2013
Last year saw a significant rise in the uptake of smart devices in education. While this is exciting, innovative, and really engaging for children, we run a serious risk of paying for a lot of toys that will go into the activities corner and be 'played' with if we don't have those professional conversations around why we want them and how they are to be used. Just buying these tools is not enough. Why do you want them? What are you trying to achieve? Is it to attract pupils? Or is there more to it than that? There should be. Schools that are managing these devices well are using them to really shift learning outcomes and teaching practices. Assessment practices are complemented by the data they can record, student voice is part of the learning process, and teacher reflection is stepped up. For children, they have exciting ways to connect with the real world and can instantly find and use real time information.
I am happy to have a conversation with you around this to make sure you are making the right decisions. Whether you want to go BYOD, iPad or tablet, have a talk with us first. I'm also offering free after school sessions this year following on from successful sessions in 2012. These will be a platform for sharing your thinking and questions.
2012
With the roll out of ultra fast broadband, schools are more aware of the opportunities available through being part of a connected world. But, it can be challenging when students could know more than us. Tables may be turned, and isn't that great! Perhaps you are one of the schools that this technology is skirting and you could be thinking, that's your excuse?
Read this comment from one who truly is in the back of beyond, and recognise that nothing is really an excuse any more!
"We started our journey into networking with other rural schools last year. However with our poor internet service and satellite connection we put it all in the ‘maybe tomorrow basket’ and left it there. Throughout the year other rural schools would ask our students to make comments on their students writing, or be part of their class study group and we would try again and again but to no avail. Something was not working to allow us to access the online learning.
We wanted our students to be able to think critically and make justified decisions in a supportive environment, we wanted our students to learn with student’s from other schools and we wanted our students to be connected to the outside world. Therefore we needed outside help to initiate and teach our students how to access the appropriate web tools available for online learning.
I am a sole charge principal trying to provide the best for all my students ranging from Yr1-8 in one big classroom. Therefore time was vital and we needed to get outside help for our students. (In) Term 1 2012 we provided our students with the expertise (Massey University Advisor-Heather Bell) to develop their confidence to access and use the tools available to be the confident, connected, actively involved lifelong learners from Marco School.
Our students now critically respond to other students writing using ‘Voice thread’ and justify their responses using our school writing exemplars. The students also use googledocs to publish their 2nd piece of writing and from the students critical and justified comments produce their final narrative. Our senior students confidently assist our junior students to comment on students writing. We have students confidently learning Mandarin and French in a virtual classroom and thoroughly enjoying the new learning atmosphere.
We may have super slow access to the wider world but our students are now connected to the outside world with confidence and know how to use the tools available to work collaboratively and share learning online.
Big thanks for all your expertise and patience with our technologies." Jen Vincent, principal at Marco School.
If you want to get your students accessing knowledge and collaborating with the rest of the world, contact Heather and see what can be arranged.
Ways we could support you
If you want your school to make the most of the opportunities available in today’s connected world, you need to be confident, connected, future-focused, lifelong learners. Through effective collaboration and networking, you can open up opportunities for you and your students. This programme aims to ensure you have the confidence to push open those virtual doors and bring the world into your school, and into the students' world.
Target Group:
Principals and teachers
Whole classes
Tech student leaders
Whole classes
Tech student leaders
Expected Outcomes:
Participants will:
• build confidence and competence in using a range of Web2.0 tools and strategies;
• use Web2.0 tools and strategies effectively in classrooms or with staff to improve student learning and achievement;
• build collaborative teacher and student networks with other schools; and
• use a teacher inquiry process to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies in your school/classroom.
Format:
Programme will be developed to suit individual school or clusters of schools' needs. It could be delivered through;
- blended approach involving face-to-face visits in school and online support.
- Participants may use Teaching as Inquiry to reflect on their learning and the impact of the approaches, enabling powerful next steps to be developed. Such reflections could be tagged to the Registered Teacher Criteria and used to complement teacher appraisal if desired.
- Twilight or Breakfast sessions (2 - 3 hrs) for clusters of interested schools
- In class sessions with students
- whole day workshops for clusters of interested schools
Programme Investment:
By negotiation depending on the format
Whole day workshop
Twilight session
Breakfast session
In school support
Whole day workshop
Twilight session
Breakfast session
In school support
Where and When:
Wellington, Masterton, Kapiti Coast, Palmerston North, New Plymouth, Napier, Taupo and Gisborne, ...
In-school visits at dates and times to suit your school.
Contact Heather Bell to work out your best way to build a programme around this thinking.
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