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So you think an app just replicates a website? - Wrong!

Appsforschools.org,uk are pleased to announce a demo app you can download from iTunes and Google Play for Apple and Android devices respectively.
http://download.appsforschools.org.uk/app/256
This is just to give schools ideas of some of the functions that we now included in our apps.
The content in this demo is taken from a number of different schools
Key Things to Note

• The design can be tailored to your school colours, your school logo and your school photos. So the whole app will be your own school.
• Content can be updated automatically direct from the back office of your website
• Parents and students, staff and SLT can register as users. Once registered they can select to receive filtered notifications and even individual notifications. Secure areas can be created accessible only by groups of registered users. E.g Staff only areas for calendars and letters, Homework setting. Even SEN unique areas.
• Check enables student registers tob e taken whilst students are in school but not necessarily in front of a member of staff, uses GPS trechnology to determine student location.
• SIMS content can be integrated into the app for individual student content shared securely with regisitered users: parents or students.

        SIMS CONTENT   

1. Timetables
2. Attendance
3. Progress
4. Forecast grades
5. Homework

If you wish to view individual content or receive an individual notification contact us and we will set up a trial individual user account to demo this facility.
peter@ideafarm.co.uk
01625 572922
 
 

A really interesting read for anyone that has struggled with their MIS system by Joshua Perry

http://bringmoredata.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/mis-market-moves-3000-school...

It may or may not suprise people to learn that cloud based MIS systems are on the increase. I personally think this can only be agood thing. It means easier (or cheaper) access for schools to their own data. Which in turn means easier comminication with pupils and parents and staff.
 

We have been providing windows versions of our apps for some time now, however because of such a low market share we have never really seen much enthusiasm from schools.

But will this change with the release of windows 10?

The list of Windows 10 enabled phones is growing every day and with over 10% of desktops now running Windows 10 this must encourage greater take up of windows phones as users take advantage of running the same system on different devices.

So at the moment it is watch this space but I am sure it won't be long before you see an Apps for Schools Windows 10 school app.

I watched a interesting talk by the "untappd" social network creator Greg Avola (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isdUxWFSE50) this week. He described his experience launching a mobile enabled website and his attempts to encourage people to join the network and then regularly open up the site to interact with other members.

Once they decided to launch native apps on Apple and Android they saw new user take up go from around 1,000 per month to 23,000. That is a fairly substantial increase.

This reinforces something that we have seen time and time again with schools and especially busy parents. Yes the terms dates are on a pdf on the website, but will a parent spend the time navigating to your website on their phone to find what they are looking for? or do they just call the school office? I think that is why we have seen such a great a great response rate to our apps, it makes basic tasks like this much easier.

Hertfordshire school uses mobile phone app to take  Sixth Form register.

Parmiter's School near Watford has started using a mobile phone app to enable Sixth Form students to register their attendance whilst in school, but away from the classroom.

The app was commissioned by the school and developed by Cheshire based company Idea Farm,“AppsforSchools” within their basic school app.

Previously, many Sixth Formers in school were unable to declare their attendance, for instance if they were undertaking prefect duties or tutoring younger students. The app uses GPS location software in the students’ phones to verify that students are in school. The App is downloaded onto the student’s own device and checks in with the App’s Control Software. Their location is geo-located to school within an agreed tolerance. The students select their status from a drop-down list of activities, such as 'Sports Training', ‘Music Lesson’, ‘Assembly’ or ‘Early Exam Start’. Their registration is recorded and the school accepts this for statutory requirements.

This year, “Appsforschools” has launched the facility for users to log in to the app, so that schools can send filtered and individual push notifications to parents and students who can reply within the notification. Whether the school wishes to send a reminder about Year 7 Parents Evening or  send a specific student a notification that their personal statement is due in the morning, this can be accomplished using the phone app. The app also enables the dissemination of secure content, so that individual information is sent, for example homework, reports or forecast grades which can be imported from the school’s Management Information System.

Nick Daymond, Parmiter's Head Teacher said "We are delighted with this new app which is really getting our students to communicate in a unique and refreshing way. Not only can we send notifications in a safe and secure way, we can also update the entire sixth form with events, get them to take surveys and ensure they all have access to key documents and materials. It has already revolutionised the way we work with our sixth form and we hope this will continue into the future. The check in feature has been very useful in helping us to manage sixth form attendance in the school too".

For more information contact Peter Sadler on 01625 572922 or peter@ideafarm.co.uk

We are about to go live testing our all new SIMS app across a year group with a secondary school in Cheshire. The idea behind the app is quite simple, allow students to view their timetable and homework quickly and easily on their mobile device.
The key element here is automated individualised content being driven by SIMS. This sort of app would simply not be workable for a secondary school without the connection to their MIS.
Another element that makes this roll out more interesting is the fact that the app will be rolled out across the whole school and not just the sixth form. This is a new step for us too but we think shows an interesting trend, one in which mobile devices are used as an everyday part of the school day.
Exciting times, watch this space.

Apps for Schools have just released our first app with the facility for sixth formers to register via a geo-location function within the school's smartphone app. The student downloads the app and registers as a user. When they need to notify school that they are in school, they register within the app. The app users their geo location positioning and asks them what activity they are engaged in. This activity is presented as a drop down list from

• "Music Lesson",
• "Early Exam Start" 
• "Absent Form Tutor"

If the student's phone is within the school grounds, the student is registered and the school has a record of the time and the location.

The first question we have been asked is, what if the students give their phone to a friend to register? Without being rude, this is probably the most silliest question  and our stock answer is ...you clearly don't know many six formers if you think they can be parted from their phone for any period of time?

However, a few people have raised wider concerns. Namely whether this kind of monitoring of the student's whereabouts is healthy and doesn't intrude on the student's rights.

What do you think?

If you need any more information on this and other functions that can be included in a school smartphone app please cotnact Idea Farm on 01625 572922

If you have an app set up with registered known users what are the advantages?

Well, first of all, the communication costs become radically cheaper and unlimited.

If you can see every child’s parents in your app control panel then communicating to individuals or group can be managed quickly and easily at no additional cost. One school in Nottinghamshire has 191 pupils on their school roll. They know that 170 of the parents can be reached by the app. Until they took the app, their communication was in print form only. Now they need only to write to 21 parents. Their communication saving is 90% amounting to a saving of several thousand £s.

But there is more.  How much do you spend sending out school reports, forecast grades, attendance concerns, homework assignments, parent evening bookings and procedures?

If you can get your parents to download your school app free, you can start providing individual content.

They download the app; they register; their phone then becomes a direct receptacle of all the important information you need to communicate: Timetables, Reports, Attendance figures, Aspirational Targets, Teacher assignments. 

And why stop there... Why not communicate individually with teachers and governors as well as students and parents? Output what you want out of your school MIS system, provide a secure password access and suddenly the app is the entry point to all school information!

What is the biggest challenge with your website?

Is it because it’s not mobile-enabled?  As reported in last week's news, we live in a world where more people access the internet via their phone than by a laptop or desk top http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-33784362  

Or, is it because a website is fundamentally a passive medium that awaits visitors to come to you... even if you've paid money to the infamous SEO specialists who can get you on the front page of Google?

When you commission an app, you have the chance to actively output digital messages. This is done through the use of push notifications or alerts, so that you are able to tell your school community of a major event or advise them of an update. Push notifications are free. They are sent via your app control panel to a server, which then sends the push notification to all those who have your app installed on their phone.

Of course, for added security, you can get each user to register, as well as sending out individual push notifications.  Each device that your parents or students use is registered in your control panel, so that you can see each user by name. You can then send a push notification to an individual or to a group of users, such as year 6 parents. 

If you've ever owned a school email account, you will have likely been barraged by companies who are offering "education SEO services" or something similar. 

What does it really mean and is it something you should be looking in to?

SEO:
In a nutshell SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It defines how high up the search engine (like Google) you come when people search for a certain word or phras
 
How Can SEO Help Schools?
 
It depends on your goals. Are you looking to increase enrollment levels? 1
 
 
The higher up the search rankings your website gets, the more likely you are to get traffic to your website. Obviously, this is great if you have a website that includes detai