Teaching and E-learning

Friday, December 9, 2011

Using teaching as inquiry to inform an e-learning action plan - the process, the outcomes and the plans for 2012

Below is an overview of our ICT PD plans for 2011, outcomes and our plans for 2012. This was originally written for milestone reporting purposes, but hopefully it provides a view of our ICT PD journey - where we came and where we are heading to. If you are interested in seeing more about our ICT PD programme you can check our group on the Ministry of Education (NZ) Virtual Learning Network (VLN).

Epsom Girls Grammar School on the VLN

Background and Context

Year level: Years 9-13

Cluster type: Single School Cluster

Context: Large Decile 9 Girls Secondary School

Research model used:Teaching as Inquiry

Aims and Purpose

The intention of using a Teaching as Inquiry cycle to inform an 'E-Learning Action Plan', was to provide staff across the curriculum areas with a tool and a process to guide their integration of e-learning tools and strategies (ICTPD National Goal 3) in way that was directly related to student outcomes. It was hoped that this process would both support the teacher in their planning, provide a plan that would signal the areas that they needed ICT PD support in, and also provide a level of accountablilty as 'E-learning Action Plans' were published and shared. The main aim and purpose of this process was to keep the focus primarily on the student and their learning and not the ICT tool and/or strategy.

Method, Interventions and Actions

Learning Areas were expected to undertake a year-long Teaching as Inquiry project to support ICT PD PLGs. This would allow Learning Areas to contextualise the ICT PD to meet the needs of their specific learning area. All ICT PD would still be guided by the national and school goals and LADS and e-mentors will work closely with the Director of e-learning to assure a focus on how we can improve student engagement through the integration of ICT strategies to enhance:

a) Student centred learning

b) Strong learning relationships between teachers, students and caregivers

Since any teaching strategy works differently in different contexts for different students, effective pedagogy requires that teachers inquire into the impact of their teaching on their students.

Inquiry into the teaching–learning relationship can be visualised as a cyclical process that goes on moment by moment (as teaching takes place), day by day, and over the longer term. (NZCp.35)

Summary of key results

Impact on students/teachers/whanau:

The impact on students is hard to measure within a one year cycle. Several professional learning groups gathered feedback from students through evaluation forms and discussion. Students were particularly positive in regards to having access to resources and activities online and anecdotal evidence would suggest that there is an increased expectation that teachers will "put that on Moodle" or provide online means of students completing tasks. Student responses have been recorded in some of the Learning Area E-learning Action plans/PLG reports that can be accessed through the links below.

The impact on teachers has been noticeable and feedback gathered at different points of the year would suggest that teachers have increased their understanding and appreciation of the possible advantages of integrating e-learning into their teaching practice.

Links to actual reflection/classroom practice:

Drawn Conclusions and identification of recommendations and next steps

Much of what we have achieved this year has been viewed as successful, therefore we will continue with the process of using a 'Teaching as inquiry to inform an e-learning action plan', and will also continue with the support structure of a dedicated e-mentor in each Learning Area.

However, in 2012 we would like the ICT PD contract to focus more directly on the relationship between the Key Competencies (Thinking), Effective Pedagogy (Differentiation and Collaboration) and e-learning.

Three key areas of focus for 2012:

Establishing online classroom environments on Moodle for all courses.
Encouraging students to bring and use ‘student owned devices’.
Completing another cycle of a Teaching as Inquiry e-learning action plan with a greater focus on Key competencies (to ensure we continue to reflect and question the effect of integrating e-learning and ICTs).

Moodle and Google Apps introduced in all Year 9 Subjects

All Year 9 courses will offer at least one specific opportunity for the students to engage with Moodle and Google in the first term. The Director of e-learning will work with e-mentors and LADs to develop resources and strategies for doing this.

MyPortfolio will be introduced in two ways:

As the mode for completing and sharing teacher appraisal and reflections (optional)
As the mode for completing and sharing Student Goal Setting in tutor groups (optional)

The overarching ICTPD structure will remain the same:

PLGs will be in Learning Areas
PLGs will be formed to meet the needs of each Learning Area
Each PLG will complete an E-learning Action Plan based on the topic focus of their choice
Each learning Area will have an allocated e-mentor
All staff will be offered a number of ICT PD workshops based on their needs
All staff will have access to a range of online ICTPD that can be accessed at any time

The focus will change:

2011 – Student Outcomes informed the ‘e-learning action plan’

2012 – Key Competencies (thinking) and Effective Pedagogy (collaboration, differentiation) will inform the ‘e-learning action plan’

Changes to PD delivery:

Most “tools and software” workshops will be available online rather than face-to-face workshops.
Most “ICT PD workshops” slots will be Learning Area/PLG based and led by e-mentors to allow for focus on the teaching and learning rather than the tool.
More time will be dedicated to teachers having time to develop their own resources

Change to Director of e-Learning, e-Mentors and Tech Angels:

The Director of e-Learning will meet with each e-mentor (and LAD) on a fortnightly basis to assist with strategic planning around integration of e-learning and planning for Learning Area professional development.
The Director of e-Learning will have the Tech Angels as a tutor group to allow on-going development of the team.
Each Tech Angel will be allocated to a Learning Area to provide targeted support.

Suggested timeline for 2012

Term One

Weeks 1-5 PD focus on Key Competencies and Effective Pedagogy not IT (TOD with Pam Hook in Week 5)

Weeks 6-10 PLGs formed and ‘E-learning Action Plans’ developed

Term Two

ICTPD Workshops and/or PLG time

Mid-year feedback (milestone) gathered at end of Term 2

Term Three

ICTPD Workshops and/or PLG time

Term Four

Sharing and final feedback (milestone)

ICT PD Model 2012

Next year will be about consolidating the work we have done this year. We will continue to use the teaching as inquiry cycle to inform an e-learning action plan. There will a focus on key competencies, with a particular focus on how thinking skills can be developed, using collaborative practices and differentiation, and how this can be supported through the integration of ICT in and beyond the classroom.

ICT PD 2012 – Using Teaching as Inquiry to support an e-learning action plan

(Greater focus on specific aspects of Key Competencies)

Focussing Inquiry	What aspect of ‘thinking’ do I want to focus on? Which class/group of students do I want focus on? Thinking might include: divergent thinking creative thinking critical literacy digital lieracy information literacy skils questioning skills
Teaching and Learning Inquiry	What strategies (evidence-based) are most likely to help my students learn this? In this teaching inquiry, the teacher uses evidence from research and from their own past practice and that of colleagues to plan teaching and learning opportunities aimed at achieving the outcomes prioritised in the focusing inquiry. *What are the collaborative and diffierentiation strategies that will best support thinking?* differentiation e.g. RAFT activities, tiered activities, student choice etc collaboration - co-construction of text, bus stop activities etc *What are the specific ICT tools (or combination of ICT tools) and/or strategies that will best support the aspect of effective pedagogy I am focusing on:* Moodle - which specific resources and/or activities Google Apps MyPortfolio Other tools and software
Teaching and learning	Teaching and Learning takes place - ICT Strategies are implemented into the classroom i.e Moodle course pages are used in and beyond the classroom to support differentiation and/or collaboration and learning activities that support specific aspects of thinking and developing key competencies.
Learning Inquiry	What happened as a result of the teaching, and what are the implications for future teaching? In this learning inquiry, the teacher investigates the success of the teaching in terms of the prioritised outcomes, using a range of assessment approaches. They do this both while learning activities are in progress and also as longer-term sequences or units of work come to an end. They then analyse and interpret the information to consider what they should do next. i.e Have you increased/improved your pedagogy and developed strategies that support collaboration and differentiation through the use of specific ICT tools and strategies? Have you raised levels of thinking? How? Why? Why not?

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Future-proofing English by harnessing the power of writing online

Some rights reserved by nicolasnova

Future-proofing English by harnessing the power of writing online

By Claire Amos

Director of e-Learning at Epsom Girls Grammar School

(this article was originally written for English in Aoteroa, Issue No.75, October 2011)

When we consider how we can best future-proof a curriculum area as central, universal and as diverse as English, it is impossible not to consider the increasing role that ICTs and e-learning will have in that future. Whilst it is interesting to explore the ways we can use ICTs in English, it is also important to consider the evidence suggesting why we should use it!

I would like to add a note here. At no point do I suggest that all students must use ICTs in English, I am firm believer that it is actually about differentiating for preferred mode, and offering it as a choice for those who see working online as a more engaging and useful way of working. I am a passionate advocate of e-learning, but more importantly I am a passionate advocate of learning. Therefore, ultimately, it is always about engaging the interest of the student and also addressing the needs of the individual learner.

Two years ago I was lucky enough to be awarded a Ministry of Education E-fellowship, giving me a little time and a lot support to research the impact that student owned blogs (and writing online) had on student outcomes and engagement. This year I was invited to review and reflect on that same research as part of a team of educators, ranging from Early Childhood through to Upper Secondary, each of us “mining the evidence” looking at how ICTs can be used to support literacy development, and drawing conclusions about the potential benefits. Below is an overview of my original E-fellowship project, followed by an exploration of the benefits that were afforded by the use of student owned blogs and the act of writing online.

Project Overview

The original project entitled ‘Beyond the virtual classroom – Developing literacy through the use of online communities and online writing in English’ looked at how student blogs and class wikis can be utilised to raise literacy levels in the context of formal writing (AS 90053 – the old external formal writing standard) preparation and practice. The project focused on how ICT is used beyond the classroom (as we are presented with the challenge of limited access to computers in the classroom).

In this inquiry project I critically reflected on the practice of formal writing, as a formative task, through the use of an online classroom community (the class wiki) which provided students with the topics and related live links to resources for a range of formal writing topics. Students were then given a choice; completing the formal writing practice by hand, or by producing a student owned blog and writing online.

The aim was to reflect on the effects of these practices on the learner, to see the impact the online approach (in comparison to those working on paper) had on student participation, engagement and improvement of literacy levels as illustrated in their production of formal writing. I hoped to measure how realistic and successful this approach was in comparison to more traditional in class written practice and potentially measuring whether using an environment (that of the online community) that our students feel comfortable in, enhances the development of their literacy levels.

Literacy, as it is defined for this project (as an understanding of and the ability to use the various forms of communication through which meaning is made between individuals or groups in society. It involves communicating with others using codes and conventions and understanding how those codes and conventions work) is central to the formative Formal Writing process. Students will be required to make meaning from a number of texts (newspaper articles, blogs, articles, television news reports and interviews which encompass print, graphics, moving images and sound) when considering any one topic for their Formal Writing blogs. They will in turn be required to interpret, analyse and create texts (and meaning) through the process of constructing their Formal Writing blog.

Mining the evidence and identifying the benefits of e-learning

In reviewing the original project findings, we used Alan Luke and Peter Freebody’s ‘Four Resources Model of Literacy’ which identifies four roles of a literate student; Code Breaker, Text User, Text Participant and Text Analyst. In discussion about each potential benefit of writing online, the impact that the benefit may have on each role is identified.

Whilst the impact that online writing had on the final “grade” is not explored here, what is explored is the way that ICTs and writing online impacted on the students level of engagement and how the act of writing online gave the student a real sense of self-efficacy, authorship, ownership and how the student clearly benefitted from the ability to edit, publish and access tools and resources to develop a long term writing portfolio.

Benefit #1: Audience - In publishing their work online, students had a genuine audience. Their audience included the teacher, peers and, for some, family. There was a sense that in publishing their work online it was a "published" document that could be viewed by anyone. All students were encouraged to make their blog "open" and therefore viewable by anyone.

Students who published written work online (compared to students who wrote essays by hand) were more likely to read one another’s work “I tend to read other peoples’ one but I don’t actually comment on it because I don’t want to-*“. The effect of this is an increased exposure to student examples and exemplars. There was also a sense that in making their work public and by it being "published" online, the "stakes were raised" and students felt pressure to take more care - "knowing other people are going to look at your work makes you do it better, more carefully". This positively impacted on how they operated as a Code Breaker, Text Participant and Text User in the sense that they were doing so publicly and also in that they were able to access examples showing how others were fulfilling these roles.

Benefit #2: Ownership - The Blogger accounts were created by the students and remained student owned. Also, the writing that they produced remained a part of their own writing portfolio. Students did not have to hand over or give away their work at any point.

Students had a sense of producing something they owned. The blogs were set up and owned by the student, with some students still publishing their writing two years after the project has finished. As the student states, "It is also cool having your own blog." For several students the blog became an online writing portfolio, with a number of students maintaining the blog well beyond the end of the project, signalling that the student saw this as their blog, and their portfolio to continue using. The sense of ownership that students felt encouraged them as both Text Participant and Text User, as students had a sense of responsibility and pride that came with the greater sense of ownership.

Benefit #3: Editing (soft copy) - As writing remained "online" at all times, the work was always in soft copy (rather than printed on paper or hard copy). This meant that writing was easy to edit and revise at any point.

Students who published written work online (compared to students who wrote essays by hand) were more likely to act upon feedback/next steps. No students who completed their essays by hand chose to redraft and resubmit their essays, whereas several of the students who completed their writing online made a habit of redrafting and resubmitting their essays. Several students commented on the ability to use online editing tools such as “spell check” which enabled them to more effectively proofread and edit their work. Students also commented about the ease with which they could restructure and re-order their paragraphs and ideas. They also felt that they could more easily add to their ideas. They also appreciated that they could save drafts that they came back to later and could continue to work on them until they were ready to “publish”.

Each of these aspects definitely impacted on the way that students operated as a Code Breaker and as a Text User. As a Code Breaker online editing tools such "spell check" would have enhanced their ability to spell accurately. Also, the ability to edit and re-edit with the click of a button increase the student’s ability and willingness to restructure and revise their writing. As illustrated here,

"sometimes I’ll add a new sentence if I need a link them together. Like if I’ve ?? something. But it’s just, cos I’m a really lazy writer that’s why. Like if I was doing it on paper I wouldn’t be bothered to cross it all out and put an arrow and then write down cos I get confused cos my writing’s really messy as well so I just find it easier to like to edit on the computer". and " it’s much easier to like copy it and move it into the other one, instead of like if you write it on paper then it’s like a mission. 2 – Yeah. ?? like you could write it, you spell the word, you know it, but if you’re on the computer it tells you that’s not the way to spell it so..."

Benefit #4: Publishing and Authorship - Unlike a traditional practice essay that is only viewed by the student and the teacher, the practice essay written as a blog was a public, published piece of writing that was open to the world.

Publishing their writing online encourages the students to see themselves as “authors”. This of course impacts on how the student operates as a Code Breaker as "having the pressure and knowing other people are going to look at your work makes you do it better, more carefully" and also how they are empowered as a Text User in that there role is shifted from student to one of "author". This is reinforced in the work of Gail Loane "Much more than a skill, writing is the creativity of each child making itself known through the role of author" - from I've Got Something to Say (on authorship)

Benefit # 5: Ubiquitous access - As the student’s work is written and published online, the student, teacher and peers can access the writing 24/7. Unlike traditional modes of writing and submission where a single piece of writing is created by the student and then handed to the teacher and then returned to the student, sometimes only to be lost or misplaced, the blog is available for anyone to view and read simultaneously. It can be revised at any point by the student and can be viewed and feedback van be made via the comment box at any time by anyone. It is also fairly permanent (unless the student decides to delete the post or cancel the Blogger account).

Students had 24/7 access to their blogs, and were able to draft and submit their written work whenever they liked. Online writers were better at meeting deadlines and often completed their work well before deadlines. This enabled them to receive feedback and improve upon their work. "And it is a faster and quicker way, rather than waiting until the next day you can hand it in straight away – as soon as you have done it." Students who completed their work by hand were more likely to miss deadlines. Ubiquitous access was definitely an enabler for the Text Participant "I usually forget to bring it if I write it on paper, but if I can email it or whatever straight away I don’t have to remember to bring it. That’s good."

Benefit #7: Increased Self-efficacy - Students were enabled (by access to online tools and resources) to act more independently of the teacher and could more easily source their own information and better equipped to edit their own writing through the use of tools such as "spell check".

Using online environments supported some student self-directed literacy practices. Students were able to work at their own pace, and had immediate access to online resources to support their writing. This undoubtedly enhanced their role as a Text User and Code Breaker in that the opportunities for "self-efficacy" were increased by the ease of access to online resources such as online newspapers and encyclopaedias and online tools such as "spell-check".

Benefit #8: Longevity - Unlike individual handwritten essays, the essays written on the blog became part of an on-going writing portfolio. The writing is automatically organised in chronological manner. The account is permanent, unless cancelled by the owner of the account. This means the writing may be kept for several years, allowing the teacher and the student easy access to a long term portfolio of writing which can be used to map development of writing skills and easy access to material for revision purposes.

Students developed an on-going writing portfolio that allowed both the student and teacher to map development in their writing throughout the year. Few students who completed the work by hand kept their writing, or had access to their writing when it came to exam revision. The screen shot below shows how easily students could access several months of writing at the “click of a button”. The second screen shot below shows a student still using her blog to publish her writing over a year after the project ended. The writing is archived in chronological order and allowed easy access throughout the year and makes them easy to access in the lead up to exams (for the purpose of revision). The longevity or long term development of writing that was enhanced by writing online impacted on the student’s role of Text User. They could more easily retain and reflect on the artefacts created as a Text User, over time.

Conclusion

On reflection, giving the students the choice to complete their writing online as a blog that was shared with the class provided many benefits for those students. Firstly, it was a mode they chose, there by catering to the student’s preferred mode of writing. It also provided support through access to online tools and in being soft copy encouraging students to redraft and “fix up” any issues identified in their feedback. The sense of audience and authorship, help to “up the ante”, encouraging the online writers to take more care in publishing their work. Also, they read one another’s work, and whilst they were hesitant to post feedback themselves, the very act of reading one another’s work was potentially a very powerful development.

I would like to end with quote from my reflective blog completed at the time of the original project, “I do however acknowledge that the greatest benefit comes from the fact that it is "another" option for my students. By this I mean that, it is not that blogs are the golden egg, the golden egg is actually that my students can choose the medium that suits them. That they are not limited to one means or another, handwriting or blog writing”. (Source: http://mye-learningfellowshipjournal.blogspot.com/)

*italicised quotes throughout the article are taken from student interviews conducted by Vince Ham throughout the project period.

Professional learning groups to support school wide e-learning at Epsom Girls Grammar

Monday, December 5, 2011

10 tips for making the most of BYOD and working online

1) Use Moodle to access class resources and activities

Work with your teacher to put all of the class resources and activities on Moodle
Have a smartphone? download the MyMoodle app for free
If your teacher has a smartphone they can use MyMoodle to quickly upload voice and video recordings of demonstrations and/or lectures

2) Create an online exercise book with Google Docs

Create a document for each class and 'share' it with your teacher so they can give feedback
Talk to your teacher about how to name your document as they will have lots of documents being shared with them. Including your name, subject, option and teacher code is a good idea e.g. Jill Blogs 10 English Opt C (Am)
If you are likely to write a lot for one subject you could create a separate doc for each topic and keep them all as a 'collection', you can then 'share' the collection with your teacher. Check with your teacher!

3) Create a portfolio with Google Sites

For published work and assessments you could create a Google Site, either one for a subject with a page for each topics, task or project or a Google Site for each task (especially if you are doing your task in a group) -You can embed documents, videos, voice recordings, pictures and PPTs (Google presentations)
You can use the 'announcements' page template if you need a blog - great for any kind of reflective journal or learning diary etc.
You can then share this with your teacher for marking
Check with you teacher first, check naming protocols so your teacher can find your work.
You could even publish your work to your class (make it public and ask your teacher to provide a link from Moodle)

4) Create an online folder of web resources with www.livebinder.com

This is a virtual folder tool. Create an account and organise resources, notes or any resources found on the Internet urn Subject and topic dividers - this is REALLY handy for online research.

5) Create/co-construct an online text book using wiki-educator

Other schools and classes are starting to co-construct their own textbooks on Wikieducator. Check out some online text books created by Albany Senior High School teachers and students here: http://wikieducator.org/English/ASHS_Year_12_-_The_Hunger_Games

Could your class do this? Talk to your teacher first!

6) Manage your time with a Google calendar

You can create a calendar to record all of your upcoming assessments and events. You can even create separate school, sport and social calendars that you can also access on your smart phone. Check out some ideas and instructions here:
You could work with your teacher to create a class calendar that they 'share' with entire class, this will then be available to combine with your own Google Calendar.
You can set up text alerts for upcoming events using Google Calendar as well:

7) Put your mobile phone to good use

Remember you can record your voice; take photos and record videos on most mobile phones. You could use these to photograph notes on the board, record a summary of your lesson, record homework, task instructions, record and practice speeches and presentations.
Remember to never record, photograph or video other people (or their work) without their permission first.
Even if you have permission to record, photograph or video someone or something, you should NEVER post or share recordings, photographs or videos without their specific permission to do so.

8) Create a FaceBook group for your class or study buddies!

A closed FaceBook group is a safe way to create a school group on a social network.
You could create a group for your class, or ask your teacher to set one up.
Make sure all members have their accounts set to private, that way no one can see your personal information.
Set up protocols and rules for your group e.g. posts should be related to school only
Encourage your teacher to post links to updated resources or activities on your Moodle pages (or assign a student to do this).

9) Create an online portfolio using MyPortfolio

You can create an online portfolio account by going to http://myportfolio.school.nz/
You could use MyPortfolio to gather evidence of your learning over consecutive years
You could use MyPortfolio to complete your Goal Setting and share the Goal Setting page with your tutor teacher.
You can also use MyPortfolio to write and share your Curriculum Vitae
You can even take your MyPortfolio account to university with you!
Check out some helpful tutorials here:

Edit your profile
Add a journal
Find a friend

10) Use Twitter hashtags to have class related discussions

Rather than following your teachers and classmates on twitter, you can have class related topics by using hash tags, Simply come up with a unique hash tag for your class e.g. #10English_Am and then you can search and contribute to discussions by using that hash tag in your comments
Learn more about hashtags here:

Pages