General+Notes+from+Year+1

Notes from Milestone 2
All schools have had at one or more visits to set up programmes and to begin PD sessions. Teachers have identified a range of needs that they would like to work on. Currently the individual programme is offered as an opt in for teachers as a way to encourage buy in. The focus is on a longer term development rather than a collection of one off sessions. Already these sessions have created intersest in other teachers. One school has had support in the use of MUSAC. Teachers session include hands on, discussion about classroom application and learning and practise time. Teachers and the facilitator agree on a follow up task to be completede before the next visit. Other oportunities are offered informally, during facilitator visits, to meet teachers just in time needs. Teachers will have sessions as a whole staff where ICT, learning and how ICT can support their own practise will be focused on through discussion and hands on. These meeting are underway in one school with others to follow during the term. Lead teachers have met together and are taking respoinsibilty for help organising PD, supporting teachers and identifying teachers who may be bale to and willing to offer support to others.. VC Support/training underway

Notes from Milestone 3
1. Overview of Programme 2005 Term 3 The Southern OtagoNet programme is in full swing with regular facilitator visits to schools for PD sessions. Teachers have identified a range of needs that they are working on during the individual programme. While these sessions are ICT focused, classroom programmes are also discussed. Results of these sessions have created interest in other teachers and more teachers are asking about ICT. Informal opportunities are offered during facilitator visits, to meet teachers’ just in time’ needs. Administration support workshops in the use of MUSAC have been held and will continue with the aim of developing expertise in each school.

Lead teachers are meeting together regularly and are taking responsibility for organising PD on the facilitator visit days. Where possible they are supporting teachers in their day to day ICTs needs. Profession reading groups are underway inn each school. Generally teachers are more positive and receptive towards ICTPD with an increase in peer assistance and questioning between teachers.

A range of things are happening including an increased use of projectors and PPT, stop frame animation, Maths week online (great excitement!), some staff using CDRoms and DVD in class, Smart board on trial, and in one school Y7/8 classes are booking the laptop pod for group work.

Issues being worked on are - Teachers needing more time but not wanting to leave their classes, computers always being booked, not enough teachers for the reading group in one school and finding suitable times for this, time too short and rushed, not enough facilitator time and some teachers not taking up any ICT challenge.

Group of teachers and Learning Facilitator attend ULearn conference Lead teacher and facilitator attended. All attendees felt the conference was worthwhile, in particular the key note speakers and their picture of what may be possible. Lead teachers reported back to their own staff. One in particular felt the experience added to the learning conversations with the staff.

A group of teachers, chosen for their interest and ability to effect others, attended a Jamie McKenzie workshop. This will be followed up in each school.

Notes from Milestone 4
1. Overview of Programme 2005 Term 4 including a a statement of the Pluses Minuses and Interesting issues (PMI) for this last milestone period. The Southern OtagoNet programme has continued with regular facilitator visits to schools for PD sessions. While there is still a small group of teachers who have not indicated an interest in ICT, more teachers have come forward to ask for PD sessions. Most of the support given at this stage is to meet teacher identified needs ranging from basic skills such as sending email attachements to advanced ICT skills. While a small number of teachers are working on using ICT to directly meet students needs some teachers have yet to move beyond the need to develop their own skill and confidence.

Teacher conversations about ICT and learning have started to happen more regularly with staff presenting to each other at staff meeings and through professional reading groups. The reading groups have been particularly successful in one school, moderately in another and still yet to develop in the third school. Strategies are being planned to develop this. Teachers are also beginning to share amongst themselves about ICT.

E-learning has continued throughout the year with teachers involved from each school in video conference classes. In addition several teachers have been involved with VC scholarship classes.

The year has culminated in a key event for the three schools in that all teachers came together for a one day PD session which included each subject area meeting together. This is the first time this has happened in this area and is a major step in the relationship between the three schools. The PD day focused on boys acheivement At each group meeting the groups discussed an aspect of teaching or their programme and for most groups a next step was identified. As a cluster we are hoping to build on this over the next two years.

Lead Teachers have continued to meet face to face, by email and audio conference. They have continued to support the teachers where possible and have organised the professional development in their own school.

Related activities have also been happening for example teachers attending intensive training on the use of interactive whiteboards run by Southland REAP as part of the community Trust Package, teachers attended the Venture Southland Innovator project conference, training in the use of the Success-maker programme and staff completing the ICT Technicians course via Otago Polytech and teachers attending the e-Hui

e-Learning via video conferencing will continue in 2006. Teachers have received training from ASNET and an OtagoNet facilitator, as well as attending an E Learning conference in term 4. Schools have also trained teachers internally and feel they have built up expertise to give themselves some independence in developing this area.

Conferences attended this year by cluster members are the Ulearn ICT conference, E Learning conference, Highland Cluster ICT conference and Jamie McKenzie workshops. Several teachers attended the Venture Southland Innovator project conference

All three schools have purchased interactive presentation technologies (IWB, Smart Board) for teachers to experience, evaluate and develop to support teaching and learning. Some training has been undertaken with outside agencies and some of the teachers involved have visited other classrooms to gather ideas for use. Discussions about the use of these technologies for learning have been held with the facilitator. Teachers have experienced high levels of student engagement during classroom use.

Professional learning groups have continued in Term for. The groups have worked very well in one school with good attendance and challenging discussions about issues in contemporary education. Moderate success has been achieved in another school with a smaller group showing an interest in looking at these issues. One school has yet to make a start. Strategies to get this started in this school are being planned for 2006.

Plus • Teachers individual needs being met • More teachers talking about ICT around the school • Individual PD sessions very well received. Tailored to needs. • Greater use of IT evident by staff and in classrooms. Significant use of data projector, demand for school computers, use of smart boards. • One school well on way to meeting operational plan target for electronic reporting Year 9-13. • The PD day held at Balclutha has brought the teachers of the three schools a lot closer together and the is a lot of networking occurring. • Internal PD happening eg VC training • Teachers becoming involved in a range of activities eg Interactive White Board training, conferences • Teacher’s only day o Subject groups o Making contact/contacts o Setting up shared areas in MyClasses • Facilitator o Facilitator has a strong education base to the help he gives teachers o Facilitator leads people on to the next step for them • More ICT used to create reports (teachers typing reports in Publisher as well as using Classroom Manager • Specialist help for key teachers with CM • A teachers using Mindspring, MyClasses, Otagonet; facilitating extension programme for year 7 to put up pages in Mindspring. • ICT being used for display and promotion of the school • The use of ICT in the Gifted and Talented programme • People who want help get it • Teachers developing their skills at their own pace • Digital Art used in the school magazine • Senior reports were all completed using CM • Digital cameras used on camp to let students see what they (and others/ other groups) have been doing • Use of ICT becoming normalised – a tool f or many students. Assignments are completed digitally. (Students ask if they can preset their projects this way. • Staff want to be involved with the ICT. • ICT is moving out of the computer suite and into classrooms. • Students became involved in movie making projects and had success. • Room 5 has to be timetabled so staff can use the electronic whiteboard. • For the first time teachers have wanted to use data projectors in some rooms so themselves and students can present their work • Maths and English staff all using Asttle.

Minus • We could use more facilitator time. • Significant demands to increase IT resources among staff. • Not all teachers asking for support • Time! • Some resistance has surfaced to some initiatives (Reports) • There are more demands for resources /capital equipment (cabling, computers, laptops) • Gaps in the infrastructure have been identified (cabling to some rooms, switches that are faulty) • Some staff lack typing skills so inputting reports is a slower process • Being involved has not been compulsory • Time to explore and extend what we are learning

Interesting

• demand for facilitator presenting to all staff, e.g.: - ideas for use of technology (to provide ‘spark’). - clever ideas for using web resources. • Confusion at times as to respective roles of facilitator and lead teacher. • Some teacher buy in is happening slowly as they see what is going on around them. • Skill levels and needs of students pushes the skill level of teachers • Support staff need to up-skill • We should organise a show and tell to allow staff to show what they are proud of! • One school providing a visual summary of the year at prizegiving

South Otago High School 28/11/07 - staff were using computers intermitenetly to complete some admin tasks and word processing - teachers are surveyed to identify current needs - some teachers worked individually with David Young - about 60% - most needs were to gain profiency in using email, word processing and power point - by the end of Year 1 teachers had broadened thier expectations of ICT and looked to gain PD in more diverse areas, such as video editing, pod casting etc for 2006