Milestone+2

Milestone Number : 2 Due Date June 8 Date submitted : Lead School: Tahuna Intermediate Lead School MOE Number: 3839 Cluster name: Otakou Contract Number: 07-00170
 * National Support Services Facilitator: Jill Hammonds**
 * National Support Services Facilitator: Jill Hammonds**
 * National Support Services Facilitator: Jill Hammonds**

Project Director: Brent Ward
 * Cluster Facilitator/s: Sarah Dickson and Richard Murray**
 * Cluster Facilitator/s: Sarah Dickson and Richard Murray**





1. Overview of Programme 2007 Term 2

Our cluster launch at the end of term 1, allowed all staff in cluster schools to meet the facilitators and understand what an ICTPD cluster is and how we will implement this professional development into our schools. Otakou cluster schools were then advised at the end of term 1 of the programme outline for workshop opportunities for all staff for term 2. Event dates were also included on the calendar on the cluster website. (http://centre4.interact.ac.nz/otakou)

All cluster schools have been involved in Principal, Lead Teacher and Teacher workshops during term 2. Principal and Lead Teacher workshops have been compulsory during the school day. Teachers Hands on ICT workshops have been held after school. The cluster workshops for Principals, Lead Teachers and Teachers have allowed the facilitators to develop long lasting professional relationships with staff in our cluster schools. During term 2 we are also visiting all cluster schools for morning tea to become personally acquainted with staff and to take a tour around each school to see the existing ICT set up and use.

The facilitators have spent many hours updating the “Otakou” cluster website as we see this tool as an integral part of developing our professional learning community. All our communication to schools is through email and the web site. Schools are very aware of the need to log on often to our cluster website for important updates such as the calendar for workshop dates and school visits, and entering their members areas (i.e. Principals) for copies of our presentations, so that Principals and Lead Teachers can use and adapt these easily for staff meetings back in their schools.

This term the workshops for Principals and Lead Teachers have been; “Unpacking the Contract,” “Effective Professional Development in ICT,” “Teaching and Learning Strategies” and looking at the cluster website in detail as an important information and resource tool. Links to these presentations can be found on our cluster website (http://centre4.interact.ac.nz/otakou).

Teacher Hands on ICT workshops have been held after school. For these sessions we were able to take up to 20 teachers at a time. These sessions have been well attended; hence we held two workshops for each focus to allow for a greater number of interested teachers to attend. In these workshops we looked at “Using the Cluster Website Effectively”, which involved registering on interact, becoming a member of our cluster website and navigating different areas for resources etc. The other workshop was “What’s Online?”, which looked at online learning resources. Links to these presentations can be found on our cluster web sites.

All of these workshops and our cluster website are allowing for the development and growth of good supportive leadership within our cluster learning community. Many cluster schools are developing ICT plans and staff goals with the support of their Principals and Lead Teachers. As facilitators we felt it was extremely relevant to hold sessions so all schools understood the expectations in “Unpacking the Contract” and current thinking about delivering professional development suited to ICT in “Effective PD in ICT.” Feedback from these workshops, through Tiger survey[1], (www.tigersurvey.com) has allowed us to review these workshops. One major consideration for us now is, the varying pace people work in, and the need to revisit some of the ideas we have exposed Principals and Teachers with in future workshops.

Principals and Lead Teachers have been set the task of making sure that all teachers in their schools are members of our cluster website by the 8 June. Workshops about the website have taught Principals, Lead Teachers and Teachers how to log on and access many areas. This knowledge has been filtered back to the schools with staff members teaching each other how to become effective members in our online learning community.

Information from cluster schools outlines excellent professional development already in ICT skills. Evidence shows that schools are using:

Equipment · digital cameras, scanners, data projectors

Applications · PowerPoint, websites (eg: unitechnology and web quests), word for writing, photo editing

Web2.0 Tools · Blogs, Wikis,

Inquiry and Thinking Tools · Ryan’s thinking keys, Rubric development, De Bono’s hats, Mind Maps, Inquiry component in units of work, Kath Murdoch’s Model for Inquiry, Multiple Intelligences, Bloom’s Taxonomy

Administration · File management, AsTTle to monitor Literacy and Numeracy, School Management Systems such as School Master and eMinerva

ICT and Special Needs · The Davis Orientation Programme helping dyslexic children to make text and record digitally with a camera. (See attached evidence).

They are also incorporating web2.0 tools that we have exposed them to during workshops such as www.skrbl.com (an interactive online tool), [|http://stu.dicio.us] (an online note taking tool) and [|www.protopage.com] (personal/ web page). Also blogs, wikis, and online bookmarking (http://de.licio.us)

2. Milestone tasks


 * 2.2** **Details of the tasks to be completed by the contractor to achieve this milestone are:**

2.2.1 **Liaise with the National Support Services Facilitator assigned to this project:** Facilitators met with Jill Hammonds in Oamaru for a national meeting on the 9 and 10th of May. Nick Billowes from CORE was also present. Many of the facilitators shared excellent web sites. We have found these meetings to be very useful as gathering ideas from other facilitators and experts has been very worthwhile. This link will take you to the notes and web sites [|www.sthregional.wikispaces.com]

The cluster workshops have allowed facilitators to develop mentoring systems within the cluster and within cluster schools. Principals and Lead Teachers are leading their schools in ICT professional development. We are still in the process of finalising Principal and Lead Teacher job descriptions so roles and expectations are clear and concise. Facilitators are also available to support Principals and Lead Teachers in their school with certain aspects of ICT. Facilitators have also been able to link up with other facilitators in Dunedin to meet regularly to discuss and share ICT ideas. This terms meeting is on the 7th of June looking at Inquiry models and how to best meet the needs of your cluster schools.
 * 2.2.2** **Mentor systems created to support leadership structures – facilitators, principals and lead teachers:**

“Unpacking the Contract” – Looked specifically at the cluster application, goals and outcomes. We also looked at Ministry requirements – Milestones and Performance Measures. We used web 2.0 tools, skrbl.com and stu.dicio.us to break down the goals. This helped schools to understand the aims of the application and also our expectation on them for when we report back to the Ministry on Milestone reports. Many schools have used these web 2.0 tools for staff and syndicate meetings with great success.
 * 2.2.3 Workshops targeting identified PD needs led by facilitators and lead teachers:**

“Effective PD” – Looked specifically at ICT PD. It allowed for a lot of reflection time so schools could think about the position they are currently in and any changes that they may need to make. Many found this list outlining the components for professional learning in ICT very useful. • Connection to student learning – improving student outcomes • Hands on ICT use • Variety of learning experiences – workshops, mentoring, modeling, special courses, observations. • Curriculum specific – “//helps them to learn how to select digital content based on the needs and learning styles of the children and infuse in their curriculum delivery” Fatemi (1999)// • Roles for teachers – become facilitators, children work collaboratively • Collegial learning – sharing of new ideas across school and cluster • Active participation of teachers • On – going process (what is going to happen after the 3 years in the cluster or in your school) • Sufficient time to follow up new ideas • Technical assistance and support • Administrative support – Leaders are key to success. • Adequate resources • Continuous funding • Built in evaluation so teachers are making the change and meeting requirements within the cluster and school. (Teacher change = student change)

We have asked schools to have all cluster teachers record an ICT learning goal and to reflect and review on this often. Like a reflective journal. We suggested that schools may like to create a mini-web page for their staff on protopage to digitally record and if needed print off a hard copy of their school’s journey and development. Some schools have already started this and some are using it in the classroom by creating a very user friendly web page for their students work to share with at home.

The next workshop for Principals and Lead Teachers is due on the 14th of June. We plan to revisit many of the sites we have already used as one response through our Tiger survey indicated some confusion with particular web sites. The next workshop is titled; “Teaching and Learning.” In these workshops we will be focusing on Inquiry learning, thinking strategies and ICT tools to support this teaching and learning. These workshops will continue next term with similar content. All of our workshop presentations have been posted onto the cluster web site so Principals and Lead Teachers can use the information directly in their staff meetings.

Teacher Hands on ICT Workshops. We have held three after school sessions this term. These have been extremely successful as it has allowed teachers to become involved instantly into our ICT professional development. The first session was called “Using the Cluster Website Effectively”. This allowed teachers to become members and to explore the amount of information that is already included on our website. We were also able to show them links to other good sources of information for teacher and children use. The next two sessions looked closely at the use of web quests. We specifically referred to each school’s personal long term plans and organised a web quest for each cluster school. This gave them an opportunity to explore a possible ICT experience they may wish to use back in their own classrooms. Also it allowed us to show schools how to create their own web quests by using protopage again as a tool for teaching and learning.


 * 3.** **Performance Measures**


 * Intended Outcomes**
 * Success Criteria****/Evidence**
 * Examples/ Evidence**
 * Success Criteria****/Evidence**
 * Examples/ Evidence**
 * Examples/ Evidence**

Teachers’ confidence and skills in using ICT have increased Participating teachers have increased confidence and skills in using ICT Instances of teachers using relevant electronic and online material and resources
 * Actions for future consideration / or development**
 * Actions for future consideration / or development**

Evidence shows participating teachers have increased confidence and skills in using ICT Instances of teachers using relevant electronic and online material and resources

Workshop exposure to web pages such as Otakou cluster web site, skrbl.com, protopage, stu.dicio.us, blogs, wikis and web quests relating to school’s long term plans. School evidence showing they are using TKI, Digital Learning Objects and a variety of applications and equipment.

11 (Confidence) & 14 (Skills) anecdotal evidence + eoP questionnaire (Baseline Survey)

Revisit and reuse often in cluster workshops the web 2.0 tools we have used so teachers become very familiar and comfortable in using these new tools. Teachers to develop their own school class web quests and blogs, wiki or protopages. Develop skill base in use of application and equipment in schools through workshop topics and learning. Cluster sharing time to allow for peer teaching and learning with Principal and Teacher groups. Increased capability of teachers and principals to use ICT for their own professional learning and to facilitate improvements in students’ learning, engagement and achievement. Improved understandings of the role of ICT among participants. Instances of teachers aligning ICT use with student learning. Instances of teaching using ICT that facilitates student learning and raise achievement for all learners Evidence shows improved understandings of the role of ICT among most participants. Instances of teachers aligning ICT use with student learning.

Instances of teaching using ICT that facilitate the learning of students and raise achievement for all learners

Some cluster schools implementing school management systems (SMS) are working towards an administrative goal in ICT specifically looking at recording and improving student achievement. Exposure in workshops on webquests as a form of online information for student’s learning. Using applications such as powerpoint, word and photo editing tools for children’s work and presentation of their information. 13 Admin usage + eoP questionnaire 15 & 16 frequency & type of Classroom usage + eoP questionnaire + anecdotal evidence End of Project (eoP) questionnaire (Baseline Survey )

Using a cluster school as a model to develop with others a method to record SMS ICT goals that will show personal ICT development while recording planning and assessment procedures in student achievement.

Teachers to develop own webquests for major topics each term.

Develop and extend existing skill base in teachers and students to allow for more independence and growth in the quality and originality of their findings in an inquiry based unit. Strengthened professional learning communities and increased collaboration within and across schools.

Development of a rigorous professional learning community focused on critical reflection of practice using ICT.

Developing rich resource of expertise, experience and materials in effective ICT use at a national and local level. Evidence of participation and contribution from participating teachers and principals to local or regional meetings, the online learning network and cluster network communities, local, regional and national conferences.

Instances of discussions within and between schools, focused on student achievement and changing teaching practice and how ICTs can contribute to these

Instances of information, strategies, case studies, action research or resources under development or planned for contributed to: · Te Kete Ipurangi · Conferences · Publications · Online and other relevant environments.

Seven members of the Otakou cluster went to the Learning@Schools conference. Eight members went to the TUANZ conference in Invercargill. Facilitators and 8 members went to Eric Frankenheim “Thinking Strategies” course. Facilitators attended a two day workshop with Kath Murdoch(Inquiry.) Three cluster school teachers went to a Cathy Summerfield workshop. Facilitators and Director have attended two regional meetings with the National Facilitator. Cluster workshops have allowed time for discussions on student achievement and how ICT can help to develop this. Cluster web site development is allowing teachers to gather case studies and professional readings for discussions in workshops and back in school staff meetings. Encourage schools to attend professional development outside of that arranged by the cluster, by facilitators posting this information on the web site and by informing them at workshops. (University of Otago College of Education. “Inspire It, Lead It, Teach It” Conference in Invercargill during the September school holidays. Apple Bus Tour. Learning Network NZ workshops and conferences. ULearn conference in Auckland. ) Informing cluster schools about events that other clusters have organised such as Tony Ryan in Oamaru in September and Kath Murdoch in February 2008 in Dunedin. Continued up dates on our cluster web site referring to suitable professional readings, useful resources and websites. Along with the development of integrated planning amongst schools. Teachers to develop a reflective ICTPD journal that allows them to document experiences and resources. Principals and Lead Teachers to be able to upload and share useful resources on the cluster web site.

__[1]__ See appendix 1 for survey results.