1. Learning Engagement Online
Dan Isele
Education Queensland

2. Learning Engagement Online
LEO coordinator “I believe students who have disengaged from learning can be reconnected by combining innovative technologies with student interests in an online environment. The joy of learning can be rekindled and provide students with an opportunity to discover their learning potential.”

3. Learning Engagement Online
LEO mentor “Thought you’d like to know that Kyle had a great lesson yesterday. Wish you could have seen his face. He was beaming. He was keen to share the story with his mum so we printed it for him to take it home.”
LEO mentor “Just wanted to let you know I have just taken Chris back to class and his teacher read his story aloud. They all laughed in the right places and applauded him at the end. He looked about 10 feet tall with a blushing face and a smile a mile wide at the end of it.
It was good for the soul!”

4. Learning Engagement Online
Introduction
Learning Engagement Online (LEO) is designed to re-establish engagement in learning for those students exhibiting challenging in-class behaviours in schools.
About the Project
The current scope of the project involves 24 students across 13 schools from the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland. Students participate in the project for two years.
The focus of the Learning Engagement Online initiative is to improve student learning outcomes by building learning engagement through supportive relationships. These relationships enable students to become independent, cooperative learners. Facilitating partnerships is essential to the success of this program; schools partnering schools, and mentors, teachers and the LEO facilitator working in partnership with the student and their parents to develop positive learning relationships.
LEO is based on the belief that all students can learn, and will enjoy school if they can be reconnected with the fun side of learning. LEO aims to build students’ self-belief, success and confidence through the innovative use of information and communication technologies. Deep understanding of subject matter, higher order and multi-literacy skills are developed by combining student interests and ICTs within rich meaningful learning experiences.

5. Learning Engagement Online
The LEO Process
Each week students in groups of four participate in three 45-minute lessons; two online and one offline. During lessons, students learn through constructivist and investigative ICT tasks, supported by the LEO coordinator and on-site mentor.
Every offline lesson, the LEO student mentors ICT skills and tasks from the week’s online lessons to an invited classmate. This action has created peer networks for the LEO student in the classroom. Students record their activities in a learning journal and are encouraged to value, publish and share their work with their peers and classroom teacher. LEO provides students the opportunity to see themselves as active, empowered learners.
The LEO coordinator visits each student fortnightly. The purpose of this visit is to strengthen the learning relationship with the student. Release time for the teacher and student is also provided to continue to build their learning relationship. In addition, classroom teachers are provided with professional development in the latest pedagogy and learning technologies, with opportunities to reflect on their classroom practice through professional collegiality.

6. Learning Engagement Online
Engaging with Technology
This belief has been validated by the continual and enthusiastic participation of LEO students when they use ICTs. Students often comment that technology makes learning fun. The Facilitator’s role has been to design and create online ICT learning tasks based on student interests and current classroom topics. For example, in Too Cool for School, students were able to use innovative technologies to showcase cool school activities to all Queensland schools.
LEO lessons are enriched with ICTs. We use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft NetMeeting and a MOO (Multi-user Object-Oriented) environment.
Activities include: accessing Education Queensland’s The Learning Place, Collaborative Online Projects, Blackboard, data and voice conferencing, Internet searches, digital photography, s, forums, graphic design, clay animation, comic chats, game making, digital video and movie making.
Students publish and share their work and newly-acquired ICT skills with the LEO group, classroom teacher and peers. By keeping a learning journal, students are able to reflect on the learning experience. The LEO project encourages students to have the self-belief that they can be life-long learners, empowered with the skills to live and learn for the future.

7. Learning Engagement Online
parent “Learning Engagement Online has been fantastic for his confidence. His self-esteem has gone through the roof. His whole attitude towards school and work has changed.”
teacher “I believe that his involvement in the Learning Engagement Online program plays a major part in his success at school. I think this is an excellent program.”
Note: Klik and Play (download) needs to be installed for the above game to open.

8. Learning Engagement Online
LEO student “Learning Engagement Online is fantastic because it is exciting and challenging and you get to meet new friends and learn how to work with computers. I think LEO is fun because the whole program is a great way for learning.”

9. Learning Engagement Online
Participate in a
Learning Place “BLOG”
Innovating with ICTs
Learning Engagement Online
Dan Isele
Education Queensland