Chertsey+ICT+Milestones+November+2007

__**Chertsey ICT Milestones November 2007**__

Below is Chertsey's contribution to the Opuke Cluster Milestones report for November 2007. Where possible evidence of children's work has been posted with the milestone.

//1 Intended Outcomes Teachers’ confidence and skills in using ICT have increased Success Criteria/Evidence Evidence shows participating teachers have increased confidence and skills in using ICT Instances of teachers using relevant electronic and online material and resources//

__Outcomes__ All staff at Chertsey School have been involved in weekly workshops in the use of programmes on the Apple laptops. These workshops have been needs based, driven by staff requests and have ranged from beginners workshops (for a new staff member within the school) through to the operation and use of Kid Pix in the classroom setting, PhotoBooth, and internet tools such as delicious.com. During these workshops staff are able to work in an environment where there is a 1:2 ratio with the lead teacher and are able to see the tasks modelled through the data projector and then try it out for themselves. Staff are also encouraged to try what they have learnt within the following week with their class and share back their achievements and ask any questions that they may have. For this reason all workshops are short (30-45 minutes) and are accompanied by workshop notes.

During term 3 and 4 teachers have been using Kid Pix in a variety of ways;
 * drawing activity during Pet Week of their pet,


 * My Favourite All Black (which has been turned into a Quicktime movie with voice recording for posting on the All Blacks website during the World Cup),
 * Takahe wonderings from our Inquiry work (again with voice recordings to be sent to Department of Conservation as an information gathering activity).

Staff have been using delicious.com as a way of storing and gathering resources through the internet and see what other resources teachers are using within their classrooms. Staff have been utilising ICT in their recording and reporting of assessment data, with workshops being held on the use of Student Management Systems (SMS) assessment applications, the computerisation of student reports and reporting student achievement data to the Board of Trustees using Word/Excel spreadsheets, tables and graphs.

//2 Intended Outcomes Increased capability of teachers and principals to use ICT for their own professional learning and to facilitate improvements in students’ learning, engagement and achievement. Success Criteria/Evidence Evidence shows improved understandings of the role of ICT among most participants. Instances of teachers aligning ICT use with student learning Instances of teaching using ICT that facilitate the learning of students and raise achievement for all learners//

__Outcomes__ ICT is being implemented with the children in a variety of curriculum areas across the school. Kid Pix is being used in the Junior classroom as a Visual Language tool to present poems (eg ‘Dogs!’) through co-operative group tasks. The programme has also been used in the Junior room to record the children’s wonderings around our Inquiry Belonging Here, specifically the children’s questions about Takahe, which are going to be sent to the Department of Conservation to gain an expert opinion. The children have also been exposed to how the internet can be used as a source of information. This has been modelled by the teacher using search engine etc to find answers to some of their ‘one off’ wonderings. This is an area that will be developed further with the children as their skills at questioning improve. Digital cameras are being used by the children to capture aspects of classroom life (eg brainstorms or work that has been recorded on the whiteboard is photographed and displayed in the classroom for future reference) and photos from everyday activities have been used to create the What’s Happening Today? board in the Junior classroom. Teachers are using internet sites such as NZmaths.co.nz to create authentic learning situations within their classrooms and supporting these with assessment via the ARBs. Immersion activities for the Junior Inquiry in terms 3 and 4 have primarily come from internet sites and these have been popular with the children. Staff took the opportunity presented through the South Canterbury cluster to attend Tony Ryan workshops in Timaru during term 3. The resources from these have been made available to staff to enhance the thinking skills being used in their classrooms.

//3 Intended Outcomes (a) Strengthened professional learning communities and increased collaboration within and across schools. (b) Development of a rigorous professional learning community focused on critical reflection of practice using ICT. (c) Developing rich resource of expertise, experience and materials in effective ICT use at a national and local level. Success Criteria/Evidence Evidence of participation and contribution from participating teachers and principals to local, regional and national conferences, the online learning network and cluster network communities. Instances of discussions within and between schools, focused on student achievement and changing teaching practice and how ICTs can contribute to these.

Instances of information, strategies, case studies, action research or resources contributed to: • Te Kete Ipurangi • Conferences • Publications • Online and other relevant environments.//

__Outcomes__ During Term 3 our Lead Teacher did work with the cluster facilitator on the set up and use of wikispaces as a way of sharing information and communicating online. This is an area which Chertsey wishes to develop further, along with the creation of our school website in 2008. Wikispaces have been used by the cluster to record milestone information collectively. In February 2008 the Lead Teacher will be attending the Learning@School conference in Rotorua and it is hoped that there will be further opportunities for conference attendance through the cluster (eg iSchool). The principals of Chertsey, Rakaia and Dorie Schools have continued to meet during terms 3 and 4 to discuss areas of student achievement and make decisions about the direction of our ‘mini-cluster’ within the ICT cluster.

//4 Objectives Refine and ensure each school has developed and is using its own inquiry process. Key Tasks Feedback workshop on Inquiry for teachers. Two LT workshop days. Principals will attend part of first work shop, to ensure agreed vision.. LT’s provide information to their BoT on the cluster programme and success from their school Success Indicators Teachers report on their Inquiry unit in their own classrooms from term 2/3/4. ALL schools will have representatives at whole cluster activities. Facilitator follow-up in each school for the Inquiry workshop to support teachers with their programme. LT’s take and active part in presenting workshops in their own schools as well as the wider cluster. School BOT reports collated and shared. Each school contributed at least 5 artefacts (two inquiry units; annotated image from the visits; BoT report and for teachers to contribute to discussions as part of the site to the cluster on-line site//

__Outcomes__ Staff at Chertsey School have completed two Inquiry based units during 2007 – New Beginnings in terms 1/2 and Belonging Here in terms 3/4. Staff regularly reflected collectively on the progress of their Inquiry and discussed successes and obstacles openly with each other. This generated very positive and effective professional dialogue amongst staff members. The Chertsey Board of Trustees has been kept informed about Lead Teacher attendance at workshops, cluster workshops, the creation of our school inquiry model and the purchase of ICT equipment. A formal report on the year’s progress within the ICT cluster is to be presented at the final Board meeting for 2007. The Principal and Lead Teacher were provided with support from Jeanette Christianson in term 4. She discussed with us our progress to date in terms of our Inquiry planning, advised us of some areas for development and provided us with resources to assist us in our planning for 2008. Where possible the Lead Teacher and other staff have attended cluster workshops. These have been supported with in school workshops within the staff, especially in the use of Kid Pix, delicious.com and Garageband. Workshops are run within the school on a weekly basis and these are lead by the Lead Teacher. Staff are provided with 1:2 support and are given workshop notes on all aspects covered. They are also given support with possible applications of the programmes that they are being shown.

//5 Objectives upskill staff ( and hence students) on the use of digital media – images moving and still. Key Tasks workshops focusing on advanced digital manipulation and negotiated school needs. in-school support and follow-up for Images workshops Success Indicators Range of opportunities offered for workshops skills learned are then evident in teachers’ classroom programes to improve and support learning. ALL schools will have representatives at a least one of these workshops//

__Outcomes__ A Visual Art unit on photography was taken with the Junior class. During this unit the children were initially shown basic skills in how to use the digital cameras, (eg how to focus the camera properly, how to capture an image, how to view an image) which then progressed to how to construct and capture a quality still life image. The children were encouraged throughout the unit to utilise their co-operative skills, were asked to reflect upon their images and note areas to improve on. Now that the children know how to use the camera correctly they are encouraged to use it to capture aspects of classroom life, assist in the presentation of work, such as their colour similes, as well as specific camera tasks.

//6 Objectives Teachers plan, implement, reflect and report on an Inquiry unit in their classroom with staff, and publish on their school wiki.//

__Outcomes__ Staff have discussed their progress with their Inquiry units regularly in both formal and informal settings. This open dialogue is valued and encouraged within the school and it has allowed for the sharing of ideas and resources amongst staff. Chertsey’s Inquiry model is undergoing it’s first implementation during terms 3 and 4 and will be revisited upon review to see where there are areas for improvement. Staff have already identified that a major focus for 2008 Inquiries will be the creation of sound questioning/wonderings to drive each class/group/child inquiry. Our planning format for future Inquiry units will change but this year’s Junior Inquiry plans can be seen on the Chertsey School wiki.

//7 Objectives PMI undertaken to show the continuing development of school Inquiry models and next steps are identified as goals for 2008.//

//9 Objectives Teachers are incorporating the skills learned in workshop programme this term within their own classroom programmes.//

__Outcomes__ Kid Pix is being used in the Junior classroom as a Visual Language tool to present poems (eg ‘Dogs!’) through co-operative group tasks. The programme has also been used in the Junior room to record the children’s wonderings around our Inquiry Belonging Here, specifically the children’s questions about Takahe, which are going to be sent to the Department of Conservation to gain an expert opinion.