Virtual Learning Network

REFLECTIVE SUMMARY

Background and Context

Final year of Three Rivers ICT contract, Netherton School, full primary.

Aims and Purpose – Goals 2 and 3 of Contract

• To ensure engagement of all teachers and teaching staff.
• Provide specific indicators and timelines where necessary to ensure accountability and ‘buy in’ from all members of staff.  To weave e-learning through the school structures through explicit planning at a Board of Trustees, management and staff level. 
• To shift the school culture to make e-learning part of our school curriculum and to ensure ICT is an expected tool for learning. 

Method, interventions and actions

• As a result of review with the staff, ensure time is available for teachers to be supported by the lead teacher of ICT.
• Identify areas of teacher professional learning that could be more specific and purposeful and linked more specifically to goals of the ICT contract. 
• BOT review around resourcing for future hardware, teacher release and professional learning incorporated into 2013 budget. 
• Leadership review of team goals focussed on Teacher Action Inquiry, resources needed etc.
• Timetabling in regular reviews of progress during staff meetings, and ensuring support was readily available for teachers. 
• Purchase of iPads for trial in junior school.

Summary of key results

Teachers feel:

• able to ask for time with the ICT lead teacher on a needs basis
• able to identify their learning needs and source help as required
• enabled to make use of the tools available to them by up skilling as needed
• becoming more entrenched in their expectations that ICTs will be used on a daily basis, MIMIO’s are being used on an increasingly complex basis, laptops (COW) are booked and used all day/every day in classrooms for communication, literacy and numeracy. COW now needs to be booked several days in advance due to high demand and useage
• beginning to capture student voice using ezi-speaks and digital film as they become increasingly confident in their use of tools.
•  iPads are being trialled in the NE classroom and used on a daily basis to support literacy and numeracy learning. 

Conclusions

Assuring support is readily available when required to support teachers in their learning is key.  Assuring hardware is in good working order and available when needed is vital, and providing technical support is essential to ensure teachers don’t give up in frustration.  A technician has been employed firstly as a teacher aide, although having him onsite has been beneficial for ICT as well.  Regular review of progress scheduled in staff meetings is important to maintain momentum and the expectation that teachers are learning on an on-going basis.

Recommendations or next steps

Strong systems and self-review procedures need to be in place for future sustainability of practices. Regular review of hardware and ensuring ICTs are available and in working order are essential.  Communication of expectation from a BOT, management and staff level are essential.  An on-going review cycle will ensure continuation of progress in enabling student learning through ICTs.

Next Steps: Investigate the possibility of a BYOD policy, source and set up an effective learning management system off site – cloud based computing to ensure children are able to access their learning from any internet able device and provide seamless learning opportunities and increasing home/school partnerships in the learning process.

http://nethertonmilestones.wikispaces.com/file/detail/Evidence+ICT.pdf