice.   In addition I have also been making use of Office Lens to capture pictures of documents ready for annotation pus I have also started making use of Microsoft Whiteboard.   Being able to easily scribbled notes, draw diagrams and also annotate documents has been very beneficial.

A second issue I did find with the Go was that when I am taking written notes or when annotating I prefer to do this with the type keyboard disconnected.    The issue I had was that I disconnected in my office before going to the meeting.   Upon arriving at the meeting I found myself having to enter my login credentials however I had one hand holding the device and therefore only one hand to type my password on the onscreen keyboard.   This was far from ideal especially as I have a reasonably long password complete with the usual mix of uppercase, lowercase and numbers.    Thankfully again Microsoft have a solution in Microsoft Hello which allows for devices to have an easier login method such as a simple passcode.    At this point we are just looking into this however it does appear as if it will be the answer to this issue.

One thing which I am still to experiment with, which will be really key, is screen mirroring.    At this point I haven’t tested this however the intention is to get a device capable of mirroring, such as Microsoft’s own HDMI and USB solution.    I will provide my thoughts and feedback after I have had a chance to try this including actually using it in a class with students.

It has only been just under a week of me working with the Surface Go as my sole device however the experience so far has been reasonably positive.  Working alongside the Microsoft suite of apps including OneDrive, Teams, Lens, etc, the surface has so far been up to the job.  In the coming weeks we will see if it can keep up this standard as I present it with more challenging work tasks.   I will of course continue to share my thoughts as my use of the device continues.

 

 

 

 

Microsoft PowerBI

Microsoft PowerBI is an excellent tool for use in presenting and analysing school data, allowing staff to explore and interact with data which traditionally may be locked away in complex and very flat spreadsheets.

Schools have access to a massive amount of data.   This includes information about each student, academic data from assessment and testing, or from professional judgments made by teachers.    Secondary schools will also have baseline data such as the Centre for evaluation and monitoring (CEM) MIDYIS or ALIS data.   You will have data on attendance and on where students have been acknowledged for their efforts, or where they have had to be warned regarding poor effort or behaviour.  The above only scratches the surface of the available data.   For me this has long been a challenge in that all of this data is usually in difficult to read spreadsheets, where without well developed skills in using excel for example, trends and patterns will not be easy to identify. Even with well developed spreadsheet skills, attempts to analyse and interpret will be time consuming.  In addition it is often extremely difficult to bring together data sets such as looking for possible links between academic data, behaviour, attendance, etc.

PowerBI allows you to take all of this data and start exploring it.    You can create reports which present the data in simple graphical form however allow for the data to be explored.    For example you might display the count of behaviour issues by gender.   Clicking on a given gender would then filter to this gender, thereby allowing you to see other graphs such as academic performance or attendance by the selected gender, but also still showing the full cohort average, thereby allowing you to see where a particular subset of students vary from the average.

The above example shows how PowerBI displays focus on a given subset of data within graphs.  The dark pink bars relate to the selected focus whereas the light pink show dark for the whole data set.

Clicking other graphs would then allow you to easily explore other subsets of the data.   You can create reports allowing filtering by SEN status, native language, gender, subject, year and any other fields for which you have data.

PowerBI also comes with its own analytics engine which will analyse your data and identify where subsets of your data deviate from the average.     It is clear Microsoft are continuing to develop this functionality as when I first used this it identified correlations which were obvious and therefore of little use however more recently when I have used the analytics it has identified some more useful correlations.   I suspect this area will be further developed over time bringing greater potential for how it could be used.

The one drawback with PowerBI at this point is licensing.    For free you can create your PowerBI reports for individual use or can share these as files for viewing in the Desktop application complete with full editing rights however the main potential as I see it is to centrally create PowerBI reports and share them via Sharepoint so that staff can access as and when required but without the ability to change the report and without the complexity of the desktop applications interface.   You basically present them with a web page of the data for staff to interact with and explore using the graphs and other visuals and filtering provided by the person who creates the report.   For this Microsoft are currently charging a per user per month cost.      Given the potential power which PowerBI could provide to schools my hope is that Microsoft will eventually reconsider this and make PowerBI more affordable for use by schools.

PowerBI for me is about putting school data in the hands of staff in a way that is quick and easily to interpret plus usable.   It is about being able to explore data by simply clicking on individual elements and about using the data we already capture more efficiently.    With carefully crafted reports, generated through discussion with staff, the time taken to manage and analyse school data can be reduced, yet staff can be empowered to know and use the available school data appropriately.   If you haven’t tried PowerBI with you school data I would recommend you give it a try.

 

Microsoft Stream

Stream is another of the many Microsoft Office 365 apps which are available.   Stream is basically a video streaming solution designed in a similar vain to Microsoft Teams in that Groups are created and within a group, various channels can be created.

I have recently started experimenting using Stream to host our user training videos for our IT Services department.   Stream allows me to easily upload the videos and then provide a description including hashtags so that users can easily find videos when they need them.    As such users can easily find the training videos which relate to Microsoft Teams, to our management information system or to other topics based on the tagging of each video.

Another little feature of Stream is that it automatically processes the audio from uploaded videos and creates subtitles.    This makes videos accessible for those who may have a hearing impairment.  This seems like an excellent idea however in my initial tests it wasn’t sufficiently accurate to be of use and in some cases managed to create some spectacularly confusing sentences.   Thankfully you can easily download the created subtitle files, correct them and then re-upload them thereby solving this issue.   I would also suspect it may work better for those without a (mild) Glasgow accent like myself, plus I also think with time the engine which processes the audio will only get better and more accurate.

Outside of our current experimentation with Stream I wonder about using it with students where they might create a school news programme which is shared video stream or they might create vlogs as part of a project.    The walled garden of Stream makes it ideal for these kinds of uses as students can share with their peers and staff with the content limited to those within the school rather than the wider internet.

Stream, currently, is a rather basic app however in terms of allowing you to upload and share video content, often all that is needed is a simple app.   Stream therefore fits nicely.