We have recently updated our video guide on how to start online lessons in Microsoft Teams. As January approaches, many schools will be forced into full or partly online lessons due to sickness and self-isolation. Microsoft Teams as evolved to become easier to use for teachers over the past year and the video below reflects … Read more
Academy
Getting students engaged outside of the classroom can be difficult. While most students understand that they must complete homework and assignments for their classes, creating homework assignments that are engaging helps to reinforce learning and development. Below, we have some ideas on how you can use some of the tools in Microsoft 365, Teams … Read more
We know that time is precious when you work in education; whether you’re marking, planning, or delivering a lesson, it can be tricky to find the time to get back to what you love about teaching. While we can’t increase the number of hours in your day, we can give you some ideas on saving … Read more
UPDATE: Bett has moved to Wednesday 23 – Friday 25 March 2022 Cloud Design Box is attending Bett 2022 – which returns to the ExCeL London from Wednesday 23 – Friday 25 March 2022. The most prominent international EdTech exhibition is back, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it for another year. You can find us at Stand SP53 – next to … Read more
We have launched a new SharePoint web part exclusive for Cloud Design Box customers called My Assignments, allowing students to see all their current and upcoming assignments from their SharePoint homepage. Your school’s SharePoint homepage should give students a quick overview of what’s going on in the school community, and their classroom. Popular features of a school intranet include the latest news, an announcement from the headteacher … Read more
In Microsoft Teams Assignments, a weekly assignment summary email can be sent automatically to parents and guardians of students. This is an easy way to inform and engage parents in their child’s homework, as the digest gives them an overview of what assignments have been completed and which are yet to be handed in. If you don’t … Read more
We are hosting a free webinar for schools, academies and trusts focusing on how you can successfully adopt and roll out Microsoft Teams, without wasting time or money. One of the main challenges we see schools and MATs face when rolling out new technology is user adoption. There’s a central group of tech-savvy staff who pick up … Read more
Finding the best way to engage and involve parents in their children’s learning can be a challenge for schools. That’s why Cloud Design Box has partnered with Haldor to deliver a homework app that is seamlessly connected to Microsoft Teams Assignments. We all know that there are real advantages to parents and guardians being engaged in their child’s learning, especially when it comes to supporting students with homework and … Read more
Microsoft have improved the student experience when it comes to seeing their feedback in reading progress. Take a look at the video to find out more. The new Reading Progress function in Microsoft Teams Assignments works perfectly for language learning. In this step-by-step guide, we show you how you can use the Reading Progress tool … Read more
Microsoft Teams has a new feature, allowing teachers to return assignments to students for additional revisions and changes. This feature is highly anticipated by teachers and solves a key problem that many schools have highlighted to us. The problem: Previously, students could go into their assignments and submit work, even when the work is missing … Read more
A new Microsoft Teams update for summer 2021 brings a whole bunch of benefits for both students and teachers, helping schools deliver blended and hybrid learning efficiently and in an engaging way. We’ve rounded up our top features that you need to try out in your lessons. Here’s a quick summary of the update: Set … Read more
Teams has introduced a new group assignments feature, allowing students to work together and submit one assignment for the whole group. Teachers can then provide feedback and grades to either each individual student within that group or give out an overall grade for the group. Below is a walk-through of how you can: Create a … Read more
In this podcast episode, we speak with Rachael Howarth, Vice Principal of Bradford Girls’ Grammar School about how they’re using Microsoft 365 to assess and engage students in a blended in-classroom and remote learning setting. Rachael walks us through some key ways in which they’re using Microsoft Forms, Class Notebook, Polls and Insights to increase … Read more
The Microsoft School Data Sync (SDS) rollover process 2021 has changed slightly since last year, so we have created a video guide to walk you through the process. If your profile has expired and you’re ready to start the academic year, then this guide is for you. One thing you’ll notice is that there is … Read more
Reading Progress is a tool in Microsoft Class Teams that supports teachers in tracking their students’ reading fluency and progress. The feature allows students to record themselves reading assigned passages and automatically generates data based on their performance. In this guide, we show you how to set up Reading Progress and tailor it to your … Read more
In this podcast episode, we speak with David James, Head of Education at Cornerstone Academy Trust and Anthony Lees, Deputy of Westclyst Community Primary School. The Cornerstone Academy Trust is made up of four primary schools, including Broadclyst Community Primary School, Westclyst Community Primary School, Yeo Valley Community Primary School and Monkerton Community Primary School. … Read more
Using Presenter Mode in a Microsoft Class Teams meeting gives teachers more control over their lesson. They have access to their presenter notes and all the usual Class Teams tools, plus additional presenter options. Presenter Mode is only available in the desktop application of Teams. In this quick guide, we show you how to use … Read more
In this podcast episode, we speak with Stuart Carvell, Assistant Head at Eaton Bank Academy, which is part of the Fallibroome Trust about how Microsoft 365 is being rolled out across the trust and its academies and schools. “Microsoft 365 was an obvious choice for Eaton Bank Academy. Many of the schools in the Fallibroome … Read more
Microsoft Viva Connections is a great way to communicate and publish information to users in Microsoft Teams. If you are already familiar with SharePoint, then the simple way of describing Viva Connections is “A SharePoint Intranet inside a Microsoft Teams App”. It means that users can access company news, policies, and other published information without … Read more
When considering Teams for your school, there are several different approaches, you can create your own Class Teams manually, use a PowerShell script or take advantage of Microsoft’s School Data Sync. Below, we have rounded up the pros and cons of each method so you can decide which is best for your school, academy or … Read more