ed tc 645 interview report

Running head: INTERVIEW REPORT 1

Country Case Study: Great Britain Interview Report

Don Bierschbach

Chrissie Flanagan

Stephanie Lindland Miller

University of Maryland University College

EDTC 645

Spring 2012

INTERVIEW REPORT 2

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore interview results from educational leaders and experts within Great Britain. To begin the investigation, a letter of introduction and seven questions were developed in the following areas for potential interviewees to answer with regards to technology: professional development, curriculum integration, infrastructure, and brief biography. A total of twenty-four potential interviewees were asked to participate in our interview. They were chosen based upon their role in the area of education and ICT within Great Britain. The following collaborative paper presents the interview process, interview questions, potential interview candidates, and analysis of the two interview responses.

Keywords: Great Britain, technology use and integration, interview

INTERVIEW REPORT 3

Name of CountryGreat Britain

Group Partner NamesDon BierschbachChrissie FlanaganStephanie Lindland Miller

Introduction (Purpose of Report)The purpose of this report is to analyze and synthesize information gathered from interview respondents within Great Britain. In order to accomplish this task, potential interviewees were chosen based upon their role in education and ICT development within Great Britain. Interview questions were created, developed, and chosen for final email interview compilation with the notion that potential respondents will be able to provide a deeper, first hand look of the role of technology in the following areas: professional development, infrastructure, and curriculum integration. Additionally, respondents will be able to provide insight into the general philosophy and attitude towards technology and education in Great Britain.

Interview Invitation LetterUniversity of Maryland University College3501 University Blvd. EastAdelphi, MD 20783

March 1, 2012

Dear (ENTER NAME HERE)

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that we invite you to participate in an e-mail interview (with potential follow-up questions) that will examine the use and role of technology in education within Great Britain.

Please allow us to introduce ourselves. We, Donald Bierschbach, a high school US History teacher in Virginia; Christine Masi-Flanagan, a sixth grade English Language Arts and Computer Teacher in New Jersey; and Stephanie Lindland Miller, a elementary music teacher in Maryland, are graduate students with the University of Maryland University College. As part of our Master of Education in Instructional Technology program, we have been given the task of analyzing and evaluating the policies toward technology integration in elementary and secondary schools from a country outside of the United States. One portion of this assignment includes the development of questions to interview experts within our chosen country, Great Britain.

Below this letter, please find our group compiled interview questions. The six questions will focus on research that we have conducted regarding technology integration in elementary and

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secondary schools in Great Britain in the following areas: infrastructure, curriculum integration, and professional development.

We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to aid us in our research and hope that you will support our task by completing our six interview questions. Time is always of the essence, and we are thankful that you are willing to donate your time to our country case study, but for successful participation, and completion we will need your response to our e-mail interview questions by Monday, March 12, 2012. In addition, there may be a follow-up question or two via e-mail after we have had time to analyze responses.

Again, thank you for your time and we look forward to learning from you and your responses as we investigate the use of and role technology integration in schools within Great Britain. If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at the following emails:

Donald Bierschbach: [email protected] Christine Masi-Flanagan: [email protected] Lindland Miller: [email protected]

Sincerely,

Donald Bierschbach, High School US History TeacherChristine Masi-Flanagan, Sixth Grade English Language Arts and Computer TeacherStephanie Lindland Miller, Elementary Music Teacher

Interview Questions and RationaleArea: Professional Development:

1. When thinking in terms of ICT professional development, from your experience what is the most effective method (Face-to-Face or Computer Guided) to train teachers to utilize ICT in the elementary and/or secondary classroom? Why? Please provide specific examples to support your answer. In addition, what area of ICT integration do you feel elementary and/or secondary teachers need more support, training, or development? Why? Please provide specific examples to support your answer.

Rationale: We hoped to learn what type of professional development the interviewees found most effective in helping them implement the use of ICT in their classrooms. Examples of trainings were requested in order to learn details about the respective trainings.

2. If given the opportunity to design a professional development program for elementary and/or secondary teachers in the area of ICT integration, what would be your ideal of the program? Why do you feel your design will be successful for elementary and/or secondary teachers in the area of ICT development and integration into the classroom?

Rationale: We chose this question to determine what our interviewees viewed as best practices in professional development. The hope was that we would receive an array of

INTERVIEW REPORT 5

responses and be able to find a trend within them that showed what type of professional development received the greatest support.

Area: Infrastructure: 3. When thinking in terms of infrastructure and capabilities needed to provide a

comprehensive and complete online learning environment, what would you say are the most important and immediate needs when designing and implementing lessons that include collaboration with schools around the globe? Please identify your top five requirements in order of importance for a successful infrastructure. Please explain your reasons for selecting these five requirements.

Rationale: We hoped to learn about and avoid repeating problems that have already been discovered and addressed by other countries. Designing and implementing lessons for use in the global education environment requires a working knowledge and understanding of the limitations and challenges that may be encountered when interacting across different levels or types of infrastructure.

4. How have budget decisions affected your ability to provide support and resources to the remote school districts? Does Great Britain have a comprehensive plan in place to maintain, upgrade, and/ or modernize the technology infrastructure within the country in general and in the education realm specifically? Finally, what are the challenges in providing equity in capability from school to school, district to district, student to student and country to country? Why do you see these as challenges? Can you identify any solutions?

Rationale: This question was asked to gain an understanding and idea of how funding was allocated for both initial capital expenditures and maintenance as well as upgrades and long term replacement of technology systems as they become dated and obsolete or inefficient.

Area: Curriculum Integration5. Does ICT training help you feel more prepared to incorporate technology into your

teaching? Can you provide an example of training that has translated well into your classroom? If you don’t have an example of such, can you provide a situation where more training would have made you feel more comfortable with technology integration?

Rationale: This question was posed because we were interested in both the effectiveness of professional development in preparing teachers to use ICT in their classrooms and examples of ICT integration.

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6. Do you find that you actively use technology for a majority of your classes or do you integrate it sparingly? Why do you choose to do so? Provide an example of a lesson that utilizes technology in your classroom. What do you feel is ‘meaningful integration’ of technology into the classroom? How does this direct your planning for ICT in your own classroom? Describe what makes one technology integrated lesson over the other more meaningful for students and teachers

Rationale: This question was chosen because we were interested in examples of lessons in which ICT was used in the classroom. We also were looking to understand whether or not the lessons were a change in the former classroom structure or if ICT was simply used to replace prior activities (i.e. word processing in place of handwritten work). We also hoped to understand why teachers made the choices they did in integrating ICT.

Area: Biography7. Please provide summary of your background in education and use of technology in

education.

Rationale: In order for the group to understand the bias in the interviewee responses, it was helpful to know what their exact occupation was, how long they had been teaching, and how much ICT training and professional development they had received.

Strategy UsedAs a group, we searched and developed a plan. First, we located contacts. To do this, we used a couple of strategies. We utilized the Ministry of Education, but we also utilized educational networks within Great Britain that identified various leaders in the area of education and ICT development and integration such as searching schools, universities, and government sites as well as teacher professional development sites. Next, we emailed each of our contacts using the template letter and group developed interview questions. As part of our strategy, we sent out follow up emails if we did not hear from potential interviewees. The response to our original emails included only two declines. As a group, we then sent a second round of emails, which were divided between group members. Chrissie sent out seven emails, Don sent out an additional eight to ten emails, and Stephanie e-mailed four to five additional contacts. Again, we sent out follow up emails to interviewees we did not hear from. As a result, we tried to contact twenty-four people on more than one occasion, but due to circumstances out of our control, we only received two responses. In order to make sure we maintained effective communication with our professor, we kept Dr. Blesh informed of our situation through various e-mails. In addition, we composed a collaborative e-mail expressing our concerns about our lack of interviewees, as we were unable to collect enough interviews to really compile a fair and balanced assessment of our assigned topic.

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Contact Details, Why Chosen, and Feedback from Interviewees Group

MemberContact Name & Why They Were Chosen (Based on

Biographies)Response

1. Don Bierschbach

The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath Secretary of State for EducationBiography Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Emailed: 3/6/12, 3/8/12, 3/12/12

Responded 3/19/12 through Public Communications Unit: Leona Smith

2. Don Bierschbach

Nick Gibb MPMinister of State for SchoolsBiography: Responsibilities and biography Email: miisters @ education . gsi . gov . uk Dates Emailed: 3/6/12, 3/8/12, 3/12/12

No Response

3. Don Bierschbach

Pat DaviesChingford Head Teacher BiographyEmail: school @ chingfordhall . waltham . sch . uk Dates Emailed: 3/1/12

Declined 3/6/12

4. Don Bierschbach

Anne SmithersHead teacher LondonBiography:Email: [email protected] Emailed: 3/8/12

No Response

5. Don Bierschbach

Beryl CorkhillPrimary school teacher Bath, EnglandEmail: beryl 164@ hotmail . com Dates Emailed: 3/8/12

No Response

6. Don Bierschbach

Clare CrockerCheshire, England Teacher Information technology at College of further EducationEmail: [email protected] emailed: 3/8/12, 3/12/12

No Response

7. Don Bierschbach

Ann WinterbothamTeacher: ALL IN PRIMARY SCHOOL at YEAR 1 level. Barnsley, ENGLANDEmail: [email protected] emailed: 3/8/12, 3/12/12

No Response

8. Don Bierschbach

Steve HoldsworthTeacher: Social Sciences at A Level Lancashire, England

No Response

http://www.michaelgove.com/

mailto:[email protected]





http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/education.htm









http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/education/schools-colleges.htm










http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/ministerialteam/gibb



http://www.michaelgove.com/biography







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email: [email protected] Emailed: 3/8/12-3/12/12

9. Don Bierschbach

Bob TraceyTeaches: Design Technology at level. North Yorkshire, EnglandEmail: [email protected] Emailed: 3/8/12, 3/12/12

No Response

10. Chrissie Flanagan

Sir Timothy BrighouseBio: http :// www . rm . com / timbrighouse / and http :// www . slaterbaker . com / profile /93 Email: [email protected] Emailed: 3/2/12

Declined 3/6/12


Simon GabbatissStowe SchoolHead of ICTBio: http :// www . stowe . co . uk / academic / meet - the - teachers /169/ simon - gabbatiss E-mail: [email protected] Emailed: 3/2/12, 3/7/12, and 3/11/12

No Response


Mr. Andrew PearceLeeds Trinity University CollegeEmail: [email protected]: http :// www . leedstrinity . ac . uk / departments / secondary / staff / Pa ges / Pearce . aspx Dates Emailed: 3/8/12 and 3/11/12

No Response


Dr. Anne-Marie WrightUniversity of ChesterEmail: [email protected] Biography: http :// www . chester . ac . uk / departments / education / staff / dr - anne - marie - wright Dates Emailed: 3/8/12 and 3/11/12

No Response


Jackie BarberaLiverpool Hope University email: [email protected]

Biography: http :// www . hope . ac . uk / barberj Dates Emailed: 3/8/12 and 3/11/12

No Response


John BarrowBishop Grosseteste University College LincolnEmail: [email protected]: http :// www . bishopg . ac . uk / docs / Profiles / Barrow _ John _ Profile . htm

No Response

http://www.bishopg.ac.uk/docs/Profiles/Barrow_John_Profile.htm





















http://www.hope.ac.uk/barberj











http://www.chester.ac.uk/departments/education/staff/dr-anne-marie-wright























http://www.leedstrinity.ac.uk/departments/secondary/staff/Pages/Pearce.aspx






















http://www.stowe.co.uk/academic/meet-the-teachers/169/simon-gabbatiss





















http://www.slaterbaker.com/profile/93










http://www.rm.com/timbrighouse/










INTERVIEW REPORT 9

Dates Emailed: 3/8/12 and 3/11/1216. Chrissie Flanagan

Dr. Tracy WhatmoreNewman University College email: [email protected] Emailed: 3/8/12 and 3/11/12

No Response


Paula AskewSt. Mary’s University CollegeEmail: [email protected]: http :// www . smuc . ac . uk / education / staff / paula - askew . htm Dates Emailed: 3/8/12 and 3/11/12

No Response


Alison KeyworthUniversity College Marjon PlymouthEmail: [email protected]:Dates Emailed: 3/8/12 and 3/11/12

No Response

19. Stephanie Lindland Miller

Richard ThomasPE Teacher, University of ChichesterDates Messaged: 3/4/12 and 3/11/12

*Responded that he would answer interview questions, but failed to follow through.


Jonny BennettPE Teacher, ManchesterEmail: [email protected] Messaged: 3/4/12 and 3/11/12

*Responded to initial Facebook message with email address and willingness to respond, but failed to follow through with interview completion.


Marybeth MindreauStudent Teacher, EnglandEmail: [email protected] Messaged: 3/4/12 and 3/11/12

No Response


Carole HilleardHigh school food technology teacherEmail: [email protected] Messaged: 3/4/12 and 3/11/12

Responded 3/11/12


Iain LindleyConservative Councilor for Walkden South WardEmail: [email protected] Messaged: 3/5/12

*Was forwarding the interview questions to ‘constituents’ in his area, but never followed through with interview completion.


Chris JonesDirector and Lead Educational Consultant at CJ Learning LtdEmail: [email protected] Messaged: 3/11/12

No Response

http://www.smuc.ac.uk/education/staff/paula-askew.htm



















INTERVIEW REPORT 10

FindingsAfter a thorough and exhaustive search for interviewees, the group was only able to

obtain two solid responses to our interview requests, but these two responses provided a wealth of information and a relatively clear picture of the state of education and the integration, implementation and maintenance of technology within Great Britain. The interviewees provided a very thorough and complete look at professional development, status of technology infrastructure, and technology integration within curricular areas. Our interviewees came from two completely different backgrounds. One interviewee was a teacher with forty years of experience as an educator and the other was a spokesperson for the British Department of Education.

The school systems within Great Britain embrace technological advances as a means to grow the economy. Great Britain identifies that vitality in education remains pertinent to students becoming competitive in the global community. For this vision to become a reality, students must be provided with the tools of technology to be competent and competitive in the 21st century.

There have been attempts to integrate professional development such as the NOF (New Opportunities Funding) and HOS (Hands on Support). Both programs relied heavily on funding (private and government), but both programs have ended. Based upon interviews and individual group research, it can be determined that teachers prefer ICT professional development should occur face-to-face. While attempts have been made for computer-generated training, teachers did not feel that skills were transferable to the classroom successfully. In addition to face-to-face training, teachers also feel that professional development needs to be supported within the school buildings. For example, a teacher who was recently trained in using a new technology should have support within the school from an ICT professional if questions or issues arise. Professional development should focus less on the technical areas and more on support in developing successful classroom practice and pedagogy with technologies. Additionally most teachers feel that there is a lack of support and the Teacher Training Development Agency is focusing on preparing teachers with technology skills, but that still does not fully address the issue of teachers who are already practicing in schools within Great Britain. Technology integration is a two-step process with professional development being the second part of that equation. The government wants to give schools more autonomy to drive their own improvement and schools are responsible for ensuring their teachers receive professional development that meets their needs.

Finally, Schools in Great Britain all have substantial technology infrastructures in place. All schools are connected to high speed broadband, but its speed and reliability are dependent on local providers. The Department for Education does fund and provide access to the high-speed education and research backbone network – JANET. Recently the government announced an ambitious plan to provide access to the best broadband network in Europe by 2015.

While the government recognizes the importance of technology and access to technology, there are currently no plans for Great Britain to address the needs of students who do not have access to or the means to achieve access such as computers and other technology. There is a

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digital divide in the school systems in Great Britain. This divide is being addressed in a variety of ways. The government is providing funding and great latitude to local Schools systems and administrators to address the needs of their population and infrastructure to provide access to all students. In addition, there are several public and private partnerships, which do provide resources to some students and school districts based on their demonstrated need. These resources are very limited and there is an ongoing effort to identify and recruit new sources of private, corporate and government funding to address the digital-divide.

Curriculum development is also an area of concern especially the integration of technology into the planning, developing, and implementation of new and existing course materials and lessons. The ongoing budget problems and lack of funding have significantly impacted Britain's ability to update curriculum that incorporates technology as more than a way to say that technology is being used; rather than actually creating lessons and curriculum that takes advantage of and uses technology effectively in advancing student learning in an increasingly meaningful way that addresses and implements 21st Century skills, digital citizenship, and global competitiveness.

How it Changed Initial PerceptionsGreat Britain has been touting technology in education since 1998 with the development

to the National Grid for Learning. In that plan, they hoped to have all schools and students connected to the Internet and utilizing ICT by 2002. In light of the national push for ICT integration, it would be assumed that more than a decade later Great Britain would be at the forefront of ICT integration in education. With that it would be assumed they would have ironed out issues in infrastructure and professional development, and would have the program running like a well-oiled machine.

The infrastructure for ICT use across Great Britain is in place within the schools, supporting initial perceptions that they have had time to provide access to all schools. According to Carole Hilleard’s interview (Carole Hilleard, personal communication, March 1l, 2012), the SMART board, digital camera, and laptop are all common tools in classrooms throughout the country. Leona Smith (Leona Smith, personal communication, March 19, 2012) explains that all schools have access to broadband Internet, and there are plans in place to provide the fastest Internet connection throughout the country by 2015. Smith (Leona Smith, personal communication, March 19, 2012) also describes the ability for schools to make their own decisions regarding technology purchases, limiting the hoops schools have to jump through in order to utilize their funding. One area that seems to still be a problem is the digital divide. Smith (Leona Smith, personal communication, March 19, 2012) notes that more funding is being given to schools where the poorest students live, and they are providing ICT time outside of school hours for those students in hopes of bridging this divide. The fact that the divide was not previously resolved after a decade of ICT use is slightly surprising, but the government’s attempts at finding solutions seem plausible. Hilleard (Carole Hilleard, personal communication, March 1l, 2012) did not know if the government had a budget plan in place to support and maintain ICT use, which means that the information regarding funding is not making its way down to the teachers themselves. Simultaneously, it did not sound as though teachers have any more control over budget decisions in Great Britain than they do in the United States.

The two interview responses support the perception that professional development in the area of ICT integration has been carefully planned and organized. As stated in Leona Smith’s

INTERVIEW REPORT 12

(Leona Smith, personal communication, March 19, 2012) reply there are free online trainings provided by the government to help teachers become more capable utilizing ICT in their classrooms. Smith (Leona Smith, personal communication, March 19, 2012) also points out the need for trainings to be focused on the integration aspect more so than the basics of using the technologies. This speaks to the idea that teachers have been using these technologies in their classrooms and are aware of how they work. They have moved onto the next step in the process. Hilleard (Carole Hilleard, personal communication, March 1l, 2012) felt that face-to-face trainings provide answers to questions immediately, and therefore are more effective. The government allows schools to have autonomy in planning professional development in order to better support their teachers, so Hilleard’s (Carole Hilleard, personal communication, March 1l, 2012) school would be able to provide face-to-face trainings if that was the decision they made.

The initial perceptions drawn from researching ICT integration in Great Britain were supported by the interviewee responses. The government has provided funding for professional development and purchasing of technology resources. Teachers are working to go beyond simply understanding the technology and are attending trainings to learn more methods for effective integration of ICT. They are working to level the playing field to bridge the digital divide. The government continues to set goals for ICT, showing that they are continuing to strive to improve this area of education.

Concluding StatementBased upon numerous attempts to contact and interview twenty-four educational leaders

and teachers within Great Britain to analyze the role of technology within the following areas: professional development, infrastructure, and curriculum integration, only two responses were returned. In order to effectively analyze the two responses, the collaborative group engaged in deep discussion to synthesize information based upon individual research topics (professional development, infrastructure, and curriculum integration) and compared it to responses from our interviewees. Through this approach, the collaborative group was able to support research findings in each of the three areas investigated regarding the role of technology within Great Britain as mentioned in the Findings section of our interview synthesis.

As concluded from interview and research findings, it can be concluded that Great Britain is making various attempts to integrate technology effectively within the classroom and through professional development for its teachers. Furthermore, Teacher Training Academies have evolved training programs for future teachers and head teachers to understand technology operations and to integrate them into curriculum successfully. However, this does not address ICT support and professional development for teachers currently in practice. Additionally, based upon research and interview synthesis, it can be concluded that teachers in practice find face-to-face ICT professional development to be the most beneficial in addition to the support of ICT within the school to help execute curriculum integration. With regards to curriculum integration, Great Britain, has implemented various types of professional development and or networks that teachers can utilize to examine and implement technology in a meaningful way in the classroom. However, with budget cuts, programs and networks that support this development have been cut. Furthermore, the government is placing more autonomy on the schools. Schools will be required to create technology plans and school integration plans to ensure that students are equipped with the necessary skills to make them globally competitive. Finally, with regards to infrastructure within the Great Britain education system, a plan has been developed to increase broadband for all students by 2015. Additionally, schools will have the ability based upon needs to create

INTERVIEW REPORT 13

technology plans that focus on infrastructure within schools. This will allow schools to purchase software, hardware, and other network items needed specifically by the school.

To conclude, the role of technology in the following areas: professional development, infrastructure, and curriculum integration are pertinent to the evolvement of Great Britain’s education system. In addition, even though government funding has been cut, schools have been given more freedom to guide the role of and integration of technology within schools in the areas of professional development, infrastructure, and curriculum integration.

Finally, the collaborative group tried to contact twenty-four people, but only had success with two respondents. As a collaborative group, although the interviews received do support research findings they would have been supported more deeply by receipt of more interview responses from potential candidates. The interview process might have been more improved in the following ways: more receptive potential interview candidates and a longer length of time for the project so that the collaborative group could have achieved a larger response rate.

Email Interview Archives Below please find a complete transcript of interviewees that responded to our interview invitation.

Person 1: Name: Carole HilleardDate Responded: 3/11/12

Area: Professional Development:1. When thinking in terms of ICT professional development, from your experience what is

the most effective method (Face-to-Face or Computer Guided) to train teachers to utilize ICT in the elementary and/or secondary classroom? Why? Please provide specific examples to support your answer. In addition, what area of ICT integration do you feel elementary and/or secondary teachers need more support, training, or development? Why? Please provide specific examples to support your answer.

From experience with ICT Professional Development the most effective method to train teachers is face to face. This is because there is always someone available to ask if problems occur or help is needed.


If given the opportunity to develop a professional programme for ICT the ideal would be to have a personal programme for each individual. This would require teachers to undertake an IT skills audit. A programme could then be structured to incorporate and cover the skills needed by the teacher. This would make a more relevant and purposeful

INTERVIEW REPORT 14

training so that the teachers would be able to transfer this to the classroom and be more willing to use the new skills.

Area: Infrastructure:3. When thinking in terms of infrastructure and capabilities needed to provide a

comprehensive and complete online learning environment, what would you say are the most important and immediate needs when designing and implementing lessons that include collaboration with schools around the globe? Please identify your top five requirements in order of importance for a successful infrastructure. Please explain your reasons for selecting these five requirements.

To provide a comprehensive and on line learning environment the most important needs are to have the facilities available for such a programme. Designing and implementing lessons that include collaboration with schools around the globe would require an assigned person to manage. Consideration of curriculum requirements, finance and time would be other factors.


Budget decisions are always very important. It is unlikely that Great Britain has a comprehensive plan in place to maintain, upgrade and modernise the technology infrastructure- not really sure. Schools are usually responsible for their own finances and there would be many variants from school to school as well as county-to-county depending on the budgets.



ICT training is important and helps teachers to incorporate technology into teaching. It is vital that we keep up with the advances being made in this Technological age and this can only be done by adequate training and staff development. Ten years ago I had never used a Smart board, digital camera or laptop – now all commonplace in the classroom.

INTERVIEW REPORT 15

6. Do you find that you actively use technology for a majority of your classes or do you integrate it sparingly? Why do you choose to do so? Provide an example of a lesson that utilizes technology in your classroom. What do you feel is ‘meaningful integration’ of technology into the classroom? How does this direct your planning for ICT in your own classroom? Describe what makes one technology-integrated lesson over the other more meaningful for students and teachers.

Technology is now used quite extensively in the majority of my classes. This is done because it is a means to making life easier in the classroom.

Area: Biography7. Please provide summary of your background in education and use of technology in

education.

Teacher in the UK for 40 years within Design and Technology.Programme Leader for Food Technology.

Person 2: The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath Secretary of State for EducationBiography Responded through Public Communications Unit: Leona Smith

Dear Don,

Thank you for your email of 1 March, asking the Secretary of State to take part in an email interview.

As I am sure you can appreciate, the Secretary of State receives a great number of requests similar to yours and is unable to accept as many as he would like. On this occasion I have been asked to reply.

The Department for Education recognises that effective use of digital technologies has great potential to support good teaching and help raise educational standards. In his recent speech at the BETT education technology show, the Secretary of State highlighted some of the opportunities presented by new technologies to improve education, http :// www . education . gov . uk / inthenews / speeches / a 00201868/ michael - gove - speech - at - the - bett - show -2012

We encourage schools to take advantage of the many opportunities provided by technology to support teaching, management and administration, both within and beyond the classroom. Our aim is for a system, which is capable of learning from the best new developments and exploiting them quickly. The Government is however, committed to reducing the amount of central control

http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/speeches/a00201868/michael-gove-speech-at-the-bett-show-2012






































INTERVIEW REPORT 16

and direction and has given schools greater autonomy to drive their own improvement – this includes using their professional judgment in implementing technology, based on local needs and context.

Please see below responses to your questions. Area: Professional Development:

1. When thinking in terms of ICT professional development, from your experience what is the most effective method (Face-to-Face or Computer Guided) to train teachers to utilize ICT in the elementary and/or secondary classroom? Why? Please provide specific examples to support your answer. In addition, what area of ICT integration do you feel elementary and/or secondary teachers need more support, training, or development? Why? Please provide specific examples to support your answer.

A range of methods of professional development can be successful, depending on the particular needs and context of the teachers. In the past, training has perhaps focused too much on the technical aspects of how to use particular technologies and systems. Teachers need more support in developing successful classroom practice and pedagogy with technologies.

The government wants to give schools more autonomy to drive their own improvement and schools are responsible for ensuring their teachers receive professional development that meets their needs.

An example of professional development, largely delivered online, is the VITAL CPD programme run by the Open University. http :// www . vital . ac . uk /

The following extract from Becta’s Harnessing Technology Survey 2010 may be helpful:ICT development needs reported by teachers, 2009-10:


Schools are responsible for ensuring their teachers receive professional development that meets their needs, and the government does not prescribe provision.

In England Teaching Schools are likely to play a key role in supporting other schools in the effective use of technology across the curriculum. The government will provide funding to support this work, which will involve outstanding schools and teachers supporting other schools in their alliances.

http://www.vital.ac.uk/










INTERVIEW REPORT 17

Teaching Schools are outstanding schools which play a leading role in the training and professional development of teachers, support staff and head teachers, as well as contributing to the raising of standards through school-to-school support. Schools will work together within a teaching school alliance – a group of schools and other partners that is supported by the leadership of a teaching school.

The following report gives some examples of English schools who use technology effectively, including providing professional development in ICT: http :// media . education . gov . uk / assets / files / doc / e / using %20 technology %20 to %20 improve %20 teaching %20 and %20 learning %20 in %20 secondary %20 schools . doc

Becta published a review of the ICT continuing professional development (CPD) landscape in 2011: http :// www . wlecentre . ac . uk / cms / files / becta / becta - ict - cpd - landscapereport . pdf

Area : Infrastructure : 3. When thinking in terms of infrastructure and capabilities needed to provide a

comprehensive and complete online learning environment, what would you say are the most important and immediate needs when designing and implementing lessons that include collaboration with schools around the globe? Please identify your top five requirements in order of importance for a successful infrastructure. Please explain your reason for selecting these five requirements.

Schools should use their professional judgment in implementing technology, based on local needs and context, learning from other schools, which use technology effectively. One useful source of information is Becta’s research into the effective use of online learning environments to support learning, which can be found here: http://www.wlecentre.ac.uk/cms/files/becta/becta-ict-cpd-landscapereport.pdf and herehttp :// dera . ioe . ac . uk /1485/


The government believes schools are best placed to make decisions about how to use resources available to them and to spend their money where it will make the biggest impact on the education of their pupils. Schools have the freedom to select and purchase technology to meet their needs and to encourage this we have simplified the funding system and removed previous ring fences thereby giving them greater control over their budgets.

http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/1485/










http://www.wlecentre.ac.uk/cms/files/becta/becta-ict-cpd-landscapereport.pdf






























http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/doc/e/using%20technology%20to%20improve%20teaching%20and%20learning%20in%20secondary%20schools.doc







































INTERVIEW REPORT 18

Schools in England are generally well equipped with technology infrastructure. All schools in England have broadband, but data speeds can vary depending on location. Although schools are responsible for their own broadband, most get connectivity provided from their local authority. The Department for Education funds school access to the high-speed education and research backbone network – JANET. The Department also provides a range of procurement arrangements and advice for schools to help them achieve best value when purchasing ICT.

The Government has already announced a strategy to help ensure the UK has the best broadband network in Europe by 2015. We aim to support roll out of ‘superfast broadband’ to 90% of the country by 2015, with all having access to at least 2Mbps.

The government recognise that access to computers and the Internet can have a range of benefits for pupils and their families and many schools now offer IT outside of normal school hours to help those pupils without access. There are no plans for expensive, Government funded programmes to provide computers for pupils to use at home, but we are talking to charities and industry about what they are doing to help address the issue. We are also giving extra money to schools for pupils from poorer backgrounds via the Pupil Premium. Schools are free to decide how to use the Premium, including providing ICT if that is their priority. Total funding for the Pupil Premium will be £625m in 2011-12 and will rise to £2.5 billion a year by 2014-15.



Not applicable (not a teacher)

6. Do you find that you actively use technology for a majority of your classes or do you integrate it sparingly? Why do you choose to do so? Provide an example of a lesson that utilizes technology in your classroom. What do you feel is ‘meaningful integration’ of technology into the classroom? How does this direct your planning for ICT in your own classroom? Describe what makes one technology integrated lesson over the other more meaningful for students and teachers?

Not applicable (not a teacher)

Once again, thank you for writing.

As part of our commitment to improving the service we provide to our customers, we are interested in hearing your views and would welcome your comments via our website at www . education . gov . uk / pcusurvey Regards

http://www.education.gov.uk/pcusurvey









INTERVIEW REPORT 19

Leona SmithPublic Communications Unitwww . education . gov . uk

Your correspondence has been allocated the reference number 2012/0014870. To contact the Department for Education, please visit www . education . gov . uk / contactus

References

Department for Education and Employment. (1998). National grid for learning. Retrieved from http :// www . education . gov . uk / consultations / downloadableDocs /42_1. pdf

http://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/42_1.pdf















http://www.education.gov.uk/contactus









http://www.education.gov.uk/







INTERVIEW REPORT 20

Hilleard, C. (2012, March 11). Email interview.

Smith, L. (2012, March 19). Email interview.

ed tc 645 interview report

Documents

stephanie lindland miller

htm dates emailed

public communications unit

uk dates emailed

uk dates messaged

surrey heath secretary

budget decisions affected

remote school districts