Leveraging Technology

I found this chapter the least interesting of all so far except for the very obvious statement that you can have the technology available but if the teachers do not embrace current learning pedagogy or themselves have the desired technology skills then student engagement and learning will be the same as before.
I did also relate the the comment that perhaps the technology we offer our students currently is of a poorer standard than what they use at home??? If we analysed our use of technology and the standard of our Internet what would we find?

Chapter 6 Leveraging Technology

Some good points made in this chapter although not my favourite this far. I think there are may implications for big picture planning eg CEDP. I believe that the diocese has done really well in assisting schools to embrace technology through a balance between pedagogy and devices. I perfectly understand that it is impossible to wait for all schools to be demonstrating contemporary pedagogy before devices should be used however it is very true that devices in themselves does not improve practice.
Some of the key points of this chapter include:

• The importance of a robust infrastructure as a slow internet system or devices that dont work are  very frustrating for teachers.
• The importance of a vision for learning first and go from there. "What do we want learning to look like in our classrooms?'
• I particularly agreed with the quality of computer use is connected to the teacher's confidence in using technology but my thinking is also their confidence in understanding the learning process. In this way they can explore the possibilities that technology can afford.
• The aspect of Privacy in the use of technology is becoming more an more of an issue not only in education but across many aspects of society eg Facebook. Added to this is the issue of Copyright
• The Chapter touched on the importance of ensuring systems are compatible. CEDP is improving this aspect however learning is continual and can lead to overload.
• The last point for me is how to manage the Refresh Cycle. Considerations include budget and Process.

Leverging Technology

As we have discussed on many occasions - Technology is simply a tool and if it is not driven by a deep understanding of pedagogy it remains an ineffective tool.

On page 173 the author refers: ' technology should not determine learning; pedagogy should determine learning.' After our many discussions I feel this is true at our school and we strive daily to " lead the child" through our work on feedback and constantly referring to the needs of our students.

Over the years CEDp has continued to develop the other areas this chapter touched on by developing their associations with apple, chrome etc but also thinking about 21 Century skills that need to be developed in order to aim for and achieve the best outcomes for our students.

Anther area of the chapter that I related to as seen on page 192 - 'Moving from Acceptable to Responsible Use Policies'. Our society is becoming more aware of the need for all people to be safe online but definitely our students whom like to feel grown up but still need lots of support in this area. At the beginning of the year, we sent home the CEDP guidelines and asked all students to read through them and discuss them with their parents . They were directed to sign and date the document and ask their parents to complete it also. During times throughout the year when needed we revise the document and consequences that need to take place due to them preaching their side of the contract. I feel at the age they are it is an important part of using technology but also a great way to teach the students about their responsibility when using this tool.

Moving forward in their school life they will continue to use technology so need to understand their role. One area that I feel we have a long way to go is the 'gap' between school and home when using devices whether it is because of the social divide or parent choice. I am not convinced we have the answers nor do I truly understand how deep the problem is. Some of the ideas in the chapter however were inspiring - ' leaving the bus barked in that area so students and families had access to wi-fi" or setting up Cafe's where all family members could access the wi-fi at a free or reduced rate showed me the impact schools can have to the wider community. 

Let's hope we can continue to develop our pedagogy in order for all students to achieve growth with or with out this tool. 

Making Professional Learning Personal

I am going to be simple and direct: This chapter clearly spoke to me in saying that you can give all the PD there is but if the teachers are not able to take it on ( for what ever reason) than the PL is ineffectual and that Pl should be presented in the way we would expect our teachers to present new learning to our students. Our PL should models our an inquiry based approach using the strategies that we would use in a classroom situation. Leanda has been doing this with her work on feedback. 

Making Professional Learning Personal

I found this topic quite interested as I also often wonder how we can make Professional Learning more relevant for teachers. I agree that there is a difference between the mindset of teachers: those that see Professional learning as the responsibility of the professional - themselves- because they are just interested in learning and those that appear to see professional learning/development as something that is done to them. I respect our teachers and truely believe that each and every one of them wants to see their students' learning outcomes improve and grow. I also think that a key is to be able to measure the growth of teacher learning better, as indicated by student outcomes and a "move from hours-based to outcome-based accountability" (pg 158 Learning Transformed)

In thinking again about the Michael McDowell's sessions he emphasised the importance of a learner identifying the gap and then being able to be given the opportunities or make the opportunities to bridge the gap. Speaking generally, is the lack of uptake from teachers, as explained in the beginning of this chapter, to do with the fact that we may not see our own gaps and thus do not see the relevance in making any changes to our practice. Perhaps the reason why Professional learning such as that seen through peer observation and analysis (maths with Jenny and Tammy and literacy with Bern and Kim) seems to work better. When we see each others exemplary practice and analyse why this is working we are more likely to compare our own practice and reflect on how we are going and where we need to go next, (identifying strengths and gaps for want of a better word)  When this is combined with student data and achievement of learning growth or lack of, it then gives it substance.

A question then is, do our teachers feel that our professional Learning hour is a "top down, one size fits all, sit and get, hours based approach to professional learning"??? and if so - and it may not be all sessions - is there a completely different way we can look at professional learning in the school.

Perhaps it is an opportunity to think outside the box to try to embed what we see as already working and minimise what is not.

Designing Learning Centre Spaces

    My thoughts were simple: How can we take our teacher centric spaces and reinvent them?
Can we use other spaces in the school more creatively? Are our classrooms constraining the pedagogy or is the pedagogy restraining how we use our classroom space?