1. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Integrating and using ICT in Schools An Australia Street Infants School Perspective Bernard Cheng

2. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 ”There is no reason why anyone would want a computer in their home." Ken Olson, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp, 1977 Historical Perspectives informing current issues

3. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943 Historical Perspectives informing current issues

4. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 In 2001 … 42% of all Australian households used or owned a personal computer. 14.2% of Australians aged 0 – 19 have used a personal computer at home. Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001 Census Historical Perspectives informing current issues

5. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 According to Moore’s Law … Computers double in complexity and performance every two years, whilst also relatively halving in price. So … Historical Perspectives informing current issues

6. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 So think of the possibilities technology will bring a child who starts in Kindergarten today over the course of their Primary and Secondary schooling… This has significant and real implications in regard to what our role as educators and how this effects integration of technology in our schools. Historical Perspectives informing current issues

7. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 As a consequence the key issue facing schools is the need to focus on building capacity in teachers to deliver learning opportunities for students that... What does this mean for schools today …

8. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Facilitate the affective use of current and emerging ICT tools within a collaborative and authentic learning environment with real purpose and that leads to demonstrated learning outcomes emphasising … What does this mean for schools today …

9. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Critical thinking Problem solving Collaboration and cooperative knowledge construction Discrimination and application Skill application and transferal Sustainable and flexible practice What does this mean for schools today …

10. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Increasingly we are no longer needing to focus on the teaching and sequencing of ICT skill acquisition in primary schools as explicitly taught learning opportunities … We need to provide students with opportunities to apply their increasingly native understanding of ICT in response to authentic tasks in tandem with a focus on understanding meta- language and process. How can this be put into practice

11. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Supporting students in this way involves thinking about ICT integration a little differently as has been identified in the following research … How can this be put into practice

12. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 ICT can provide powerful tools which can be used to facilitate a variety of teaching and learning approaches, however technology in its self contains neither content or pedagogical bias. (Zhao and Campbell, 1995.) How can this be put into practice

13. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 The effectiveness of ICT relies on the quality of the educational outcomes of the task in which it will be incorporated. (Dufresne et.al.,1996.) An important use of technology is the capacity to create new opportunities for curriculum and instruction through facilitating collaborative learning environments. (Brown, A.L., Cocking, R.R., Bransford, J.D. (Eds.), 2000.) How can this be put into practice

14. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 The use of technology should be integrated into a Teaching and learning cycle as a transparent part of the learning experiences delivered to the student. How can this be put into practice

15. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Focus Syllabus Links Learning Experiences Proposed Student Products appropriate ICT Tools ICT Skills & Meta- Language ICT facilitating authentic purpose Cheng (2001) Model, 2009 Revision How can this be put into practice

16. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09

23. As a consequence we need to be wary of …. The isolated scope and sequence of ICT skills and applications (The default response to ICT in Schools) The creation of an unofficial 7th KLA - ICT! Some considerations to make …

24. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 From this we need to ensure that we are: Providing teachers with the skills to support students to learn effectively with appropriate tools, rather than simply skills to understand current technology which is unsustainable. Some considerations to make …

25. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Most importantly however …. We don’t fall into the trap of replicating current practice with with new technologies raising the question of: What does this mean for schools today …

26. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Does what I am doing with technology present new and engaging opportunities for the students in my class ?

27. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 How does all this relate to schools in the 21st Century

28. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Over the past 12 - 18 months significant announcement have been made in regard to the future of technology in schools through large scale infrastructure projects which include: What is happening in schools today …

29. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Digital Education Revolution encompassing the newly renamed project rollout Laptops 4 Learning. Technology 4 Learning Program providing technology in schools with a commitment that no computer will be more than 4 years old with an ever increasing reduction in computer to student ratio’s. Connected Classroom Project encompassing video conferencing technologies and Interactive Whiteboard technologies in schools. What is happening in schools today …

30. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Extremely fluid technological landscape in schools. Discrimination of what technologies to implement and why? Challenge of not only managing today's technologies but planning for what comes next? Managing the impact of ICT on expectations of professional practice and what it really means to effectively integrate ICT within teaching and learning? Unprecedented access to technology in schools is increasing attached to political and system imperatives to see tangible impacts on student learning. What challenges does this bring?

31. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Most importantly schools need to ensure that: Beginning and experienced teachers are supported in developing the capacity to effectively integrate current and emerging technology in classrooms in a way that has quality teaching as the core of new opportunities for students. This implies a redefinition of ICT capacity within teachers and the emphasis placed on professional development… What challenges does this bring?

32. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09

33. What has this meant for Australia Street Infants School?

34. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 What we wanted to achieve.. Shift the focus of ICT as being an addition to teaching and learning to being a facilitative tool as ubiquitous as a pencil sharpener Move away from actual manipulation of an ICT device as being fundamental to ICT inclusion Quality teaching to define what tools ICT or otherwise are appropriate to implement Build a sustainable community of practice amongst staff

35. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 This led to staff debating the question what is more effective? Students learning in an ICT rich environment where technology is a shared facilitative tool used all day with reduced actual manipulation but greater collaborative participation via interactive technologies Or Once a week hands on one to one access outside of the primary teaching space completing more often than not retrospective tasks… Then we debated …

36. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Would it be possible to remove the traditional classroom ownership model to allow rooms to be set up for particular purposes? This came from a project that we called the “Enrichment Program in 2004” in which each teacher taught a specific KLA to all students during the afternoon sessions As well as taking influence from the IBM Innovation Centre Then we debated …

37. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 In 2005 Australia Street Infants School implemented the “21 st Century classroom” through the installation of: Interactive Whiteboards in every classroom within a site wide wireless environment supporting 20 laptops for staff and students with a population of 100 students. Implementation of “roaming profiles” via curriculum servers allowing for a teachers desktop and files “To Roam” with them on any device they logged onto in the school eliminating the need for a Personal Device and facilitating greater resource sharing and mobility. Implementing the 21 st Century Classroom…

38. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Implementation of wireless keyboards and mice for staff and students allowing teaching and learning to be separated from the computer location. Centralised printing and scanning functionality in the school via a network photocopier. Support for Blackberry devices. What we implemented …

39. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 In doing so we created teaching and learning spaces that are able to be configured according to intended purpose. Removed the traditional teacher room ownership concept as resources roamed with the teacher. Ensured that ICT facilitated best practice rather dictate where it could happen! In doing all of this we became the first school in New South Wales to embark on such a project which only now is being rolled out into schools. What we implemented …

40. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 One aspect of the program … Implementing Interactive Whiteboards

41. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 The decision for the implementation for Interactive Whiteboards was made for the following reasons : Identified as a facilitative tool that allowed us to do more with an audience of more than one. The technology did not explicitly alter teaching practice rather augmented it with enhanced opportunities. Is hands on and tactile. Allows for purposeful dialogue and practical collaboration. Implementation of Interactive Whiteboards

42. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Had a very low technical entry point for new users. Relied on Quality Teaching and planning to be successful! Removed the emphasis away from the technologically savvy and allowed for teachers with considerable best practice teaching to become key implementers. Implementation of Interactive Whiteboards

43. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Brought technology into an authentic context for both teachers and students. As a result …. Normalised the presence of technology as being an everyday part of teaching and learning in the classroom. Implementation of Interactive Whiteboards

44. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Bit of a big bang effect to be honest … Staff were presented with a real need to change through a demonstrated and clear link to their professional practice. A mentor model of teacher training was established based on a pressure and support model linked to authentic contexts. How was it implemented

45. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 A community of practice valuing contextual skill sharing was set up as a fundamental aspect of the project. Whole staff ICT training was avoided, in place of in-class support, content sharing, deconstruction and collaborative resource development. This is because in my experience … Teachers are not always able to apply technical skills learnt out of context to their teaching practice effectively or can be lost in translation. Professional Development Process

46. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Creation of flexible learning environments that continually presents ICT enhanced learning opportunities to students as one example demonstrates.. Why is the sky blue? …. Hmmm Lets google that! Reduction of about 75% in individual computer usage having a flow on effect of increasing the effectiveness and access to technology for all students. Students have been supported to develop enhanced discrimination of ICT for particular purposes and understanding that technology is a tool to complete a task with a purpose as devices such as cameras, and laptops are only used on demand… What has been achieved …

47. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Australia Street Infants School’s implementation of Interactive Whiteboards directly influenced State Policy to roll out the technology to all schools as part of the connected classroom project Australia Street Infants School has featured internationally as a centre of innovation and best practice in the use of interactive technologies What has been achieved …

48. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Since the implementation of Interactive Whiteboards, Student literacy & numeracy achievement has dramatically improved through higher rates of student engagement and more dynamic and multi-modal delivery of content. What has been achieved …

49. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Not one child currently at Australia Street Infants School has ever seen a blackboard or chalkboard used as a teaching tool! The challenge then is to consider and reflect upon what might come next, at what pace and how we manage it? Finally Some points to consider …

50. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 The presence of technology in schools should: compliment the learning process through providing opportunities to extend the possibilities of traditional instruction, offering new opportunities for learners to engage and manipulate traditional materials and ICT in new and powerful ways Utilise material and digital technologies transparently within the design, development and presentation modes of the planned teaching and learning tasks delivered to students. Finally Some points to consider …

51. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 Despite the challenges and opportunities that ICT Brings to the classroom we need to consider carefully … Are there any REAL learning gains to be made using technology? Does the use of ICT provide a more meaningful or engaging dimension to the intended learning outcomes? Remember that despite the promises and potential of ICT, it is still the quality of your teaching and learning experiences and quality of planning which will determine the outcomes students will achieve with ICT. Finally Some questions to reflect on …

52. Mr. Bernard Cheng Principal: Australia Street Infants School Network 8 Sydney Region 09 This presentation is available to download at: www.australiastreetschoolcom/downloads Then follow the links to school publications > USYD Presentation Finally Some questions to reflect on …