Virtual Learning Network

Some possible support and resources before your school conducts its e-learning self-review.

Before you use the tool 

It is highly recommended that you support your staff to understand why they are participating in a self-review and how it will inform the strategic plan and professional learning design. You should also ensure they understand what to expect in terms of the online tool.

So, we encourage you to: 

• provide support for your staff on the nature of e-learning, effective pedagogy (in the NZC), how to manage a self-review...

• how the survey fits in your wider strategic planning

• the ideas and thinking behind the work i.e. e-capability as a journey (across 5 dimensions etc)

• the tool as an online survey and how it works

Who should take part?

The results are likely to be more representative of the school if everybody completes the review, as opposed to a smaller group. It would also be more collaborative and inclusive in approach.

It is possible to stage a roll out of the review. For example, the leadership could complete it first and look to see how aligned they are in their responses, before rolling it out to the rest of the staff. This might highlight areas to look at first that could be printed out and shared with the staff in a professional dialogue.

 NOTE: If the staff is very small it may not be possible to guarantee staff anonymity - you may prefer to manage the review a different way.

Online tool versus paper

Advantages of the online tool:

• efficiency in terms of gathering information from across the staff in a relatively short space of time. The survey takes approximately 40 minutes.
• it gathers information from each individual
• it offers flexibility in terms of access (time and place) - and inclusion for those who might not be able to attend a staff meeting, such a support staff.

You might choose to use the paper-based version because:

• the school's browser/connection isn't stable enough for the tool to be used with confidence
• it's a useful pre-cursor activity to using the online tool.

Examples

You might want to:

• Run a session with the staff that raises awareness of the e-learning focus and how it fits with the wider direction of the school.

• Share the introductory video that outlines what the framework is.

• Facilitate a whole staff discussion that unpacks what e-learning is and the five dimensions that come into play if a school is to develop its e-learning capability.

A story of practice from a facilitator

"Before we used the e-Learning Planning Framework online tool, I co-facilitated a staff meeting with the whole staff. The principal shared the school's strategic plan that had been developed to that point, and talked with the staff about the place of technologies in that. We explored a couple of videos from Enabling e-Learning and discussed how technologies were being used as part of the learning.

We looked at hard copies of the e-Learning Planning Framework - and, actually, the most useful page was the single sheet showing the five dimensions. Lots of 'a-ha!' moments there!

In groups, we unpacked, in general terms, what we felt was happening in the school in each of the dimensions, sharing stories and asking questions. We looked across the phases and broadly aligned ourselves, as a school, to different phases. We discussed a few words that are related to e-learning, like 'ubiquitous' and 'networked'.

It was a lighthearted session, with kai and lots of stories, and it was a really useful warm-up to the review.

The principal explained why they would be doing a self-review, that it would be an online survey, and how the information would be used. There was a separate time set aside for actually completing it, but staff had the choice of when they would complete it. Some chose to do it in the dedicated session, others wanted to do it at a time that suited them.

I gave them an overview of the tool, what it was, how it would work, and things they might want to think about as they answered the questions. I tried to keep it non-heavy, and we looked at an example of a question together."

[Image credit: CC Steve Snodgrass]; Image of teacher is via Kathe Tawhiwhirangi-Perry (VLN) and is not related to the school story given here]