Education Technology Solutions, Issue #68 by Interactive Media Solutions

FOR PRINCIPALS | EDUCATORS | NETWORK ADMINISTRATORS

Issue 68

Education Takes Flight Using Drones to Engage Students

OCT/NOV 2015 $9.95 (inc.GST) ISSN 1835 209X

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CONTENTS

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Cover Story

Flying Into The Future of Education With Drones Using drones in education is a concept that captures the imagination of some and sends fear shuddering down the spine of others. Never before has a tool or term so closely associated with cutting-edge military weaponry been so quickly adopted by schools as a way of engaging students and achieving higher level learning. In this issue’s cover story, Brett Salakas, founder/moderator of #aussieED and a teacher at St. Kevin’s Primary School in Eastwood, looks at possible uses of drones in education and the interesting and innovative ways this new technology can help inspire young learners.

044

Feature

Girls, Games And Science While the overall number of students sitting the Higher School Certificate (HSC) increased between 1992 and 2014, the number of students studying a science subject for the HSC has not increased proportionally – especially with respect to female students. Kelly Hollis looks at the importance of getting girls into science-based subjects and examines the various ways that technology can be used to help make game-based learning in science engaging for girls.

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Feature

Inventing The Next Era Of Education Based on his decades of experience teaching in and working with schools, coupled with a wide variety of research, trials, hunches, breakthroughs and mistakes, Tom March presents what he believes to be the six essential stages to re-inventing a school’s approach to education – a necessary journey in the 21st century, digital environment.

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TEACH

ASSIST

DEVELOP

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Discover new horizons in Education and Development! Brainary Interactive Ph: (03) 5298 1176 Email: info@thebrainary.com Website: www.brainaryinteractive.com EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 09

CONTENTS

68 052

026

Interactive Learning

Mal Lee looks at the impact of the ecology on digital technology and student learning.

030

Computer Lab

We look at the first large-scale roll-out of Chromebooks in Australia, which recently took place at McKinnon Secondary College.

034

Plugged In

What is the impact of video in Blended Learning and what role might it play in the future of education?

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060

Office Space

Imagine a school in which technology enabled far greater efficiencies every day and administration errors were practically a thing of the past. We examine how you can optimise technology to improve administration in schools.

052

Next Step

Why do teachers often make the worst students?

056

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Talk Software

How do you teach students to determine what is accurate or useful information in the online world?

060 The Shakespeare Challenge: Robots On Stage Just how great an impact will robotics have on the future of our society? Are educators taking the issue seriously enough and what impact might teaching robotics have on both student engagement and their potential career prospects beyond school?

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Teaching Tools

012

Letter from the Editor

014

5 Minutes with an ICT Leader

016

Leading a Digital School

018

Cyber Chat

What do Netflix, Spotify and streaming learning have to do with the need for organisational change in schools?

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Your Say

022

Calendar of Events

074

Get Connected

084

Tech Stuff

Does using technology in the classroom really improve student outcomes?

086

Case Studies

088

Product Showcases

078

094 Noticeboards

Lifelong Learning

Bev Novak looks at the importance of online education for teachers in professional development.

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EDITOR’S LETTER EDITOR’S LETTER www.educationtechnologysolutions.com.au EDITORIAL Editor John Bigelow Email: john@interactivemediasolutions.com.au Assistant Editor Scott Patterson Email: spatterson@interactivemediasolutions.com.au Subeditors Helen Sist, Ged McMahon CONTRIBUTORS Brad Adams, Kelly Hollis, Brian Host, Craig Kemp, Shelley Kinash, Ron Kordyban, James Leckie, Mal Lee, Tom March, Bev Novak, Scott Patterson, Brett Salakas, Blake Seufert, Poppy Simpson, John T. Spencer, Matthew Vines, Peter West ADVERTISING Phone: 0435 418 139 Email: spatterson@interactivemediasolutions.com.au Scott Patterson DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Phone: 1300 300 552 Email: graphics@interactivemediasolutions.com.au Graphic Designer Jamieson Gross MARKETING AND SUBSCRIPTIONS Phone: 1300 300 552 Email: admin@interactivemediasolutions.com.au $57 AUD per annum inside Australia ACCOUNTS Phone: 1300 300 552 Email: accounts@interactivemediasolutions.com.au PUBLISHER

ABN 56 606 919463 Level 1, 34 Joseph St, Blackburn, Victoria 3130 Phone: 1300 300 552 Fax: 03 8609 1973 Email: enquiries@interactivemediasolutions.com.au Website: www.educationtechnologysolutions.com.au Disclaimer: The publisher takes due care in the preparation of this magazine and takes all reasonable precautions and makes all reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of material contained in this publication, but is not liable for any mistake, misprint or omission. The publisher does not assume any responsibility or liability for any loss or damage which may result from any inaccuracy or omission in this publication, or from the use of information contained herein. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied with respect to any of the material contained herein. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in ANY form in whole OR in part without WRITTEN permission from the publisher. Reproduction includes copying, photocopying, translation or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form.

Written Correspondence To: Level 1, 34 Joseph St, Blackburn, Victoria 3130 Phone: 1300 300 552 Fax: 03 8609 1973 Email: enquiries@interactivemediasolutions.com.au Supported by

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With each passing year, technological change occurs at an exponentially faster pace. This can be seen clearly in the fact that the lifecycle of the average tech products, such as computers, smart devices and consumer electronics, is becoming shorter and shorter by the year. A product that may have remained cutting edge for a year or two only a few short years ago is today obsolete inside of six months. This phenomenal pace of change is also giving rise to jobs that, in many cases, become thriving industries in a very short space of time. Take social media as an example. Who, just 10 short years ago, would have envisioned that an entire industry would have developed around social media – a means of communication that was largely unknown before 2006. Now, there is a raft of social media consultants, social media developers, social media app builders and so on. The idea that a school can employ a cadre of teachers who will be solely responsible for teaching students all that is required for a fruitful, interactive and meaningful future is, in my opinion, becoming questionable. The decades-old paradigm of a teaching staff consisting of a maths teacher, an English teacher, a science teacher, a geography teacher, a history teacher and a physical education teacher seems questionable in today’s fastpaced world. It is not that these teachers or subjects are less relevant than they once were. In fact, they are just as relevant. The point is, in decades past, the curriculum in these subjects did not really change at a rate that made it onerous for teachers to remain abreast of changes in the subject matter. However, with today’s rapidly evolving technological pace, the same cannot be said of other vitally important subjects. Take, for example, subjects such as robotics, coding, gaming and the multitude of other

subjects that, not so long ago, were interesting electives, which are now becoming imperative knowledge for anyone looking to create a successful career beyond school. Consider computer coding for example. Regular readers of this publication will be well aware of the impending need for knowledgeable coders in the world of tomorrow. After all, in the age of the Internet of Things, where everyone is connected to everything all of the time, the ability to write the code that enables those people and devices to communicate will be invaluable. However, is it reasonable to expect teachers to be able to keep pace with the changes occurring in this area? Programming language evolves at such a rapid pace that knowledge can become outdated in as little as six months. The same can be said of many other emerging areas of study. This observation raises the question as to whether schools need to look at outsourcing some of the teaching to specialist subject matter experts; professionals in very specific areas whose sole responsibility it is to teach students about coding, or gaming, or robotics and the like. Perhaps it is time to let go of the old education paradigm where the teacher was the fount of all knowledge and accept the new reality that some things require specialist knowledge. Of course, the obvious question becomes one of funding, but the question remains, do schools need to look at outsourcing certain parts of education to specialist subject matter experts?

Regards,

JOHN BIGELOW Editor-in-Chief

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MINS WITH 5 with 5Mins

LMS And The School Of The Future

| By James Leckie |

Learning Management Systems (LMS) have come a really long way. Whilst LMS initially focused purely on content delivery, today, there is a much greater focus on activities and interaction. The idea that education is social and that people learn from each other is the key to the future of LMS. In future, teachers will coordinate project teams, assist with developing objectives and spend less time lecturing and assessing and more time mentoring and guiding students. Now more than ever, students will take responsibility for their own pace of learning and being guided to consume appropriate resources, including video, interactive games and more. They will also seamlessly interact with other students and colearners from all over the world! What is Changing and what is Driving the Change There is a definite trend toward more real-time formative assessment and a departure from traditional ‘summative’ reporting. In the future, accessing realtime results will become the norm as progress is made through a course. There will also be an evolving emphasis toward non-quantitative results, such as teamwork, attitude and behaviour. Once this formative data is more accessible, the development of more

big-data analysis tools will occur and teachers will be able to start asking questions about this formative data, such as: • Is my curriculum delivery working? • Which students require additional assistance and in which areas? • Have other subjects already covered this topic and how? • What is the ideal amount of homework? What Needs to Change for the Better One thing that has been very slow to change is the curriculum and the assessment of that curriculum. Although many schools work around this with innovative programs within their schools, ultimately, schools are required to report back to a curriculum and assessment framework that has not fundamentally changed in 30 years. This requires complex mapping and tracking to ensure that schools are still sticking with the old framework, even though they are delivering it in completely new ways. The workplace environment that teachers are educating students for has changed radically in the last 30 years. The modern workplace now requires employees to be competent team members, advanced technology users and critical thinkers, all while expecting them to be socially and

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ethically responsible. The education sector needs to refocus on the skills required in the modern workforce, not the subjects. In particular, there needs to be a focus on communication, collaboration, teamwork and critical thinking. Alongside changes to the curriculum, assessment should also be modernised to recognise the role technology can play in simplifying assessment. Minimising marking and reducing the delay between the task and feedback will ensure that students can quickly move through the curriculum when they have achieved the appropriate level. Teachers should no longer be assessing students’ memory, but instead their ability to discern fact from fiction. Integration between Products Outside of the curriculum, in the ‘school of the future’ it is going to be important to have more integration between products. Rather than getting stuck with monolithic tools, schools should be able to invest in and choose from a wide range of tools that fit specific purposes or requirements. ETS James Leckie is a co-founder and director at Schoolbox, helping K–12 schools transform with technology since 2002. Visit www.schoolbox.com. au for more information.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, the information appearing in this section represents the opinions of the relevant writer and does not represent the views or opinions of Interactive Media Solutions or the other advertisers or contributors to this publication.

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The 4 Biggest Mistakes That Teachers Make When Integrating Technology | By Craig Kemp | In classrooms all around the globe, educators are introducing new and exciting technological tools to engage their students in learning. Many educators are successful when integrating these technologies, but unfortunately many are not for a variety of reasons. In the author’s experience in classrooms around the world, the following are the four biggest mistakes that educators make when integrating technology into the classroom. Technology before Pedagogy Sadly, educators see the latest gadgets and feel the need to use them without giving a thought to ‘why’. Education is all about purpose. Integrating technologies into learning environments needs to be relevant and purposeful; it needs to make learning easier and more engaging for students. Teachers should ask themselves why they are using this technology and how it will improve learning in their classroom. Think pedagogy (and curriculum) before technology. Technology as a Toy Too often in classrooms around the world technology is used as a toy. Technology needs to be used as a tool to support learning, not as a gadget or a toy (as much as everyone loves them). Students in today’s 21st century learning

environments are digital natives and are the leaders of tomorrow. They use technology as a toy in their own time. In schools, technology needs to be used to teach them lifelong learning skills for the future. Technology to Fill in Time Technology should be used as a learning tool, not as a tool to fill in time or to keep students ‘busy’. Every spare moment in classrooms should be packed full of engaging learning opportunities. It is powerful to see educators who are passionate about their jobs utilising technology in new and innovative ways. Not Utilising the Available Technology Readers will have seen this before: a teacher is supplied with the best possible tools to integrate technology into his or her classroom, but the technology sits in the corner of the room, in the trolley or in a cupboard gathering dust, while students drool over its existence. The key cannot be pried out of his or her hands to unlock the learning potential. While this is not a mistake, it is close enough. Teachers cannot make mistakes if they do not take risks and this is the hardest thing to see. It does not provide the opportunity to unlock learning potential in students through the use of integrated tools.

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Integrating technologies into learning environments needs to be relevant and purposeful.

Being a passionate educator, leader and coach, the author hopes for a classroom where everyone (including the educators) is willing to take risks, make mistakes and learn from them; where technology is used as a tool to enhance learning and pedagogy. Pedagogy before technology! Get integrating, be willing to take risks and immerse students in the wonderful learning opportunities that technology provides. ETS Craig Kemp is a passionate New Zealand educator living in Singapore. He is Head of ICT and Learning Innovation and is the co-founder of #whatisschool edchat. Craig can be followed on Twitter @mrkempnz

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GLOBALLY CONNECTED CLASSROOMS – USING TECHNOLOGY TO CONNECT HUMANITY | By Brett Salakas |

Using technology to Connect Humanity One of the real benefits of using technology is that it allows teachers and students to unlock humanity. Issues, cultures and histories from over the horizon can be brought alive in the classroom. Building the humanistic connections allows for deeper empathy and encourages more serious thought, research and cognitive processing. Indeed it encourages a deeper sense of learning. There are a plethora of researchers, educational theorists and futurists who can speak eloquently on this topic but the issue for the teacher in the trenches is how do you turn this contemporary theoretical paradigm in a working practice? Practical Advice for the Globally Connected Classroom: Virtual Field Trips/Excursions: These are just gold. From my little primary school in the leafy suburbs of Sydney, we have been able to connect with researchers in Antarctica and scientists in New York. These events not only generate enthusiasm for learning with your students but they also allow you to create memories that will last for many years. A nice by-product is the support from parents for these groundbreaking initiatives. What is more surprising is how often these AMAZING experiences are free or very cheap.

My top 5 virtual venues are: 1 Australian Antarctic Division – Their twitter account is @AusAntarctica 2 The New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) – Link to their Virtual Visits Site 3 The Colosseum – 3D History Tours – Not live but still interactive and a great way to promote writing in literacy or stimulate discussion in history – 3D History Site 4 Dart Connections Australia – Using Video Conferencing software like Jabba to connect classes with a multitude of museums and significant sites. 5 Drive a Prototype Mars Rover on a martian landscape. Contact the Powerhouse Museum and take Part in their Mars Lab Program Connecting with Individuals (experts): Not great on a particular content area? No worries, why not just skype with an expert in the field. Conference with a politician while teaching about government, connect with a scientist like Dr Karl Kruszelnicki or one of your favourite authors. I personally know that Jena Ball from the #NotPerfectHatClub movement and author of five novels is happy to connect via Google Hangout with any class around the globe. Connecting Classes and Students (Three Initiatives) One of the greatest initiatives that came across my path in 2014 was #culturebox. Amjad Ali

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initiated the movement and at its core is a beautiful message where classes from opposite ends of the world connect and learn about the cultural differences (and similarities) that they have. I was paired with Mike Watson and the project was so successful we have decided to continue it with our new classes in 2015. If you would like to join Round Two of culturebox, visit http://cheneyagilitytoolkit.blogspot. co.uk/2014/08/culturebox.html

Team teaching. We all know the theoretical benefits of connecting with other teachers and sharing our professional expertise (while sharing the load at the same time). Why not do this via Google Hangout? You can easily connect with other classes studying the same topic and the possibility of having students emailing or sharing joint work on Google Drive leads to endless possibilities.

Simultaneous work. Keep pace with another class that happens to be studying the same novel as you. Have teachers email set tasks or use educational social media software like ‘Edmodo’ to have tasks set and marked while existing in different countries. Imagine having your students discuss the traits of a character with children in another country. The enthusiasm and interest in the book would be immense!

ETS

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yourYOUR saySAY

| By John T Spencer |

I first created a video reflection on why professional development should be a maker space. Then, I decided to reflect a little further on this subject. Sometimes I hear people say things like, “I do not learn from sit and get professional development” or “I do not see the point in being at a keynote and just watching someone talk”. Often, this turns into a discussion of what professional development ‘should’ be, with bold statements about what works and what does not work. For what it is worth, I see a place for every type of professional development. Keynotes can be powerful and lead to deep paradigm shifts. They can inspire a crowd and motivate them to try something new. The coaching model is an effective, relational way to get teachers reflecting, thinking and modelling a particular practice. EdCamps and un-conferences empower teachers to express their voice democratically. Lab schools allow teachers to connect professional development, action research and pedagogy into a real setting. However, I have been thinking about another model that we might want to add to our approach of differentiated professional development. In this model, teachers learn by making something. I am not referring to an hour of Makey Makey or a Maker Space session with Arduino. I am thinking more about longterm projects that work through the entire design thinking cycle.

I had a chance to be a part of this type of professional development last week. Teachers spent a full week in single strands where they learned about a concept by making something connected to it. It was Camp Plug and Play, a week-long professional learning opportunity run by the Arizona K12 Center. I enjoyed sitting down during lunch and listening to the buzz about what creative things the teachers were making in their strands. It was really cool to watch teachers getting excited about the creative process and how they would use it in their individual classrooms. Four Reasons to Create MakerOriented Professional Development‬ It has me thinking about what it would mean for school leaders to embrace a maker mindset with their staff. What if teachers designed things? What if they created something real and tangible? What if they went through the design thinking cycle? Here are some of the benefits of using a maker model: 1. It gives teachers the permission to be creative. I think many teachers are already creative outside of school. However, in the midst of a high-stakes environment, they often need permission to have students embrace creativity. By modelling this in professional development, you give the permission for schools to be creative.‬‬ 2. Teachers grow in empathy toward students. They understand the elation and frustration of making something.

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They see what it looks like to struggle. They understand the fear of screwing up.‬‬ 3. Teachers grow in their self-efficacy. Many teachers want to be more creative and they want to design more creative spaces within their schools. When they get a chance to make something, they realise that this is actually possible. The act of creating something helps teachers see what a project-based design project looks like in action.‬‬ 4. Creativity ultimately helps develop teacher leaders. When teachers define themselves as makers, they ultimately fight for the creative spaces that students deserve.‬‬ I believe that every teacher is creative, but that there are many different types of creative teachers. When schools design professional development around the concepts of creativity and design, teachers tap into their natural creativity and, ultimately, design creative spaces for students. ETS

John T Spencer spent 11 years as a middle school teacher in the US before recently beginning his journey as a Professor of Instructional Technology in Oregon. He is also a keynote speaker, author, podcast host, and educational technology developer. You can read more of his ideas on his blog site: www.spencerideas.org

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EVENTS CALENDAR events calendar

FlipCon Australia 2015

Bett Show

23-24 October 2015 Saint Stephen’s College, Coomera QLD

20-23 January 2016 Excel London

Internationally renowned FlipCon is coming to Australia with the launch of the inaugural Flipcon Australia 2015 – a National Conference embracing Flipped Learning for emerging and established flipped educators.  No prior experience in flipping your class or school is needed.  Keynotes will be delivered by Flipped Learning Pioneers Aaron Sams and Jon Bergmann.  Concurrent workshops will be held on:

Bett is the world’s leading learning technology event and has been bringing innovation and inspiration to the education sector for over 30 years. It inspires educators to connect with one another, discover the latest technology and engage with learning excellence.

• • • •

Technology and How To Tips Going Beyond to Deeper Learning Running a Flipped Classroom Subject Networking.

Panel discussions, a Welcome Reception and optional evening social event will also be scheduled. The conference will be held at Saint Stephen’s College, Coomera Queensland on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October 2015. On Thursday 22 October you can attend the optional pre-conference workshops (full day) or a half day Boot Camp for beginners. Take a look at the program, download the brochure, check out the costs and find further information at: ereg.me/FlipConAUS15

Read more: http://www.bettshow.com/ content/About-Bett-2015#ixzz3dtE17Yud

National FutureSchools Expo & Conference 2-4 March 2016 Australian Technology Park Brought to you by the team behind EduTECH, the National FutureSchools Expo is designed to answer one of the BIGGEST questions facing schools today… What will the School of the Future actually LOOK like? Immerse yourself in emerging technologies changing the way we teach and learn at the ClassTECH Conference. Deliver the new digital technologies curriculum with Teaching Kids to Code Conference. See the latest in assistive technologies at the Special Education Technology Needs (SETN) Conference.

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Find out how to integrate technology in the foundation years at the Young Learners Conference. Reimagine physical and virtual learning environments for the modern learner at the Future Leaders conference; And with the huge, free on-floor seminar programme and 80+ stands showcasing some of the latest technologies for education, the two-day FutureSchools Expo is where YOU can get a look at the Future of Education. Why Attend? • The National FutureSchools Expo makes a difference! We are passionate about education; and we believe the ideas, learnings and inspiration that people take away from visiting the National FutureSchools Expo ARE helping change the future! • Be part of something BIG – the largest education event in NSW and the second largest in Australia! • Choose from one of five conferences all designed to tackle a different element of the future school, ensuring your whole team gets the most out of your professional development investment. • It’s affordable… We know the education sector has limited funds, so we work with industry to subsidise

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registration costs, making this an accessible investment in your learning. • Access the very best speakers from Australia and around the world. • Share your ideas, successes and challenges. Join 1,800+ attendees to discuss, debate and take-away, implementable outcomes. This is a second-to-none networking opportunity. • Tailor-make your own experience and learn what YOU want to know about – you get to choose from five conferences, with multiple streams, plus focussed breakout sessions, MasterClasses and interactive exhibition seminars and displays (not to mention hours of networking functions) – meaning that you gain the benefits of a bespoke niche program, focussed on YOUR needs, combined with more than 1,500 like-minded education professionals. • See what’s on offer and save time by meeting with suppliers in one place, at one time. • Earn Professional Development points – when you register, simply tick the box indicating that you wish to apply for CPD/PD Points, and we will post you a Certificate of Attendance which you can present to your representative body. See more at: http://futureschools.com.au/ about.html#sthash.UJbJIMVg.dpuf

EduTECH 2016 30–31 May 2016 Brisbane Convention Centre, Brisbane

EduTECH is Australasia’s largest annual education technology conference and exhibition. In 2016, EduTECH will host eight conferences, eight masterclasses, 8,000+ attendees, an official event dinner for 800 guests, 250+ exhibitors and free seminars for exhibition visitors. EduTECH is the only event that brings together the entire education and training sector (primary, secondary, tertiary and workplace learning) plus libraries, government, suppliers and world-renowned speakers all under one roof. As a delegate, you can choose from one of eight conferences designed for your role, ensuring you get the most out of your professional development investment. Furthermore, EduTECH works with industry to subsidise registration costs to make the conference an affordable and accessible investment in your learning.

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• Access the very best speakers from Australia and around the world. • Share ideas, successes and challenges. • Discuss, debate and take away implementable outcomes. • This is a second-to-none networking opportunity.  • Tailor-make your own experience and choose from eight large congresses, with multiple streams, plus focused breakout sessions, masterclasses and interactive exhibition seminars and displays (not to mention hours of networking functions). • See what is on offer and save time by meeting with suppliers in one place, at one time. Visit www.edutech.net.au for more information.

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Digital Technology And Student Learning:

The Impact Of The Ecology Part 1

| By Mal Lee | There is no significant linear connection between the use of digital technologies and enhanced student attainment. The traditional, simplistic way of looking at the impact of digital technology on student learning has to fundamentally change. All associated with schools need to understand that the impact of digital technology on student learning can be profound if an apposite school ecology is created. Further, it needs to be recognised that the impact of digital technology on student learning is complex, far more deepseated than previously thought, is largely non-linear in nature and appears to emanate in the main from the ever-evolving digital operational base and integrated ecology found in those schools that have infused the use of digital technology in all facets of their operations. That profound impact is evidenced increasingly in pathfinder – early adopter – schools in the UK, US, NZ and Australia, where all teachers in the school have moved the school from a paper to digital operational base by using digital technology in their everyday teaching. Those schools have, often unwittingly, created digitally based, tightly integrated, strongly educationally focused and everevolving school ecologies that simultaneously address the many factors that enhance each student’s learning. That ecology is not simply amplifying the impact of the suite of variables known to enhance student learning, but is also facilitating the emergence of an additional set of variables, intended and unintended, that have the potential to markedly lift school attainment globally. What needs to be understood by all, and in particular government and the media, is that at best there is limited direct connection between the use of a particular digital instructional technology and improved learning in the academic curriculum. It is particularly important that the school principal, the primary orchestrator of the apposite ecology within each school, understands that reality and the necessity of the new focus. It is imperative that the impact of digital technology is understood. Educators need to appreciate that it is the total school 24/7/365 use of digital technology by all within the school’s community that is key to helping shape the desired teaching and learning.

The Research For the last century, educators, governments, technology companies and the media have promoted the assumption that by introducing a new technology, be it a magic lantern, film, educational TV, video, a PC or iPad, there would be an immediate improvement in student learning (Lee and Winzenried, 2009). From the 1950s onwards, and the then concerted research into the impact of educational television (Schramm, Nelson and Betham, 1981), study after study focused on a direct link between the new technology and enhanced student attainment. Rarely was any kind of linkage found, and only then usually in the research commissioned by the technology corporations. Typically, the studies focused in a micro fashion on a particular technology – its strengths and weaknesses, the technology’s use within the classroom and its impact on students’ attainment within the existing curriculum. Scant or no consideration was given to the macro scene, trend lines, school’s ecology or any unintended benefits that might have been realised. In 2009, Underwood (2009) prepared a major study for Becta on the impact of digital technology on schools. The study concentrated solely on the connection between the kit and learning, not touching on the considerable impact of digital technology on every facet of the ecology in those schools that had gone digital. Little wonder that by 2012 Higgins and his colleagues at Durham, in their meta-analysis of the numerous studies on the impact of digital technology on student learning, concluded, “Taken together, the correlational and experimental evidence does not offer a convincing case for the general impact of digital technology on learning outcome” (Higgins et al, 2012). Disturbingly – nay dangerously – that and like studies have prompted some educators and administrators to make the leap and conclude that, as there was no significant impact, it is not worth using digital technology in the classroom. Interestingly, the same people must have been watching the profound impact of digital technology on their own lives and the learning and teaching of their children over the last couple of decades outside of school walls. Indeed, since the mid-1990s, parents and society in general have talked of the profound EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 027

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impact of digital technology, and in particular the Internet, on the learning, lives and outlook of young people outside of the classroom. Early work by Tapscott (1998) and Meredyth et al (1998), and later studies by Green and Hannon (2007), Tapscott (2009), Lee and Finger (2010) and Ito et al (2013), all affirmed the very considerable impact the young’s all-pervasive use of digital technology has had on their daily lives, their learning and preferred mode of teaching outside the school walls. Indeed, Tapscott’s 2009 Grown Up Digital study is aptly subtitled ‘how the net generation is changing your world’. What those studies did, in marked contrast to the in-school studies, was examine the actual impact digital had,

While the purpose of the study was not to examine student attainment, it was of note that all the schools were performing above their socio-economic standing. What the study did reveal was that when schools move to a digital operational base they will experience considerable natural growth, largely outside the control of the organisation, and will continue to evolve and transform. The schools become evermore tightly integrated, ever higher order with distinct ecologies, marrying the in-school and out-of-school teaching and opening the way for them to markedly enhance student attainment. Significantly, every school studied, regardless of level or nation, had the overarching educational focus of providing the best possible holistic

... at best there is limited direct connection between the use of a particular digital instructional technology and improved learning in the academic curriculum. directly and indirectly, on the learning and teaching of young people, and not what some educators would like to see happen. That same focus on the actual was taken in the author’s study of the impact of digital technology on the transformation of those schools in the UK, US, NZ and Australia that had normalised or nearly normalised the use of digital. Significantly, this study examined the impact on every facet of the school’s operations and thinking, educational and administrative, in and increasingly outside of the school walls. That research and its initial findings are detailed on the School Evolutionary Stages blog at www. schoolevolutionarystages.net Digital School Ecologies and Student Learning The transformational impact of digital school ecologies has been dramatic in every way, creating a mode of schooling and a teaching and learning culture fundamentally different in outlook and form to the traditional paper-based school.

24/7/365 education for the 21st Century. Somewhat surprisingly, all took the view that if they provided an apposite, more personalised holistic education – of the type enunciated by Pellegrino and Hilton (2012) – it would not matter what type of tests or exams each student would experience. These are tightly integrated organisations where the use of digital and network connectivity underpins not only all relationships and every operation, but also the mindset of the school’s community. Digital connectivity by all is as imperative to these schools as the pen, paper and blackboard availability was to the traditional school. It is that digital operational base and the associated digital convergence that enabled these schools to create an ecology that simultaneously addresses the key variables known to enhance student learning. Look, for example, to Hattie’s (2009) meta-analysis of the known key learning variables and readers will see all the pathfinder schools had a clear, shaping educational vision; had set

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high expectations; had clearly identified the desired educational benefits; had an astute principal willing to lead and develop a culture that encouraged risk; and had striven to empower all their teachers to consistently lift the quality of teaching, to employ a diversity of teaching strategies and to foster the collaboration between the school and the home. By all within the school having their own suite of digital technology – often in their hands – the teachers and students were able to instantly access the desired information any time, anywhere, to analyse it, to re-configure it as desired, to video, record, photograph and create their own quality multi-media presentations, to author e-books and to swiftly store and/or despatch those materials whenever desired. Little wonder the student attainment in all the pathfinder schools was above the socioeconomic status (SES) norm. Part two of this article continues in the next issue of Education Technology Solutions, where the discussion considers the potential for schools and students where schools are operating under a digital ecology. ETS Mal Lee is a former director of schools, secondary college principal, technology company director and now, author and educational consultant. He has written extensively on the impact of technology and the evolution of schooling. For a full list of the bibliography contact: admin@interactivemediasolutions.com.au

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Australia’s First Large-Scale Roll-out Of Chromebooks In Education

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| By Blake Seufert |

McKinnon Secondary College was involved in the first large-scale roll-out of Chromebooks in Australia. The role of technology in education is tough. It is widely accepted that measuring the impact of technology on learning is difficult. So how are school leaders to make informed decisions around technology in their schools? Because of this and the pressure to incorporate technology into the curriculum, many schools take the approach that ‘any decision will do and we will steer the ship later’. This approach creates the following problems: • School leaders have no data or measurement tool that describes where their ‘ship’ is going, making it difficult to steer it in the direction of enhanced learning. • Decisions about technology become divorced from teaching practice. Instead, McKinnon’s approach was to look at where the benefits of digital learning technologies can be measured, improved and the ship ‘therefore’ steered appropriately. They focused heavily on productivity gains. If students can save wasted time by getting on with work more quickly, collaborating more efficiently and not be burdened by device failure, it stands to reason that they will be better off and more productive. McKinnon also looked to employ digital learning tools that boost teachers’ productivity too – reliable tools that do not require extensive training and constant software installations and upgrades. Furthermore, they can measure these gains and make adjustments that add more value to the teaching and learning process.

Criteria The first task was to get a picture of what staff and students were doing with technology and where technology was failing them. Staff and student perceptions were collected via surveys and more qualitative data through conversations. The common themes identified included: • Google Apps offered great ways for teachers and students to be more productive – powerful creation, collaboration and sharing of resources and tasks was achieved with tools that are really simple to use. • Teachers and students preferred online resources (accessible anywhere, anytime, on any device) in place of local tools and platform-specific materials. • Users were frustrated with device logon time and managing class time with technology – teachers and students alike did not want to waste a minute. • Confidence was low, as teachers often had to abandon their lesson plans due to failures of technology. In order to address teacher and student needs, the technology must build confidence through speed and reliability of technology, and be as accessible and ubiquitous as pen and paper – meaning every student has a working laptop in every class. This is no easy feat! McKinnon’s PC and Apple fleet was often failing its teachers and students against the above criteria. Slow logon times were wasting precious class time. Breakages were common, and repairs to their Macs and PCs always took longer than expected (even when the work was completed under warranty). Student learning was undermined and teachers’ confidence in using digital learning tools eroded. School leaders asked themselves, how many times will teachers suffer through device failure before giving up on using technology?

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Enter the Chromebook Deploying 1-to-1 personal learning devices is the future for schools, due largely to the push for ICT access anywhere, any time. Chromebooks fit perfectly with this direction and McKinnon’s priorities. While the Chromebook cannot do everything, that is a good thing. The aim was not to buy an expensive super-computer that most students will never take advantage of fully; rather, they strived to provide a device and the digital tools that do what most students need most of the time, extremely well. This key trade-off opens the door to a faster, simpler platform for staff and students to utilise. Chromebooks are designed for the

technicians can set the homepage, push apps and lock the devices down in almost any conceivable way. The policies and settings are more robust than any platform McKinnon has ever seen, but the reality is they do not have much need to enforce policies; the devices are just that simple. When a student has any issue, he or she is immediately loaned a spare. This lets the student pick up right where he left off – no waiting, no re-imaging, no copying data, no impact to teaching and learning. This certainly builds confidence around technology and makes technology more transparent to the business of education.

In order to address teacher and student needs, the technology must build confidence through speed and reliability of technology, and be as accessible and ubiquitous as pen and paper. Web and that is where the school sees resources, books and tools heading (if not already there). Add all of this to McKinnon’s long-standing success with Google Apps, and these devices made for the perfect extension of what the school was already doing. Time Saving Speaks for Itself Chromebooks are the only devices that offer a way to have zero downtime for students. When a Chromebook breaks, the IT team are not put under pressure to resolve the device’s issues instantly, often requiring a backup and transfer of gigs of data and a lengthy re-imaging process. Chromebooks keep everything in the cloud, meaning the device can be swapped out for a spare and any warrantable repairs can be batched a few times a week. The productivity gains have been noticeable and Chromebooks are always up-to-date and never require imaging. To be honest, the school would be unable to maintain its level of service had it rolled out a further 700 PCs or Macs – the manual handling is just too intensive (and expensive). The devices all but manage themselves:

The Myths Unfortunately, as with anything new, Chromebooks suffer from their fair share of misinformation and spin: • “They are useless offline” – Google provides apps specifically to use offline and the majority of those in Google Apps can be used in some offline capacity. In fact, the Chrome Web Store has a specific section for offline apps. • “We cannot use Photoshop and the apps we need” – The reality is, most of the functions that students and staff need from Photoshop and other media-rich applications, the Chrome Web Store caters for with apps like Pixlr (image crop, layers, filters and so on), Wevideo Next (video editing with offline support) and the list goes on. The majority of teachers and students want access to the Web and a suite of apps to create documents, presentations and to manage data with spreadsheets – which Google Apps for Education delivers. The aim is not to provide a device to meet every requirement of every IT-based task a student might undertake. A Chromebook does most of what most students need, from a very fast and reliable platform.

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• “It is just a web browser…” – True, which is fine, given the majority of what users do on a computer is using a web browser. Having said that, many Chrome apps are blurring the lines by running in separate windows and feel more like ‘native apps’. • “Normal laptops are just as cheap” – Many people miss the point. The speed, simplicity and ease of administration make Chromebooks the superior offering. A traditional Windows-based laptop cannot provide a school with the same basis for success when teachers are not confident in using technology in the first place. As a systems administrator, the author has been waiting a long time for a device that is simple to use and laser-focused on what is important to modern teaching. Chromebooks offer McKinnon Secondary College that package, with great choices of hardware and dead-simple administration, all in a package that seamlessly integrates with Google Apps and the sort of web applications the school is already using. Most importantly, Chromebooks are engineered to continually evolve as the Internet does, and as McKinnon does as an educational institution. ETS

Blake Seufert is a passionate ed-tech expert from Melbourne, Australia. He has transformed McKinnon Secondary College from a traditional pen and paper school to a technology leader in Australia. He consults with Google, Microsoft and countless schools/districts about meaningful techsupported learning in schools. He is also cofounder at iNewsletter, the world’s first online school newsletter platform. Follow Blake on Twitter @BlakeSeufert and look for his new podcast launching later this year titled Educating Tomorrow.

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pluggedIn

Perfecting Blended Learning: Why Video Is The Future Of The Classroom

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| By Poppy Simpson | The impact and value of video in blended learning represents an ongoing field of research. Recent surveys, empirical studies and industry reports overwhelmingly agree that video in education, when used correctly, can significantly boost student engagement, enjoyment and learning outcomes. Research by Cruse (2014) has identified several benefits to teaching and learning: • reinforcing reading, knowledge transfer and memory • increasing student motivation and enthusiasm • enhancing student comprehension and stimulating discussion • providing greater accommodation of diverse learning styles • developing literacy in the broadest sense (that is, visual and media literacy) • taking students beyond the classroom walls to experience different cultures, places and languages • promoting teacher effectiveness. According to the American Public Broadcasting System’s (PBS) annual teacher survey on media and technology (2010), the percentage of teachers finding value in multimedia and video content has increased each year since 2007. In 2010, PBS found that 68 percent of teachers believed that video content stimulates discussions, 66 percent believed video increased student motivation, while 55 percent cited video as a driver for greater pedagogic creativity (with 62 percent saying it helps teachers be more effective). The survey also found that the majority of teachers (61 percent) believed students prefer video as a means of communicating complex ideas. Meanwhile, as academic research has emphasised the diversity of students’ learning styles, a number of studies have shown that video’s multiple facets (aesthetic, auditory, logical and emotional) address the needs of a broader base of learners. These ‘multiple entry points’ into the content are especially valuable in a formal educational setting, as they offer greater accommodation to the multiple intelligences of a diverse group of students (Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 2004). Ben, a British A-level student from Cumbria, said, “The fact that I can see and hear the video makes the content more memorable. It is like having a teacher available when outside of school!” Video also supports a diversity of subjects in unique ways. History teachers employ video to bring an unfamiliar era to life or encourage students to consider different fictional representations of the past. In science, clips and animations allow teachers to illustrate experiments that cannot be done in class, or to take students on impossible field trips – inside the human body or out into the solar system. English teachers can bring literature, plays and music into the classroom, while in social studies video offers the opportunity to travel around the globe to meet new people and hear their ideas (Wainhouse Research, 2012; Kaltura, 2014, UK Department for Education [DfE], 2014). The Optimal Use of Video in the Classroom Research has also shown that the value of video in the classroom

is dependent on the ways in which it is used. Students need to be given the opportunity to meaningfully interact with moving image, while teachers need to be able to properly integrate it into their programs of study. There is a general consensus that video is most effective when it is: • delivered in short clips, which have been edited, categorised and contextualised with the curriculum in mind; • fully integrated into the curriculum; and • used as part of a broader ecology – a complementary resource alongside images, text and other resources. A recent empirical study of 6.9 million video watching sessions across the edX Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform found that material under six minutes resulted in significantly greater learner engagement (Guo, 2014). This support research, carried out in US and UK schools and higher education institutions, demonstrates that the ability to show moving image in short, relevant segments and from multiple programs avoids the passive consumption so often associated with video in the classroom (Denning; Barrett, 2013; DfE, 2014). As with all education resources and technologies, the value of video highly correlates to its synthesis with the wider curriculum. “Just as one method of transmitting knowledge has never been enough, any individual grouping of media may never be sufficient. This is why texts, oral presentation, recorded audio, slides, and other forms of media invite enhancement by video. Video does not just add emphasis, however. It is becoming central to learning, a need felt not only by students who are growing up with rich digital technologies, but also increasingly by educators.” (Wainhouse Research, 2012) For language learning, video can provide the perfect asset to demonstrate how language is spoken naturally. Corinne Nederlof, a publisher at Malmberg in the Netherlands, said, “For me, as a language course publisher, the element of authenticity is the most relevant about video. For language learners, it is the only way to learn to listen to real English spoken by native speakers. There are hundreds of millions of people learning English worldwide and one of the hardest parts is to get used to the sound and to thoroughly understand spoken English. In documentaries and other film based on script, the voices are being recorded in studios. There are no ‘ehs and stutters and people speak full sentences. But in everyday life, hardly anyone speaks in correct and complete sentences. Watching interviews and informal spoken language helps students to develop the right ear.” Barriers to the Successful use of Video in Schools While some of the best teachers across the globe are incorporating video into their programs of study in creative and innovative ways, for many schools, video remains a new and unexplored tool. Indeed, evidence suggests that the adoption of video is most often the result of ‘bottom up’ pressure, driven by an ‘advocate’ teacher or department and, therefore, not fully deployed across EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 035

pluggedIn

all subject areas and year groups (Kaltura, 2014). This uneven take-up is likely the result of a number of significant barriers to use. While there has been an explosion of content online, from the perspective of both teacher and student, the landscape can appear chaotic. Video is presented, categorised and contextualised (if at all) in widely different ways and, in the vast majority of cases, without reference to the specific needs of the education community, making the most useful available video undiscoverable by the time-poor teacher. Although numerous surveys have indicated a growing use of YouTube amongst teachers, these have also registered teacher dissatisfaction with the limitations of the platform. A recent UK Department for Education report, for example, found that teachers are frustrated by their inability to discover targeted, subject-relevant extracts from longer programs and by the poor quality of much of the material. Primary teachers also noted that they are often prevented from accessing video because of inappropriate advertising and attendant content (DfE, 2014). A complex range of licensing and copyright restrictions also cause confusion about schools’ rights to use video material, while different digital platforms impose constraints on how video can or cannot be viewed, used and shared. The situation is further complicated by the wide variation in schools’ ICT infrastructure and by the developing market for new educationfacing technologies and services. This complexity of finding and showing video in the classroom is in stark contrast to the ready availability of still images and textual sources that are commonplace in textbooks (both printed and digital offers), learning management platforms and online education resources (both commercial and non-commercial). And while many educational publishers have expressed an eagerness to incorporate complementary video material into their digital offers, they find the cost of finding and licensing appropriate clips is often prohibitive, as clip banks are primarily focused on commercial sales and their content entails complex secondary usage

rights (some publishers have experimented with including references to online video within their textbooks; however, this has proved problematic because of the tendency for web links to disappear and for moving image assets to move location online) (DfE, 2014). Increased Adoption of Video in the Classroom In spite of these challenges, the majority of educators and publishers are enthusiastic about the use of video and see it becoming more and more integral to the future classroom. A recent study by Kaltura (2014) – an education-focused video platform – found that 88 percent of teachers agree that video improves the educational experience and will be a major part in education in the future. Similarly, 67 percent of respondents believe that traditional teaching methodology will change as a result of technological advancements. There are a number of clear drivers to increasing adoption of video in teaching. At the pedagogical level, teachers have an increasingly nuanced understanding of different learning styles, as well as an appreciation of the need to foster creative and critical problem-solving skills to ensure students are career ready. Similarly, a new generation of technologically savvy educators with a natural affinity for media are more likely to experiment with new modes of use, especially given their students’ proficiency with technology and appetite for online video consumption. Add to this the widespread investment in digital technology for schools, the proliferation of video-enabled devices (lightweight smartphones and tablets) and increased access to the Internet, and it seems clear that video will play an important role in the classroom of the future. Knowledgemotion: a Solution The use of video in the classroom is only beginning to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s learners and the widespread enthusiasm for video amongst the education community has not led to widespread adoption and experimentation. As a result, teacher

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confidence and pedagogical creativity in using video has been severely limited. This is part of a wider issue facing the education sector; namely, that while heavy investment in digital technology has had a radical impact on the management and assessment of learning, it has not yet resulted in significant improvements to learning experiences and attainment. Indeed, this is the problem that Nesta identified in its 2012 report Decoding Learning, The Proof, Promise and Potential of Digital Education: “...we have come to recognise an innovation deficit at the intersection of technology and education; students today inhabit a rich digital environment, but it is insufficiently utilised to support learning.” Knowledgemotion, a video-in education specialist, and the boclips.com platform can transform the use of video in teaching and learning, with the world’s largest TV clip library specifically designed for education. The boclips.com platform is a single, easily searchable destination for publishers, digital platforms, governments and school networks where they can access clips tagged to curriculum topics that have been cleared for educational use. Publishers can seamlessly integrate video with more established print and digital content, which, in turn, supports teachers in its application. Crucially, Knowledgemotion also provide crowd-sourced curriculum data by making clips freely available to a subset of UK teachers. This allows them to harvest detailed data on how video is actually used in the classroom which they can then feed back to publishers. This will inform the shape of emerging digital products and support an array of education providers in embedding video more creatively and effectively into their content. ETS Poppy Simpson works as a consultant for public and private organisations in the realm of education. She has a particular interest in the potential of new technologies and digital content to impact learning and pedagogy. She is based in NYC where she is working for Knowledgemotion. For a full list of references, email: admin@interactivemediasolutions.com.au

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coverstory

Drones

Flying Into The Future

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| By Brett Salakas | Picture this: Larry Johnson, of the New Media Consortium (NMC) Horizon Report fame, sits opposite me. He sports his trademark black flat cap and a gold PhD ring that looks more like it belongs on an old-school Vegas bouncer than on an education theorist who informs so many teachers, principals and leaders to prepare them for the future of schooling. We are discussing the upcoming K–12 Horizon Report that predicts the technology that teachers will roll into schools in the coming years. He is in Brisbane for the EduTECH conference and the release of the report, which is only a few short weeks away. The concept that caught my eye in the interim report was the use of ‘drones’ in education. I asked about how NMC comes up with the Horizon Report. The answer was simple; the team at NMC scour research papers in education and the corporate world. They spot the extreme early adopters of new technologies and predict when they will be affordable and palatable enough for the wider education system to embrace the innovation. In short, drones are here now and they will be with us all in the years to come. That said, drones in education is a concept that captures the imagination of some and sends fear shuddering down the spine of others. Never before has a tool or term so closely associated with cuttingedge military weaponry been so quick to be adopted by schools as a way of engaging students and achieving higher level learning. The first trap is that the term ‘drone’ is not the correct term at all. Drone is a term used by the media and advertising gurus to reach people’s collective psyche and emit the desired response. The pilotless helicopter that Santa delivered is not technically a drone, despite what the elves printed on the side of the box! It is, in fact, a remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This distinction is extremely important and has massive ramifications for teachers, because it means that there are aviation rules and regulations that are set in place by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

Flight regulations that are currently in place were originally set for remotecontrolled planes that pre-date their current incarnations and this means that teachers need to be very careful to ensure that they stay within the rules. Firstly, the UAVs must always be in sight and users must not rely on the video feed of the vehicle for flight. In addition to this, UAVs must not be flown within 30 metres of a building, a boat, any vehicle or people. It

Maximising student engagement is one way to capture the curiosity and attention of students and use their interest or passion for a topic to enhance their academic performance. is prohibited to fly a UAV over populated areas like beaches and backyards, and they must not be flown higher than 120 metres in a city. Despite the hurdles, these drones are metaphorically flying into classrooms all over the world to provide: 1. Inspiration and engagement. 2. Technical knowledge and skill development. 3. Curriculum redefinition. 1. Inspiration and Engagement Maximising student engagement is one way to capture the curiosity and attention of students and use their interest or passion for a topic to enhance their academic performance. In other words, by embedding a bit of ‘wow factor’ into lessons, teachers may be able to capitalise on the excitement and enthusiasm and get in some real, quality learning. Engaged students are also more likely to perform well academically; therefore, teachers need a large inventory of instructional strategies to engage a variety of students (Garcia-Reid, 2005).

040 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

Drones and writing: Imagine giving students the task of creating a world with cardboard and having them detail that world with textas or paints and then place a LEGO person in the centre of that world. The descriptive language that teachers could build up could be immense. The students could create a whole backstory for the LEGO person – his life, job, childhood memories, even his fears. The students would be invested in the character that they have created. Now imagine that the teacher flies in an indoor drone, attaches the LEGO person to the drone via tape or string and then, without saying a word, flies the LEGO person away from his world, out the door. How would students react to their creation being removed and distorted in this manner? Picture the chaos, the complaints and the cries of, “Unfair”. The emotion would be palpable. The teacher could capture this emotion and work with it. Students could write about the drama of when the LEGO character was removed from his world and articulate what the LEGO character, this plastic inanimate object, would be feeling or thinking. They could then tap into their imagination and create an adventure in a detail they may not have achieved before. 2. Technical Knowledge and Skill Development With the rollout of the new Australian Digital Technologies Curriculum there is a growing awareness and emphasis being placed on the specific skills and understandings that directly link to technological proficiency. This, coupled with the fact that ICT has been embedded as a General Capability in the new Australian Curriculum, means that more explicit teaching will occur. Terms like ‘coding’ and ‘computational’ will soon be common banter in staffrooms everywhere, if it is not already. Foundation kindergarten/prep students are expected to be developing computational thinking skills; students in Year 3 to be exploring a range of peripheral devices; while in Year 6 students will be designing algorithms to solve problems. This is all before they even begin secondary school, where the big

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coverstory Drones will be a game-changer – they will redefine people’s lives... and they will redefine the way teachers teach. Drones align themselves perfectly for project-based learning.

investigations take place and those early foundations are built upon. Drones provide an excellent buy-in for those teachers who are not overly comfortable in explicitly teaching coding and allow the design, test, evaluate and adapt process to take place. Using a clever coding app like Tickle App (@tickleapp), which has a similar interface to Scratch and the Hopscotch App, teachers can set a challenge for students to program a drone to do a series of required tasks. The best part is that a flying drone is not necessary. A myriad of ground-based drones can be used; the Sphero drone is a popular choice and presents many possibilities. Creating a Drone Coding Challenge, like the one that the author ran at St Kevin’s Eastwood with Kimberley Sutton, is a great way for students to learn coding while using drones. An obstacle course was set up and the students were placed into teams. Girls and boys deliberately formed separate teams that competed against each other; the idea being to encourage girls to be proactive with coding and technology. This proved to be a very successful strategy. Teams had to write code using the Tickle App on their iPads. They could then do a test run through the obstacle course. Inevitably, the first few runs were unsuccessful and the teams needed to alter their code and try again. The first team to successfully navigate the obstacle course were the winners! 3. Curriculum Redefinition Like in all Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition (SAMR) models, it is when the curriculum is being redefined that teachers know they are making serious change and not merely substituting one teaching technique for another. Drones will be a game-changer – they will redefine people’s lives, mail delivery and so on, and they will redefine the way teachers teach. Drones align themselves perfectly for project-based learning (PBL). Already a number of teachers are pushing the envelope and it seems secondary school geography teachers and science

042 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

teachers are innovating with the best of them. In science, Kelly Hollis is exploring the possibilities with fieldwork in biology. In geography, Year 9 students are required to represent the geographic landscape, through cartographic conventions (aka mapping), using spatial technologies. Using drones goes far beyond this, as tested by Chris Woldhuis and Clare Kinnane. Both teachers have demonstrated the various ways that drones could be used in a Year 10 geography class using a projectbased learning pedagogy. The PBL could be based around a problem arising due to a flood, cyclone, earthquake or any other natural disaster. Teachers could easily modify the PBL task to suit the current issue of the day, particularly if it is affecting the students in their community, such as local bushfires, or global issues like the Nepalese earthquakes. Students could be challenged with a problem of assisting human wellbeing, environmental management or economic/social management. They could be asked to innovate a way that drones could be used to solve or alleviate a particular problem. In fact, they could be really proactive and select the problem themselves. Here, students are being forced to research a real-world issue, learn about the topic, process that information and report on it. Then, using higher order thinking skills that Blooms would be proud of, create a way to deal with that issue. A clever teacher could insist on a checklist of geographical skills and concepts to ensure that the students have synthesised the information correctly. The grand finale could be testing the students’ theoretical work in a practical test run. Could a drone do what they have asked it to do in their work? Assuming all CASA regulations are abided by, that could be a very entertaining way to complete a unit of work! ETS Brett Salakas is a teacher at St. Kevin’s Primary School in Eastwood. He is the founder/moderator of #aussieED. Follow Brett on Twitter @MRsalakas For a full list of references, email: admin@interactivemediasolutions.com.au

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Girls, Games And Science | By Kelly Hollis | The overall number of students sitting the Higher School Certificate (HSC) increased between 1992 and 2014; however, in this same timeframe, the number of students studying a science subject for the HSC (for example, chemistry, biology and physics) has not maintained the same trend (Phillips, 2014). The percentages of females studying each of these subjects and all science subjects is summarised as: 1992

2014

HSC Science Subject

Number of females

Total cohort

% females

Number of females

Total cohort

% females

Biology

12180

19177

10508

17138

Chemistry

6254

14117

5011

11173

Physics

3503

12591

2044

9598

Overall % of females in science

46 (Board of Studies, 2015)

044 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

As seen in the data above, the overall number of students studying a science subject in the HSC has decreased quite considerably. Ian Chubb, Australia’s chief scientist, noted that only three percent of primary teaching time in Australia is spent on science and stressed that there is the need for a more strategic approach to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, starting in the primary years (Head, 2014). Although the girls that study these science subjects achieve good grades, some still feel less competent than their male counterparts. Even though both sexes have identified science as challenging, boys often report more confidence in class than the girls that are enrolled in the same subjects. Of great concern is that when the challenges within the content increase, girls become less engaged and this correlates with the reduction of girls enrolling in these subjects in post-compulsory science (Mitchell & Hoff, 2006). Girls and Games There is a suggestion that females prefer to work and interact with humans rather than machines and, therefore, are not interested in computers (Elliot & Prescott, 2014). This idea is reflected in the commercial toys that are marketed towards girls that are based around beauty/fashion, cooking and parenting (TEDxOrangeCoast, 2014). In the 2014 Digital Australia Report, it was found that the percentage number of female gamers between the ages of 11 and 15 years has increased from 38 percent to 47 percent since 2005. So, although the commercial approach to girls’ toys remains similar to those that were available during the war

(TEDxOrangeCoast, 2014), girls’ attitudes towards games are shifting. Robertson (2011) found that both male and female students believe that games can offer a number of learning opportunities, but male students prefer the pedagogical approach of gamebased learning in comparison to females. The use of ICT in the classroom helps to improve the motivation and attainment levels of both boys and girls; however, there are clear differences in the preferences that the students identify: female students use technology more for school work, whereas males use it more for leisure purposes; girls are more dependent on school in their use of ICT and for guidance on how to use it; girls prefer social and creative uses of technology such as working collaboratively; more girls than boys see technology as a way to further develop their interests and learning within a subject; girls are more productive than boys in using technology for educational purposes; and girls’ interest in the use of technology decreases with age (Kent & Facer, 2008). These preferences of females do not show that they have no interest in using games and technology in the classroom, just that these preferences are different to those of their male counterparts. The main difference in preferences for game-based play between boys and girls seems to be related to their motivation to play. Girls show a larger preference towards creative play than boys, while boys are motivated by the opportunities to compete with and outdo each other (Admiraal et al, 2013). Girls consider themselves to be less competitive than boys and, therefore, less confident about

being able to master competitive games (Robertson, 2011). Games that involve exploration, collaboration, challenge and sophisticated design elements appeal to girls (Gwee, Chee & Tan, 2013). As girls have expressed that they see the connection between the use of games and education (Robertson, 2011), educators can work to integrate gamebased learning into their classrooms in an attempt to help to increase girls’ engagement in science. Both boys and girls have been found to demonstrate greater learning gains after taking part in game-based learning pedagogy compared to a regular lesson series facilitated by the teacher. The difference in learning gains between girls in the game-based learning scenario with the control group were seen to be bigger than that of the boys (Admiraal et al, 2013), showing that there is the opportunity for games to help improve the girls’ understanding and, therefore, confidence in any area of study. Digital Game-Based Learning in Science Children enter school with a natural interest in the world around them; however, some science classes do not allow students to explore these interests. Across the world, students spend time taking part in lecture-style classes and memorising facts in order to participate in standardised testing. They can often lose interest in science as they move beyond primary school. As a result of this, it is essential that science classrooms are transformed to include activities or pedagogical approaches that help to cultivate and maintain the students’ natural motivation and interest in pursuing science (Ching, 2012). A pedagogical approach that includes game-based learning has been advocated as a promising one to create engaging science curriculum experiences (Li & Tsai, 2013). Science is a discipline that encompasses a wide range of topics.

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 045

feature The development of an immersive and contextualised pedagogy may help to engage learners meaningfully (Barab et al, 2009). The benefit of context-based learning in science is that it may lead to more engagement from students, along with increasing their interest in pursuing science further by providing them with real-world contexts from the students’ lives outside of school as well as social or global issues (Fensham, 2009). When a student is able to emotionally link a subject with an experience, they are able to create a memory that holds a ‘privileged place’ which is easier to access in future situations. This emotion is then able to be linked with other memories and learning experiences, allowing the student to build a collection of knowledge that helps to improve the way they access these memories (Routledge, 2009). A number of digital games such as SURGE, Supercharged (Li & Tsai, 2013) and Mission Biotech attempt to engage the players in rich contexts. In each game, students are challenged to solve a challenging problem using scientific tools, principles and practices. In particular, Mission Biotech attempts to engage students in a rich context that is modelled on a working biotechnology laboratory. Whilst playing the game,

students are challenged to negotiate problems by interacting with the tools and processes that would be present in these real-world situations (Sadler et al, 2012). (For more information on Mission Biotech, visit https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=WMndJeUi9v8&feature=you tu.be&utm_content=bufferdb18f&utm_ medium=social&utm_source=plus. google.com&utm_campaign=buffer) Along with helping to provide students with a strong contextual approach to science, digital games can assist students in building a number of the skills that they require in order to achieve in this subject. These skills include spatial cognition, visual attentional processing, perceptual motor skills, problem solving (Li & Tsai, 2013), model-based reasoning and hypothesis testing (Ching, 2012), as well as critical thinking, creativity and mastery, and application of target concepts (Sadler et al, 2012). During the play of digital games, players experience some form of conflict or context that requires a decision-making process that addresses the conflict and allows them to advance through the game (Sadler et al, 2012). This decisionmaking process requires students to develop hypotheses on how they are to progress, similar to the development of hypotheses in the scientific method.

The players then experiment in the game with their hypothesis and, if they fail, they are able to immediately re-evaluate their choices to determine the correct plan of action (Ormsby, Daniel & Ormsby, 2011). Games provide problem-based and contextually meaningful challenges that require the students to learn scientific content in relation to the goals set by the game. They allow for the ‘just-in-time’ embedding of authentic resources and tools whose meanings are in relation to a particular task, being the game, not just because the teacher or the textbook has told the student that they are important (Barab et al, 2009). Alongside individual problem solving, implementation of game-based learning has the potential to provide students with opportunities to undertake collaborative problem solving. By employing this instructional strategy, teachers are providing students with the opportunities to exchange their experience and knowledge through discussion and to share the load of information processing with their peers. Collaboration may also help to increase the students’ engagement levels (Li & Tsai, 2013). Students are able to collaborate through discussion forums and blogs, also allowing them to explore their creativity in conjunction with game play (Routledge, 2009). ... continued on page 82

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officespace 048 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

Optimising Education Administration

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 049

officespace | By Scott Patterson | Imagine a school in which technology enabled far greater efficiencies every day and administration errors were practically a thing of the past. Now picture your school as a place where parents and students alike wanted so badly to be a part of your community from the moment they first interacted with your website. As the education sector learns and leaps forward, the concept of process automation is starting to really take shape in the education sector and the potential benefits are beginning to resonate with schools in a big way, particularly in the secondary and tertiary sectors. Education Technology Solutions (ETS) magazine engaged with Richard Ashley and Mike Dooner, the industry leaders at Konica Minolta who brought readers insight on turning documents into data, to uncover the thinking behind how schools can innovate and strategically transform the administrative and front-line components of their operation that will become hallmarks of the true 21st Century school. Technology Take-Up “I believe we are going to start seeing a big take-up of process automation technology now and with many schools, it may start in one key area – for example, with automatic enrolments or with accounts payable,” said Richard Ashley. “Through these first steps, schools will start seeing the benefits and be very likely to apply the same time-saving conveniences to other areas of their daily administration tasks.” Cost Reduction These days, every school has to do more with less. Whether it is time or budget, the bottom line is that schools, now more than ever, need to be more efficient. “I agree; however, the only way you can become more efficient is by looking at your processes,” says Mike Dooner. “Some people are apprehensive when they hear this because they think this means a reduction of staff – but it does not mean that at all. Re-engineering your processes

and automating them means you get to free up your staff from wasting time shuffling paper, which in turn enables them to do more cognitive ‘thinking’ things which will give them more job satisfaction and, in turn, provide the maximum benefit to the school by those staff members adding more value to the entire school community.”

“Now suppose for a moment your school has a few hundred applications from students applying to your school and you have only five or 10 positions available for the next school year. What is your current process for filtering all of those applications? Does someone really need to spend hours and hours looking through

Schools know that how they interact digitally has an impact on their brand. Competitive Advantage for Schools No one ever gets a second chance to make a first impression. From the prospective student’s point of view, the first interaction that he or she has with a school is the one that matters the most. Websites for most schools are, at best, clunky and outdated online brochures. What if a school instead had a website designed to have an immersive experience, plus an interactive enrolment and application portal? Could the school not gain a huge competitive advantage in the education marketplace? This should make getting school websites ‘right’ a top priority. “Yes, it definitely does,” says Richard Ashley. “Private schools and tertiary institutions in particular are constantly looking for a competitive edge in the education market. So getting your website and enrolment process right is an excellent example where process automation can have a positive impact straight away, especially if you are competing for the top students to enrol in your school.” “It is true,” says Mike Dooner. “Put yourself in the shoes of the parent who is looking for the right school for their child. What you want would be a similar level of interactivity that you would get from a face-to-face interview where you have got a robust and relevant Q&A process. Once the parent is engaged and interested, qualifying that inquiry and simplifying the application process is totally possible right now.”

050 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

them all and referencing every piece of information, or can you get software to filter and prioritise the applications through process automation? For example, answers to questions like ‘does the applicant have a parent that went to the school?’ or ‘does the applicant have a sibling who is studying with us this year?’ You can automatically rate each application against your criteria and not only save time but identify the top 20 percent of students that you will want to talk to. You can automate the interview scheduling and make simple what was once a laborious decision-making process.” Emerging Trends Schools are starting to discuss the same thing in their meetings. They know that innovating their stakeholder communication channels is important and they are questioning how they are interact with their community in the digital space. Schools know that how they interact digitally has an impact on their brand. With a remarkable shift toward more content being delivered online, how should schools seek to enhance that sense of interactivity to develop and enrich the relationships they have with their community online? “It is about making the experience more interactive by thinking about the user,” says Richard Ashley. “It is about making that experience easier, more immersive and completely engaging. Part of the reason

for Konica Minolta acquiring Stonebridge Systems and Knowledge Partners is to provide that power of the online experience to the education sector.” “It is also about the content and having a ‘single source of truth’,” Richard continues, “and what I mean by this is, if you are going to provide an enrolment system online, the form you get online should be the same form that you would get if you popped into the school and got it printed out manually. It is the one source of truth you are after; because as soon as you have two (or more) versions of that document depending on the format you ask for, what you will get is the content and value in each of those document versions drifting further and further apart until you go back to needing a manual paper shuffling process again just to get the information collated in one place.” Customer Experience Management In the commercial space, the term ‘web content management’ is being replaced with ‘customer experience management’ which summarises where customer-facing websites are going. But what does this mean for the digital interaction that educational institutions are having with parents, students and the entire school community?

Picking the right thing to tackle with process automation will give you the best and fastest return on investment and demonstrate capability.

“It is about immersing the user in the experience because it is your first interaction and you want it to be a happy experience,” says Mike Dooner. “You want it to be able to automate certain processes, absolutely, but it is not just about filling in a couple of forms, but again I cannot stress this enough, it is really about immersing the user in an experience that allows them to get the feeling of what it is like to interact with your school across the board and to be able to navigate and access content based on their needs.” Revisiting the notion of competitive advantage for schools, it seems competition for the top students in some markets is very intense, especially when there are parents who are willing to spend big money or send their children great distances to attend those schools. “Absolutely,” says Richard Ashley. “If you look at the convergence point between process automation and customer experience management there is a huge competitive advantage to be gained for private schools and tertiary because if you can speed up the process between a prospective student applying and then being made an offer, the evidence shows that the student will be more likely to accept that offer. If another school takes two or three times as long, the perception nowadays is that the interaction is not good; so schools that take too long to process and deliver that offer are finding that the best students are often not attending their schools because those students have already taken up an offer with another school. “The bottom line is, the more that you immerse that prospective student in a digital experience, the more likely it is that you will be able to capture his or her imagination and apply to the school on the back of that experience right then and there. Retaining that student and continuing to engage with parents through that positive online interaction and a single source of information is the key to this.”

An Alternative ‘Big Bang’ Theory The lead-up time for implementing a huge new system in a school can take a long time to build, test and implement. Oftentimes, schools are loathe to undergo big projects because, in the past, they may have found that by the time it is ready to launch, the project has changed so much in its development phase that when it is delivered, it is either no longer what they want, or the benefit has already passed them, so they simply let it collect dust and move on to other things. From an IT perspective, implementing a ‘big bang’ approach with a content management system or a process automation system seems similarly overwhelming. Is it rare these days for schools to do everything all in one go? “It is easy for any organisation to get carried away and fall into the big bang trap,” says Richard Ashley. “It is much more helpful to find one specific pain point to start and address it directly. At the same time, you want to have some kind of enterprise view that says ‘if we applied this solution in one area, can it be used in other areas?’ and if the solution is extensible, then why would you not apply it to the area that will provide you with the most benefit first?” “I agree,” says Mike Dooner. “You have got to pick the right thing, not the hardest thing. Picking the right thing to tackle with process automation will give you the best and fastest return on investment and demonstrate capability, which is why, especially in the education sector, enrolment is usually a great one to start with.” ETS Scott Patterson is the Assistant Editor of Education Technology Solutions. Scott brings his experience working at the forefront of creative design, web and application development, social interaction and engagement, and digital education platforms to the magazine and the ETS community. Scott can be contacted at spatterson@interactivemediasolutions.com.au

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 051

Nextstep 052 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

Training raining T Educators ducators E his For This or T F

Brave rave B New ew N d l r World o W EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 053

Nextstep

| By Ron Kordyban and Shelley Kinash | As the saying goes, doctors make the worst patients. Can a similar comparison be made to teachers being less than ideal students when it comes to changing how they teach and/or accommodating new technologies and approaches? Perhaps such a sweeping general statement would be overly harsh, but in the context of learning about harnessing technology to enhance learning, it seems that some teachers are hesitant or resistant for improvement in this area. The Need for Enhanced Teacher Training in Educational Technology A number of recent publications indicate that education technology training is both important and being neglected. In a chapter titled Rethinking the Roles of Teachers in the K-12 Edition of the Horizon Report, the authors point to the growing need for teachers to be better trained and prepared for techology-based learning realities. In the higher education context, the Higher Education Edition of the same 2014 report flagged the low digital fleuency of faculty as a significant challenge impedeing higher education technology adoption. Likewise, in January 2015, EduCause released its list of the top IT issues. In the top position was the problem set of staff training, retainment and hiring. Clearly there is a pressing need to train teaching professionals for the brave new educational world. As the educational landscape continues its incredible transformation triggered by the digital educational revolution, teachers are being asked to do more and consequently learn more. Ongoing professional development is nothing new to educators who, for the most part, tend to be quite comfortable and supportive of lifelong learning. They are, after all, in the profession of learning and passionate about education. But just as technology offers exciting new solutions and opportunities, it also demands growing competencies and skill sets to take advantage of these possibilities and to meet the increase in what is expected of teachers. The roles and responsibilities of becoming

IT specialists are high-profile additions to the roles of the teacher, which also include educator, psychologist, coach, mediator, disciplinarian, assessor, event co-ordinator, nurse, role model, career adviser, tutor and a host of other duties. Challenges Change is unsettling and can provide many challenges. There are many

obstacles to the timely and thorough training of teachers in the effective use of educational technology. The problems are exacerbated in that technology is rapidly changing and growing, constantly demanding updated knowledge and skills. The chart below outlines a few of these challenges and provides some tips for overcoming them for both teachers and managers.

Problem

Solutions for Educators

Solutions for Managers

Lack of Time Teachers are already busy and adding more to do is one of the main challenges to be overcome.

• Prioritise • Collaborate with others • Celebrate small steps • Identify problems and focus on action solutions

• Have realistic expectations • Communicate priorities • Allocate time for staff in lieu of other duties

Lack of Money Software and hardware updates can be expensive and education budgets are never large enough.

• Look at free and low-cost options • Use limited-time free trials • Consider open software

• Allocate funds where required • Consider trade-offs and balances • BYOD options/approaches

Ever-Changing Landscape In the world of educational technology, innovations come, go and evolve quickly. It is hard to prepare for something that is gone or changed tomorrow.

• Focus on general skills rather than specific products • Be agile and flexible • Be aware of and keep on top of changes • Know when updates/ changes are not needed

• Set clear policies and schedules and abide by them • Facilitate open and clear communications among teachers and IT support • Be prepared for change and necessary chaos

Lack of Incentives Teachers sometimes feel that technology innovation is not recognised and some universities appear to recognise research outputs over teaching innovation.

• Become an advocate for change to help highlight the importance of excellence and innovation in teaching • Turn innovative teaching practice into research-based projects

• Remember to acknowledge and reward quality teaching and innovation in teaching • Balance the research/ teaching equation when it comes time for employee reviews and promotions

Outside Their Comfort Zone As traditional subject matter experts, educators are used to being confident and comfortable in the class. When new technologies with steep learning curves are introduced, that confidence and control can be eroded.

• Take small steps and make incremental changes • Allocate enough time for planning and preparation • Have a plan B, just in case things do not go as expected • Celebrate failure learning (learning from one’s mistakes)

• Allocate the time for staff to try new approaches and get out of their comfort zone • Send the message that thinking outside the box is encouraged rather than teaching the same way • Make time for conversations about new experiences

Personal Resources Obsolescence Over many years of teaching, educators create a library of various resources, such as printed materials and presentation slides. Changing to new media and tools can render these obsolete.

• Consider tools that can utilise existing materials – for example, convert PowerPoint slides into videos • Instead of discarding materials, offer a variety of types of resources (multiple means of representation) to appeal to different kinds of learners

• Lead by example and show how to bravely embrace new tools • Acknowledge efforts by staff to create new resources • Provide archival options for older but still relevant resources of others

Risk of Failure Trying new things inherently involves a risk of failure. Some students also dislike and resist change, which can be reflected in feedback on their teacher.

• Accept that when trying something for the first time it may not be as smooth or easy compared to practised approaches • Enjoy the freshness and energy of trying and learning new approaches

• Communicate to teachers that it is okay to fail when trying new approaches; the important aspect is learning from experiences for continuous improvement • Make allowances on teacher evaluations for innovation and risk taking

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The Effective Use of Sharing and Showcasing Experience shows that an efficacious way to encourage and support educators in adopting new technologies and tools to enhance student learning is to showcase others who are already doing it. Whether this is work colleagues from across the hall or documented examples from afar, sometimes seeing is believing. There is

Students can also help each other try new things, and this collaboration and peer instruction can be powerful, both in terms of motivation and results. Whereas students may require instruction to make the most of education technology, they are often resident experts on social media. Teachers who are open to learning from

But just as technology offers exciting new solutions and opportunities, it also demands growing competencies and skill sets to take advantage of these possibilities and to meet the increase in what is expected of teachers. an empowering difference between showing what is being done and talking about possibilities. It is important to strategically include various types of models, particularly in regards to the level of experience. Some educators are inspired by high-end or high-tech innovators who have made a major change to student learning and teaching approaches. For example, these educators might demonstrate software they have designed or virtual reality simulations of curricular content. Other educators will find these showcases intimidating and may, as a consequence, be reluctant to attempt change. Therefore it is important to also showcase changes made by people who self-present themselves as ludites or techno-jinxes. Watching someone who was reluctant to use technology demonstrate how to embed a YouTube video in a PowerPoint presentation can inspire others to attempt small changes in their own teaching repertoire. In addition to the in-the-trenches credibility, showcasing and sharing helps to establish networks, partners and mentors for educators and students. For example, if an educator is thinking about changing an assignment from an essay to a student podcast, it would work for him to ask Mrs Ridley from across the hall how she did it and share ideas and experiences over coffee in the staff room.

their students can speed up technology adoption and innovation. If teachers, for example, are toying with the idea of using an online student poll instead of a multiple choice test, they can consult their students and/or jump online and see who has done it and what worked well and what could be improved. Educators tend to be social and generous by nature. Networking and collaborating can be great ways to expand social circles and try new things at the same time. Conclusion Learning is an ongoing and lifelong process; a never-ending quest for everyone, including, perhaps especially, teachers. In the area of educational technology, the quantum leaps of change and development mean that new tools and possibilities are always emerging. Instead of being overwhelmed or discouraged, educators are encouraged to embrace the energy and excitement of this new digital educational frontier. ETS

Dr Shelley Kinash is the Director of Learning and Teaching at Bond University. You can contact her on skinash@bond. edu.au Ron Kordyban is the Blending Learning Co-ordinator and Blended Learning Designer at Bond University. EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 055

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Teaching Students How To Determine What Is Accurate Or Useful Information In The Online World Part 2 | By Matthew Vines | Part one of this article in the previous issue of Education Technology Solutions highlighted that, when it comes to research, finding the information is easy thanks to the Internet; however, verifying the accuracy of that information can be challenging for students. Teachers can help students to develop a questioning mindset in order to help overcome this challenge. Part two of this article continues the discussion on how teachers can achieve this in their students. Understanding Ease of Publishing Making a personalised webpage has become as easy as a few clicks on a template, changing a few words and then pressing publish. Many educators are teaching students how to make websites or blogs of their own to display their learning. This is an excellent learning opportunity to provide to students and there are many departmentbased resources available to assist educators in web 2.0 instruction. This has the extra benefit of allowing students to learn firsthand just how easy it is to make information accessible to the public and just how little verification it goes through before being published. A further activity to emphasise this point with students is to get them to conduct a short research assignment on any of the following websites: • http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/ • http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html • http://allaboutexplorers.com/explorers/cabot/ These are all sites that are intentionally misleading. They provide detailed information about supposed factual topics in an attempt to convince the reader of something that is not true. In the first instance, the website tries to raise awareness about an ‘endangered tree octopus’, the second is to inform readers about the dangers of ‘Dihydrogen Monoxide’ (water), and the last provides a very obviously false history of the explorer ‘John Cabot’. Once students have researched the

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let’stalksoftware

chosen site it is a very interesting activity to break down the assumptions and beliefs that they have developed as a result of the false page, helping to make students more aware of the need for legitimate sources for their own information. Understanding How to Reference Work and How to Verify References Traditionally, students are not expected to truly worry about referencing their work until late high school and university; however, with changing technology this expectation should change as well. Students should start learning basic referencing, as simple as the listing of websites visited, in early primary school.

important to check where the information is coming from. Is it from a trustworthy source? Is there a trustworthy authority figure being consulted, like a doctor, or a scientist? Is the information on the site an opinion or is it based on research? Add a third and fourth column to the references table titled ‘references’ and ‘trustworthy’. In the references column, students need to fill out any references that they find on the page itself. Then in the trustworthy column they can simply put yes or no depending on whether they think the reference was trustworthy or not after they have visited it. At this point, students should have a table that looks a bit like this:

that they are now repeating and, even worse, all too often that information is wrong. One effective method for teaching students effective note-taking skills is to provide them with a proforma that guides their thinking in this area. If teachers can generate a template that outlines the specifics of what students need to be looking for when taking notes, it provides them with a solid framework from which to conduct their research. Furthermore, it serves to eliminate, or at least somewhat reduce, the ever-present difficulty inherent in student research of the ‘where to go next’ question. By providing students with a specific set of guidelines to their note-taking,

Web Address

What I found

References

Trustworthy

www.thewebsite.com

I found some interesting information

www.somethingthewebsitereferenced.com

Yes

www.anotherthingitreferenced.org

Some other information

www.thisisareference.gov

Yes

www.thesecondwebsite.com

An effective approach to support students in the understanding of how to reference is to provide them with a simple table that they need to include with any work that includes information sourced from the Internet. The table should have one column for the web address and one for what they found at the site. This allows students to easily keep track of where they have been and what information they found where. Explain to students that they need to have at least three different sites or locations from which they found information. This is called triangulation of data or the rule of three, and is a way of ensuring that the information is at least somewhat valid. For older year levels, teachers can start to explain that, just as students need to reference their work, so do websites that provide any information. If a website does not reference from where it is getting its information then it is less trustworthy than one that does. However, students need to actually click on the reference and examine the website that has been referenced. Explain to them that it is very easy for a website to reference another one that has incorrect information on it, and that can lead to incorrect information being passed from one source to another, a bit like the game Rumours. Therefore, it is really

Understanding Different Domain Associations A rather simple concept to teach students is the understanding that there are different levels of domain authenticity. In other words, not all websites are created equal. Different domains (the .com or .gov) have different meanings or rules associated with them and, as a result, their trustworthiness and reliability can differ depending on what domain they are associated with. Web addresses that end with the .gov domain are government websites; .edu means that the site will be educational in nature and is most likely a reliable source of information; while .com is a commercial enterprise and can be a website hosted by anyone. While this is not a fail-safe method of ascertaining the validity of a source, it is important for students to understand that these domain suffixes actually have very specific meanings associated with them. Note-taking Note-taking is an important skill for students to learn in and of itself; however, it is much more important when used in the context of conducting research. How often do educators hear students say, “I found it somewhere” when asked where they got their information from? All too often, students will forget where they found the information

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teachers are simultaneously providing them with a set of explicit instructions in how to research what they are looking for. Side Note One way to ensure that students are accessing valid information is to direct them to use trustworthy search engines that filter the content that they provide. A perfect example of one such search engine is Google Scholar, which restricts the search parameters to scholarly articles only. However, while this will certainly help students to access accurate information, it does not teach them how to ascertain which source of information is accurate or which is inaccurate. In the digital age that these students inhabit, where Google remains one of, if not the first and foremost, main provider of answers for any questions that they may have, the ability to sift fact from fiction is a highly valuable skill that should not be overlooked. ETS

Matthew Vines is the ICT Co-ordinator and a Year 5 teacher at Red Hill Consolidated School. He has a Masters in Teaching from the University of Melbourne. Matthew can be contacted via email at vines. matthew.m@edumail.vic.gov.au

For schools, getting your message across isn’t about communicating more, it’s about communicating smarter.

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| By Brad Adams |

Robotics is transforming more and more of what people do and know. Pessimists predict the wholesale evaporation of jobs, manual and mental, and the triumph of an enslaving artificial intelligence. For optimists, robotics is positive disruption, ushering in new forms of human enterprise, creativity and support that they can barely dream of. Who can predict? What is known is that robotics, in all its guises, will remake the world for good and for bad. It is, therefore, timely that schools create a comprehensive and imaginative curriculum for robotics education, a curriculum in which even Will Shakespeare has a place. Especially relevant for schools is the burgeoning field of social humanoid robots that are designed to mimic human locomotion and expression, and to interact realistically with humans. But the challenges are dizzying! Getting a robot to move, behave, emote and engage in a passably human way is at once a philosophical quandary and an algorithmic puzzle of the highest order. How robots might learn from their environment is almost overwhelmingly complex. There is even an emerging emphasis on ‘developmental robotics’, which studies the learning path of young children to better model how their robot counterparts might be programmed. The current ecosystem of humanoid robots (and their immediate kin) is diverse and expanding. At the top end are multi-million dollar celebrity humanoids like Honda’s Asimo; unbelievable engineering feats that solve one problem or another. At the opposite end, garage hobbyists can tinker with cheap but surprisingly sophisticated robot components of all shapes and kinds. It is a middle range of robot technology that is increasingly accessible for educators. In Korea and Japan, the far more advanced robotics industry has produced a series of highfunctioning robots for the personal,

medical and, increasingly, educational market. (In Korea, robots are being tested as teacher-assistants for English language instruction.) The French company Aldebaran Robotics markets the excellent and commercially successful NAO robot to universities, research labs and now schools, with still smarter and more agile robot siblings in development. Cynthia Breazeal, director of the Personal Robotics Group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, is about to launch Jibo, a different spin on the humanoid form. It targets personal and family use, but will no doubt cross over to educational purposes very quickly. More specifically aligning with robotics education and curriculum, the Canadian company E-Z Robot has pioneered a suite of robots, including ‘J.D. Humanoid’, with top-drawer capabilities. More and more, humanoid robots are knocking insistently on the doors of classrooms. The barriers to truly widespread educational use should come down. Cost is the highest wall. While an attention-grabber, the NAO robot costs well above $10,000. That puts it out of the reach of most schools, although it is capturing strong sales in Australia as well as in the US, UK and Europe. On the other hand, the smart technology and positioning of the EZ-robots, including the popular humanoid, keeps their price affordably at the level of a good laptop, making it possible for more schools to purchase multiple units for classroom use. As the technology gets better and cheaper, and as the market expands, humanoid robot prices will surely come down. Another barrier is that most of these robots require a lot of technical know-how to operate and maintain. But industry game-changers are creating broadly accessible and user-friendly programming tools and interfaces, so that classroom applications are no longer reliant on the expertise and enthusiasm of just a

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few teachers. And smart educational companies are now eager and able to provide schools with training, support and curriculum materials. Schools need to embrace this emerging opportunity. According to experts, classroom work with humanoid robotics gets more students hooked on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and this transformational field in particular. There is a need even now for more robotics engineers, programmers and technicians. But, as Dennis Kambeitz at EZ-Robot puts it, “Educators are overwhelmingly unaware about the impact that robotics will have across all industries. Simply put, people with robotics knowledge will have a strong advantage in the workforce, across all job sectors, and including a number of careers you would not immediately expect.” If these experts are right, ‘robotics literacy’ is another of those essential 21st Century skills; and the ability to code has become the newest essential ‘second language’. Hands-on lab work with robots is one of the best ways to acquire and practice those coding skills. Robots, especially social humanoid robots, naturally appeal to children. Dennis Kambeitz has observed that children always insist on naming their robot, to give it personality and character, and to imbue it with intention and mind. Getting ‘Sam’ to do push-ups, dance a jig, or sing a song is a powerful educational motivator. Students are playfully in Csikszentmihalyi’s ‘flow’, fully immersed in the activity, while they learn a ton of maths or physics. Fiddling with robots is also intrinsically skill building in other ways. According to Christina Clucas at EDRO, a South African educational robotics company, “Learning robotics also introduces kids to critical reasoning and collaborative work, which they need for their future workplace.” With good pedagogical

Especially relevant for schools is the burgeoning field of social humanoid robots that are designed to mimic human locomotion and expression, and to interact realistically with humans. design and direction, teachers fade into the background, and become shepherds and coaches, not the focus of attention. Building up these collaborative, project-based learning skills and reflexes is an important outcome of robotics education, with humanoid robots as a prime learning tool. There is another good reason to welcome humanoid robots to the classroom. It is far too early to know for sure, and it would be a subject for some good research, but early and positive interaction with humanoid robots seems especially to spark girls’ interest in STEM subjects and careers. At the very pinnacle of her field, MIT’s Cynthia Breazeal is surely a role model. Of course, girls need to become engaged with the full range of STEM possibilities, not one corner of it. At the same time, there are many boys who would find the world of personal and social robots imaginatively engaging. Positioned well in the curriculum and thoughtfully organised, the use of humanoid robotics in STEM education may well have the potential to uproot some of those persistent gender stereotypes. It is also time to take these robotic friends on a walk beyond the mathematics classroom or the physics lab. Educators need, more than anything else, to give their students the gift of a rich, open-ended dialogue between the arts and humanities and this radically transformational technology. Who ‘owns’ robotics and for what human ends? What ethical issues are raised by robotics and who decides how robots are used? Are robots mirrors people hold up to themselves? What are robots capable of doing well, but what might robots never be able to do? How can robotics be welcomed as partners on the

human journey, but protect people from the risks? According to Dennis Kambeitz, “As society moves to a much more technologically dependent workplace, the arts and humanities will take on increased importance, to preserve the ‘human’ experience.” Along these lines, The Shakespeare Challenge: Robots on Stage is offered as a modest thought-experiment in multi-disciplinary, project-based learning, but one within the capability of even today’s humanoid robots. The Challenge A team taking up the Shakespeare Challenge has a goal – to program a humanoid robot (or two or three) to perform, in as convincing a way as possible, a portion of text from a Shakespeare play. The text might be a soliloquy, such as “To be or not to be…”, or more ambitiously, an edited scene with two or three characters. The four or five members of the team should reflect a variety of talents and skills and represent a range of technical, literary and dramatic perspectives. While a team leader might be chosen, the team should reach decisions by working together, listening and building on one another’s contributions. The movement, gestures, emotional expression and voice of the robots on stage will show that the team understood, explored and used the full scope of the robot’s technical capabilities, and came up with some ingenuous and elegant solutions and applications. The performance will also show that team members agreed on an interpretation of the chosen Shakespearean text and on the dramatic representation of the motivation of the characters in the movement, gestures, emotional

expressions and voice of actors on stage. The technical problem solving – what they can make the robot do on stage – and the artistic discovery – what they would like the robot to do on stage – should be creatively intertwined processes, not separate ones. Resources and experts can be consulted for advice. In the final staging, there might be some props and lighting, but if used these should primarily assist the technical delivery of the robot performance. The performance should be live and should also be videotaped. The proof is in the performance, of course, but team members should keep an account, in writing or on video, of the artistic and technical decisions they made and the reasoning behind them; the challenges and problems that were overcome; the creative and ingenuous solutions they came up with; and the consensus making that got the job done. (Of course, the robot might have something to say about all of this too!) This project gives students an opportunity to engage in the same technical questions and issues that confound cutting-edge researchers in this world of humanoid robotics. Magically, however, the Shakespeare Challenge also reminds us that a truly creative robotics curriculum is always fundamentally about us. ETS Previously a teacher and school head and more recently the Executive Director of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC), Brad Adams has a strong interest in bridging the divide between the humanities and STEM subjects. He is currently Director of Education at CIRCLE, an executive agency in education that connects to 1700 schools and other organisations in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Asia-Pacific region, the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa. He can be contacted via email: brad@circle.education

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Schools: Invent The Next Era Of Education | By Tom March | Many in society have personally experienced the power of technology to enrich their learning. Such things as social media, on-demand audio-video streams and an unlimited array of newspapers, magazines and special-interest communities make this the best time for accessing learning opportunities that humanity has ever known. So those less familiar with schools cannot fathom why technology has yet to transform classroom-based learning. Conversely, those in schools can appreciate this as what is referred to as a ‘wicked problem’; one seeming to defy solution.

creativity and an appetite for lifelong learning. • Where schools once lacked resources and had to rely on readers and textbooks, students today have access to infinite resources that will only become more personally tuned as the current era of data and algorithms progresses. • Where conformity was once the

If it were so easy would not two decades – and radical advances in technologies – be enough to make progress? The unfortunate truth is that, during this time, educators have busied themselves tinkering at the edges when what is needed is a re-invention of ‘schooling’. As personal technologies shift the world from one-size-fitsall to a different reality where it is expected that everything is ‘fit-to-one’s-size’, how can a model of schooling based on mass production hope to accommodate the unique, idiosyncratic and ultimately more effective ways people learn best when given full access to digital resources? It cannot. So rather than debate issues that only play on the surface of how teaching and learning is structured and conceptualised in schools, educators must get on with inventing a solution suited to the facts of the present conditions. And the conditions are stark in their contrasts: • Where goals were once for basic literacy and acculturation to industrial era work, society now demands basic skills, but also much more advanced characteristics required by a globalised world, such as critical thinking,

attitude that allowed a smoothly humming assembly line, the complex and ever-changing demands of competition and fluid job requirements accent the value of innovation and selfinitiative. These are but a few of the obviously different conditions confronting students today. So more of the same or trusting in change will not achieve the goals educators envision for rich, personally meaningful learning for each student because the platform upon which schools have been built actually supports an entirely different structure. It is as if last century’s train tracks are expected to carry broadband signals or defunct, printed encyclopaedias to be up-to-date with yesterday’s events. A new model is needed. EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 065

feature Designing a School’s Next Era Ed Through decades working in and with schools, coupled with cycles of research, trials, hunches and new mistakes, the author has come to see that six pieces are essential if a school is to re-invent itself for the next era of education. Each aspect exists because without it, educators are still tinkering with the old model. Although the model is not linear, ordering the components is useful, as many build on each other. These days, enough schools have some or most of the pieces in place to create their own solution to tweaking massproduction schools to liberate personally meaningful learning. Before getting into details for each aspect, it is helpful to see the full process in one view, with directional questions for each: 1. Vision – is it articulated and shared? 2. Evidence – exactly what does achievement of the vision look like? 3. Learning theories – are researchbased pedagogical models that promote such student achievements used? 4. Curriculum 2.0 – are units designed to leverage the pedagogical models and personalise ICTs? 5. Review – has a systemic review process that ‘closes the loop’ for continuous improvement been embedded? 6. Smart digital environments – are technologies being used to increase efficiencies and enliven Curriculum 2.0 as well as tap into data analytics to support systemic review?

Given this overview and graphic, many readers will ‘get’ much of why these components are recommended. However, to establish the case, the following goes through them at a high level, with other writings to detail each aspect further so that schools might find potential guidance on, or confirmation of, their current practices. The main thing to appreciate is that these six steps provide a framework and process designed to prompt schools to invent their own unique approaches based on their local needs and values. 1. Vision – Seeing the Future Today This paraphrase from Alice In Wonderland captures the importance of a vision: “If you do not know where you want to go, any road will get you there.” Thus, like much of the rest of the framework, the need for an articulated and shared vision is common sense. Of course, most schools have a vision, but unless it is both specific and owned by everyone, it will not drive change. Schools might find they actually need to develop a more detailed vision for student success that focuses on observable behaviours related to teaching and learning. A valuable exercise for all Australian schools is to review the description of successful learners in

This creative and invigorating professional engagement is represented by the following graphic.

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the Melbourne Declaration because its points are both inspiringly useful and meant to underpin NAPLAN, the Australian Curriculum and MySchool. 2. Evidence – The Twofold Importance of Evidence Once a school has articulated a rich vision for student achievement that is shared by all staff, students and parents, it is ready to focus on generating evidence that can indicate achievement of the vision. The first word in the last sentence bears repeating: ‘once’. It is not enough for some vision to be on the school’s website or displayed prominently in the office. For the vision to do its job, the school’s goals for students must be authentic and owned by all. None of the amazing change possible will happen if educators merely go through the motions. How will personally meaningful learning for all students be achieved if work is superficial? Evidence is the important second step for two main reasons. First, in the spirit of ‘backward design’, if schools really hope to make the vision a reality, they should develop measures that demonstrate its realisation before they race off to find and create strategies intended to achieve it. In other words, if the measures for evidence are welldesigned, their fulfilment provides validation that the vision has been achieved – at least to some degree and that can be improved upon over time. Another reason for setting evidence as the second step is that testing communicates what really matters. NAPLAN illustrates a fundamental truth: the very act of assessing defines what is important. Literacy and numeracy are only two of the seven General Capabilities meant to permeate the Australian Curriculum. How many educators could list the other five? How many parents or students could name even one? And yet few would deny the importance of capability in ICTs, critical and creative thinking, personal and

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feature social capability, ethical understanding and intercultural understanding. Thus, even though all seven apparently warranted inclusion in the Australian Curriculum, it is clear which ones matter. If a vision is at all aspirational – which it should be – then a school will want to identify an array of sources for evidence. Among these could be authentic performances, real-world productions and student-managed processes, all of which contribute evidence as to whether and how students are achieving the rich goals of the school’s vision. Consider setting performance tasks and learning productions across the year levels so students can demonstrate their achievements with increasing sophistication as they mature and develop their abilities. Accompanying these performances and products is evidence such as journals, drafts

or new ideas is essential. Theories promise if-then hypotheses: if you desire x, then do y. Theories are not merely promising ideas to be tried and cast aside when what is hoped for does not occur. For example, a school might seek to promote student collaboration and problem-solving, so choosing Sugata Mitra’s Self Organised Learning Environments (SOLE) model provides a framework and hypotheses that can be locally tested. Notice how this third step, coming after the previous two, is very different from what schools often do, namely, choose promising, popular strategies hoping that these will produce positive results. But which results were they after? Such efforts often continue for a while before being replaced by another new, good strategy. In this way, school change is probably better described as

By choosing learning theories that target the goals in the vision and can generate appropriate evidence, a school will not only be using good strategies, but good strategies that are more likely to produce the intended results. and reflections that illustrate studentowned learning. Finally, by spreading such comprehensive measures across multiple years, students can see them as milestones of their accomplishments undertaken when they are ready, not more tasks assigned by others. 3. Learning Theories to Get Schools There Now that what successful achievement of the school vision looks like in student performance has been defined, the school needs to explore and choose research-based learning theories that support these achievements. The point is to select systemic models that have been tested and found to reliably deliver intended outcomes. That these are theories and not popular initiatives

school churn, where lots of activity (and staff exhaustion) is evident, but yields little data of specific desired outcomes. By choosing learning theories that target the goals in the vision and can generate appropriate evidence, a school will not only be using good strategies, but good strategies that are more likely to produce the intended results. Plenty of excellent learning theories and related research in psychology exist for schools to investigate based upon their visions and identified evidence. Here are a few: • Intrinsic Motivation as codified by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan • Curriculum Mapping as championed by Heidi Hayes Jacobs • Understanding/Schooling by Design

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When the school community speaks the same language of vision, evidence, learning theories, best practice AND has a regular process for reviewing what is working best, then these gems can be shared, imitated where useful and polished to empower a school to pursue a sure path to achieving its vision.

from Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe • High Reliability Schools by Robert Marzano • Cultures of Thinking from Harvard’s Project Zero team • Sugata Mitra’s Self-Organised Learning Environments. Note that these approaches are based on achieving specified outcomes, some distinctly different from others. A major benefit schools will experience from this step is that they enjoy a focus missed in many schools that jump aboard various, and sometimes contradictory, bandwagons. Schools that focus on a few initiatives gain power from shared professional goals and avoid staff burnout. ETS Tom March frequently keynotes, writes, facilitates workshops, consults with schools and designs software, all focused on shifting education from mass production teaching to personally meaningful learning. He has recently joined Hobsons Edumate as principal consultant for teaching and learning.

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                 

                 

   

 

                 

Prepared Prepared

Mean: Mean: 2.58 2.58 Understood Understood Questions Questions

Mean: Mean: 2.42 2.42 Never Never Intimidated Intimidated

Mean: Mean: 3.26 3.26 Examples Examples

 

 

 

 

                          

 

 

     

 

 

                          

             

     

 

        

Item Analysis Graph Report

Response Response A A SA SA D D SD SD NA NA

Percent Percent 36.84 36.84 26.32 26.32 15.79 15.79 10.53 10.53 10.53 10.53

Response Response A A D D SA SA SD SD NA NA

Percent Percent 52.63 52.63 15.79 15.79 10.53 10.53 10.53 10.53 10.53 10.53

Response Response Overall Overall SA SA A Grade A Grade D D A A SD SD B B NA NA C C D D F F

Percent Percent 42.11 42.11 42.11 42.11 15.79 15.79 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Encouraged Questions Questions Encouraged

Mean: 2.32 2.32 Mean: Understood Subject Subject Understood

Mean: 2.63 2.63 Mean: Class

Response Response A A D D SA SA SD SD NA NA

Percent Percent 26.32 26.32 26.32 26.32 21.05 21.05 15.79 15.79 10.53 10.53

Response Response A A SA SA D D NA NA SD SD

Percent Percent 36.84 36.84 26.32 26.32 21.05 21.05 10.53 10.53 5.26 5.26

Class Frequency Distribution Report

Response Response SD SD A A   SA SA D D NA NA

Mean: Mean: 2.26 2.26

Equal Treatment Treatment of of Students Students Equal Response Response SA SA A Percent Raw A Score Percent Score Score Raw Score D D 90.00 54.00 - 60.00+ 90.00 -- 100.00+ 100.00+ 54.00 SD SD - 60.00+ 80.00 48.00 80.00 -- 89.99 89.99 48.00 53.99 NA -- 53.99 NA 70.00 -- 79.99 42.00 70.00 79.99 42.00 -- 47.99 47.99 Mean: 3.37 Mean: 3.37 60.00 69.99 36.00 60.00 - 69.99 36.00 -- 41.99 41.99 0.00 0.00 0.00 -- 59.99 59.99 0.00 -- 35.99 35.99

Percent Percent 36.84 36.84 31.58 31.58 15.79 15.79 15.79 15.79 0.00 0.00

Percent Percent Mean 77.58% Mean Score: 77.58% 47.37Score: 47.37 42.11 Frequency 42.11 Frequency 10.53 10.53 3 3 0.00 0.00 5 5 0.00 0.00 7 7 3 3 2 2

Benchmark: Benchmark: 75.00% 75.00% Percent Percent 15.00 15.00 25.00 25.00 35.00 35.00 15.00 15.00 10.00 10.00

 

• Classic OMR Test Center

OMR Test Center has the same reliable scanning and mark recognition of Classic OMR Workstation, optimized for the high-volume, highspeed needs of a centralized test-processing center. OMR Test Center is designed to work with Scantron’s high-volume scanners like the iNSIGHT 70, iNSIGHT 150, or the OpScan 16.

Item Item Analysis Analysis Graph Graph Report Report

Page Page 1 1

• Classic Analysis Edition

Score centrally, analyze locally—import assessment results scanned using Classic OMR Workstation or scored using the Scantron Score™ Test Scoring Machine into Classic Analysis Edition to allow teachers to create reports and analyze student performance at their desks. Install this edition on multiple workstations in a single school.

Class Class Frequency Frequency Distribution Distribution Report Report

Page Page 1 1

Why choose • Classroom Editionthe DataLink Sidekick?

Classroom Edition (sold only with the Scantron Score Test Scoring Machine) is a special introductory Why choose Sidekick? version of Remarkthe that acceptsDataLink data via a USB drive, then presents that data in five commonly used

reports. It also exports the scoring from machine scores to a variety of popular or gradebooks. Classroom Lightweight and small, Sidekick easily moves class to class home in its carrying •• Works with DataLink Connect software totestdeliver immediate results with detailed analysis

•

Edition can be installed on up to 25 computers and is available only with the purchase of a Scantron

pouch (includedreports. purchase). Score Test Scoring Machine. and proficiency Works with DataLinkwith Connect software to deliver immediate results with detailed analysis and proficiency reports. Provides fast document scanning at up to 20 from sheets perto minute. •• Lightweight and small, Sidekick easily moves class class or home in its carrying

with • pouch Marks (included exams with uppurchase). to 150 questions. Lightweight and small, Sidekick easily moves from class to class or home in its carrying pouch (included with purchase). •• Provides fastDataLink document scanning at up to sheets per minute. Works with Connect software to 20 deliver immediate results with detailed analysis and proficiency reports.

Providing Actionable Information

•

Tests Basic Surveysper minute. • Scoresfast exams with up scanning to 150 For questions. Provides document at upAnd to 20 sheets

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• Captures fullwith 10-digit ID150 fieldquestions. for data collection and reporting. Scores exams up to

•

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Melanie Todd Does not print on Answer Sheets, electronic data capture means lower operating cost.

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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 069

This document and information including attachments are private and confidential.

teachingtools 070 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

NetFlix, Spotify, Streaming Learning And The Need For Organisational Change | By Peter West | Australian Secondary Principals Association executive director Rod Nairn stated at a recent meeting of more than 200 principals and deputies, “It is clear that the traditional school has no chance of survival in the 21st Century” (The Courier Mail, 6th June 2015). The changes that need to be made are many and they need to be organisationwide rather than amongst only the early adopters. The days of many teachers continuing with traditional (but outdated) practices while a few ‘stars’ change are also gone. Effective, long-term, organisationwide change is difficult. It requires careful planning and the preparedness to stay with an implementation program for an extended period of time. It requires expertise in a range of areas. It requires vision and the ability to lead those who do not wish to change. It is a task that requires exceptional vision and strong leadership.

The Netflix Paradigm One example of an area that needs to change is online learning resources. Society is shifting to an ‘I want access when it suits me’ model rather than a ‘please tell me when it is available and I will fit in with you’ paradigm. Education is not immune from this change. Creating well-resourced, wellstructured online courses to supplement the physical classroom is now essential. It is no longer just an option if an organisation wishes to flourish in the coming decade. This trend to an increasingly online experience is not happening just in education; it is happening across a broad range of industries. Consider the following parallels: • Recent figures show that streaming audio from services such as Spotify and Pandora have overtaken sales of music downloads for the first time (www. ft.com, March 2015). Consumers prefer to stream music; they

like the convenience of anywhere, any time access that provides a wide range of choices. • NetFlix and similar services are changing the way consumers watch their favourite shows (www.forbes.com, January 2015). Viewers are moving to an anywhere, any time model of viewing where the latest TV series can be viewed one episode after another rather than waiting for each weekly installment. A new movie or show can be viewed at any time of the day or night rather than at a time or location chosen by a TV station. • Online banking is used by a large percentage of customers, allowing anywhere, any time transactions rather than only occurring when the physical bank is staffed (thefinancialbrand.com, April 2014). • Online learning resources also abound in the real world. A few of the companies

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teachingtools

that are known to use online learning environments include National Australia Bank, Rio Tinto, Subway, British Telecom, Citibank, Tomtom and McDonalds (blog. sharepointlearn.com, 2011). • Universities, TAFEs and other training organisations are also providing a significant number of courses supported by technology or delivered totally online. Yet how many schools have built systems to support learning at any time and from any location? How many schools still restrict learning to the traditional school day? How many schools are preparing students for this type of world?

Graph 3: Student logons to the OLE after school. (Classes finish at 3.15pm) This is a snapshot of the number of students logging in to the system at a particular time (from a total population of 700 Year 7 to 12 students). It is not the total number of students using the OLE at that time. Graph 1: This graph shows the percentage of the Year 7 to 12 population that accessed the online learning environment. The school day is an average figure derived from two weeks of

How do Schools Cater for this Change? Schools need to provide quality online learning to supplement the classroom in order to support this changing paradigm. This is similar to the streaming media services in that a full range of resources can be accessed at any time and from anywhere. The author’s school has been on a blended learning drive for several years, with courses for Years 7 to 12 students having a virtual equivalent. On a simple level, these courses mirror the ‘normal’ curriculum. They contain a diverse and rich set of resources complete with explanation and sequence. The system is now being used by students during class time, as the blended learning model does not replace teachers in the classroom; it simply modifies what they do. Typically, over half of the school population uses the online courses during any lesson of the school day. This is shown in Graph 1. The school does not have the goal of having every student online all of the time; other teaching methodologies are also a key part of the curriculum and practical activities in subjects such as physical education, drama and music are still vital. However, now that rich online courses and learning resources are available, students are treating their education the same way that they treat online music, online TV, online banking and online shopping; they use it when they want to. Learning is not restricted to the physical classroom.

data; the Sunday and outside school hours data is derived from recent individual days.

Students can access the online learning environment (OLE) at almost any time of the day or night. A snapshot of students logging in to the OLE is shown in Graph 2 and Graph 3. Note that these are the number of individuals logging in at these times, not the total number of students in the system. While these graphs are a snapshot of various times on one day, they are fairly typical of other days that have been analysed.

Streaming learning is also a key service provided to students at the author’s school. Just as streaming music, streaming TV, online shopping and online banking puts the consumer in control, streaming learning puts the student in control of his or her learning. Learning is no longer confined to a physical location (the school classroom) or traditional school hours. A Whole-School Project All faculties need to be involved in the creation of virtual courses that mirror the ‘normal’ courses. There must be a consistent structure and quality of experience to ensure that students find the resources of value. It is only when this happens that student use of the system will flourish. This requires a consistent, whole-organisation approach. It also requires time, typically a few years where the educational priorities remain constant. It also requires all staff to be involved. It may not be easy, but it is worthwhile. Schools, therefore, have a choice – facilitate this change and provide the service that fits the needs of students, or stay with the past and disadvantage students. ETS

Graph 2: Student logons to the OLE before school. (Classes commence at 8.30am). This is a snapshot of the number of students logging in to the system at a particular time (from a total population of 700 Year 7 to 12 students). It is not the total number of students using the OLE

Peter West is Director of eLearning at Saint Stephen’s College on the Gold Coast, Queensland. He can be contacted at pwest@ssc.qld.edu.au and at: www.blended-thinking.com

at that time.

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References For a full list of references, email: admin@interactivemediasolutions.com.au

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 073

getconnected 074 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

Does Using Technology In The Classroom Improve Student Outcomes? | By Brian Host | Technology is ubiquitous, touching almost every part of peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives, communities and homes. Yet many schools lag far behind when it comes to integrating technology into classroom learning. Many are merely exploring the potential technology offers for teaching and learning. Properly used, technology can assist students acquire the skills they need to thrive in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complex, highly technological, knowledge-based economy. Integrating technology into classroom instruction involves more than training students in basic computer skills and software programs in a separate computer class. It also means more than allowing a free-for-all and allowing students to play with everything. Essentially, effective technology integration happens across the curriculum in areas that research shows deepen and enhance the learning process. It must support four key components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent and when technology supports curricular goals. Barry McGaw, Chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), stated that an information and communications technology (ICT) strategy

for Australian schools was being developed alongside everything else in the new curriculum. He commented that technology would not be treated as a separate subject in the early years and its integration was mandated. Research has suggested that technology-enabled project learning has the greatest benefits as it allows students to be intellectually challenged while providing them with a realistic snapshot of what realworld problems look like. Through projects, students acquire and refine their analysis and problem-solving skills as they work individually and in teams to find, process and synthesise information they have found online. The myriads of resources held within the online world also provide each classroom with more interesting, diverse and current learning materials. The Internet connects students to experts in the real world and provides numerous opportunities for expressing understanding through images, sounds, texts, apps and manipulative programs.

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 075

getconnected

New technology tools for visualising and modelling offer students ways to experiment and observe phenomenon and to view results in graphic ways that aid in understanding. As an added benefit, with technology tools and a project-learning approach, students are more likely to stay engaged and on task, reducing behavioural problems in the classroom. Technology also changes the way teachers teach, offering educators effective ways to reach different types of learners and assess student understanding through multiple means. It also enhances the relationship between teacher and student. When technology is effectively integrated into subject areas, teachers grow into roles of adviser, content expert and coach. Technology assists teaching and learning to become more meaningful and enjoyable. In the past, technology in education was a debatable topic;

of the ways in which technology improves education: • Students and teachers have access to an expanse of material: There are plenty of resourceful, credible websites available on the Internet that both teachers and students can utilise. • Teachers can collaborate to share their ideas and resources online: They can communicate with others across the world in an instant, meet the shortcomings of their work, refine it and provide their students with the best. This approach definitely enhances the practice of teaching. • Students can develop valuable research skills at a young age: Technology gives students immediate access to an abundance of quality information that leads to learning at much quicker rates than before. • Online learning is now an equally credible option: Face-to-face interaction is huge, especially in the younger years, but some students

Using virtual manipulatives improves understanding of maths concepts and attitudes toward maths, and blending physical and virtual manipulatives also has been shown to improve maths learning. Other research suggests computer-managed learning, such as Mathletics, produce a positive effect on mathematics achievement. • Effectiveness in science K-12: According to research, technology can improve inquiry-science by allowing students to: o conduct virtual experiments using dynamic simulations of difficult-to-see scientific phenomena o generate and test models of complex data o collect and analyse data to test predictions o gather feedback from different sources to refine work. • The blended or flipped classroom: In a flipped classroom, students watch

Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent and when technology supports curricular goals. there were a myriad of views on modernising education and making it technology aided. Gradually, as schools embraced technology, its importance in education was realised. Its positives outnumbered the negatives and education has now taken on a whole new meaning that demonstrates the educational system has been transformed owing to the ever-advancing technology. Technology and education are a great combination if used together with a right reason and vision. With technology, educators, students and parents have a variety of learning tools at their fingertips. Here are some

work better when they can go at their own pace using a blended learning philosophy. There are numerous examples of improvement in education due to technology, including: • Effectiveness in mathematics for

tutorial videos as homework and then teachers and students discuss them in more depth in class time. It has resulted in a remarkably better student performance, with noticeable grade boost-up. Students can learn at their own pace and save class time

K-12: Technology has proved to be effective for making students efficiently adept with maths. Interacting with the physical environment by manipulating objects such as tiles, coloured squares, or circles improves understanding of maths concepts by allowing learners to experience relationships between objects and events, which helps to build abstract conceptual understandings.

for interaction. According to Cheung and Slavin’s meta-analyses, blending technology with face-to-face teacher time generally produces better outcomes than face-to-face or online learning alone. • Educational technology improves student-learning outcomes: Evidence suggests that educational technologies can improve student

076 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

achievement, as long as such tools are integrated thoughtfully into teaching and learning. When digital capabilities such as online environments are incorporated meaningfully into instruction, students have new opportunities to learn and achieve. • Long-term research indicates the positive impact of technology on learning: Research has been undertaken to determine if the use of computer technology affects student achievement in traditional classrooms as compared to classrooms that do not use technology. An extensive literature search and a systematic review process were employed and insights about the state of the field, implications for technology use and prospects for the future were discussed. • The effect of technology on education depends on the design of instruction: The design of the instruction accounts for more variance in how and why people learn than the technology used to deliver the instruction. Educators and educational researchers should be encouraged to focus on determining how to better integrate the use of a given technology to facilitate learning, rather than asking if it works or if one is more effective than another. The review of literature also finds that successful technology integration generally involves some key principles: • students playing an active role in their learning and receiving frequent, personalised feedback • students critically analysing and actively creating media messages • teachers connecting classroom activities to the world outside the classroom • teachers actively monitoring students’ work and engagement • teachers explicitly exposing students to learning experiences in the areas of cybersafety and appropriate use of technology. Over the past years, a number of studies have shown benefits from

the use of technology in education. The role of technology in education is vital and it is no longer a question of if technology enhances learning, but rather how do educators improve their use of technology to enhance learning. ETS Brian Host is an Australian-based primary school classroom teacher and learning coach with a specific focus on ICT skills. He is excited to see edcamp rolled out globally and has read widely about the revolution in professional development and what edcamp has achieved in the northern hemisphere. Brian will be facilitating a session on global connections for teachers, students and classes using tools such as blogs, global games, social media and video conferencing. His twitter handle is @hostbrian

When digital capabilities such as online environments are incorporated meaningfully into instruction, students have new opportunities to learn and achieve.

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lifelonglearning

Be Inspired! Learn Online!

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| By Bev Novak | Teachers, like the students in their schools, need to discover the joy of learning and its inherent power. Whether it is the exploration of new skills, new tools or new pedagogy, the value of pursuing topics of personal interest in an online learning program in which self-directed exploration and discovery feature is a very powerful way to engage and excite the interest of teachers and can be the catalyst that lays the foundation for continued lifelong learning. Exchanging ideas and learning from course mentors and professional colleagues in a safe and supportive environment, where learning occurs in small, incremental steps, offers participants the opportunity to learn at their own pace, be challenged and feel empowered. Online learning programs are a tangible alternative to traditional professional learning programs and enable participants to learn anything, any time, anywhere with anybody in either their local or global community. Like the students in their classes, teachers are individuals, with their own â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;readiness to learnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; level based on prior knowledge, interest and experience. By selecting an online learning program tailored to meet their individual needs and interests, a range of learners, from the beginner to the highly experienced, will be able to engage in a meaningful way with both the content and participants, ensuring that learning is exhilarating, invigorating and highly stimulating. For the uninitiated, deciding to enrol in an online learning program can be quite daunting. Being convinced that it is of greater value than opting for the more traditional workshops and conferences which still predominate in schools is an important consideration. So, what are the benefits of online learning? EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 079

lifelonglearning

What is in it for Teachers? Learn at their own pace: Participants can set limits for themselves and in the process avoid the pressure of having to compete with others. They can challenge themselves, monitor their own progress and set their own goals. Learn as little or as much as they like: With the freedom to set their own goals comes the freedom to decide how much participants dip into suggested readings or hands-on ‘use’ of tools being demonstrated. Learning by doing: There is no better way to learn than by rolling up the sleeves and getting ‘stuck into’ it! Active versus passive learning is an amazingly powerful learning experience. Supportive, safe environment: Online learning programs operate in a closed environment in which participants are able to get to know each other. With familiarity comes confidence to question and ponder new thoughts and ideas. Sharing supportive suggestions and advice enhances group learning. Learn with other like-minded people: A side benefit of online learning is the connectedness that evolves from learning and sharing collectively and collaboratively with others in cyberspace. Social networking: Using social networking platforms such as Twitter and Facebook as professional tools is great. Both the immediacy and the collegiality that these platforms afford professional learning and growth

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Learn anything, anywhere, any time: Participants can sit in front of a PC/laptop/iPad in pyjamas, on the balcony, in the backyard, be curled up in bed or in a favourite lounge chair late at night, early in the morning or on a Sunday afternoon, learning whatever they want. Online learning allows all of these luxuries. Be mentored by an expert: The role of mentors throughout online learning programs as they guide, help and instruct can be a key to expanding and extending learning opportunities and is extremely powerful. Empowering and enjoyable: Learning, exploring and discovering as a lifelong pursuit has to be one of the best rewards life has to offer. Enjoying the exhilarating feeling of success as new skills are mastered is simply fantastic!

Online learning programs are a tangible alternative to traditional professional learning programs and enable participants to learn anything, any time, anywhere with anybody in either their local or global community.

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are truly profound. Develop a personal learning network: The interaction between participants of an online learning course in which sharing, collaboration, support and guidance constantly occurs, creates a network in cyberspace characterised by deep bonds of trust and collegiality, which forms the basis of a personal learning network.

New skills, new tools and new pedagogy can also be picked up from a range of other courses offered by local professional and volunteer-run sites such as State Library of Victoria, Edublogs Teacher Challenges, Tech Talk Tuesdays, Syba Academy, Well Imagine That and IT Made Simple, to name just a few. The wealth and quality of these courses challenge those traditional face-to-face workshops, courses and conferences traditionally attended. Creating online learning opportunities within schools can also be a rewarding challenge. Principals should seek out ways for teachers in their schools to learn via social media, where talking, reading, writing, listening and sharing become valuable and meaningful. A wealth of creative learning opportunities can be initiated by:

What is Available? Compiling a list of online courses is nearly impossible because there are just so many out there. From Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to online learning courses offered by professional associations, it is clear that online learning is gaining a greater foothold in the education sector. While a Google search is bound to turn up a host of different courses that are of appeal, teachers should check out the vast offerings of online course on sites such as Coursera, edX, Academic Earth, iTunesU and udemy, or the more than thousand courses listed on the fabulous Open Culture website. There is an incredible range of choice available.

080 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

• selecting tech savvy staff members to be mentors to groups of teachers • having teachers ‘sign up’ to learning opportunities offered within the school • providing online learning programs that range from simple to complex • encouraging a top-down mentality – principals and heads of campus lead by example • boosting teacher engagement with online reading of blogs and websites • inspiring teachers to post comments on blog posts by posing questions or challenges • requiring teachers to create a professional blog in which reflections of their learning journey are shared • having teachers share their blog posts on social media

• creating a school-wide, campuswide or subject-related blog in which there is an expectation of teacher engagement • quite simply, maximising learning by doing. With an abundance of online courses available, deciding which one is right can be a formidable task. While knowing what they would like to learn is of course a good starting point, a judgement based on interest, difficulty and relevance will help teachers eliminate many. There are, however, many other factors which should be considered when deciding which online learning course is the right one for each individual. Which Course? Learning online is not as hard as one may think. It affords an opportunity to explore and experiment, to play, to learn and, most of all, to have fun. Online learning can be achieved by enrolling in a program individually or as part of a group. Either way, participants can expect to be mentored. Mentors, who act as guides and teachers and are often the creators of the online learning program, are knowledgeable and well prepared to share their expertise. Many programs are free. Online learning is challenging and empowering. Knowing, however, what they are signing up for is essential for all participants. Request to see an outline of the course content to get a feel of topics to be covered to be sure it is the right online learning program. To receive a certificate of completion, many online learning programs incorporate assessable tasks which may involve the submission of journal entries, Word documents, group participation in Google Drive or the creation of creative responses in the form of cartoons, videos or audio responses. Feeling comfortable with required tasks and assignments is important.

Know the time commitment involved, the length of the course, as well as the number of hours a week required to complete basic course requirements, so that realistic expectations can be set in advance of commencing the program. Locate others who have completed the course to enhance understanding. As the very term suggests, online learning programs occur in cyberspace. The range and variety of these learning platforms are enormous: Moodles, Google+ Hangouts, Webinars, Nings or Edmodo and MightyBell ‘classrooms’ are just some of the great locations in which participants will meet and chat with mentors and fellow participants. Course communication modes vary greatly and may include Twitter, Facebook, chatrooms, forums or the blogosphere. Exploring different learning platforms and communication modes becomes a side benefit to the learning journey. Participation in an online learning program basically means that the learner is ‘going it alone’. It is important for participants to know at the outset how to get support to help them through those times they get stuck understanding a skill or tool being shared or completing a task requirement. Mentors are invaluable when completing an online learning program. Make sure they are easily accessible, to avoid that feeling of being stranded in cyberspace. Have backup contact points for them: social media, email and phone contact. The relationship established with mentors can be essential for powering enthusiasm and determination to ride out the difficult moments and to get the most out of the course. The range of online learning programs is enormous. Some encourage interaction with other participants while others do not. The more interactive the course, the more participants are bound to get out of it. Like all learning activities, the more

active a participant is, the greater the rewards. So go into the program aiming to interact as much as possible and be pleasantly surprised at its end how much extra has been gained along the way, simply by being an active participant. Conclusion Online learning is a powerful way to increase skills, power lifelong learning and rejuvenate how teachers learn. Challenging their minds with new techniques, new discoveries and new knowledge is satisfying and empowering for everyone. Learning and sharing in cyberspace with educators across the world enables experienced and inexperienced teachers alike to share and exchange ideas, thoughts and pedagogy. ETS

The role of mentors throughout online learning programs as they guide, help and instruct can be a key to expanding and extending learning opportunities and is extremely powerful.

Bev Novak has had extensive experience as a classroom teacher, specialist and Head of Library in a variety of school settings where she constantly aims to inspire a love of reading and ignite a joy of learning among students and teachers. Having published widely, Bev also authors two blogs, NovaNews and BevsBookBlog, in which she shares many tips, tools and experiences. Bev actively encourages others to expand, embrace and enjoy their own journey of lifelong learning. You can contact Bev via her blog novanews19.wordpress. com or on Twitter @novanews19

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 081

feature

Girls, Games And Science (continued from page #46)

Games are powerful levers of creativity. In particular, ‘sandbox games’ such as Minecraft serve as catalysts for interest-driven learning by allowing students to create representations of various concepts that they explore in their learning. Open-ended sandbox games are able to provide students with a space to embark on a personally meaningful intellectual journey. They present ‘possibility spaces’ that allow players to navigate the space through their choices and actions, which allows them to develop new ways of knowing and learning (Ching, 2012). This ability to freely construct within the game space allows students to explore models in science. Students who have been able to construct and interpret models of difficult scientific concepts have shown gains in their learning attainment over students who have not (Jackson, Dukerich & Hestenes, 2008). Two videos show student examples of the use of Minecraft in the exploration of their understanding of particular science concepts. The first is a simple concept of the states of matter created by a Year 7 student (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=b8IOeviFgYQ). In the video, it can be seen that the student has used the environment of Minecraft to create models of the particles as they behave in the three different states. The second video has been created by a student in a higher year level (https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=h0-rVhqEqHM). It shows a very detailed model of a molecule of DNA, with the student providing a detailed explanation using his voice while recording the video to explain the various components of his model.

it has been found that students can significantly improve their learning and female students benefited from the pedagogical approach as much as their male counterparts. This finding is very encouraging for teachers who are contemplating implementing gamebased learning in all subjects, including science (Joiner et al, 2010). A curriculum that is contextualised and has a strong conceptual framework with real-world problems can contribute to the girls’ science identity. Studentcentred instructional strategies, rather than teacher-focused strategies, have been seen to be successful in narrowing the gap between boys’ and girls’ interest and achievement levels in science (Baker, 2013). Games are designed to enhance the teaching and learning experience that students encounter; they are not replacements for the teacher. The role of the teacher is to become a guide for the students and to draw out their learning (Routledge, 2009), just like they would when taking part in a field trip or firsthand investigation in a science class. Although it has been well documented that boys use digital games more regularly for longer periods of time than girls (Brand, Lorentz & Matthew, 2014), because digital games are able to be integrated into the curriculum, the time that students spend playing games outside of school will have no impact on the overall learning outcomes of the games played, as the students will have equal time opportunities to interact with the game in the classroom. Even though girls spend less time on games than boys, they are found to participate in game play for enough time to make

reliance (Ferrar, Olds & Walters, 2012). By encouraging girls to play digital games in the context of science, educators can hope to pique girls’ interest and engagement in the subject (Sadler et al, 2012). Girls who are encouraged to spend more time interacting with computers and technology may find that their technological confidence increases. Self-efficacy is the belief that one can be successful in a well-defined area such as science and, by providing girls with opportunities to increase their mastery experiences through successfully completing science-related tasks, along with receiving positive messages, this confidence can be achieved (Baker, 2013). In order to make game-based learning in science engaging for girls, it is important for teachers to develop strategies using games that contain the characteristics that appeal to them. Some of the characteristics that have been identified as appealing to girls include a focus on stories and characters with real-world settings that allow the girls to achieve success through exploration and social interactions, rather than combat and hierarchical scoring (Robertson, 2011). Girls also prefer to be given an explanation about the use of technology before starting activities (Kent & Facer, 2008). Therefore, teachers are critical to the successful implementation to any major change in the classroom, including game-based learning (Ormsby, Daniel & Orsmby, 2011). ETS

Although both of these videos show very different concepts within the science curriculum, they both show that Minecraft provides the students with the platform to demonstrate their understanding in a creative and innovative way.

meaning of the content, allowing them to participate in the learning activities designed to accompany the gamebased strategies and meet the necessary learning outcomes (Gwee, Chee & Tan, 2013). Girls have been found to spend more time using technology for school work, study and homework than boys, demonstrating a stronger work ethic than boys, along with greater levels of self-

has always put her students first. As a high school science teacher, Kelly strives to ensure her students are actively engaged and involved in their learning, while integrating technology into the curriculum. Kelly is a co-moderator of the #aussieED Twitter chat.

Increase Girls’ Engagement in Science When implementing digital gamebased learning pedagogy in science,

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Since beginning her career, Kelly Hollis

For a full list of references, email: admin@interactivemediasolutions.com.au

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 083

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St. Peter’s Girls’ School Deploys Parallels Desktop® for Mac Business Edition Business Challenge St Peter’s Collegiate Girls’ School is an independent school based in South Australia. It the offers South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) as well as being an authorised International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, teaching both the Junior School and the Diploma Program in Years 11 and 12. St Peter’s Girls’ School is one of Australia’s most innovative girls’ schools, acclaimed for its academic excellence, caring atmosphere,

the option to switch between operating

Results

and strong community spirit. The school

systems seamlessly as needed, enabling them

Parallels Desktop Business Edition enables

provides the highest quality education from

to be as effective as possible in doing their

teachers at St Peter’s Girls’ School to run

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and

system and computing environment issues.

seamlessly without the need for IT intervention.

maximises each student’s learning potential by

Solutions

teachers at St Peter’s Girls’ School have never

leveraging on IT as a teaching tool. In recent

After careful evaluation of a number of similar

been more flexible in creating teaching aids

years, the use of Mac® at St Peter’s Girls’ School

solutions, St Peter’s Girls’ School chose to

that make teaching more fun, interesting,

has proven increasingly effective, both as a

deploy Parallels Desktop® for Mac Business

and effective,” said Cronis. “In addition to its

teaching and learning tool.

Edition, which allows teachers to run Windows

reliable performance, the solution is easy to

“The school’s growing Mac user base, the

and Mac applications seamlessly side by side

use, allowing files to be dragged and dropped

increasing frequency of use by staff, and

without rebooting, thereby enabling them

across different operating systems.”

the inevitable need to support Windows-

to provide a richer teaching and learning

Parallels is delivering solutions that are

based

had

environment. A proven solution of choice

facilitating a richer, more diverse teaching and

supportive

environment.

Known

for

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likewise

business-critical increased

applications

management

“With Parallels Desktop Business Edition,

issues,

for many of the world’s top educational

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causing tremendous strains on the school’s

institutions that have adopted a multi-platform

respectively. Parallels Desktop Business Edition

IT department,” said St Peter’s Girls’ School

approach, the Parallels® solution also met the

features security management that allows the

Information and Communication Technology

school’s other critical requirements, such as the

school’s IT administrators to have full control

Manager Nicolas Cronis.

scalability and stability of the platform.

over device access by assigning specific rights

“We needed a cost-effective, easy-to-use

“Parallels Desktop Business Edition is the ideal

to teachers. It also lets IT centrally configure

solution to manage the school’s current stable

solution for educational institutions looking to

and control what teachers can have on their

of 100 staff machines running both a Windows®

adopt a multi-platform approach to teaching

Mac or desktop PC.

PC environment and Mac OS X® platform,

and learning,” said Cronis. “A stable, easy-

without

draining

to-manage platform that gives teachers

Desktop Business Edition for teachers, St Peter’s

resources. As the school is expecting additional

the flexibility to run and switch between their

Girls’ School is looking forward, hoping to

computers in early 2015, scalability was also a

Windows and Mac programs

extend the same deployment for its growing

disrupting

operations

critical requirement for us.”

Following

the

introduction

Parallels

as needed without rebooting, it is an

number of student Mac users, who also

enabling tool for teachers that helps increase

require access to Windows-based productivity

platform that enables Mac OS and Windows

their

applications.

environments to coexist, providing teachers

performing their jobs.”

The challenge for IT was to provide a stable

086 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

productivity

and

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Unless otherwise expressly stated, the review of the product or products appearing in this section represent the opinions of the relevant advertiser and do not represent the views or opinions of Interactive Media Solutions or the other advertisers or contributors to this publication.

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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 087

showcases The new AstralVision AVSN Series Large Format Touchscreens We are very impressed with these because they are packed with the latest features plus a new 80” size option. The built-in in Android operating system makes it easy to use and gives you the ability to annotate over any application and save content to the touchscreens internal memory, even without a computer connected. MirrorOp© receiver software is also embedded in the Android system, allowing screen mirroring from your Wi-Fi enabled device. A conveniently accessible front panel offers connectivity in addition to the usual rear panel connections. The front panel has controls for all popular commands as well as both a USB and microphone input, which can provide a simple PA system plus 15 Watt front facing speakers for optimum sound quality. A wide range of accessories are available, including a high stability executive mobile stand and the new tilt table motorised stand for table top operation and push button variable height adjustment. ABI has partnered with NUITEQ to offer a bonus copy of their award winning Snowflake MultiTeach educational software with every touchscreen to help promote learning and student engagement through the use of touchscreens. Contact: A Brighter Image 02 9938 6866

The Jinbei EF-200 The Jinbei EF-200 sunlight is a robust silent running continuous LED light idea for schools seeking an effective lighting solution for video production and green screen scenarios. The EF series is ideal for both photography and videography. It uses multi LED lamps with high colour rendering. Its aluminium alloy construction is familiar with the shape of traditional monobloc studio flashes. With an integrated design of housing and radiator and a high tech single SMD LED chip, this decreases the operational temperature – ensuring prolonged usage. The EF-200 has a very impressive output; its 200W high powered LED light source emits 5600K of light, the equivalent of approximately. 2000W tungsten light. Cutting energy

Controlled via the back panel, the EF-200 features a user

usage to about 90% and with over 100,000 hours of life, it is an

friendly interface, which makes operation easy and efficient.

environmentally friendly lighting solution.

With approximately four levels of light from its lowest to brightest

It features a Bowens S type, 3 point mounting system – allowing you to use a large variety of light modifiers including

setting, adjustment is a breeze. Also available is the optional TRS 2.4Ghz wireless remote control.

soft boxes, reflectors, beauty dishes, softballs, grids and more. It also includes an umbrella mount.

088 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

Contact Hypop 1300 449 767

Unless otherwise expressly stated, the review of the product or products appearing in this section represent the opinions of the Editor or relevant editorial staff member assigned to this publication and do not represent the views or opinions of Interactive Media Solutions or the advertisers or other contributors to this publication.

Leader Ultraslim Companion 310 We gave it a good once over and we really enjoyed using the Leader Ultraslim Companion 310. What we discovered is, not only does it sport an Intel Core i5-4200U 4th Generation Ivy Bridge Mobile Processor (1.6GHz turbo boost to 2.6GHz), it also boasts an impressive 9-12 hour battery life. This enables easy laptop computing throughout the entire school day for teachers and for students on a 1:1/BYOD/CYOD program. Fast and user friendly is obviously important, but what we really love is that it is really stylish with a lovely full metal aluminium finish that is not only reminiscent of the Apple MacBook Pro, but at just 1.6KG, it is nice and light to carry and gorgeously slim at only 18mm thickness! If you or your school are in the market for new laptops, this is Australian so we reckon it is definitely worth a look! Get in touch with Leader or check out their gear at www. leadersystems.com.au

STM Grip Educators these days are renowned for having to carry a lot of gear on the go – and if you have recently purchased a shiny new MacBook, you will probably want to protect it with a hard shell case to keep it in good condition. We feel the STM Grip is a good choice because it is strong and durable, has open access for your plugs and ports, fits perfectly, feels really nice in your hands and, as you can clearly see, it looks great. Whilst it does come in some really ‘out-there’ eye-popping colours (Bright Blue is another popular colour), it also comes in a very executive looking black for those who want to fly a little more under the radar. Macintosh Addict delivers to schools all over Australia (03) 9013 7333

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 089

showcases Palm Pilot for iPad fleet managers: Bretford PowerSync+ Managing the school’s iPad fleet is often the kind of task that ends up being delegated to an enthusiastic, knowledgeable member of staff. However, too often this task becomes a time consuming admin burden that distracts that staff member from higher value tasks. So it is great to see that Bretford, manufacturers of powersync carts and cabinets, is taking this seriously and is doing something about it. With the release of Bretford’s new PowerSync+ range and PowerSync+ App, you can manage sets of iPads in multiple locations via your mobile device. The PowerSync+ app, available from iTunes for iPhone, iPod or iPad, works with the PowerSync+ systems to display the recharge and sync status of your devices. Different coloured indicators for each individual device shows you the charging progress. Furthermore, the one app can be used for PowerSync+ stations in

however, there is a security alert, Bretford PowerSync+ station will

multiple locations around your school. It is easy to check on the

notify you that someone has removed a device or a whole cart out

progress of syncing 40 iPads in the library cart, then the 30 iPads in

of hours.

Mr Smith’s room, and the 20 in the cart in the secure wall mounted station in the support unit.

All the more reason to consider looking at Bretford for your charge and sync solutions!

Furthermore, the App will alert you when devices are charged or synced and ready to go. But don’t worry, this won’t be in

Bretford PowerSync+ range is available from Powered Life

the middle of the night, as you can set times for notifications. If,

www.poweredlife.com.au

LittleBits Finding new ways to engage children who are not interested in arts or music can be challenging. However; electronics can provide some great solutions. Electronics can be a great way to not only engage high performing students, but also those with learning support needs. Kids with disabilities can find new ways to be active in the world starting with projects that turn music on or off, flash lights, turn around or whirl. LittleBits Electronics Kits are modular kits of electrical circuit elements, using inputs such as sound or touch, and outputs such

Starting with a base kit, there are thousands of possible circuits

as light or movement, to create an almost infinite number of

you can make with these alone, then you can take it further by

electronic projects. Students can explore electricity but also create

adding on other kits to suit your student’s interests. This could

cause-and-effect situations to increasing sophistication, using safe

include the Space Kit, the Synth (music) kit, the Arduino coding

9V power.

kit or the Cloudbit Kit to re-create smart devices such as mobile

Modules connect via magnets so that the students can easily

phones. Kits are generally appropriate for two to three students

create connections and explore outcomes. They cannot muck

working together, while larger Workshop kits suit a whole class.

things up too badly as the power, input and output modules are colour coded for easy use, and tabs on the modules help guide

LittleBits Electronics Kits are available from Powered Life

them to slot module A into the correct B module.

www.poweredlife.com.au

090 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

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showcases PPC RTP 7500w Re-Transfer Card Printer The PPC RTP 7500w is incredibly innovative in that it is the first ever desktop card printer to feature an interactive touch-screen interface. Visual indicators show connectivity, temperature and how many prints are remaining on all consumables. A preview screen during printing shows the exact card being personalised along with its progress through the print cycle. The intuitive interface makes it easy to change settings, with additional help provided through animated video sequences. The cards your school prints will now also have advanced security features. Using an evolution of the famous HoloKote® security feature, the RTP 7500w can apply a secure watermark to each card during the retransfer process. This feature also exploits the wavelengths

a UV light source. This special CMYK-UV ribbon offers an affordable yet still

and lens effect of the retransfer film to fluoresce under UV lighting

highly secure feature to decrease susceptibility to counterfeiting.

conditions. A special dye sublimation Ultra Violet (UV) ribbon can be used with the RTP 7500w for the printing of invisible photographs,

Last but by no means least, the PPC RTP 7500w is backed by a comprehensive three year warranty with full telephone and online support.

logos, text or symbols when issuing high security cards. The UV ink is not detectable to the naked eye, but is only visible with the use of

Contact PPC 1300 651 277

ZEPP Tennis 3D Sensor Isn’t it amazing that space age technology can now make it easier and more affordable to coach your school’s athletes to their best potential? Zepp enables better coaching by putting the power of big data on the end of your tennis racquet which can help improve your athletes’ game. This new sensor cleverly analyses, measures, and displays detailed swing data for your school’s tennis team. Cutting-edge 3D motion technology track’s and analyses the students before the data is sent via Bluetooth, built into the Zepp sensor, straight to your smartphone. This is seriously incredible stuff! The sensor itself is a small, square-shaped ‘button’ that attaches to the bottom of your racquet with a secure rubber grip. Built-in accelerometers, an ARM processor and a three-axis gyroscope measure speed, angle at impact, and many of the other data points you will need to measure, manage and improve your player’s swing. You can even compare two separate students’ swings and their stats against other users. We gave it a red hot go and we were really, really impressed! We definitely recommend buying some for your school to help perfect that swing before the bad habits set in! Get yours now from iWorld www.iworldonline.com.au

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edumgmt.com.au

Advanced online management systems for Australian schools

St ffPD

Our flagship product for Staff Performance and Development was first released in 2009 and has evolved to be the most comprehensive solution in the market today. Professional Development, Staff Accreditation, AITSL Review Management, Teacher Registration reporting and much more is bundled into an all-in-one cloud hosted package.

Activities, Camps and Excursions (ACE) was developed in 2014 in collaboration with schools that requested a flexible and user-friendly process to simplify the application, approval and management of excursions. Similar to StaffPD, the result is a simple and easy-to-use paperless process that is available 24/7.

Find out more at staffpd.com.au

Find out more at acemgmt.com.au

“The StaffPD Performance Management System has enabled Haileybury to streamline its teacher appraisal system and bring together a number of key organisational and record keeping functions. We have used the system to give our staff live, online access to their performance appraisal data and to keep track of their professional learning programs. The web based platform is user-friendly and can be accessed from any type of device either within the school or when staff members are working outside school hours. The most impressive thing about the service offered has been the flexibility that StaffPD have shown in changing and evolving the product to cater to Haileybury’s specific needs. The StaffPD portal now sits at the centre of our staff development program.”

“Teachers at The Geelong College are in a continuous cycle of learning in response to the demands of an ever-changing educational landscape. Teachers, like students, learn best when their learning is personalised, relevant and useful. The StaffPD system provides a central platform on which staff record their progress towards the College Learning Goals. Incorporating internal and external Professional Learning activities, Appraisal and Teacher Research Projects. StaffPD is adaptable and responsive to the innovative direction of Professional Learning at the College.”

Richard Pickersgill

Christine Shannon

Assistant Principal (Staff Development)

Director of Professional Learning and Research

Haileybury

The Geelong College

03 5272 2199

GET IN TOUCH

info@edumgmt.com.au

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 93

noticeboards

Noticeboards

Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Launches with Windows 10 Integration and OS X El Capitan Readiness, Up to 50 Percent Performance Improvements and Makes Microsoft’s Cortana Available to Mac Users in OS X

The release includes a new version of the software for developers, designers and power users, Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition. It also includes Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition, previously known as the Enterprise Edition.

The new editions of Parallels Desktop for Mac benefit from speed improvements of up to 50 percent, Travel Mode which extends battery life up to 25 percent while on the go, support for Windows 10 along with OS X ® El Capitan readiness and a host of other features for both Windows and Mac users. Parallels Desktop 11 empowers Mac users to run Windows 10 and leverage the advantages of Microsoft’s intelligent personal assistant, Cortana, when using both Windows

and OS X. This is the first time that Parallels Desktop has ever made a Windows feature available for OS X applications. Parallels Desktop 11 also provides experimental support for OS X El Capitan prior to its launch, and will fully support the platform shortly after its release to give users a seamless experience with the latest OSes. Visit www.parallels.com/about for more information.

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easy to see charge status

loads of venting

designed to accommodate and charge 16 devices large shelves to suit even the largest laptops

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E sales@mfb.com.au E sydney@mfb.com.au

Unless otherwise expressly stated, the information appearing in this section represents the opinions of the relevant advertiser and does not represent the views or opinions of Interactive Media Solutions or the other advertisers or contributors to this publication.

WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT PROCESSOR Digital Director is the only Apple certified (MFi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Made for iPad Certification) electronic device that connects your camera and iPad to help manage the photo and video workflow, from setting your camera to sharing your pictures. It works with Canon and Nikon DSLRs and iPad Air and Air 2.

Video Application

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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 095

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SOLUTIONS

SERVICES

SUPPORT

Customised BYOD 1:1 Portals Take the pain out of running your 1:1 program with a branded, secure e-commerce site for parents Implement your school’s purchasing portal with CompNow - it’s fast and free. Hosted & managed by CompNow, branded for your school using your selection of devices. We can even tailor them to suit multiple campuses, year levels, & siblings. Reduced costs & admin Reduce your staff overheads by allowing parents to purchase their devices directly through the portal 24/7. We have reporting options too. Insurance & warranty options CompNow works with you to provide the correct device, extended warranty and insurance options for your school and parents. Education pricing Discounted education-only pricing can be provided giving you competitively priced items that parents can take advantage of. Payment options Parents pay directly via credit card, direct EFT or 6 months free finance. We can help with school funded programs too.

Try it yourself : compnow.com.au/gotham

Painless checkout - includes live chat A painless check-out process, works on all devices. Order status & delivery all in one.

Schoology : Learn. Together. LMS. Simple, Engaging Learning, Anywhere.

Not your typical LMS. Try it free.

A dynamic, scalable LMS that both teachers and administrators love. Schoology lets you manage your classroom, engage your students, find resources, and connect to other teachers anytime, anywhere. Integrate with Google Drive and Office 365. Ask us how!

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Workload planning & user management Easy & flexible integration Third party content support Unlimited storage

Ask us about on-site demonstrations for your team today!

1800 334 684

sales@compnow.com.au

VIC | NSW | SA | QLD