Getting Started With Application Platform
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This video introduces the Application Platform as the central hub for managing EdTech applications and sets out the steps to plan and launch it in your organisation.
- Understand what the Platform offers: it helps you track, assess, request and share approved educational apps, providing centralised visibility, compliance insights and streamlined approval workflows.
- Note: You can use the Application Library and Directory on their own or with Application Requests, Vendor Management, Contracts or the Privacy Platform.
- Step 1 – Assess your current process. Review how you manage applications today, for example: whether you rely on spreadsheets, lack a formal inventory, assess apps for safeguarding, child protection or compliance, pay for duplicate tools, or whether staff can easily find what they need.
- Step 2 – Build your implementation strategy. Define responsibilities and approval flows across Privacy, Safeguarding and Child Protection, IT and Curriculum teams. Decide who manages the library, whether requests go through a tiered review, how applications will be categorised, and whether to integrate with Vendor Management, Contracts or the Privacy Platform.
- Step 3 – Select apps for launch. Start with core apps for teaching, learning and administration, prioritising tools already in use and approved for compliance, such as your Learning Management System, Student Information System (or Management Information System), Assessment tools, Communication platforms or Productivity suites.
- Tip: Use the Application Directory to populate your library with apps pre-assessed by 9ine's team.
- Tip: Consider gathering user feedback before adding AI-powered or sensitive-data applications.
- Step 4 – Launch and communicate. Consider a soft launch with a test group, training IT, Safeguarding and Child Protection, Privacy and Curriculum staff to explore workflows and give feedback. Launch in phases or all at once, depending on readiness.
- Step 5 – Assign permissions. Administrators can publish applications, perform bulk uploads, access the Application Directory, edit and delete entries; authorised users have read-only access.
- For Application Requests, admins manage approvals, while users submit requests and track statuses.
- Tip: Use the Bulk Upload feature in User Management to onboard staff quickly and manage permissions at scale.
- Get help if needed: 9ine's onboarding team supports configuration and data migration, user training, workflow guidance and best-practice implementation.
Related Videos
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This video introduces the Application Library as a central place to organise and manage a school's EdTech applications, and walks through permissions and publishing a new application.
- Open the left-hand menu and select Application Library.
- Note: The library can be used on its own or with 9ine's Vendor Platform. It helps schools audit, manage and get the most from their EdTech, reduce duplicated features and control costs.
- Use the library's features:
- Label applications that use artificial intelligence, along with any associated safeguarding risks.
- Filter by curriculum topic, age restriction and other criteria to find subject-relevant, age-appropriate tools.
- Review and rate applications to share classroom experience with colleagues.
- Link to 9ine's Vendor Management and privacy tools for privacy-vetted contracts, information security policies and safeguarding checks, and connect applications to Data Protection Impact Assessments, Records of Processing and Incident Management.
- To grant administrator permissions, a 9ine Platform administrator selects the Application Library administrator permission.
- Alternatively, enabling the user-level permission under Application Library lets authorised users view and interact with content without publishing, editing or deleting.
- Administrators select New Application in the Application Library.
- In the popup, complete the two required fields: Title and Approval Status (Pilot, Approved, Coming Soon, Restricted or Rejected).
- If your school has access to 9ine's Privacy or Vendor Platforms, use the Vendor and POA fields at the top.
- Note: Selecting a POA fills in the application title, which you can edit without affecting the original assessment.
- Record key details: age restrictions, AI usage (with an AI risk profile from predefined categories or a custom option), safeguarding guidance, and whether the application is specific to a subject, department, language or school site.
- IT can document supported operating systems, recommended browsers and login methods, such as single sign-on or credential-based access.
- Add the thumbnail, description, overview media, attachments, audience and tags. These appear on the application tile and in the library's preview view.
- Complete the administrator-only fields: Managed By, Year, Next Review Date and Internal Notes.
- Note: These appear in both the new and edit workflows.
Understanding the Application Library Part -1
- Open the left-hand menu and select Application Library.
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This video covers more Application Library features: the optional Request button, Ratings and Reviews, and Bulk Upload.
- To activate the Request button, a 9ine Platform administrator opens Organisation Profile from the header, adds one or more email addresses and enables the toggle.
- When publishing a new application, Application Library administrators can enable the Request button for that application and select a designated email address to receive requests.
- Tip: For example, enable it only for approved applications so staff can quickly request pre-approved, compliant tools.
- Once enabled, users can submit requests directly from within the Application Library.
- Use Ratings and Reviews to share feedback, from the application tile or the application's preview page.
- Note: Reviews and ratings are visible only within your school.
- Sort reviews by newest or oldest, and filter by star rating, such as only five-star or one-star reviews.
- To add many applications at once, go to the Application Library, select Upload and download the upload template from the popup.
- Use the template's three tabs: a blank sheet for new applications, a tab pre-populated with commonly used applications you can edit or remove, and a glossary of field definitions and guidance.
- Complete the two required fields, Title and Approval Status, then upload the file.
- Tip: Make sure the file is in the required format and the column headers match the template.
- In the next step, optionally upload images. You can use a single image for both the thumbnail and overview.
- Note: Image filenames must match those listed in the template.
- In the final step, add attachments for each application.
- Select Finish to complete the upload. You will receive an in-platform notification and an email confirming the upload was successful.
Understanding the Application Library Part 2
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This video explains the two levels of Application Library access, administrator and user, and what each allows.
- A 9ine Platform administrator sets Application Library permissions for the user.
- To grant administrator permissions, check the Application Library administrator permission option.
- Note: This lets users manage everything in the Application Library, from publishing new items to editing and removing existing entries.
- Alternatively, check the option on the left side of Application Library to give user-level permissions.
- Note: Authorised users can view and interact with library content but cannot publish, edit or delete items.
- Users with administrator permissions will see the New Application button when they go to the Application Library.
Granting Permission To Application Library
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This video walks through publishing a new application to the Application Library and the information you can record about it, from approval status to IT and administrative details.
- Click New Application to get started.
- In the popup, complete the two mandatory fields: Title and Approval Status.
- Approval status options: Pilot, Approved, Coming Soon, Restricted and Rejected.
- If your organisation has access to 9ine's Privacy or Vendor Platforms, use the Vendor and Processing Operation Assessment fields at the top of the form to link the application to associated vendors and POAs.
- Note: Selecting a POA automatically fills the application title with the assessment's title. You can edit it here without affecting the original POA.
- Document key aspects of the application:
- Age restrictions, chosen from a predefined list (from 4+ to 18+, staff, or faculty).
- Whether it uses artificial intelligence (leave blank if unknown), and an AI risk profile from four predefined categories, or a custom option using +Other.
- Safeguarding guidance for safe and responsible use by students and staff.
- Whether it is specific to a subject or department, language, or school (for multi-site or through schools).
- IT can record technical details to verify compatibility, security and compliance:
- Operating system (mobile, desktop or browser based).
- Recommended browser.
- Login method, such as single sign-on (SSO), user credentials, or another method.
- Add the thumbnail, description, overview video or image, attachments, audience, tags and related fields.
- Note: These appear on the application tile in the library and in the Preview section.
- Complete the administrative fields, which are not shown to authorised users:
- Managed by – the person or team responsible for the application.
- Year – when the application was added or updated.
- Next review date – a reminder for when the application should next be reviewed.
- Internal notes – notes visible only to those with administrative access.
- Note: These fields appear in both the new and edit workflows.
Building A New Application
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