In 1999, while on a visit to Deerfield Academy in MA USA, I first saw Blackboard. Upon returning to Geelong Grammar School, I oversaw one of the first K-12 Bb installations in Australia. In 2007 as Head of Digital Learning at St Hilda's School on the Gold Coast, I again oversaw a move to the Blackboard LMS. We were then the first K-12 school to move to a fully hosted environment, and now we are the first to move to Ultra. A lot has changed, and a lot of fundamentals remain the same. This session is a look at the sequence of events that has led to us being where we are today. The migration to Ultra will also be discussed.

1. From Bb Learn to Ultra
the history of online learning at
St Hilda’s School
Geoff Powell
St Hilda’s School – Gold Coast

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A
A A
A
A
Understanding
Australian
Vowels
all 5 of them

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Found some old stuff from the archives

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Was the move to iPads and Mobile Learn
a scary experience?

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Allow me to deviate for a minute

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Found this one from 7 years ago

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St Hilda’s School
History
Established 1912
Anglican Girls School
1250 students
K-12 and boarding
iPad Yr 4 - 9
iPad / MacBook Yr 10 - 12

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St Hilda’s School
Blackboard History
2007 – Hosted Bb locally
2010 – Managed Hosting
2011 – iPads and Mobile Learn
2017 – Moved to SaaS

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A Quick World Tour
It is important to gain an overview of the thinking behind our program.
It did not happen overnight, it has evolved over a number of years.
At its heart is a philosophy based on sharing and creativity.

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What is so significant about Deerfield?

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There I first saw Blackboard

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13 years before our iPad program
(so 17 years ago)

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BlackBoard was vital to our iPad program success

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Reason to use them every lesson

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Textbooks Resources Web Email

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Apps Music Games Video

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we don’t ban games

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What if students play games?

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I usually ask them to stop!

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it is personal

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it is professional

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they bring their iPad and/or MacBook and use it everyday

34. 342009 2010 2011 2012
LMS pages visits per day 2009 - 2016

35. 352009 2010 2011 2012
LMS pages visits per day 2009 - 2016

36. 362009 2010 2011 2012
LMS pages visits per day 2009 - 2016

37. 372009 2010 2011 2012
LMS pages visits per day 2009 - 2016

38. 382013 2014 2015 2016

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Year 10 English 2010 vs 2011

40. OP Result Analysis
1992 - 2015

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2011 2011
Bb Managed Hosting and iPad / MacBook Programme Introduced

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2011 2011
Significant improvement in OP 1-10 results
distribution over the past 5 years

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Head of School wanted to reduce printing by
1,000,000 pages

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1,600,000 pages
first year of iPad program
So how did we do?

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Mathematics Photocopying Budget
0
3000
6000
9000
12000
2009 2010 2011 2012
$

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Not totally related, but I really want to mention…

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Meet Mr Dick Rowe from Decca Records who
famously said…

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"Guitar groups are on their way out, Mr Epstein."

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George Harrison and John Lennon were both
in the same Year 9 English class in Liverpool

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C+
George Harrison and John Lennon were both
in the same Year 9 English class in Liverpool

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“There are no wrong notes in jazz:
only notes in the wrong places.”
- Miles Davis

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I met Salman Khan and his Mum in the hotel lift

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came back
determined to share with remote learners

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The man who
inspired it all was on
the same chart…

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0
20
40
60
80
2012 2013 C1 2013 C2 2014 C1 2014 C2
Year 8 Chemistry
Average Class Grades:
Knowledge and Conceptual
Understanding
Processing Data
Assessment Criteria:
C1 = Class 1
C2 = Class 2Chemistry assessment is similar from 2012-4 with
mixed ability classes
57% 53%
E
D
C
B
A
50%
50 % pass mark

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0
20
40
60
80
2012 2013 C1 2013 C2 2014 C1 2014 C2
Year 8 Chemistry
Average Class Grades:
Knowledge and Conceptual
Understanding
Processing Data
Assessment Criteria:
Top average grade from 2012
C1 = Class 1
C2 = Class 2Chemistry assessment is similar from 2012-4 with
mixed ability classes
57% 53%
E
D
C
B
A
50 % pass mark
50%

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0
20
40
60
80
2012 2013 C1 2013 C2 2014 C1 2014 C2
Year 8 Chemistry
Average Class Grades:
Knowledge and Conceptual
Understanding
Processing Data
Assessment Criteria:
Top average grade from 2012
C1 = Class 1
C2 = Class 2Chemistry assessment is similar from 2012-4 with
mixed ability classes
57% 53%
E
D
C
B
A
50%
iTunes U introduced
50 % pass mark

64. 6462
0
20
40
60
80
100
2012 2013 C1 2013 C2 2014 C1 2014 C2
Year 8 Chemistry
Average Class Grades:
Knowledge and Conceptual
Understanding
Processing Data
Assessment Criteria:
Top average grade from 2012
C1 = Class 1
C2 = Class 2Chemistry assessment is similar from 2012-4 with
mixed ability classes
57% 53% 67% 67% 79% 71%
E
D
C
B
A
50%
iTunes U introduced
50 % pass mark
Ave trend increase 2013 - 2014

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0
20
40
60
80
100
2012 2013 C1 2013 C2 2014 C1 2014 C2
Year 8 Chemistry
Average Class Grades:
Knowledge and Conceptual
Understanding
Processing Data
Assessment Criteria:
Top average grade from 2012
C1 = Class 1
C2 = Class 2Chemistry assessment is similar from 2012-4 with
mixed ability classes
57% 53% 67% 67% 79% 71% 71% 65% 72% 60%
E
D
C
B
A
50%
iTunes U introduced
50 % pass mark
Ave trend increase 2013 - 2014

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Visitors
Subscriptions
Streams(video)
Downloads
Total Activity
463,635
162,514
183,474
469,809
1,279,432
Activity Since April 2013

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email received 30th Oct 2013
Hello,
I live in Houston Tx, and found some of your schools' courses via
iTunes U. We have a 14yo high functioning autistic son who we
homeschool and tailor his curriculum to his abilities. I am
constantly searching for ways to increase his learning and found the
work of St. Hilda's in iTunes U to be especially helpful. We have
just begun with Simon Lee's Earth Science course and am looking
at several of the other courses you make available.
I just wanted to say Thank You and kudos to you and your team for
making these courses available on iTunes for all, including kids like
Peyton, to learn from. It means to alot to me. I know this takes
special effort and special people with vision to pull this off. Please
pass along to all who this concerns. And keep up the good work.
Best Regards,
Mark

76. and then we migrated to
Saas

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sit back and enjoy a bunch of screen shots and emails

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used to look like this... now it looks like that

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hj

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