Night before ACEC 2010 and I just thought it worth while to post my presentation summary online. It is all happening 1:30pm Thursday 8th of April in room 212. For now here is the overview… More information coming…
Presentation Summary
Objective
To deliver a 45 minute overview of our College’s journey to becoming an effective digital school – Focussing on improving learning and teaching through digital technologies.
Goals
Share practical steps in plaining our 1 to 1 roll out
Help participants develop an Educational vision for their school IT direction (Hardware, Software, Professional Learning, Pedagogy)
Stimulate discussion around the issues involved in taking a whole school in one direction toward effective use of learning technologies.
Abstract
King’s Christian College has been on a journey toward creating an effective digital environment that enhances learning and teaching outcomes. The College began this Journey in 2008 with a large injection of funding into IT resources and the development of plans on how to best spend the funding coming from the Federal Government. The vision for a 1 to 1 laptop school was the beginning of our journey and helped develop direction for a successful implementation of such a large undertaking. Through all we have done our focus has been on making sure quality curriculum and teaching drives all IT decisions. With large amounts of funding available to many schools for IT, we realised the temptation of simply spending and not taking time to justify the educational benefit or advantage.
Throughout all of our committee meetings and planning time it has become evident that if we succeed in implementing these technologies with good teaching and pedagogy at the basis of all decisions, we should achieve not only a digital learning environment, but more importantly an environment where teaching and learning focusses on good pedagogy as well as being learner focussed. This is why a big part of this journey must be developing ways to help change mindsets of the school community. Our College’s journey is at an exciting point where a number of different strategies have been implemented to help with the core focus of our journey.
Our key at all times is to respect the professionalism of the teacher and provide all practical support needed. The basis of what we have found work has been providing opportunities for team teaching and creating a culture of being open to learn from each other. Every member of our staff has something to share and contribute to our learning community. We quickly realised it was time to get the expertise and experience out of the locked cupboard and out into the light for everyone to share and learn from.
This presentation will look at the strategies that worked and failed through out our journey. It will help participants identify their own valuable human resources that can help make an effective digital school benefit teaching and learning. All materials and documentation developed to help us on this journey will be available to participants as a way of helping others considering a similar journey as well as a way to foster continued discussion.