Developing and Evaluating Strategies
for Professional Learning
Kathryn Barry
Jo Inglis
Richard Jones
The Southport School
Funding by AGQTP and by ISQ
[email protected]
The Southport School (TSS)
100 Years old, Boys, Private, The Gold Coast
Strong Sports, leadersip
“Raising academic standards*”
EI, HoM, Tech
*“Why would you lower them?” – Sir Ken Robinson
eLearning Developments 2010
• CMS (Moodle) set up
• Moderate/good take up
• Mostly posting resources
• Two depts using for
course management.
New position:
eLearning Coordinator.
eLearning Developments 2011
• The “Year of eLearning”
• Academic courses autocreated from SMS
• More departments using
more features
• Strong focus on
“internal marketing”
and PL
The year at Prep
• Different campus
• Classroom based mainly
• Looked at skills of teachers and boys via
matrix
Prep Teacher Skills Grid/Audit
Borrowed from a combination of sources, applied to us:
Unit
A Early technology
B Developing
technology
C Proficient
D Advanced
Use a document
camera.
Run a workshop for
other Smartboard
users
1 Basics




1. Hardware
Printer
Scanner
Camera
Smartboard
Start-up computer and
peripherals.
Shut down computer
and peripherals.
Orient a Smartboard.
Understand network
printing – location,
capabilities, uses.
Use an eReader
Use audio and video
capture devices in the
classroom. Transfer
media files from
devices to network
storage.
Prepare text for an
eReader
Understand privacy
issues in relation to
capture of audio and
video data.
Covers a full range of hardware and software skills.
Level
achieved
Attitudes
• The audit worked well in raising awareness:
I wonder if they know enough, personally I’m terrified.
Result: site audit – Sept 2011
• Next challenge: from repository to interactivity.
Improving student access
• Mobile devices
• iPads and Netbooks trialled in Y12
• Next year 2 cohorts funded by DER
• Y9 – iPads, Y12 - netbooks.
At Prep
• 50 laptops (existing)
• 25 ipods (2012)
• 50 ipads (2012)
• No 121 – boys choose devices based on
activities.
PL Strategies Proposed
• One-on-one sessions in-house
• Small group sessions on CMS/LMS/ePortfolios inhouse/external
• Drop-in sessions or clinics held before school
• Formal PL sessions built into the school day using relief
teachers
• Formal PL sessions on non-student days
• Sending staff to appropriate national and international
conferences.
• Local online/f2f meetings with ISQ schools
• Using media such as eLearning Blog, eLearning News
(brochure) and eLearning Podcasts.
Tried so far
tried success
Partial/Comments
121


On-going and popular
Small


Teachers like this (mostly)
Drop-in

x
Quickly dropped – not attended
Formal (with subs)

?
Mixed reactions
Formal (non-teaching)

?
Hard to evaluate
Staff conference


We are here
Self-help

x
Not popular, iPad help, some use
eLearning Blog


Some implemented – debates started
Podcasting
x
Brochure

Not implemented yet
?
Not evaluated yet
Some discussion
Site news is accessed
Elearning News Vol 2
Some podcasting
Evaluation
• Data from surveys and audits.
• Includes “leadership” and teachers.
• Feedback and discussions at staff meetings.
• Informal communications have their uses.
Number
ranking
Week 3
Groups
Other Dept
Morning
Clinics
1 On 1
Vol PL
1
4
7
1
12
1
2
6
4
2
2
0
3
2
0
0
1
2
4
0
0
0
0
0
Results from Moreton Bay College - also on the ISQ Projects List
Data from our Prep Staff
The required shift
Transition
Creation – higher confidence

Transformation
Interaction – less so
Maintaining focus/interest
A little competition helps
Published to the eLearning Blog
Created a mini-debate about course views
and numbers of students
Just gets people talking
Moodle 2.1 has a nice configurable reports
block
Chris Smith (shambles net)
• Spoke to Prep Staff about Web 2.0
• Lot’s of hands-on and ideas
• Late notice last Friday of term – well attended
• Generated further interest/inspiration
Stephen Heppell Visit
• Spoke with curriculum developers
• The Librarian
• Talked about strategies
• Addressed whole staff
What should we do now?
In 2012 Encourage
• more interactivity
• pedagogical change
• varied classroom activities
Year of ePedagogy?
Take more risks – eg “triple the timetable”
And next
2012/2013
• Improving student learning outcomes with
Moodle and other web 2.0 tools
• Using the Mahara ePortfolios so that students
(and teachers) can have a record of their
learning, reflections and achievements to
take away.
And how
• More interesting and varied types of PL (eg
speed dating)
• Encouraging teachers to use mobile devices in
the classroom (taking risks)
• Asking boys routinely for feedback on
classroom practice (eg via a standard Moodle
survey)
Specific to Prep
• Include eLearning Coordinator in planning
scope and sequence including use of ICT’s
• Will lead directly to involvement/requests for
PL
• Hopefully more mobile hardware provision as
well – increased access to tech
What the LMS brings
• Extended access for teachers and students
• Area for debate to take place
• Opportunity to proceed “stepwise”
• Provides a “focus” for many activities
Devices
• Year 9 with iPads
• Year 12 with
Netbooks
• Support via LMS –
eg apps matrix on
wiki.
What has worked?
• Sessions with individuals and small groups over a half-day
have transferred skills to staff.
• The “rationale” type talk has its place.
• The visit by Professor Heppell has validated our strategy.
• Attendance at conferences has given new ideas.
• School visits have helped identify and confirm optimal
pathways for progress.