Digital Driver's License - A Work in Progress

Following our round table discussions with our school community members, that included parents, teachers, students and our Parish, the processes for developing an authentic Sacred Heart Highgate Digital Drivers License are in place.

The students in year 4 and 5 are currently using a  Project Based Learning approach to develop understandings of Digital Citizenship in an authentic way. Examples of student work will be available soon.

The use of Government and other resources are being used to assist the students with inquiry and investigation.

Along with relevant literature, the round table discussion have provided valuable ideas and perspectives that will enhance the meaningful embedding of Digital Citizenship at SHPSH.

Contemporary Learning Space - Years 4 and 5 2013

This post is a follow-on from "Where have all the Desks Gone?" (November 28th 2012).

The new furniture and classroom space in Years 4 and 5 is proving to be very successful. The feedback from teachers and students is extremely positive and we are seeing the students use the space effectively. The learning can be described as a natural and creative process.

There is certainly more involved than just simply changing the furniture! Teachers have commented on the shift in the way they frame their teaching and learning approaches. The new spaces also allows for enhancement of teaching repertoires. However good planning and providing engaging learning experiences is central to the students thriving. As it is in any classroom.
Flexibility to encourage collaborative as well as individual work in a meaningful way has been well received by teachers and students.

It is not just about the digital devices! While the technology in the room (1:1 MacBook Air) is a positive element to each of the classrooms, our new learning environments can thrive with or without the use of devices. The engagement levels have lifted because of careful planning but also because of an environment conducive to learning and creativity that respects and views each student as a learner. Teacher perspective and mind-set are an important ingredient.

The notion that the classroom is a "Third Teacher" (Reggio approach) and is a "learning ecology" is really exciting.

Digitally Responsible Citizens and their Well being

As part of SHPSH Digital Driver's license in our laptop classes, Dr Sonia Ranelli (PhD) a physiotherapist and lecturer from The School of Physiotherapy at Curtin University, last week conducted presentations to the Year 4 and 5 students.

Dr Ranelli explained the importance of posture and demonstrated correct seating and standing positions for using a digital device in the classroom.

The Year 4 and 5 students will use this new founded knowledge to demonstrate competence and understanding in the Well Being aspect of the Sacred Heart's Digital Driver's license.
Teachers in these classes are explicitly teaching and are aware of student posture when they are working with or without a digital device.

The school intends to continue this focus throughout the whole school.  

Student Educational Technology Forum

To follow up from our community round table discussion, some of our students from Years 4,5 and 6 discussed the following questions and the following responses came from the conversation.

What are your thoughts and feelings about using Technology at school for learning.

 

• Makes people want to learn.
• Gives them motivation and determination to learn.
• Can use technology in your future employment.
• Helps us get ready for high school.
• Don't have to carry as many books.
• Our parents can see what we are learning at school.
• It is portable.
• Helps us to connect with and learn from others.
• Able to present our work in creative and interesting ways.
• We should still learn how to do handwriting.
• We would have less anxiety about forgetting work.
• We don't have to use technology all the time, for some things we don't need computers.

 

 

 

What do you think is expected from Sacred Heart when providing Technology in a way that encourages learning and digital responsibility?

 

• Strict rules about social media.
• We should be taught to use it safely and responsibly.
• Students learn from using technology. Learning not playing!
• The school should monitor Internet use by everyone.
• The focus should be learning about the subject.
• Let parents know that the learning is happening.

 

 

What do you think is expected of families and students when using Technology at home and at school?

 

• Separate learning form playing.
• Use only during school time.
• Be careful with handling the computers.
• Parents and the school are responsible for the safe use and the monitoring.
• Incorporate but restrict technology use in their daily life.
• Students should use technology purposefully.
• Students need to be organised with charging batteries and packing laptops ready for the next day.
• Students should have an organised hard drive.
• Students with their own laptops should have a digital license and given to them during assembly. Inappropriate use may mean the license is taken away for a period of time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SHPSH Educational Technology Guidelines - Roundtable Discussion

SHPSH Educational Technology Guidelines - Community Round table Discussion

 

 

 

 

Last Friday SHPSH hosted a group of community members to take part in starting a conversation about the guidelines for the use of  Educational Technology at our school. It was important to include stakeholders from all parts of the school community. This included our Parish Priest, Principal, parents, teachers, students (at a separate forum) and the school social worker. The conversation was rich, enlightening and flavoured with a sense of excitement and momentum for the teaching and learning at Sacred Heart. The round table participants were given discussion questions in advance enabling the time to think and prepare their ideas ahead of the discussion.

Below is an inventory of the themes that came out of each discussion topic.



What are your beliefs and assumptions about Educational Technology?

What values do you think we as a community should ensure we maintain and/or develop as we take this journey in Educational technology and 21^st Century learning? How does this link with our Vision Statement?

 

• Our Catholic identity is a relevant part of Educational Technology.
• Teaching and learning is about building character.
• Technology use in the near future will be much more embedded in learning.
• We can be engaging our students more.
• Continual changes in technology is inevitable. Help students to understand this.
• We cannot replace social skills and human interaction.
• Adult role modelling is vital.
• Technology is a medium to compliment teaching and learning strategies.
• Parents need input and information.
• Teach skills that provide life-long learning.
• Assists in self-directed learning.
• With the change there is a sense of fear.
• A need for digital etiquette.
• Kids react to digital equipment.

 

What do you think is expected from Sacred Heart when providing Educational Technology in a way that encourages learning and digital responsibility?

• Provide parents with information for how to get help and understanding.
• Provide the best infrastructure.
• Vigilant supervision.
• Parent workshops.
• Accessibility to seeing the use of technology within the learning.
• Role modelling responsible usage.
• Professional development for staff.
• Uphold our Christian values.
• Expectations of use from the school.
• Innovative methods that engage and allow self directed learning.
• Teaching and learning strategies that encourage collaborative learning.
• Educational Technology goal setting by the school.
• SHPSH recruitment policy that encourages skilled teachers with progressive teaching and learning strategies.
• Constant monitoring of use and effectiveness.
• Provide a safe and respectful environment.
• Gain student feedback.
• Develop partnership with Cyber-Safe police unit.
• Development of student "digital license".
 

What do you think is expected of families and students in regarding the use of Educational Technology at home and at school?

 

• Challenge parents. "What are they modelling at home with their own computer and where is it placed in the home?"
• School structures to support home usage.
• Follow set expectations from the school.
• Accommodate different parenting styles.
• Role model responsible usage.
• Teach understanding about care for equipment.
• Parents seek opportunity to attend workshops at the school.
• Students encouraged to share their learning at home.

 

This discussion is the first step in creating guidelines for how we as a community will engage with and use Educational Technology at SHPSH.

 



Physical Learning Space

Where have all the desks gone?

In 2013 our Year 4 and 5 classrooms will not only have a 1:1 Macbook Air laptop program but the classes physical space will transform with the removal of the traditional desks to new contemporary furniture and design.
The vision of this initiative is to further strengthen student engagement levels as well as supporting our goal of supporting our students to become responsible digital citizens.
This process has already required the framing of our thinking about teaching and learning approaches and what we know about how student learn best.
We see excited at the possibilities of fostering authentic learning approaches, educational technology as well as maintaining our School Vision of enabling all students to feel a sense of belonging, independence, competence and generosity.

CEO Contemporary Learning Hub
A visit with Louise Cimetta to the hub was hugely informing. A team from the school went along and it included teachers, the school principal and a parent who is a physiotherapist and has an interest in student posture and well being in the classrrom.

Professional Literature
To inform our strategies and processes we a drawing from the following resources:

The work of Leon Straker (2010) from Curtin University has enabled us to think proactively to support the ergonomic considerations of the furniture as well as the style of learning. A vital source has been his article about guidelines for  appropriate use of notebooks the encourage physical development. Recommendations include;

1.1 Encourage a mix of sedentary and active tasks

1.1.1. Encourage task variety through breaks and changing tasks

Mix computer tasks with non-sedentary/active tasks**

Take an active break from the computer every 30–60 min **

1.1.2. Encourage use of active input devices

Use active input devices whenever possible**

1.1.3. Encourage postural variety

Encourage children to fidget and move around whilst using computers *

1.1.4. Limit sedentary use of computers

Limit the use of sedentary electronic equipment for leisure purposes to less than 2 h per day*

1.2 Encourage reasonable postures during sedentary tasks

1.2.1 Encourage a range of suitable postures through appropriate workstation design

Select/adjust workstation size to suit the child***

Design workstations to enable a range of suitable postures**

Use standing and sitting workstations*

1.2.2 Encourage a range of suitable seated postures by selecting and adjusting chair appropriately

Set seat pan height to allow feet to be supported***

It may be appropriate to not have a backrest

If a backrest is provided the seat pan should be shorter than thigh length and the backrest

should fit the child’s lumbar spine

Avoid armrests

Select seat style to support a range of reasonable postures

1.2.3. Encourage suitable postures by selecting and adjusting an appropriate work surface

Set desk height to around elbow height*

Select large enough desk surface to permit appropriate positioning and use of keyboard, mouse and other materials

Select a single flat thin surface

Use document holders and inclined supports to position paper materials close to the display

1.2.4. Encourage appropriate postures and gaze angle by selecting and positioning computer display appropriately

Set top of display at eye height**

Position display at about arm’s length and directly in front

Position display to avoid glare

Select a good quality display

1.2.5. Encourage appropriate postures by selecting and positioning keyboard and pointing device appropriately

Select symmetrical mouse of appropriate size *

Enable mouse use on either side of keyboard

Provide thin flat keyboard to reduce wrist extension

Provide a smaller keyboard for smaller children

Provide a keyboard without numeric keypad

Select mouse and keyboard with suitable activation forces

1.3 Encourage appropriate behaviour when using and transporting notebook computers

Provide notebook of low weight

Carry notebook in dual shoulder strap backpack*

Provide external keyboard and adjust display height for larger children*

Encourage use of appropriate alternative postures for variety

1.4 Teach children computing skills

Learn to touch-type with minimum force*

Learn keyboard shortcuts to reduce mouse use

Learn to use software

1.5 Teach children to respond to discomfort*


Other resources include:
Ewan McIntosh's 7 Spaces of Learning

"The Third Teacher" recommendations.


More images and feedback to follow in 2013.
Teachers are excited about the prospects!

Parent Workshops - An Insight into Technology and Learning

The parent workshop held at the school next week received some great feedback. The parents had the opportunity to participate in a classroom-like environment with activities that incorporated educational technologies, but more importantly, involved higher-order thinking and some authentic learning experiences.

The lessons included:

• Accessing Edmodo as a base for the learning resources.

• Using emotive images to  develop prior knowledge, inferring and questioning comprehension skills.

• The advantages of using Storyline Online as a reading resource for developing readers.

• A Million Dollar Maths Challenge  - using online tools with individual or collaborative work.

• Using Edmodo to post responses to issues raised on our school blog. Using these responses for follow up discussion and learning.

Through the evening the Integrated Learning Planning Model (previously posted on this blog) was used to demonstrate how technology was one part of the learning but other "ingredients" were used to enrich the learning experience. These included the importance of collaborative learning and the physical space being conducive to learning and discussion.

Further workshops will be held next year as the technology and learning appetite of the school community continues to grow.