The meeting began with tours of the ISB campus led by hosts Stephen Lehmann, Justin Medved, and Dennis Harter.

After the tours, session 1 started at 10:45 am.

Stephen started off with a welcome to all.  Also, thanks were made to Acer for sponsoring the lunch and showcasing some new products.

Session 1

How is tech. used in schools and how do you know its improving learning in curricular areas?

 

The group began by reading “An Open Letter to Elementary School Teachers”, an article volunteered from Justin (ISB).

 

Round robin of what other schools are doing with tech. and learning in notes format.

• ISB:  our model fits the article…away from labs and into classrooms as a tool to enhance curricular learning. 
  • Mistakes made, but improvement in tech. skills has increased.
  • Example, in Math classes we found that the introduction of the projector cut students off, but then the addition of the Smart Board made lessons interactive.
• Thai-Chinese:  Addicted to labs! 
  • Following computer lab model…want to know how to get out of this model and “ease” into the more integrated model.
  • Homeroom teachers will integrate some curricular work after a “skill” has been learned.
• St. Stephens:  British National Curriculum, which integrates technology into curriculum.  Lab based, but still effective.
  • Laptops can be useful…but there still needs to be an element of tech. teaching to improve skills.
  • Worry is that classroom teachers can’t advance tech. skills of students
  • Projectors in classrooms helping a lot.
  • Key Stage 4 – home access available for students
• Harrow:  Not ready to make jump to closing labs.  Committed to that now…but would like to move in direction of article.
  • Current admin/business office not as supportive of change.
  • Projectors now being put in…interested in supporting teachers in using those.
  • Article that said that could not find link between interactive white boards and improved learning
• NIST:  No interactive white boards…have wireless and tablet laptop program
  • Projectors in every room.
  • Revolution needed in the classroom…hard to sell unless they see it happening. 
  • Teachers invited into Paul’s classroom.
  • What do they see
    • Enhanced resources.
    • Greater access to lesson materials and resources
    • Empowering students:  kids teach themselves
  • Math teachers video themselves with commentary and save and make available to students.  (hundreds of these videos)
  • English teachers using video of marking with audio commentary…
  • Access an issue for home users
    • Solution:  pre-load all grade level resources on the laptop.
• Northbridge:  Money not as great as others…maintaining labs
  • Technology instruction needed…teachers don’t want or know how to teach the skills.
  • PC Magazine article: tech. should be taught as subject
    • They need to have the skills.
  • Trying to integrate technology more into classroom instruction.
  • Model has been teachers leaving students in lab and not invested in what students are learning in computers
  • Some resistance from teachers
  • Mindset is to learn software without context of “what do you want to learn about….”
  • Now they are in the process of developing more pointed questions about “what is it that you want to be able to do?”
  • Like the blended model…but working out where to integrate that is most time effective.
  • Some specific skills still need to be taught.  Still need to provide students with that kind of training
• Siam Int’l:  new school with 250 students…about 80 computers and 2 projectors
  • Computers are mostly in the classrooms.
  • Trying to integrate in the classrooms
  • Labs used with younger students
• Saint John’s:  excited about teaching and learning.  Use these ideas to shape technology decisions rather than the other way around.
  • Want to know what’s needed in the classrooms first then make the decisions on things like wireless and such.
  • Find out what teachers want to do…then come up with the solutions.  Don’t intimidate with providing technology and then asking teachers to find use.
  • Confidence enhanced for students by having access to all work…technology allows this.
  • It should be about what you need…not learning the software (Microsoft loves that we teach Word or PowerPoint, etc)
• Patana:  In process of looking at vision.
  • Have ICT classes at the moment
  • Looking forward to a more integrated model
  • Other faculty do ICT as well.
  • No point in ICT without contextual learning.
  • Year 7 students learn the tech. skills and then work with other faculty to ensure that they use those skills
  • Want to ensure that less savvy teachers are looked after…training in place to help with this…ICT for busy teachers (same course for students)
  • ES model is very lab-based…Smart Boards in rooms from year 3 up.  All rooms have projectors.  What to do with early years?
  • Skills need to be taught, but integrated model sounds great…but what about non-savvy teachers?  They will not be able to handle tech. teaching.
  • Emphasis on computer teacher teaching student skills first and then classroom teacher takes over and works in the content
  • The second model allows teachers to  book ES tech. facilitator
  • Combination of the two seems to be the way to go.
  • “Blended is best”…incorporating all ideas “Learn IT to learn”
  • Still considering where the balance is
  • Teacher training is SO important…so they don’t feel de-skilled
• ISB:  staff buy-in and knowledge so important
  • Tech coordinator needs to work with the teacher in planning
  • Even to the point of team teaching with the teacher.
  • Teacher will eventually come along
  • Scaffold risk-taking…support coming into the classroom.
  • Celebrate that the teacher is the expert of the subject and/or developmental level of child…tech. person is supporting tech. side of things to help.
  • Interactive white boards:  jury may still be out, but do know that it excites teachers and definitely improves collaboration.
  • Still only as good as the teacher who uses it…seamless integration into everything that a teacher does
  • Just like all things, technology use has best practice…getting teachers to learn this.
  • Support is the key.
• Shrewsbury (Gilbert):  Question:  can teachers keep up with all the technology?
  • Is support the key?
  • “Support people are the slaves of the teaching side?”
  • Current situation:  traditional model – computer skill classes
  • Works in the traditional sense.  In UK they are pushing the model of integration and putting tech. in classrooms in context.
  • Teachers creating podcasts…placed on intranet.
  • Empowering the teachers without using too much of their time/energy
  • What do you do with teachers who are resisting?  Right now we encourage rather than dictate…

 

How do administration consider IT skills of teachers when recruiting?

• BPS…specific questions in interview
• NIST…attitude is the key, even if skills aren’t there.
• Shrewsbury…what if teachers come in with more skill than school has equipment to offer?
• Staffing important to support technology…if you want teachers to use…they need help to get use it right.
• What happens to students who don’t have teachers who use the tech. guys?
  • Work with the good ones and bring the lower end ones along by word of mouth.
  • Can a student go through the system and never get a tech. supported education?
• Team leaders can help facilitate ensuring that ALL teachers embrace the technology
• Certainly, in practice some teachers and/or teams might by dysfunctional or resistant
• One suggestion was to bring the lowest end teacher up to speed and then move on to another teacher in the next year.
• British QCA is outdated…students able to do skills at a much earlier age (BPS and St. Stephens)

Session 2

Smart Board Demo – Justin (ISB)

• Not just about teacher presentation…make it student-centered
• Suggestion:  give all teachers Smart Board software even without the board…helps collaboration and use and saves on training later.
• Making lessons that have the students up to the board
• Smart Board Slates = a new product that students can’t use and interact with the board.
• Always looking at what are the “best” ways to use it…they are all new.
• How can we get away from still only involving 1 child?
• Different parts of the school use it so differently
• Software can be used even without the software
• Gallery is separate from the Notebook software

Next Meetings

• Scheduled to be in Phnom Phen 24 November
• Is this feasible?
  • Some schools cannot go
  • Jim will wait to hear from all if there is interest.
• Second meeting 8 February @ Harrow (Thursday)
  • Speaker: Gary Cook – Sharepoint Expert & Learning Gateway
• RIS confirmed that they will host in May

Libraries – how do they fit into our new model of education

• NIST - Library has a portal page that you can access anywhere
  • So what is the library for?
  • Role of librarians changing…what is it now?
• BPS – IT and Librarians should work together (blended)
  • Media Literacy and efficient use
  • Who teaches the necessary research and media literacy skills now?
  • Librarian willing to get out of the classroom
• ISB – Just because it’s on a computer doesn’t mean it’s technology
  • Teachers need to incorporate media literacy skills and knowledge into lessons and if they need help then they should be asking the librarian and/or tech coordinators.

 

Question – with all the mobile computing is plagiarism getting worse?

• Lesson/assessment design is the key…require synthesis of information rather than something that exists already
• David Warlick “Plagiarism is a sign that we are not questioning well.”
• Too many resources…how do we get teachers on board?
  • What about requiring only certain sources…then they have to synthesize.
• Bad IT license is worse than bad traditional lesson
• Is it our role or is it the librarians?
  • It’s ours while we are the ones who know this.
• Librarians feel threatened by technology and becoming obsolete.
  • Instead we should celebrate that they are the future.

 

Focus teachers on using technology when it’s useful not using for its sake

• Do schools use “buddy systems” with technology?

• Some have departmental tech. rep.

 

Information Literacy

• David Warlick quote:   http://landmark-project.com
• Students need to know how to access information and THINK in all situations.
• Lots of changes and things that still need to be figured out.

 

Tech. Directors need to be more involved with Leadership and informing pedagogy

• “We are agents of change in a changing world.” – Paul (NIST)
• Saint John’s – spend a lot of time with admin talking money and logistics and less about learning (less “fun”)
• Do senior management get in the classrooms?  This is key to having them involved and caring about learning and how to improve it.

 

Any social networking, Web 2.0, blogging, etc. interesting stuff?

• BPS – podcasting (RSS) & discussion forums online & chatrooms.
  • Assignments uploaded and shared online
  • Moodle-esque environment allows for an e-classroom
  • The greater the use the more likely it become ubiquitous
  • Great continuity for class
• Demo on e-classroom @ BPS
  • We were reminded that the online environment is only useful when it is part of school routine to use it.
  • Also helpful when you can provide future recruits with access to the environment to learn ahead of employ.

 

ISTEC Business to be taken care of (John): 

• Who is hosting next few meetings?
  • Northbridge is willing to host the Nov. 24^th meeting, if people are willing to come.  Please let Jim know if you are going to attend.
  • Hotel costs would be around USD 25/night

 

• Tech Ex. Conference – NIST had offered to host, now cannot host.
  • Past hosts have been NIST, RIS (twice), & BPS.
  • EARCOS may want to host a technology focused conference, but we have not heard word on this yet.

 

Links for smart board software:

• Software to download:
  • http://www.smarttech.com/Support/
• Example Lessons:
  • http://www.waukesha.k12.wi.us/WIT/SmartBoard/specificapps.htm
• Training documents:
  • http://www.smarttech.com/Trainingcenter/