OTAKOUICT PD 2007-09

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Job Description

Review job description – add any ideas with a view that next meeting we will be able sign a job description each.

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Work in pairs.

Time limited 5 minutes

Effective Professional Development

We are fortunate to be involved in an ICTPD cluster, however these models provide the ingredients (the money) but not the recipe. It is up to individual clusters to decided on their own organisation of funds and professional development for their schools.

Today we are going to look at the benefits of being involved in a cluster and how effective professional development can dramatically change what is happening in classrooms.

Since 1999, the Ministry of Education has provided funding for clusters. Information presented in this presentation is based on the initial cluster findings and also similar ICT models in America.

Issues

WE need to ensure ICT and thinking skills are used effectively in our schools to create new opportunities for learning.

This requires integration of these tools into our learning experiences. This needs to be relevant and achievable.

“Teacher quality is the factor that matters most for student learning” Darling-Hammond and Berry 1998

Therefore professional development for teachers is the key issue for this integration.

Lack of professional development for ICT use is one of the most serious obstacles when integrating ICT into everyday learning experiences.

An ICTPD cluster is designed to provide teachers with expert advice and support through facilitators and lead teachers to help this integration to develop to it’s full potential.

“The transformation of classroom teaching and learning depends on knowledgeable and enthusiastic teachers who are motivated and prepared to put technology to work on

behalf of their students” notes from CEO Forum on Education and Technology.

ICT Professional development should be an integral part of a school’s PD plan and budget for the year.

Spend a moment or two to think about your school – are there changes you need to make now at school to make this ICTPD work in your school to it’s full potential?

Are there staff members you need to encourage or support?

How would you encourage and support? – expert advice/help, release time, visits to other schools…

In pairs discuss what you think are the Components for Professional Learning in ICT

Components for Professional Learning in ICT• Connection to student learning – improving student outcomes• Hands on ICT use• Variety of learning experiences – workshops, mentoring, modeling, special

courses, observations. • Curriculum specific – “helps them to learn how to select digital content based on

the needs and learning styles of the children and infuse in their curriculum delivery” Fatemi (1999)

• Roles for teachers – become facilitators, children work collaboratively• Collegial learning – sharing of new ideas across school and cluster• Active participation of teachers• On – going process (what is going to happen after the 3 years in the cluster

or in your school)• Sufficient time to follow up new ideas• Technical assistance and support• Administrative support – Leaders are key to success.• Adequate resources • Continuous funding• Built in evaluation so teachers are making the change and meeting

requirements within the cluster and school. (Teacher change = student change)

ICT, thinking tools and strategies link together.

Ministry evidence from ICTPD clusters has shown that;

students that used ICT skills also demonstrated cognitive and creative capabilities.

Using thinking skills such as Bloom’s Taxonomy encourage children to try out new ideas or to be inventive or original.

Knowledge – Recall of facts, dates, names, definitions

Comprehension – Understanding the meaning of the knowledge

Application – Using information in a new context to solve a problem or answer a question

Analysis – Breaking a piece of material into its parts and explaining the relationship between the parts

Synthesis – Putting parts together to form a new whole, pattern or structure.

Evaluation – Making a judgement based on a set of criteria.

Creativity – Trying out new and innovative ideas. http://www.kurwongbss.qld.edu.au/thinking/Bloom/blooms.htm

Other thinking skills such as multiple intelligences allow children to work within their own learning style.

De Bono’s Thinking Hats allow children to think creatively and critically.

http://www.kurwongbss.qld.edu.au/thinking/Hats/hats.htm

Tony Ryan’s Thinkers Keyshttp://www.kurwongbss.qld.edu.au/thinking/Think%20Keys/keys.htm

Using a variety of thinking tools within classroom programmes will allow children to brainstorm and share ideas in a group with more purpose and relevance. Eg: PMI, Tournament, Decision Making Matrix

Using an Inquiry model in classrooms allows teachers and children to have

clear understandings about the learning intentions. It allows children and

teachers to use a variety of thinking tools and ICT tools to answer their

wonderings in a collaborative and detailed way. There are many inquiry

models to follow such as Kath Murdoch, Three Doors, Gwen Gawith.

Whatever model you follow there are clear steps for learning, helping

children and teachers to answer questions in a more concise manner with

the use of technology. It also allows children to make real connections with

their world so they can see the relevance of this study to their life, their

world.

ICT, Essential Skills, Draft New Zealand Curriculum

The initial Ministry of Education survey results showed that; Communication, Information, Problem Solving and Numeracy skills were most frequently used by children when using ICT in their learning.

Draft New Zealand Curriculum

Key Competencies – Managing Self, Relating to others, Participating and contributing, Thinking, Using Language, symbols, and texts all link closely to ICT application in classrooms.

Increased ICT use will encourage student development in the Key Competencies.

"What teachers really need is in-depth, sustained assistance as they work to integrate computer use into the curriculum and confront the tension between traditional methods of instruction and new pedagogic methods that make extensive use of technology." (CEO Forum, 1999)

Indicators of progress

As a staff, syndicate, teacher; you could use these indicators of progress in your school and with setting Ministry Targets in ICT

The range of ICT children use and the relevance to curriculum requirements.

The levels of technical capability required of and demonstrated by children in their use of ICT

The range of Essential Skills/Key Competencies intended and applied in the children’s use of ICT

The levels of cognitive or creative ability required of and demonstrated by children in their use of ICT

The effectiveness of children collaborations when using ICT

The extent to which the use of ICT was “integrated” into the teacher’ general teaching programmes and practices.

“It motivates and provides another tool for children to want to learn. It can provide a huge range of activities to support units of learning, thus motivating children at all learning levels.”

“Having the time out to focus was really excellent. And for me the main, the sort of, equally, important thing was looking at philosophies and theories around teaching and learning…Because I was incredibly sceptical of the value of ICT for children in primary school, I knew it was inevitable and totally accepted the fact that we live in this technological world, but I had to have some sort of justification.” (Teacher interview, 2001)

Benefits of good ICTPD in a cluster for the staff

Benefits of good ICTPD in a cluster for the student

Benefits of good ICTPD in a cluster for the school community

There will be six groups. Two groups will work on the same area.In your groups you will develop a skrbl page to list your ideas on the following;

Go to www.skrbl.com to make your new skrbl.

Within your school … How will you deliver ICT professional development?

How will you record the journey with your staff?

Example – Reflective Practice Page

Teachers at your school could develop a reflective journal of their ICTPD. They could document experiences, thoughts, questions, ideas and conclusions during their ICTPD journey.

Task:• Title page – include cluster name, school. (eg; Otakou ICTPD, Anderson’s Bay School)

Each teacher has a tab under each tab they will record;• Goal – your goal for each term. This must be specific and show the steps to success. You

must evaluate each term and explain your progress.• Workshops – record all workshops, conferences and other PD that you have attended for

ICT. Complete a PMI for this. • Professional readings – record all professional readings you have read. • Websites – record any websites of relevance. This way you can share them with the

cluster.

Use protopage to develop this within your school.

Net Safety

http://www.tki.org.nz/r/governance/curriculum/copyguide_e.php

http://www.netsafe.org.nz/home/home_default.aspx

Questions and concerns relating to the issue of safety and security on the internet.

Safety and Security issues

•What are the consequences for teachers of promoting the use of social software - eg setting up blogs, wikispaces, web pages - What responsibility does the teacher have?•How can we have security but still give the students freedom to "play safe" with the new technology?•How do all schools allow access to Web2.0 technologies safely?•Who is responsible for unmonitored access and contacts?•How can we control student's boundaries of their access to the net?•Safeguarding - is the technology advancing faster than society is ready for?•How can we ensure that the collaboration is "safe"?

• Question time

• Reflection time

• Cluster web site time

• PMI on one of the web sites you have visited today.

• Please make sure all your staff have become members of the cluster web page by the end of next week.

• Please ask staff to log on at least twice a term.