Microsoft 365 User Adoption for Schools, MATs and Districts Cloud Design Box

In this episode of the Cloud Design Box podcast, join Darren Hemming as he delves into an engaging conversation with Emma Gray, the visionary Product Manager behind Microsoft's innovative tool, Search Coach. With a background enriched by journalism and a deep technical expertise in engineering and physics, Emma brings a unique perspective to the table, discussing the critical role of information literacy in education and beyond.

Discover how Search Coach, developed in collaboration with leading educational experts, aims to equip both educators and students with the skills necessary to navigate the increasingly complex information landscape. From tackling the challenges of echo chambers and social media algorithms to fostering critical thinking and discernment, this podcast covers the importance of mental resilience and the concept of AI literacy in the digital age.

Learn about the practical applications of Search Coach in the classroom, how it integrates seamlessly into Microsoft Class Teams, and the benefits it offers in enhancing learning outcomes without disrupting class priorities. Emma also shares insights on the upcoming releases, including Search Progress and curriculum planning lessons designed to empower students and teachers alike.

Whether you're an educator seeking to incorporate information literacy into your curriculum, a parent interested in the educational tools available for your child, or simply curious about the intersection of technology and education, this podcast offers valuable insights into the future of learning in the digital age.

Tune in to explore how Microsoft's Search Coach is shaping the way we understand, use, and teach information literacy, preparing students for a future where critical thinking and information discernment are key. Don't miss this captivating discussion on the role of technology in education and the wider benefits of empowering the next generation with the tools they need to succeed.

Check out our website for the services and products we offer for Microsoft 365, Teams and SharePoint at https://www.clouddesignbox.co.uk

Contact us now for more information via the website https://www.clouddesignbox.co.uk/contact
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Microsoft Learning Accelerators aim to make education more accessible by providing students with vital tools to develop their learning, while teaching them essential skills in further education and later in their professional life. 

Visit the Cloud Design Box website for more information.
In our latest Microsoft 365 User Adoption podcast, the Cornerstone Academy Trust (TCAT) reveals how they’re embracing the new Microsoft Learning Accelerators to enhance teaching and learning. 
About The Cornerstone Academy Trust


TCAT is a multi academy trust comprising four primary schools in southwest England.  
Its motto – “Fortune Favours the Brave”, is unequivocally reflected in its forward-thinking approach to technology in education. The MAT is a Microsoft Training Academy and runs a DfE English Hub, Behaviour Hub, a Science Learning Partnership and is also part of the West Country Computer Science Hub.  
Cloud Design Box (CDB) has been working with TCAT since 2018 to develop a modern intranet in SharePoint and Teams, facilitating communication at the MAT-level and within the individual schools. 
By automating the management of various Class Teams and Staff Teams across the schools based on daily MIS data, the CDB team helped TCAT establish a strong digital foundation for teaching and learning. CDB has also provided comprehensive training and consultancy to TCAT through workshops and an online training portal, ensuring that colleagues stay updated on Microsoft’s digital tools for education. 
Jonathan Bishop, CEO of TCAT, joins podcast host and CDB Chief Operations Officer, Darren Hemming, to talk about the impact of the new Microsoft Learning Accelerators and how Reading and Search Coach are empowering students to become independent, avid learners.  
Enhancing reading skills with Reading Coach.


Reading Coach – available within Microsoft Teams and Immersive Reader – provides students with valuable opportunities to practice reading and improve their skills.  

Empowering independent learners with Search Coach.  


Search Coach helps students develop their research skills when searching the web. The tool can be added to any Class Team and works in a very similar way to a typical search engine.  

Equipping children to thrive in the modern world. 


“Both Reading Coach and Search Coach are supporting students to develop skills for the modern world. The tools help them learn how to present their ideas coherently, succinctly and speak with clarity, as well as be confident in what they’re trying to articulate,” Jonathan adds. 
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In this episode we speak to teacher and housemaster Henry about using Microsoft 365 in an independent school. Blog post to follow on https://www.clouddesignbox.co.uk/




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Darren meets Ryan for Formative.
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Ian Stuart from Avantis Education talks about the power of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality in teaching and learning.
Avantis has supported teachers with classroom technology for almost two decades and now boasts a diverse range of education products, including LearnPad, ClassCharge, ClassConnect and ClassVR.
In this podcast episode, Cloud Design Box’s Darren Hemming talks about ClassVR, Avantis World and creating immersive, 360° experiences for students.


Embedding Virtual Reality learning experiences inside Microsoft Teams and SharePoint.


Avantis World is a virtual reality theme park designed for education. Students and teachers enter the world using VR headsets or any modern browser.
“It’s designed to allow teachers to take their classes to places that would usually be impossible to go to or imagine. Some places in the theme park are galleries you can walk around, and others are fully immersive experiences,” Ian explains.
“For example, we have a digestive system experience where you can turn into a piece of pizza and travel right through the human body. Other examples include renewable energy and photosynthesis.”

Full blog post and video can be found here: https://www.clouddesignbox.co.uk/embedding-vr-and-ar-into-microsoft-teams-and-sharepoint-with-avantis-education/



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In this episode Darren Hemming speaks to Stefan from Lingfield College about the rollout and adoption of 1:1 devices. 
Find out more about Cloud Design Box at https://www.clouddesignbox.co.uk



The benefits of 1:1 devices in schools with Lingfield CollegeThe Director of Digital Learning at Linfield College talks about the school’s plan to roll out per-student devices to every student and the challenges and benefits that come with digital transformation. 
Lingfield College is a co-educational independent school in Surrey for pupils aged two to eighteen. Stefan Hagen is the Director of Digital Learning and works with his team to help drive digital learning within the school, working with the school’s partner companies – including Cloud Design Box – to deliver quality technology to staff and students.  
The school has bold plans to introduce a per-student device policy – eventually rolling out touch-screen laptops to every student within the school.  
In this podcast episode, we discuss the challenges of moving to blended learning, as well as the many benefits that come with a 1:1 device policy in education.  
Stefan also outlines what the school has done so far to lay the foundations for this digital learning strategy and what the plan is to accomplish their goal of per-student devices.  





A vision for cloud-based learning. 


Lingfield College had begun looking at ways to “get digital moving”, as Stefan puts it before the pandemic.  
But, things didn’t move as quickly as they had hoped and as the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns hit in the UK, the school had to move quickly to deliver quality lessons via Microsoft Teams.  
“When we returned to the classroom after lockdown, I was keen to keep the momentum that we had built up going, encouraging staff members to use Teams and OneDrive,” Stefan explains. 
“However, I realised that many people were fed up with computer screens and that we had to move more slowly and carefully to get everyone on board.”  
It was around that time that Lingfield College began working with Cloud Design Box to create a long-term strategy that would enable the school to migrate to the cloud, which would lay the foundations for their 1:1 device policy.  

Moving to the cloud. 


“As they say, when you move house, you have a clear out before you move so you don’t take all your junk with you. And, it was the same as we moved from our old servers to the cloud,” Stefan explains. 
Cloud Design Box worked with Lingfield College to give staff the time and training they needed to move their resources over to the cloud.  
“We set up key milestones and eventually turned the old servers to ‘view-only’ to give staff who hadn’t been able to move resources over yet access without creating a confusing dual system.” 



1:1 devices for teachers and school staff.  


Moving to the cloud allowed Lingfield College to roll out 1:1 devices for every staff member, allowing teachers to build up their confidence with the new technology.  
“This approach made the most sense to us because teachers can get used to the technology as they’re using it for teaching so that when we are ready to roll out 1:1 devices for students, teachers can help resolve some tech issues if they do occur in the classroom.”  

Infrastructure challenges that come with 1:1 devices.  


As Stefan points out in the podcast, there’s more to think about when rolling out 1:1 devices than simply giving everyone a laptop or tablet.  
“Getting the infrastructure right is a challenge. For example, our flooring makes it difficult for us to put charging ports into our classrooms. So we’re now looking at char
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