Getting the most from

Kaleidos VTLE

1. Content

2. Synchronisation

This presentation will focus on two important areas to enable you to get the best out of

Kaleidos:

Content for Kaleidos VTLE

Content is key to making Kaleidos VTLE both useful and useable

Content needs to be exciting, and engaging to appeal to students

Content for Kaleidos VTLE

• RM-produced Content• Content Partner Programme• Other 3rd Party Content• Web-based Resources• Home-grown Resources

The content you use in Kaleidos can come from a number of sources:

RM-produced Content

DiscoverAlive

Easiteach

MathsAlive

Content Partner Programme Content Packs

• Approx 30 signed Partners• Over 65 released Content

Packs, including:• Boardworks: KS3&4 cross curricular• Channel 4: KS3 science and geography• Helicon Publishing: KS1-4 reference material • Hodder Murray: KS3&4 maths and science• Immersive Education: KS2&3 Kar2ouche content • Oxford University Press: KS3 science• Nelson Thornes: KS2&3 cross curricular• Sunflower: KS3 science

Content Examples

Please visit www.rm.com/kaleidos/content

Content - Other Published SCORM Content

• Should load and play in some form• May not display user friendly structure

– e.g. simple collection of resources, or …– one resource per pack

• May not allow full searching of resources– will not be tagged to curriculum objectives– keyword searching may be limited

• These issues apply to all VLEs• Therefore, we recommend content from

Publishers with this logo:

Content - Web-Based Resources• A Kaleidos VTLE resource can be built

around a URL– Can still be tagged, assigned, searched for– Changes made to the website will be

reflected in Kaleidos– The resource will be accessible out of

school

• Learning Object Repositories– Available in the next Kaleidos VLE version 3– 3rd party web-based subscription services,

eg BBC Jam - RM is working to make about 250 packs freely available to schools

Content - Home-Grown Resources• A Kaleidos VTLE resource can be created

from any existing file– Powerpoint, Word, Easiteach, HTML, … (NB: viewer software needed on each PC)

• As much or as little tagging as desired• Resources can be:

– Structured in folders– Shared between users– Searched for– Built into courses– Assigned to students

• A Kaleidos resource can link to a file on a school network- to use a large multimedia file (eg DVD)

- to access a file that is frequently updated- avoids duplicating the resource

(NB this type of resource cannot be accessed across the internet)

Content - Home-Grown Resources

Content – Getting theBest out of Kaleidos

• Importing home-grown resources one at a time can be very time-consuming

• Therefore, it is recommended to download and use BITT (Bulk Import & Tagging Tool)

Content - BITT(Bulk Import & Tagging Tool)• Allows users to import a number of

resources in one go• Import a complete folder or folders

– You may retain or discard the folder structure

• Users can automatically create a course• Full tagging capability

– Tags applied to multiple resources at once

• No tagging option– Users can elect not to add tags– Keywords are created from file, and folder

names, as well as the Kaleidos importer’s username

– Needs only 30 secs. of user time

Teachers resources already sit in folders on hard drive

BITT – screen shotsS

tep

1 o

f 3

BITT – screen shotsS

tep

2 o

f 3

BITT – screen shotsS

tep

3 o

f 3

The folder structure and resources are imported into Kaleidos and a course created

The course is ready to use

• BITT has now started to be rolled out• Check the RM website for details of its

availability: www.RM.com/supportSelect:“Knowledge Library”. Open the“Educational Software” directory, then“Kaleidos”, finally select“Utilities for Kaleidos VTLE v2.1” for an update

Recommended Best Practice with BITT:

• Break down importing resources into small chunks to avoid lengthy synchronisation

This will benefit both the BITT user and other userswhen they next logon.

Content - BITT

Content - choices• Bought-in content:

– meets the needs;– is professionally produced;– has far more time spent on it than teachers can

spend;– costs money;– teachers have to get to know the product

• Home-grown content:– already exists;– costs less;– teachers are familiar with it;– requires time to create VTLE resource with

tagging etc for sharing;– does not have the professional finish

Content - Recommendation

• To get going use bought-in contentgives a quick start, with early ‘wins’helps you understand what worksand what you need

• Then import your own resourcesuse familiar resourcesdon’t import everythingmake use of your existing resources

SynchronisationThis is at the heart of one of the key

features of Kaleidos:the ability for users to work

offline.Anytime, anywhere without internet or network

connection

This feature distinguishes Kaleidos from other similar products.

The following diagram shows how the various options link together…

School Network Clients Data available across network instantly

Mobile Client (laptop, home PC)

Can be used anywhere without any

internet or network connection.

(also applies when Mobile Client is used at school)

Student Thin Client Must be

connected to the Internet to work

(also applies to student use at home)

RM Datacentre

School

Server

Kaleidos: how different computers exchange data

Synchronises with RM

when connected to the Internet

Synchronises with RM throughthe Internet

Must be connected to the internet to work. Synchronises with RM

Synchronising - ScenariosTeacher on a Mobile Client

Teacher on a Network Client

Changes to

Shared Area

Changes to

My Area

Students can now access assignments from home

Available on N/wk Client:

When next user logs in

on a Network

Client

Available on N/wk Client:

When this teacher logs

in on a Network

Client

For work to be available

on other Network Clients

For work to be

available on Mobile/

Thin Clients

No synchronisatio

n required

Synchronisation takes

place on log out

Synchronises with RM Datacentre when connected to the internet

All work is immediately

available

All work is now available remotely

Recommended Best Practice:

• If teacher and students are on Network Clients no synchronisation is necessary. So, to assign work to be done in school, it is better for the teacher to be on a Network Client.

• Always put courses or resources that need to be shared with any other teachers or students in the Shared Area rather than My Area.

• Get into the habit of logging on to Kaleidos on a Network Client PC as soon as possible after having worked on a Mobile Client. This will force synchronisation of My Area to occur.

Synchronisation for Mobile Clients

First Logon to a New Mobile Client

• When a new mobile client is added to an existing installation there could be a lot of material to be synchronised, eg resources, tests, tasks etc.

• This means the very first logon can take a long time.

Recommended Best Practice:For new mobile clients perform their first logon

well before they will be used.

• The first Kaleidos logon of the day is sometimes slower than subsequent logons because changes to the Shared Area made by Mobile Client users since the last synchronisation have to be synchronised. This may noticeably affect only the first user in the whole school to log on, especially after weekends or holidays.

Recommended Best Practice:

Perform a Kaleidos logon as early in the day as possible, so that any synchronisation of the Shared Area will complete before Kaleidos is used in a classroom.

First School Logon of the Day

• When a resource is copied to My Area or Shared Area, a duplicate of that resource is created and the link to the original is broken.This applies to:

resources copied from My Area or Shared Area;resources copied from the Search results pane.

This means that if large resources are copied, disk space will be consumed and synchronisation will take longer.

• Adding a resource to a course does not make a copy.A course is not like a folder holding lots of files – it is a list that points to the required resources.

Recommended Best Practice:• Only ever have ONE copy of a resource in

Kaleidos.• Use courses to employ the same resource for

multiple purposes.

Synchronisation – Copies of Resources

• How much of a school's digital resources should be imported from the network file system into the Kaleidos VTLE datastore?

Recommended Best Practice:• Files from the school network system should only be

imported into Kaleidos when it is certain that they will need to be delivered and assigned using Kaleidos.

• Only add resources you know you will use in courses.

This helps to minimise the time for synchronisation.

Synchronisation – Copies of Resources

Recommended Best Practice:1. If teacher and students are on Network Clients no

synchronisation is necessary. So, to assign work to be done in school, it is better for the teacher to be on a Network Client.

2. Always put courses or resources that need to be shared with other teachers or students in the Shared Area rather than My Area.

3. Log on to Kaleidos on a Network Client PC as soon as possible after having worked on a Mobile Client. This will force synchronisation of My Area to occur.

4. Perform a Kaleidos logon as early in the day as possible, so that any synchronisation of the Shared Area will complete before Kaleidos is used in a classroom.

5. For new Mobile Clients perform their first logon well before they will be used.

6. Files from the school network system should only be imported into Kaleidos when it is certain that they will need to be delivered and assigned using Kaleidos.

7. Only ever have ONE copy of a resource in Kaleidos.8. Use courses to employ the same resource for multiple

purposes.