After Bett, the conversation shifts from innovation to impact. This article reflects on EdTech maturity, digital fatigue and why time back, calm systems and sustainability matter more than novelty.
Digital Strategy
The Microsoft Translator app is a free app that can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or the Apple Store on any mobile device. With many different features and tools, the app is excellent for working with EAL students and opening up conversations who face language barriers in the classroom. This guide shows how … Read more
Suggested replies in Microsoft Teams can help you save time and quickly respond to messages without typing. Responding to messages and emails takes up a lot of time. And, often, these replies may only need to be a quick confirmation or standard reply. How many times have you typed something like “That’s great, thanks”, or … Read more
Microsoft Forms are a great way to engage students in their learning and get them to reflect on a recent lesson or revise a topic for an upcoming exam or assessment. In this guide, we show you how to attach a Form to a Microsoft Teams Assignment. With Forms, you can make interactive quizzes for … Read more
The new Import functionality in Microsoft Forms allows you to import your existing Word and PDF documents and turn them into interactive forms. Note: This function is not currently available on Office.com. Instead, you need to be on forms.office.com. (correct at the time of publishing September 2022). Converting Word and PDF documents to Microsoft Forms is … Read more
Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB) worked with Cloud Design Box to build a centralised communication and collaboration portal in Microsoft SharePoint and Teams. In this webinar, we speak to Marcella O’Dowd (FET Quality Assurance at DDLETB) about the impact the portal is having on the way people work together in the … Read more
Cloud Design Box has been working with St Kevin’s Community College in Dublin to support them in becoming one of the first DEIS (Delivery Equality of Opportunity in Schools) schools in Ireland. The DEIS Connect Project aims to bridge the digital divide in schools and provide digital devices for all learners. It was launched by … 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
Cloud Design Box has achieved Microsoft SDS Advanced Partner accreditation. Microsoft SDS (School Data Sync) simplifies class management in Microsoft 365, reading class data from your school, academy or trust’s MIS and creating classes and groups for Microsoft Teams. The Partner Success Series for Microsoft SDS is a brand new accreditation. “We’re thrilled to have been awarded these … Read more
Keep everyone in your organisation in the loop with the news feature on SharePoint. Whether you’re using Microsoft 365 for business or education, this feature is a brilliant way to share important information, announcements and updates. The best part is that it’s incredibly easy to set up, create and publish eye-catching content to your SharePoint … Read more
Cloud Design Box is hosting a free virtual event for Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) to demonstrate how our Cloud Box package can help streamline teaching processes, enhance learning resources and save teacher time using Microsoft Teams and SharePoint. The one-hour session takes place on Wednesday 23 June 2021 from 11am until 12pm and runs through … 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
