Virtual Classroom Tour - VCT

Name of Project: Digitaal persbureau ‘De Pionier Koerier’Educator(s) Pim Staals

SchoolBrief description of school context

De Pionier, Valkenswaard, The Netherlands• 20 teachers• 223 pupils

School Website www.bs-de-pionier.nl

Content/Subject Areas

Dutch language, media literacy, world orientation, music, creative courses

Age/Grade level Year 8, pupils aged 11-12 years

Project Objectives

• Improving language competence; vocabulary, writing texts, obtaining information from oral sources, orally reporting, etc.

• Media literacy; working and making use of social media, searching information on the internet

• Developing 21st century skills; collaboration, problem solving ability, creativity, critical thinking, communicating, social skills and ICT skills.

• ICT skills (office, developing websites, movie and sound editing)

Project DescriptionBrief description of the project and the background. What are the stated objectives and learning outcomes? Is the learning activity long-term? Does it call on students to plan their work and assess their work over time?Please add background information files if needed. See how to embed documents in notes.

Design of the Learning EnvironmentExamples of planning (e.g. pedagogic approach, links to resources used). Please highlight creativity and innovative teaching practices. Emphasize towhat extent the planning for learning facilitates the development of different dimensions of 21st century skills e.g. knowledge building, use of ICT for learning, problem-solving and innovation, self-regulation, collaboration and skilled communication.

The children manage their own press agency and process the actual (regional) news on a cross media based manner (text, film, and podcasting). The courses Dutch language and spelling are presented in a way that children perceive the lessons as valuable, usable and attractive.

Take a look for examples on the real website www.pioniergr8.wordpress.com

During this project the traditional methods are partly set apart. The results are positive, because the results on language competence are improved. Before the project the average score was below the Dutch average, after the project the scores were even higher than the Dutch average! Besides this positive result, it might even be more important that children are also developing other skills for the future. • Creativity• Ability to solve problems • Collaboration• ICT skills• Taking responsibility• Independency

The Pionier Koerier:Forms a solid base for the children to be prepared for the future.

Black line: group average Green line: Dutch average

Official scores on language competence last 8 years

project description

Evidence of Learning

Examples of products and outcomes created by the learners throughout the project – including use of ICT. What sort of ICT is used and how has it been used in the project.

To what extent do students use ICT in ways that support knowledge building, collaboration, or learning beyond the classroom? Does ICT use enable new knowledge-building/collaboration/learning beyond the classroom opportunities that would not have been possible without it? Have digital tools been used in imaginative and ground-breaking ways to support learning processes?

Please add files, videos etc. which documents clearly the learning process and evidence of students’ learning

Education with the help of ICT, that makes the difference!

In every step of the project children are faced with ICT. Without ICT the project would not be possible.

Several applications are used during the project.• Bing maps; searching information• Live mail ; sending mails• OneNote ; project plan• Word ; writing articles• PowerPoint ; presenting opinions• Live Photo Gallery ; editing images• Movie Maker ; edition videos• Songsmith ; composing music • AutoCollage ; images• Publisher ;making business cards• YouTube ; publishing videos• Twitter ; communication• Facebook; communication• Word press ; publishing articles

The power of these applications is that they are a supporting element. Without these applications it would not be possible to achieve the project goals.

Reporting your own hockey game Reporting about a skatepark that will be closed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4KoAtfY9V8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfnFi2DdcW4

use of ICT

Knowledge Building & Critical Thinking

Examples of how the learning activities require students to move beyond reproducing what they have learned to building knowledge through interpretation, analysis, synthesis, or evaluation.

Extended Learning Beyond the Classroom

If the learning experience is not bound by classroom walls, time-frame of conventional lessons, subject parameters – please show examples of this.

If the project addresses real world issues (i.e. authentic situation and data from outside the classroom) or has meaningful impact on communities locally and / or globally please show examples of this.

The Pionier Koerier is a interdisciplinary project where several subjects are combined like the Dutch course, spelling, world orientation and in some extent creativity. Children do not learn from books, but are searching for actual (regional) news. It is expected that the skills on language competence are applied.

The basic principle of the project is the improvement of language competence. High demands for the articles are set. To help the children to start the project they are provided with essential information. This map provides guidelines and examples of the project. During the evaluation we check and discuss whether the children have used these guidelines.

Children search for actual news on the internet or in newspapers. They are stimulated to make reports on the location. By doing this they explore the world around them and is an extra motivation.The Pionier Koerier has its own mail account (pionier8@live.nl). This account can be used by the children to get in contact with other people.

Making appointments by mail Interviewing the mayor of Valkenswaard

information background article

Collaboration

Examples of how the students work with other people, sharing responsibility while making substantive decisions for developing a joint product, a design, or an answer to a complex question. Students may be collaborating with their peers in the classroom, or with students or adults outside the classroom

During this project the children have to make use of their collaboration capabilities and will be coached on these capabilities. In almost each step of the project the children have to work together.

Children make the articles in groups of two. When they make the project plan they have to agree on the process: the content, procedure, the goal, the planning and who will do what. Because they are both responsible for the final work, they have to agree on the final work.

During the feedback session with the teacher the children are taught to reflect on the process, because we take a look on the process. The children have to argue how they experienced the process. What is a good collaboration and what are the learnings and what are improvement points for the next article.

Making a report about PSV

To agree on:• What is the goal of the

report?• Who are we going to

interview?• Who asks which questions?• Who will film?• Who makes the notes and

who will edit the movie?• Etc.

Together responsible for the resulthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1vwJsfPN-U