Module 9 Activity 10 Partnership Letter

As a leader in any institution, it is important that links are formed to make the mission of carrying out the vision a reality. In the context of the school and its desire to be a 21st century institution, alliances need to be formed with corporate society who will assist the school in realizing its dreams. The prospective partner will need to see the benefit of the partnership in helping the youth in their cognitive and social development.

Module 9 Activity 9

It is critical that a school that is trying to integrate ICT into its operation gets the support of its stakeholders. While it is clear that 21^st Century teaching and learning is the order of the day if learning is to be effective, teachers and students must also see the relevance of the technology and must be willing to use it. It is therefore important that the school creates an ICT vision that is shared by all concerned so that every aspect of the school’s operation reflects it.  Ubiquitous learning will take place with ICTs as the main thrust.

To realize a shared vision, stakeholders must first see the need for ICT integration and assist in charting the way forward for the implementation. It is important that all stakeholders ‘buy in’ to the project.

Module 9 Activity 8 Learning Area Vision

ICT Vision

ICT will be used effectively to enhance teaching and learning in all areas of the curriculum, to support collaborative and co-operative learning, to develop higher order thinking skills, to assess learning and to help all students realise their educational and social potential.

Each subject area will use specific skills for ICT integration into the curriculum.

How will the ICT vision be realized?

In order for the ICT vision to be realized, it is important that it fits seamlessly  into the existing curricula, involving all teachers and students and present enough opportunities for practice.

—  Natural Fit:  Ensure that there is a natural fit of ICTs into existing curricula in the school and plan for its use.

—  Pacing student involvement: The school should plan to implement the baseline ICT Standards to all the students in school concurrently or start with some groups of students first before extending to the rest of the school.

—  Opportunities for Practice: The school should look into integration of the baseline ICT Standards into both formal and informal school programmes. Integration will take place in various subjects, project-based work and community involvement programmes to increase the frequency students have to practise the skills.

—  Readiness of Teachers and Students: Integration of the baseline ICT Skills can be achieved through the use of different types of ICT tools.  My school can start with tools that teachers and students are more comfortable with first before moving on to other less familiar tools

Learning Areas

Mathematics

ICTs will permeate every facet of the Mathematics curriculum. Teachers should select or create mathematical tasks that take advantage of what ICT can do efficiently  such as graphing, producing dynamic images, computing and providing access to data. Useful tools include graphic calculators, interactive whiteboards and other audiovisual aids, together with a range of software packages. The internet and the world wide web can also be used to design effective learning tasks, such as simulating problem-solving situations that are difficult to create without technology .

Science

To provide a useful set of ICTs and other tech tools for Science Teachers to utilise in their classrooms.

•       ICT widens the range of material that can be used in teaching and learning to include text, still and moving images and sound, and increases the variety of ways that the material can be used for whole class and individual learning.

•       The multi-media resources available enable visualisation and manipulation of complex models, three dimensional images and movement to enhance understanding of scientific ideas

•       Use of the World Wide Web to source information from the following sources:

v  Wikis

v  ICT Tutorial networks

v  Science e-journals and bulletins

v  Science educational blogs

•       Smart Boards

•       Virtual Fieldtrips

English

Purposeful and appropriate application of ICT in English can provide students with opportunities to use their ICT capability to assist and progress their learning in English

•       Use of the World Wide Web to build language skills.

Ø  www.mapskip.com  for the students to find a location on the map, write about it and upload pictures and voice recordings.

Ø  www.mind42.com  This mind mapping allows students  to create a cluster diagram for writing ideas as well as provides a visual avenue for demonstrating the functions of parts of speech.

Ø  www.pbwiki.com  This provides an avenue for students to work collaboratively on any wiki assignment.  Movies, pictures and documents can be uploaded.

Home Economics

•       Theory  will be supplemented with practice and ‘how to’ videos on YouTube and other teaching sites.

•       Research will be done using the World Wide Web by teachers and students.

•       Students will be given tasks that require the use of ICTs, for example, create videos on how to complete practical tasks.

•       Students will use ICTs to make presentations

•       Lessons will be planned and taught incorporating the use of ICTs.

Comparison of Traditional Teaching with ICT Integrated Teaching

Traditional Teaching

ICT Integrated Teaching

•       Use of chalk and talk •       Research involved encyclopedias and other texts in the library. •       Interaction, if any, was mainly between the teacher and the students. •       Learning takes place in the classroom with specific time frames (rigid time frames). •       Students can only access work at school.

•       Use of interactive white board •       Develop or conduct research in order to increase their horizons. •       Increasing levels of interaction between student and teacher learning (enhance interactivity). •       Allows the interaction of learning from anywhere and at any time (time and place flexibility). •       Flexible in terms of time, where students can learn according to the time owned

Module 9 Activity 7 Role of the Leader

The role of the leader of  a school is of paramount importance in ensuring that the ICT vision of the school is realized.  This will mean ensuring that all staff members are on board with the vision and will work towards it.

The article ‘Why Vision Matters’ speaks to the need to articulate a vision and combine this with sound values or principles to effectively run an institution.  A profound statement for me is the one which states that ‘the absence of a vision will doom any strategy -- especially a strategy for change’ which suggests that an institution that has no idea where it wants to go, will never get there if there is no vision.

 

Equally important is the need for staff to be aware of the vision and the principles upon which the company operates.  To equate this with a school, the teachers will know what they need to know in making the school achieve its goals. A disciplined approach to vision and values will help teachers understand what's important for the school in which they work. It tells them not just what, but also how and why they are expected to deliver. If all teachers at a school share in the ICT vision of a school, they will be more inclined to do all in their power to ensure that the schools goals are achieved.

At my school, the principal has a vision for ICT integration and teachers are working towards this vision. It will require some work since there will be need for training/professional development and availability and adequacy of resources.

In the article ‘The art of Chaordic Leadership’, the leader/manager must first be able to manage himself: his integrity, character, ethics, knowledge, wisdom, temperament, words and acts. Once this is done, the leader can then manage the staff so that the vision may be realized. Without their respect and confidence, little or nothing can be accomplished at the school. The school leader must be cognizant of the fact that he cannot bring about change on his own; he must have the backing of the staff to realize an ICT integration vision.

Module 9 Activity 6 Survey Results

Having perused Theo and Terry-Anne's survey results, it is quite clear that their findings are similar to mine.  The results revealed that there is some measure of ICTs that are used at the institutions surveyed but the degree of use differs. In Theo's case, some teachers use ICTs but to a limited degree, while others do not use it at all due to the lack of competence. This was also the case with the results of my survey with the one teacher who responded that she does not use ICTs.  In Terry-Anne's case, the teachers make use of ICTs but they have not integrated it into their teaching and learning. What is common in the three survey result is the need for training and infrastructure so that ICTs can be properly integrated.

Module 9 Activity 5 Lessons Learnt from other Schools

It was an interesting activity in trying to determine what obtains at other schools regarding their ICT vision. It was revealed that schools are at different levels on the continuum of ICT integration, but crucial to their success is the need to have a shared vision.

Learning Communities

The Gayaza High school is an all girls government boarding school covering grades 8 – 13 which has integrated ICT into its operation. It offers a broad array of life skills like communication, analysis and critical thinking, and they boast of cultivating logical and creative approaches to problem solving in their students which they achieve by addressing the needs of each student.

At Gayaza they believe in a high level of academic excellence and this is a challenge that each student must face. Their goal is meet these expectations for all their students in a supportive, loving environment. With their ICT based education they endeavor to make sure that every student has access to the very best 21st century education by engaging them in a hands-on learning in class. Their goal is to educate students to become citizens of the global society, ready to take on the challenges of this still new century.

At present, teachers at Gayaza use ICT to prepare and print exams, prepare lesson materials and record sporting activities.  Most importantly, the teachers also use ICTs to teach lessons.  Students engage in the use of ICTs to do activities such as researching on the internet, and recording sporting activities. Students also get the experience of sitting in classes that are powered by ICTs. The school boasts computer labs which are utilized by students to get their ICT related work done.

The Gayaza High School has as its motto ‘Never Give Up’ and they use this as the guiding principle to execute projects/ideas. Gayaza appears to have a school headmistress who embraces the vision of ICT integration and they are making strides to do this. When compared to my school, there are similarities in terms of the use of ICTs. Like Gayaza, my school has IT labs that may be used for classes, but accessibility at the times when they are needed poses a problem. Teachers at my school also use ICTs to prepare and print exams, prepare lesson materials and teach lessons to some extent. What is lacking is the full integration of ICTs into the existing curricula of my school. Students in my school are encouraged to use ICTs to learn under similar circumstances to what obtains in Gayaza High School but it is taken a step further in Antigua and Barbuda because the fourth and fifth form students were issued with personal tablets that they are expected to use to complete ICT related activities.

Recommendations for my School

If my school is desirous of integrating ICT into its curriculum, it is imperative that the following measures be put in place:

·         Sensitize all stakeholders as to the value of ICT

·         Ensure availability of ICT resources

·         Train all teachers and students in ICT

·         Ensure accessibility to ICT resources

·         Existence of support for ICT at the school

·         Obtain teachers’ commitment to the innovation

·         Ensure that school practice supports use of ICTs