mr. bernard cheng principal: australia street infants school network 8 sydney region 09 integrating...

Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09

Integrating and using ICT in SchoolsNew perspectives in a changing technical landscape

Bernard Cheng


”There is no reason why anyone would want a computer in their home."

Ken Olson, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp, 1977

Historical Perspectives informing current issues


"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."

Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943



In 2001 …

42% of all Australian households used or owned a personal computer.

14.2% of Australians aged 0 – 19 have used a personal computer at home.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001 Census



According to Moore’s Law …

Computers double in complexity and performance every two years, whilst also relatively halving in price.

So …



• So think of the possibilities technology will bring a child who starts in Kindergarten today over the course of their Primary and Secondary schooling then transition to work…

• This has significant and real implications in regard to what our role as educators and advisors is and how this effects the integration of technology in our schools from a teaching and advisory perspective.

What does this mean for us today?


• Compounding this, increasingly we need to rethink our assumptions of what level of technical skills students bring to school …

• That is to say the current generation of Digital Natives have been born into technology and have high level skills but not necessarily skills in applying and framing these understandings productively.



• This is our challenge … to frame and apply student skills productively and appropriately … In a context were we are presented with …

• a rapidly changing technical landscape

• an unpredictable and changing workforce

• increasingly dominated by new industries

• driven by technical innovation

• requiring skills that may not have been considered even five years ago



The key question to consider then is …..

• What do we need to do as advisors of students who will be entering the workforce or further study to

… ensure that they develop fundamental skills to adapt, change and apply ICT skills

… as it relates to changing industries and fields of study

… given that we are increasingly being presented with a need to forecast these skills 3 – 5 years ahead of time …



• Examples of this is Interactive Whiteboards and Video Conferencing in schools.

• Who would have predicted these would be common sites 5 years ago?

• A stark example of this is at Australia Street Infants School where no child K-2 has ever seen a chalkboard or whiteboard used in their classroom…

Forecasting the future.. Some current examples


• Another example is the Laptops for Learning Program providing on-mass mobile connectivity...

• Student access to instant information and social connectivity will be unparalleled when compared to students who completed schools only 5-10 years ago ….

• A practical example of this changing technical landscape can be seen in the well referenced Google example dealing with instant knowledge:

• In one day 90 million Google searches are performed

…. Where were these questions directed B.G? (Before Google)

Forecasting the future.. Some current examples


• As a consequence key issues facing schools is the need to build capacity in teachers to be facilitators of purpose and context that utilises technology rather that the more traditional view of integrators of current technology.

• We need to focus on delivering opportunities for students and staff that ...

What does this mean for schools today …


• Facilitate the affective use of current and emerging ICT tools within a collaborative and authentic learning environment with real purpose and that leads to demonstrated outcomes emphasising …



• Critical thinking

• Problem solving

• Collaboration and cooperative knowledge construction

• Discrimination and application

• Skill application and transferal

• Sustainable and flexible practice



• Supporting students in this way involves thinking about ICT integration a little differently as has been identified in the following research …

How can this be put into practice


• ICT can provide powerful tools which can be used to facilitate a variety of teaching and learning approaches, however technology in its self contains neither content or pedagogical bias.

(Zhao and Campbell, 1995.)



• The effectiveness of ICT relies on the quality of the educational outcomes of the task in which it will be incorporated.

(Dufresne et.al.,1996.)

• An important use of technology is the capacity to create new opportunities for curriculum and instruction through facilitating

collaborative learning environments. (Brown, A.L., Cocking, R.R., Bransford, J.D. (Eds.), 2000.)



• The use of technology should be integrated into a teaching and learning cycle as a transparent part of the learning experiences delivered to the student.



ICT facilitatingauthentic purpose

ICT Skills & Meta-Language

appropriateICT Tools

Proposed Student

Products

SyllabusLinks

LearningExperiences

Focus

Cheng (2001) Model, 2009 Revision



We need to ensure that we are:

• providing students with the skills to learn effectively with appropriate tools, rather than simply skills to understand current technology which is unsustainable.

Some considerations to make …


As a consequence we need to be wary of ….

• The isolated scope and sequence of ICT skills and applications (The default response to ICT in Schools)

• The creation of an unofficial KLA - ICT!

Some considerations to make …


Most importantly however ….

• We don’t fall into the trap of replicating current practice with with new technologies raising the question of:



Does what I am doing with technology present new and

engaging opportunities for the students in my class?


How does all this relate to schools in the 21st Century


• Over the past 12 - 18 months significant announcement have been made in regard to the future of technology in schools through large scale infrastructure projects which include:

What is happening in schools today …


• Digital Education Revolution encompassing the newly renamed project rollout Laptops 4 Learning.

• Technology 4 Learning Program providing technology in schools with a commitment that no computer will be more than 4 years old with an ever increasing reduction in computer to student ratio’s.

• Connected Classroom Project encompassing video conferencing technologies and Interactive Whiteboard technologies in schools.

What is happening in schools today …


• Extremely fluid technological landscape in schools.

• Discrimination of what technologies to implement and why?

• Challenge of not only managing today's technologies but planning for what comes next?

• Managing the impact of ICT on expectations of professional practice, service delivery and what it really means to effectively integrate ICT within teaching and learning?

• Unprecedented access to technology in schools is increasingly attached to political and system imperatives to see tangible impacts on student learning.

What challenges does this bring?


Most importantly schools need to ensure that:

• teachers are supported in developing the capacity to effectively integrate current and emerging technology in classrooms in a way that:

….has quality teaching and purpose as the core of new opportunities for students

… Supports new ways of doing business with our school community and industry partners

• This implies a redefinition of ICT capacity within teachers and the emphasis placed on professional development…

What challenges does this bring?


Applying these considerations to teaching and learning

and

Administrative service delivery


A model for Laptop for Learning implementation based on the Australia Street Infants School Experience


Setting new directions in teaching and learning

As a staff at Australia Street Infants School we wanted to:

• Shift the focus of ICT as being an addition to teaching and learning to being a facilitative tool as ubiquitous as a pencil sharpener

• Move away from actual manipulation of an ICT device as being fundamental to ICT inclusion

• Quality teaching to define what tools ICT or otherwise are appropriate to implement

• Build a sustainable community of practice amongst staff


This led to staff debating the question what is more effective?

• Students learning in an ICT rich environment where technology is a shared facilitative tool used all day emphasising mobility, collaboration and on-demand access used in response to identified task demands

Or

• Once a week hands on one to one access outside of the primary teaching space completing more often than not retrospective tasks…

Then we debated …


• Would it be possible to remove the traditional classroom ownership model to allow rooms to be set up for particular purposes?

• This came from a project that we called the “Enrichment Program in 2004” in which each teacher taught a specific KLA to all students during the afternoon sessions

• As well as taking influence from the IBM Innovation Centre

Then we debated …


• In 2005 Australia Street Infants School implemented the “21st Century classroom” through the installation of:

• Interactive Whiteboards in every classroom within a site wide wireless environment supporting 20 laptops for staff and students with a population of 100 students.

• Implementation of “roaming profiles” via curriculum servers allowing for a teachers desktop and files “To Roam” with them on any mobile wireless device they logged onto in the school eliminating the need for a specific personal device facilitating greater resource sharing and mobility.

Implementing the 21st Century Classroom…


• Implementation of wireless keyboards and mice for staff and students allowing teaching and learning to be separated from the computer location.

• Centralised printing and scanning functionality in the school via a network imaging devices in various locations

• Implemented support for Blackberry devices linked to school server notifications and DET Staff Email to allow for more efficient resource management and enhanced communication services.

What we implemented …


• In doing so we created teaching and learning spaces that are able to be configured according to intended purpose.

• Removed the traditional teacher room ownership concept as resources roamed with the teacher.

• Through the implementation of a site wireless network we ensured that ICT facilitated best practice rather dictate where it could happen! – That is special project spaces and groups could be formed



Using e-commerce functionalities to enhance

administrative service delivery


Schools are very good at considering and delivering continual improvement to:

• Teacher Quality

• Student outcomes and achievement

• Building positive and productive relationships

However until recently ….

• Rarely have we considered how our school administrative services operate and how they could be more effectively delivered



In regard to the school administrative operation we understand and acknowledge that:

• Schools are required to simultaneously manage a multiple tasks accurately and efficiently in a busy and unpredictable environment that include:

- Financial Activities

- Liaising with the school community

- Data collection and management

- Liaising with external partners

- Students



• In regard to our school community and our industry partners we know that they are …

• Time poor

• Find it difficult to interact with schools during operational hours

• Are used to the internet as being a critical component of business service delivery

• However our administrative systems generally have not addressed these as issues for consideration and generally operate on the premise that:



We expect that:

All business transactions initiated are required to be completed through interacting with us during specific times of the day

We are the only industry to do business this way!



Schools need to respond to:

• difficulties in accessing the school during school hours.

Whilst introducing:

• administrative systems that introduce work flow efficiencies.

That is to:

• increase common task automation whilst reducing the need for face to face contact with the school.



Web delivery of administrative and e-commerce functions via functional websites.



• Web delivery of administrative functions is an opportunity to provide a dynamic and scalable solution that can be developed to meet these conflicting needs…

Through the development of:

• An online information and financial management system built on a self service client based information ownership model.

• This allows users to freely interact and maintain their own information online via self registration and secure log in.



User Interface

data creation, access & self management

Data access & user management

Admin Interface

Input Access

User Data held in a remote hosted SQL web server

Data



This model effectively manages:

• double handling of information

• input data error (School Office)

• Information loss

Most importantly:

• Relieves the school of common tasks that can be automated and consolidated for management at more opportune times and reduce double handling of information



School Office

New FamiliesCurrent Families

Provision of financial services to parents 24/7

Increased access to school office functions whilst reducing face to face and phone contact as primary means of interaction

Automation of information gathering, manipulation and storage

School policy access management (downloads)

Email as a strategy for developing effective relationships with our enrolment waiting lists and registration lists

School promotion

Provisional enrolment management (User managed)

Program registrations (User managed)

School information access (downloads)

School shop

News & current events

Student learning support and image galleries

E-forms for parent RSVP / Notifications

Stakeholders and functional use


Capacity to:

- Submit provisional enrolments and registrations online

- Pay school activity fees and Pre-School fees

- Purchase School Uniforms online

- Access school policy information and news on demand

- Electronic return of notes to school were possible

- Develop online databases that users can interact with to manage any purpose that requires third parties to submit information and the school to manage the submission

- Maintain effective communication with families that attend school programs on a casual basis

- Maintain an effective relationship with our waiting lists

All functionality to be remote managed and monitored via a Blackberry / PDA

Key functionalities


• School Shop

• Online Self managed enrolment & registration databases with user login

• e-forms for student note returns and RSVP to school functions

• Structured download database

• News Blog

• School Calendar

Development of services


• 51, 899 hits per month (725,000 to date).

• 1046 actual visits to the school website per month.

• All families in the school visit the website 5.7 times per month.

• Average time spent on our site is 10 minutes with 4 page views

• 60% of the school has completed an online payment via the school website purchasing uniforms and paying school fees.

• In 6 months $19,845.00 worth of online transactions have been processed.

Outcomes of the program


• 90% reduction in walk in traffic.

• 80% reduction in phone calls.

• An estimated 2 hours per day / 10 hours per week of productive time has been gained that would be otherwise spent dealing with face to face

requests.

• As a relative costing this represents a saving of $240.00 per week or $9400.00 per year in productive time.

Impact on the school


• 80% increase in return of notes and timeliness of payments.

• 90% of interactions of the school website happens between 7pm & 11pm.

• 45% of families have logged in to modify their submitted information over 12 months on our enrolment database.

• 100% accuracy of information has been achieved through the provisional enrolment service.

• Recurring monthly financial tasks take 50% less time and with significantly less errors being reported.



• How could remote managing administrative functions in this way assist you in your role with managing students, parents and industry?



The presence of technology in schools should:

• Utilise digital technologies transparently within the design, development and presentation modes of planned teaching and learning tasks delivered to students.

• enhance learning and administrative processes through providing opportunities to extend the possibilities of student instruction and administrative operation

• offer new opportunities for learners to engage, manipulate, collaborate and create in new and powerful ways both with each other, school communities and industry partners

Finally Some points to consider …


• Despite the challenges and opportunities that ICT Brings to the classroom we need to consider carefully …

• Are there any REAL gains to be made using technology?

• Does the use of ICT provide a more meaningful or engaging dimension to the intended instructional outcomes for students or service delivery to stakeholders?

• Remember that despite the promises and potential of ICT, it is still the quality of your teaching and learning experiences and quality of planning which will determine the outcomes students will achieve with ICT.

Finally Some questions to reflect on …


The challenge now is to revaluate the way you engage in your role through:

• looking at ways in which technology can facilitate more efficient and effective ways of delivering teaching and learning programs to students within task orientated flexible learning environments

Whilst also considering:

• Realigning pre-conceptions of service delivery through looking at ways to support online information management and automation of administrative services to both the school community and our industry partners.

The challenge now for Careers Advisors is …


This presentation is available to download at:

www.australiastreetschool.com/downloads

Then follow the links to

school publications > Careers advisors forum

Finally Some questions to reflect on …

mr. bernard cheng principal: australia street infants school network 8 sydney region 09 integrating...

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bernard cheng principal

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