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Issue 74
Pulling The Lever On Education Innovation OCT/NOV 2016 $9.95 (inc.GST) ISSN 1835 209X
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CONTENTS
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Cover Story
Before We Pull The Big Lever In this issue’s cover story, Tom March continues his exploration of innovation in education and explores the need to break existing paradigms and education models in order to usher in new ways of teaching and learning.
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Feature
Getting Started With Remixing The art of remixing – taking all or part of a recorded work and using it to create something new – is a fantastic creative activity for secondary school students. Music technology trainer and consultant Katie Wardrobe explains how to use this great educational activity in your classroom.
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Feature
Document The Learning Journey Through Digital Portfolios Emily MacLean, an international educator working at Chatsworth International School in Singapore, looks at how educators can more effectively use eportfolios to document and reflect on a student’s lea ning journey in a meaningful and authentic way.
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CONTENTS
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Interactive Learning
Mal Lee and Roger Broadie look at the importance of the role parents play in the digital evolution of a school.
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Plugged In
In the first of this seven-part series, Jon Be gmann looks at the technology strategy that sits behind an effective transition to flippe learning.
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Office Space
We look at the benefits of in-house printing and examine how school can save money and time by using internal resources.
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Next Step
Dr Shelley Kinash looks at the arguments around the value of a university education in today’s rapidly evolving society.
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Let’s Talk Pedagogy
James Jenkins of Canterbury College looks at ways to more effectively use digital tools to promote creativity in assessment.
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Professional Development
Why do teachers need to stop using the phrase ‘21st century learner’ when referring to students in their classes and instead start referring to them as modern learners?
052 Leading And Mentoring Technology Change In School International speaker and educator Zeina Chalich examines what it takes to bring about effective technological change in schools.
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Letter from the Editor
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Cyber Chat
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Calendar of Events
Teaching Tools
How can you more effectively manage new technologies and pedagogies in the classroom using innovation adoption models, action research and design thinking?
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Get Connected
How can you educate students more effectively about online safety?
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Tech Stuff
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Product Showcases
072 N oticeboards
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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 05
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EDITOR’S LETTER EDITOR’S LETTER www.educationtechnologysolutions.com.au EDITORIAL Editor John Bigelow Email: john@interactivemediasolutions.com.au Subeditors Helen Sist, Ged McMahon
CONTRIBUTORS Blake Steufert, Tom March, Katie Wardrobe, Emily McLean, Zeina Chalich, Mal Lee, Roger Broadie, Jon Bergmann, James Jenkins, Shelly Kinash, Brad Murphy, Emma Wheelan, Grany Jones ADVERTISING Phone: 1300 300 552 Email: keith@interactivemediasolutions.com.au Keith Rozairo 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
Are you a ‘Teacherpreneur’? It is an interesting question and one you might want to think about because according to a whole lot of research currently being done, Teacherpreneurs will create approximately eight out of the next 10 big edtech products. In fact, all indicators would seem to predict that the rise of the Teacherpreneur will be one of the hottest trends in education technology over the next five year (2015-2020). So what exactly is a Teacherpreneur you might ask? According to teachingquality.org, the definitio of a Teacherpreneur is: “a teacher who leads, but doesn’t ‘leave’ their students or schools. They have taken on leadership opportunities to further their career, yet are still able to devote time to classroom teaching.” It is somewhat ironic that so many Teacherpreneurs are arising when few teachers even know what a Teacherpreneur is. Yet, in reality, this fact is simply reflective of the spee at which technology is developing – especially in education. It is occurring so fast that new trends are emerging without the participants being actively aware of what is happening in most cases. There are a number of reasons why we can expect to see a sharp rise in the number of Teacherpreneurs – not the least of which has been the over saturation of ineffective technology that has flooded the educatio market over the last few years. Sick of being forced to try and work with software and devices that are designed by specialists who often lack any formal experience in a classroom, technically savvy educators are turning their attention to creating their
own apps and products designed to address the woes echoed by colleagues experiencing the same frustrations. The fact that Teacherpreneurs are part of the ecology, that they themselves are both the architect and the end user, means that they understand, better than anyone, the type of issues that need to be addressed. As a result, their solutions often address a genuine need within the market place. Something that few products ever do. However, as any entrepreneur will tell you, having a great product or idea is only part of the challenge. Getting that product to market is the real challenge. This brings us to the second point, the fact that the rise of resources like the Apple App store and the Google Play store have made it so much easier to bring new and innovative products to market – especially in a market like education where so many of your target market (educators) are already intimately familiar with and are currently active users of your preferred vehicle to market. These new online stores combined with a rise in the popularity of blogs, the proliferation of personal learning networks and the explosive growth of social media have made it easier than ever for the Teacherpreneur to create, deliver and promote his or her new solution/product. Will you be the architect of the next big thing in education technology? Regards,
JOHN BIGELOW Editor-in-Chief
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REGULAR
C Y
CYBER CHAT
Why Most Schools Fail To Write A Compelling Newsletter | By Blake Seufert | The reasons it is hard to consistently produce a quality newsletter include: 1. Hard to write great content that parents want to read. 2. Hard to collect and choose photos from every event. 3. Hard to write with a purpose and fin a voice for each article. 4. Hard to design interesting, fresh and consistent all at once. All hard. However, there are everyday schools, such as Lyndhurst Primary School, N orthcote High School, Lilydale High School and many more, doing a fantastic job of this. But how do they do it? Steps to Success 1. Firstly, listen to parents. When surveying parents and watching their viewing habits, overwhelmingly, parents want to see photos of their kids and stories that celebrate success in the school. While some notification of upcoming events or reminders for parents can be a necessity, a barrage of stiff notifications is not what parents want from a newsletter – focus on success and celebration. 2. This is a big one – get online. Parents do not have to read the newsletter. It is up to the school to make it easy (and compelling) to read. That means on any device, at any time. Sending
a scrunched up newsletter home or a 20MB PDF attachment is not exactly enticing parents into reading it. Think about how readers can be drawn into the newsletter from that very first point of contact. Doing a quick summary (with photos) in the email that is sent is a great place to start. If the newsletter is not online, stop immediately and put it on the website. Go now! 3. Make it public! The newsletter is the place for everything great the school is doing. The school’s success is a reflection of its culture and image. The newsletter is the school’s chance to shape its public image. It is a powerful tool because, unlike the website where the school’s vision and mission statement are shared, the newsletter actually demonstrates them. Speak to the school’s leadership team about making the school newsletter publicly available (tell them I sent you! @blakeseufert). Schools will not regret it. 4. Make it easy. Creating a school newsletter is a marathon, not a sprint. It is important to be creative in each week’s newsletter and not be burdened with, for example, converting all articles to a consistent font. If newsletter creators are overwhelmed with standardising the formatting of 10–20 articles each week, by the time they start to think about the presentation and design, they are over it. Find a platform or application that is flexible and simple to use
Where to Start How about taking some action and trying a very simple improvement. For the next newsletter, give this simple change a go: Step 1: Pick the best photo from the newsletter (high resolution, attractive photo). Step 2: Get rid of the elaborate linework header and replace it with a photo that builds the school brand and culture. Step 3: Create a link for a simple survey asking parents what they think of the photo. This can be done using a Google Form or custom create one in Excel Survey or Survey Monkey. Step 4: Get the survey/form link and shorten it using https://goo.gl/. Paste the short link into the newsletter to get some feedback. This exercise is a quick way to prove that parents want more photos. It will also help schools to become more accustomed to asking their community for feedback and direction on the future of the newsletter. ETS
Blake Seufert is the Systems Manager at McKinnon Secondary College and the co-founder of Naavi and iNewsletter.
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shaping tomorrow with you EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 09
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EVENTS CALENDAR
The Digital Education Show Africa
EduTECH Asia 2016
18–19 October 2016 Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg
9–10 November 2016 Suntec Convention Centre, Singapore
The Digital Education Show Africa is an event that focuses on empowering learning through technology and allows the education industry to see, play with and understand the technology that is helping us shape the future of education. It is where all aspects of education are brought together to deliver greater learning outcomes both inside and outside the classroom. Terrapinn and our global partners have created education conferences and exhibitions that address the need for digital solutions in educational institutions. Along with the benefits associated with the use of technology in the classroom, it gives you a platform to source and evaluate the best solutions available. With the success of EduTECH in Australia, which attracts over 8,000 attendees, EduTECH is now Australia’s largest education conference and exhibition. The event has expanded into Asia, the Middle East, Europe and now Africa. With over 1,000 visitors in attendance at our launch in 2015, The Digital Education Show Africa is a symbol of just how much potential Africa holds for digital education and the opportunities associated with it.
EduTECH Asia will take place in Singapore this N ovember. We will be gathering over 2,000 policy makers, educational establishments and educators from across Asia. We have invited over 100 inspirational speakers, not only from Asia, but also from around the world – all brimming with ideas and a passion to inspire change in education. Running alongside is a dedicated exhibition, showcasing the latest education technology solutions and free content for teachers from teachers.
Visit www.terrapinn.com for more information.
Visit www.terrapinn.com for more information.
National FutureSchools Expo & Conference 23–24 March 2017 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne The N ational FutureSchools Expo is an annual two-day event which runs in March and will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in 2017. It is the sister event of EduTECH (Australasia and Asia Pacific’s largest education event). It consists of one central exhibition and five parallel conferences designed to tackle five specific areas of the future school:
• Future Leadership • Young Learning • Special Needs • Teaching about and using emerging technologies • STEM, coding, robotics and the new digital curriculum We work with industry to subsidise registration costs to make this an affordable and accessible investment in your learning. • Access the very best speakers from Australia and around the world. • Share ideas, successes and challenges. • Join 1,500+ attendees to discuss, debate and take away implementable outcomes. • Tailor-make your own experience and choose from five conferences, with multiple streams, plus focused breakout sessions, masterclasses and interactive exhibition seminars and displays (not to mention hours of networking functions). • 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. Visit http://futureschools.com.au/ About.stm#sthash.xhYgd6ZR.dpuf for more information.
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EduTECH 2017 8–9 June 2017 Sydney Convention Centre EduTECH is Australasia’s largest annual education technology conference and exhibition. In 2017, 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. • 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. ▪ For more information, please visit www.edutech.net.au
leaders do to drive digital technology and learning in their schools.
Leading A Digital School Conference 2017
Day 3: Leading from the grassroots The focus of this day is on how classroom teachers use digital technology to improve educational outcomes for their students and how they influence their school’s vision and direction for teaching and learning with digital technology.
17–19 August 2017 QT Hotel, Gold Coast The Leading a Digital School Conference 2017 is about driving and growing the inspirational and sound educational use of digital technology in your school to give students a competitive advantage. The conference will appeal to school leaders, leadership teams and classroom teachers who lead.
Day 2: The beautiful synergy (combining somewhere in the middle) The focus of this day is on the synergy that is created when school leaders, leadership teams and classroom teachers combine to drive the agenda for digital teaching and learning.
Visit www.ereg.me/digital17 for more information.
Program Overview Day 1: Leading from the top The focus of this day is on what school
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Parents As Allies In Digital Evolution A Game Changer
| By Mal Lee and Roger Broadie | Parents have the potential to be one of the school’s, and in particular the principal’s, greatest allies in progressing the school’s digital evolution and growth in a socially networked society. By genuinely collaborating, respecting and empowering parents, distributing control of teaching, learning and resourcing, having all understand the school’s vision and agenda, contribute daily to the growth and standing of ‘their’ school and involving them in the 24/7/365 schooling of their children, schools are not only irrevocably changing their nature, but are also developing powerful allies who will forever complement the efforts of staff. The scope of that impact is only now beginning to be identified. It is a game changer. Schooling within the pathfinder schools is markedly expanding its scope and nature, and incorporating into its everyday workings a new and potentially immensely powerful and productive body of expertise and resourcing; that of its families. In collaborating with parents, schools are, via an informal alliance, 014 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
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irrevocably bringing into the room a vast, largely underdeveloped resource that has largely been shut out since the Industrial Revolution. While there is no obligation for any school to foster the alliance, it is increasingly apparent that those that do are not only foregoing the opportunity to significantly enhance their schooling, but are also ultimately placing their continued viability in question. The key is to recognise the change underway, its potential and its continually evolving nature and to consciously factor all aspects of parental involvement, formal and informal, into the growth of the school’s ecosystem. Related is the imperative of recognising the importance of the home learning culture in student success and that, in a digital and socially networked society, 80 percent plus of children’s learning time each year is spent outside of schools, with the vast majority of schools leaving the use of that time by default to children and their parents. Parents have always been important. However, in a socially networked school community, where parents are actively – often unwittingly – involved in the 24/7/365 workings of the school, their contribution is on trend to move to an increasingly higher plane and significantly improve their children’s own holistic education. While the traditional representative parent involvement is likely to remain important, the digital ecosystem allows the total – invariably time poor – parent body to play an appreciably greater and more productive part in both the school’s operations and growth, and their children’s education. When all within the school’s community have digital technology in their hands, in a culture that actively promotes collaboration, not only can schools quickly ascertain current total parent opinion, but also readily use digital communications and data to significantly enhance each family’s contribution to schooling and its children’s education. That change is already evidenced right across the board in the pathfinder schools. For convenience, the following
outlines the main areas of parent alliance, but as readers will soon appreciate, the areas overlap, are entwined and, in many instances, parent contribution to the alliance is both informal and probably largely unwitting. Teachers As Lee and Ward (2013) discuss in Collaboration in Learning, parents are slowly but surely being drawn more consciously into the 24/7/365 holistic teaching of their children outside the school walls, complementing the efforts of the school. It is a major new alliance still in its early stages that openly addresses the teaching of key 21st century building blocks. While the school takes the lead and provides the direction, parents are encouraged to provide the in-context complementary teaching. Personal growth In genuinely and openly collaborating with parents, the school gates are opened for parents to ally more fully in the personal growth of their children, in collaboratively addressing issues like behaviour, social relations, family dysfunction, mental illness and the like. For many a family, this is a marked change in its relations with the school and the linked agencies. Ownership and community As the school furthers its bonds with its homes and community, slowly but surely parents come to ‘own’ their school, to identify with it, to regard it as critical to their community and are willing to go that extra mile in promoting and supporting the school’s operations and growth. In many communities – particularly within new, regional and rural towns – the socially networked school also comes to play the all-pervasive social role once played by the community church, with parents responding in kind. Resource providers In identifying with and ‘owning’ the school, in seeing by deed the store the school places on genuine collaboration and social networking, one notes in the
pathfinder schools the parents’ and community’s willingness to share and give resources – both material and social – to the school. As Lee and Levins (2016) identify in their work on bring your own technology (BYOT) and digital normalisation, parents globally are providing their children, from the pre-primary years, the suite of digital technologies they will use 24/7/365 – and if the school permits, will use in the classroom. The family will provide the hardware, the software, the internet access, the care and the maintenance. Ideas Clay Shirky (2012) speaks of the ‘cognitive surplus’ in society – the willingness of seemingly immensely busy people to give freely of their ideas is a feature of a socially networked society. In opening their operations for all to scrutinise and allying with their community, the pathfinder schools soon found the community reciprocated by contributing its own ideas on virtually all current and planned operations. Critical friends Closely allied is the willingness of many astute parents to act as critical friends for the school, particularly as the school moves into new and uncertain territory. It is now apparent in setting up the school’s digital communication suite that one should adopt the current social media conventions and provide the facility for different types of client feedback. Yes, sometimes the comment can be critical, but if it bids the school to pause and reflect, that is important for g owth. Political In bonding with its community, the school creates a very powerful political ally it can draw upon when the need arises. This has been particularly evident in state schools where it is expected the principal will follow the dictates of bureaucrats and refrain from entering the political arena. There is nothing, however, preventing the parent arm of the school from so doing. Indeed, the mere threat of bringing the
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parent power into play is often sufficient to get a central office bureaucrat to rethink a decision. As many a senior bureaucrat has learnt to his/her chagrin, well-prepared parent groups, working with their elected member, can quickly politicise issues and have bureaucrats revise their thinking. Applied wisely, school leaders can also use parent power to overcome internal blockages, the game changing when escalated from an internal staffing clash to ‘the parents’ wanting the change. Multiple hats Parents wear multiple hats both within their workplace and the community. In a socially networked school community, there is the ready facility for astute leaders at all levels to make use of those ‘hats’ when it is appropriate, be it to open doors or to secure support. Similarly, within a socially networked society there will be occasions when the school can profitably reciprocate its support. Social networkers The vast majority of parents and their families will be social networkers, who will immediately pass on to their friends, with comment, all manner of digital material from the school, whether it is from a class blog, e-newsletters, a photo of their kids, mention of a great happening or a forthcoming event. Literally within seconds, the material will be retransmitted via various social networks, invariably promoting the positives of the school. A primary school of 300 students could easily have 600–700 community members, distributing positive comment on the school daily. It is word-of-mouth advertising that conventional advertisers cannot hope to match logistically, for effectiveness or price. Advocates Simultaneously, an empowered and supportive school community is working as an advocate for the school and promoting its achievements by word of mouth, by social media, within the school car park, at social functions and the local shops.
The related reality is that when schools – like all other organisations – attract a significant number of friends, the algorithms underpinning social media garner supporters and the social dynamics of the online world make if that much harder to criticise the school. Accountability In genuinely collaborating with its parents, in having them as close allies and opening virtually all school operations – in particular its teaching – to daily public scrutiny, digital schools have fundamentally changed the nature of school accountability. The schools are accounting to their clients daily for all their operations and providing the opportunity for immediate and raw feedback. The contrast in efficiency and effectiveness with the current top-down bureaucratic model is pronounced. When the school’s everyday operations are open for inspection and are commented upon daily in social media, the need for the traditional paper-based approach, which requires an expert group to go inside the school walls every couple of years to inspect the school’s workings, becomes highly questionable. Marketers Handled astutely, the school has in its parents and wider community an immensely reputable and powerful voluntary marketing force, extolling the virtues of the school daily. Each week, thousands of word-of-mouth social media comments will be published online promoting the school. A number of the pathfinder schools have reached the stage where most of their marketing is being done very successfully by word-of-mouth, with scant effort from the school, and most assuredly without the need of professional marketing staff. Defenders As indicated in Harnessing the Social N etworks (Lee and Broadie, 2016), it is highly advantageous to have a powerful, socially media savvy parent body able and willing to immediately defend the school online if the needs arise. While official comment from the school will
likely have little impact, the power of a concerted whole-of-school community response can be very effective. Conclusion There are other aspects of the parent alliance that could be added and which will become more apparent in time. Suffice it to say that even now it is clear that a close alliance with parents will provide the evolving digital school with a substantial and growing body of expertise, resources and support – in addition to that provided by government – the likes of which traditional schooling has never known. This assistance will further the school’s growth, evolution and productivity. It is a contribution that, fashioned astutely, will assist in growing a school’s ecosystem and make a school evermore attractive to clients. Importantly, it is a development that, handled wisely, does not appear to place a pronounced extra burden on school staff, but which likely makes their job that much easier and rewarding. It is a major development that needs to be researched, but it is one schools wanting to evolve digitally must capitalise upon. 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. Roger Broadie has wide experience helping schools get the maximum impact on learning from technology. He is the Naace Lead for the 3rd Millennium Learning Award. In his 30-plus years of working at the forefront of technology in education he has worked with a huge range of leading schools, education organisations and policymakers in the United Kingdom and Europe. For a full list of the bibliography contact: admin@interactivemediasolutions.com.au
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d d d e e e t t t r r r a a a t t t S S S g g Geeetttttiiinnng G G g g g n n n i i i x x x i i i m m m e e e R R WiiittthhhR W W | By Katie Wardrobe | The art of remixing – taking all or part of a recorded work and using it to create something new – is a fantastic creative activity for secondary school students. By sourcing the original recorded separate vocal, drum, guitar, bass and keyboard tracks (known as stems), students can transform a known song into a new musical work. The process of remixing teaches students about beat-matching, tempo, harmony, arranging, form, texture, song structure, drum styles and rhythm. One of the main attractions of remixing is that students can legally use original source material from artists they know. Beyonce, Gotye, Alicia Keys, Jason Mraz and many other rock/ pop musicians have officially eleased stems for their songs. Remixing can be done using whichever DAW (digital audio workstation) software you use. Popular choices for schools include GarageBand, Mixcraft and Acid Music Studio, but you could also use any of the ‘pro’ options, such as Reason, Abelton Live, Logic or Pro Tools. Introducing Remixing To Students For a visual, interactive timeline that walks you through the art of remixing over time, visit The History of Remixing (http:// www.historyofremixing.webs.com/). The website notes that the concept of remixing – composers and arrangers ‘borrowing’ source material to create new works – has, in fact, been around for centuries. It is worth exploring the iTunes Store, Google Play, YouTube and the music-sharing site SoundCloud for examples of remixes to play for students. Many current, popular songs have remixes: search for the song title and add the word ‘remix’ at the end to find examples
The website Indaba Music – an online community for musicians – is also a great place to search for examples. Indaba hosts remix competitions that feature the original stems from artists like Jason Mraz and Beyonce, and once the competition has finished they share the winning entries online. Students can listen to the source material first (the stems or the original track) and then listen to the winning remixes. A couple of years ago, Australian artist Gotye made available the original stems from his best-known song Somebody That I Used To Know and it has been remixed hundreds (perhaps thousands!) of times. You can find a range of the remixes in vastly different styles on Gotye’s SoundCloud profile: https://soundcloud. com/gotye/ Comparing multiple different remixes of the same song is an effective way to discuss the unique characteristics of a variety of musical styles – the drum pattern, the bass line, tempo, singing style and form. A Quick “Getting Started” Activity Incredibox (www.incredibox.com) is a free online music resource that is lots of EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 019
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feature fun, simple to use, and is a great way to introduce remixing to students. Drag an icon to an empty ‘dude’ to make him sing or beatbox and when a new dude appears, give him a sound as well. You can add up to seven dudes to make your very own A Cappella ensemble. Incredibox can teach or reinforce a range of musical concepts and techniques including arranging skills, layering, solo and tutti, rhythm, texture and timbre, A Cappella part-singing and beatboxing. Use the Record button to record a ‘performance’ of your ensemble and then email a link to your remix by clicking on Share. Remix Tools It is possible to create remixes with a variety of software tools. The pros use programs like Abelton Live, FL Studio or Reason, but if you do not have access to those, you can easily use software that is commonly found in school computer labs, such as GarageBand, Mixcraft, Acid Music Studio, Logic and Pro Tools. There are also a couple of useful online software options, including Soundation (http:// soundation.com/ ) and the UJam Studio (www.ujam.com/ujamstudio). Remixing Step-by-Step When you have the original stems to play with, there are many ways to approach a remix. Here is an overview of the approach that I take: 1. Find stems Locate legal stems for your remix. It is a good idea to choose a song you like since you will be listening to it a lot! Beware that there are many pirated stems available for download on the internet. Encourage students to look for
legally-available stems that are Creative Commons licensed or that have been released for an official remix competition. 2. Beat-map the stems It is very likely that you will need to beatmap (also known as ‘beat-match’) each stem. This is a process by which you import each individual audio file into your software program and make sure that it conforms to a uniform metronome beat.
One of the main attractions of remixing is that students can legally use original source material from artists they know. Carrying out this process will save the tempo (and key) data to the audio file which means that if you adjust the tempo or key of your project, the audio file will automatically adjust as well. This step is crucial – particularly if you want to add other existing loops to your project. If the stems are not beat-matched they will not fit together musically with other rhythmic and melodic loops found in the loop library. 3. Create your musical palette It can be useful to edit the stems – chop them up into small snippets or loops – so that you have a musical palette to work with. Choose just a few important bits that define the song. As an example, in Somebody That I Used To Know, the guitar ostinato at the beginning, the xylophone part and the vocal lines might be all you need to create a remix. Using fewer stems will encourage students to add their own creative spin on the track by recording original audio or MIDI sounds and will prevent them from simply ‘re-assembling’ the song. 4. Plan your remix Think about the style of remix you want to create: will it be slow, fast, dreamy, wistful, dance-like or hardcore? Will you
adhere to the form of the original song, or do something different? Will you alter the key, time signature or harmonic structure? Will your remix have a contrasting style or ‘feel’ to the original? 5. Start remixing! There is no right or wrong order here: do what feels right and remember that you can always change things later if you do not like them. Some options: • Lay down a beat in your chosen style. You might like to choose an existing stem from the song, part of a stem or another rhythmic loop altogether. • Start adding your stem snippets (and/ or loops) into your project. Think about using short musical phrases. • Do not be afraid to mix up the order that the instruments (or vocals) start playing. • Consider adding your own original instrumental parts to your remix: you can record yourself playing electric guitar or bass guitar, or record via a MIDI keyboard. • Add effects, volume or pan envelopes to the tracks. 6. Finishing off Listen to your project and make sure all the parts are balanced. When you are happy with the way it sounds, export the remix as an MP3 and share it with your friends! Useful links: For a collection of links about remixing (including places to find legal stems, examples of remixes and the history of remixing) visit http://pinterest.com/ katiewardrobe/remixing-and-sampling/ ETS Katie Wardrobe is a music technology trainer and consultant with a passion for helping music educators. She runs hands-on workshops and online courses through her business, Midnight Music, and focusses on incorporating technology into the music curriculum. Katie is also the author of the middle school MusicEDU curriculum program Studio Sessions and is currently writing an ebook titled iPad Projects for the Music Classroom. For more information, please visit www.midnightmusic.com.au
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Scaling Flipped Learning Part 1:
Technology Strategy
| By Jon Bergmann | As flipped learning continues to grow, there is a greater need for flipped learning to scale beyond individual teachers flipping, to larger roll-outs with systemic planning and leadership. This article is the first out of seven in a series A 2014 study indicates that 46 percent of US principals expect that new teachers to the profession should already know how to flip a class upon graduation from a teacher training program. There is also a growing body of research which demonstrates that flipped learning is showing significant growth in student achievement, satisfaction and teacher satisfaction. As schools begin to implement the model, what kinds and type of support should school leaders provide? This past year, I worked with a group of teachers from a variety of schools who were implementing flipped learning into their classes. I was with them three to four times during the year and got to know their successes and challenges. Several of them had great results and are saying they can never go back. Others faced significant challenges which left them frustrated. They are convinced that flipped learning works, but they needed a greater level of support.
A more systemic approach to flipped learning is needed. Though flipped learning can be executed by one teacher in a class with little support from administrators, it is not ideal. It is time for schools, and especially school leaders, to set up systems which will ensure maximal success for teachers. Three systems need to change for flipped learning to flourish on a large scale in a school or district: technological systems, pedagogical systems and evaluation methodologies. Underlying all of these is the need for simplification. The current technological systems, pedagogy and evaluation methods are too complex. This article addresses the technological systems; the pedagogical and evaluation methodologies needed to implement flipped learning at scale will be discussed in a subsequent article. Technology Technology infrastructure matters. If there is inadequate technology, flipped learning is difficult to implement. All of the large-scale flipped learning cases I have seen around the world have had to invest significantly in the technology infrastructu e. EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 023
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Integration It is important to think through what technology is best suited for the school or district. When I consult with schools starting on this journey, I insist on spending time with their IT staff discussing their unique technology infrastructure. Integration is the key. Which tools should a school choose to integrate with existing technology infrastructure? Schools need to address questions such as: • Is this tool compatible with our single sign-on platform? • Does this tool integrate with our learning management system? • Does this tool integrate with our student information system? • Does this tool work on all of the school devices? • Which tools are best for the hardware infrastructure of our school? The best tools for a PC are different than for a Mac and still different yet for a Chromebook. These and many other integration questions should be answered before bringing flipped lea ning to scale. Video Creation There are many ways to create flipped videos. Teachers can use their smartphone, a document camera, or screen-capture software. Choosing the right suite of tools makes a big difference in the success of any flipped lea ning initiative. Video Hosting Where will the videos be stored? Should a school host its videos on YouTube, TeacherTube, Google Drive, or in their learning management system? Each of these decisions is best made systemically. It is not efficient if teachers are hosting their videos in different locations. Learning Management Systems (LMS) I have seen cases where one school has one teacher using Edmodo, another Schoology, another eChalk, another Google Classroom, and yet another Moodle. Though each of these tools is good, having so many options only creates confusion amongst the students and staff.
Technology infrastructure matters. If there is inadequate technology, flipped learning is difficult to implement.
Professional development also because technology trainers have to be able to work on any and all platforms. Thus, it is recommended that a school support only one LMS.
suffers
Workfl ws When I was Lead Technology Facilitator at a school district in Illinois, it became abundantly clear that I needed to develop simple workflows for teachers. If a teacher has to use one program to make a video, another one to add in interactivity and another to host a video, then the system complexity discourages teachers from implementing flipped learning. School leaders need to make flipped learning simple and carefully think through their workflows. Workflows should be customised to require fewer clicks and less technological expertise. What Happens when Flipped Learning is not Supported? One challenge heard all too often from teachers is that the school-provided devices do not work. There is nothing more frustrating than planning a lesson which requires technology and then the technology does not function. Unreliable devices need to be jettisoned and be replaced by devices that turn on quickly and function without issues. Teachers are also frustrated with a lack of access to school devices. There may be an iPad cart or Chromebook cart, but since they cannot get timely and regular access to the devices, they quickly give up.
Upgrading the technology infrastructure requires an outlay of money but, in this digitally connected world, this must be a priority in schools. So, if school leaders want to implement flipped learning with efficacy in their schools, they must think bigger. They must think systemically about workflows and infrastructure. I would love to hear from you. What successes have you had with flipped learning? If you are a lone teacher flipping, what do you wish your school could provide? Stay tuned for the next article in the next issue of Education Technology Solutions where the pedagogical systems and the evaluation methodologies to bring flipped lea ning to scale will be discussed. For those interested in learning more, you can meet me at FlipCon Gold Coast 2016 (13–15 October 2016) or FlipCon Adelaide 2016 (17–19 N ovember 2016). For more information or to register, visit; FlipConAus.com ETS Jon Bergmann is one of the pioneers of the Flipped Class Movement. Jon is leading the worldwide adoption of flipped learning by working with governments, schools, corporations and education non-profits. He is the author of seven books, including the bestselling book: Flip Your Classroom, which has been translated into 10 languages. He is the founder of the global FlipCon conferences, which are dynamic engaging events that inspire educators to transform their practice through flipped lea ning.
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Before We Pull The Big Lever: 3 Steps To Re-Imagine Before We Re-Invent | By Tom March | In the last article of this series, it was suggested that true innovation had yet to transform schools and that one way to help this happen is to ‘pull the big lever’ and change tests: the de facto reality of what matters in schools. Ready, Aim, Hang on there one minute… Instead of racing to what these tests could look like and how to get started today, this article will be used as an often-missing moment of pause, to engage readers in educational analysis to get at an understanding that must change if innovation (not the churn of new bandwagons and buzzwords) is to replace the status quo with an improved and irrevocable reality. In short, educators must confront the last great innovation – the mass production model of schooling and its codified curriculum – and dismantle the old technologies that underpin it: rigid management of time, entrenched and unquestioned routines, and the disjointed and artificial dissection and delivery of learning. Step 1: From Motherhood to What Really Matters The author has previously argued the importance of a school’s clear vision for student learning and cited the work of Michael Fullan, school change expert, who champions a shared moral imperative as the most important tool for managing positive change in schools. Capturing a common purpose of this above all else affects how people see their jobs and makes them willingly contribute to the team effort. As Fullan (2002) writes, “There is no greater motivator than internal accountability to oneself and one’s peers.” EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 027
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coverstory Analysis: Vision Statements Most schools have a vision statement and, as unique as each school is, it is amazing how similar vision statements tend to be. A non-scientific but thorough review of more than 100 school mission statements highlights this fact. At the risk of appearing cynical or critical, a fairly representative school vision could be created by looking for common aspects:
So the articulation of what is really meant by these goals is critical. What does preparation for their future look like in Year 3 or Year 10 history? What does encourage lifelong learning look like in Year 6 Mathematics or Year 12 English? More accurately, what do these look like on a progression from none to emerging to expanding to exemplary to exceeding, regardless of year level? After all, how old
Main Categories
Actual Descriptors
Students as unique
each, personal, individual, respected, their potential
The ‘whole child’
academic, physical, emotional, social, personal growth
Character traits
ethical, respect, faith, leadership, committed, pursue excellence
Responsibility
global citizens, stewards of the world, serve their communities, own learning
Learning
lifelong, styles, personalised, community, unique, continuous
Exercise: From Big Goals to Busy Schools As an exercise, readers can see how their own school’s vision statement compares to the above or includes any of the above aspects. Such a review may create some disquiet or sense of rebellion in some, “Okay, so maybe ours is a lot like other schools, but we really are different.” After the substantial investment in querying its community to create its particular vision statement, it can be frustrating to see how essentially similar one school’s statement may be to others. But rather than a flaw, this highlights a strength in that everyone shares a concern for the growth and wellbeing of the young. However, the reason many people become cynical about such visions is they rarely move beyond the motherhood statements, about which no one will argue. To be reasonable, who is going to champion the contrary: ‘to prepare students for the past’ or ‘discourage lifelong learning’? Yet a common conversation with schools involves how some staff, maybe even most, ‘get it’, but still go back to habits of teacher-directed, calendar-based and content-driven, one-size-fi s-all classroom practices. Some teachers have shifted from these constraints, but few schools have.
a student is does not equate with his or her performance. Drawing from the list of descriptors above, the following sample vision could be constructed for students: At ______________, we nurture each individual student to achieve excellence and his/her own personal growth, to become a lifelong learner ready for his/her future and to act with leadership and engage as a citizen of the world. How do the motherhood statements stack up against the current model of schooling? If the vision is broken down into goals, how might the way they are addressed in a typical school be described?
Okay, so this is a bit of fun and perhaps a little mean-spirited, but the point is fair. Educators say they want to do these great things (and they do), but habit, busyness and urgent tasks keep them doing what they have always done (correction: been doing only since mass production of education began). How do educators make this leap from the big picture to daily practice? The answer could be to pull the big lever and change tests, but the point of this article is to prompt reflection to fully understand why by the time readers get to how. Step 2: Getting Specific about Criteria The link between sincere big-picture goals and how they are addressed and achieved in schools comes down to unpacking and articulation. In other words, greater precision in describing what educators want is needed so that it is clear to all students, teachers and parents, so that schools move from motherhood statements to a moral imperative. The criteria, the main aspects, the key factors and so on are needed so that, when taken as a whole, they capture a more detailed picture of the school’s goals for students. Some schools have engaged in a community exercise of finding the exact right words to capture this articulated and vibrant vision. This experience in itself – which grows moral imperative – is more important than the specific words chosen. However, at the end of such efforts, what one school comes up with looks a lot like the terminology that many other schools might choose, which makes sense. Like
Goal
Descriptors from a Typical School
nurture
= teach?
each individual student
= classes? year groups? houses?
achieve excellence
= within course expectations? against marking guides?
personal growth
= co-curricular? health class? should parents do this?
become lifelong learners
= besides ATAR? Umm… university? trade? career?
ready for their futures
ignore this since no one knows…
act with leadership
= head boy/girl? prefects? sports captains? get them into clubs?
engage as citizens of the world
= register with the Australian Electoral Commission? vote? (is that not compulsory?)
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coverstory the commonalities in vision statements, their further articulation will yield roughly similar criteria, so do not spend so much time choosing the words as fully discussing, unpacking and bringing them to life. So what words might be used? Everyone can recite the litany: problem solving, critical thinking, interpersonal skills, creativity, resilience, motivation and so on. They are often referred to as 21st century skills or non-cognitive skills and, as offputting as both phrases might be, these skills and characteristics are actually quite good. Here is a starter list that might help brainstorming.
Once the list is generated, make it part of the school community by using existing means or inventing new communication and collaboration methods: consider professional learning communities, online polls, parent and graduate surveys, newsletters, school assemblies, speech nights and so on. The desired outcome is a set of headings or skills that can be used to start building rubrics or matrices of criteria. This process rallies all attention to defining a shared and articulated vision, making sure the criteria capture the main things everyone thinks are important.
The link between sincere big-picture goals and how they are addressed and achieved in schools comes down to unpacking and articulation.
A Criteria Sampler problem solving
critical thinking
interpersonal skills
creativity
resilience
innovation
self-initiative
curiosity
collaborating
communication
ethical
leadership
character
lifelong learner
respectful
optimistic
outward-looking
persistence
self-control
wellness
Exercise: Choose the Wording Begin by sending an open invitation across the school community, including teachers, parents, current and former students, local businesses, non-profits and so on – any stakeholders valued by the school. To be respectful of everyone’s time, this first group’s job is simply to generate a list of key criteria that, taken together, would be the critical factors that describe students’ success at achieving the school’s vision. Depending on the level of interest, the school could hold meetings or create a collaborative online document to give everyone a voice and ability to contribute. N ext, in a similarly transparent and open process, whittle the full list down to a manageable number that is probably more than five, but less than a dozen. Consider using a ranking tool such as PollDaddy or any online survey to make the task simple. Notice that besides choosing the criteria, this is really getting the word out, beginning the popularisation process that will lead to group buy-in and a shared moral imperative.
Step 3: Teacher-led Revival to Build a Richer Curriculum or… NEW TESTS For years, the author has counselled the need to design a richer curriculum, one created by teachers sitting together to develop a continuum of engaging, authentic challenges that students could pursue at individual paces, driven by individual choices, but working within a shared curricular framework. This is still a good option, but few schools find the time required to engage in this work. So, if there is no appetite for redesigning the curriculum, a quicker approach to the same end can be to pull the big lever. What really drives teacher and student behaviour? What has to be done, not what teachers or students want to do or what they know would be good for them. When things are busy – and there are few busier places than a school – both teachers and students make sure they do what counts. “Will this be on the test?” asks the perceptive student. “I have to finish writing these reports,” says the tired teacher at 11:00pm.
So what if (the trigger phrase for innovation), instead of trying to shift schools, teacher practice or student appreciation, educators changed the test? REALLY changed the test? What does this look like in practice? How can it be done at the classroom, school and system levels? In the next article in this series, we pull the big lever with richer tests that use the school vision’s criteria to help achieve what really matters most. ETS
For a full list of references, email info@interactivemediasolutions.com.au Tom March is the Director of Innovation K-12 at Hobsons Edumate and is a long-time contributor of strategies for making learning more real, rich and relevant. He can be contacted via email tom@ozline.com or tom.march@hobsons.com
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feature
Document The Learning Journey Through Digital Portfolios
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| By Emily MacLean | As students develop through the school year, they develop and refine their skills and practice by setting new goals, creating action plans and engaging with actionable items as a means to work towards achieving their goals while reflecting throughout the process. An ePortfolio is one way of documenting and reflecting on a student’s learning journey in a meaningful and authentic way. It serves as a place for students to highlight and reflect on pieces of selected work, which can be shared with parents, teachers and peers. The structure of ePortfolios can vary depending on the age of students, goals of the school and individual choice. Questions to Consider When beginning the process towards implementing ePortfolios, teachers and administrators should reflect on a number of questions prior to rolling them out. • What is the purpose of the ePortfolio? • What will it look like? • Who has ownership of the ePortfolio? • Who is the audience it will be shared with? • How will it work? • What are the roles of various stakeholders? • What opportunities are there for reflection with the ePortfolios? These questions help to clarify how, why and when eportfolios will be used in the classroom for all stakeholders. What is the purpose of the ePortfolio? Defining the goal of the ePortfolio is key for all of the stakeholders. Some ePortfolios may be more focused on the process of learning (snapshots of learning throughout the experience), product focused (finished pieces of work) or even a combination of both. Some schools may focus more on only student-selected pieces or they may mandate teacher selected pieces or, again, somewhere along the continuum. To summarise one approach a school might take, an ePortfolio may be a process journal to reflect on the journey of learning through student-selected pieces of work with reflections, with input and guidance from their teachers. What will it look like? What ePortfolios look like in schools depends on a variety of factors varying from device type, platform choice and age level. The experience of creating ePortfolios is very different for students who have a laptop or an iPad. There a number of different platforms available to create student ePortfolios. Whether using Easy Blogger Jr, Seesaw, Managebac or Google Sites, it is important for schools to
consider their existing systems and how the implementation of ePortfolios may work within these systems. One concern schools often have with the development of ePortfolios is that they must be consistent throughout the school: if one year group uses one application, all must use the same. While this is true to a certain extent, it is more appropriate to ensure that the choice of platform is appropriate for the age of the students. This could mean that it may be better for younger students to use iPads and a blogging application using pictures, videos and audio reflections, while junior students transition to a more sophisticated platform to incorporate a wider range of multimedia selections, written reflections and a more comprehensive scope of all learning of subjects, concepts and skills. Regardless of what a school uses to create its ePortfolios, it is most important that it works for the needs of the learning community. Who has ownership of the ePortfolio? It is key to define ownership as it implicates the buyin and enthusiasm towards developing the ePortfolio. Ideally, the owner of the ePortfolio is the student. The ePortfolio is created by the student for the purpose of reflecting, goal setting and sharing his learning with others. While others (parents, teachers, peers, administration) are all stakeholders in the ePortfolio process and support the student through the process, the student should have ultimate control over what, when and how their learning is demonstrated to their audience. Who is the audience? Identifying who will see and interact with the ePortfolios further creates a defined purpose for students. The ePortfolios should be a source of information to inform teaching practice. It is beneficial for teachers to confer with their students and their ePortfolio to gain greater insight into their work and reflection This also allows for coaching of students on the refinement of their goals and planning for next steps. Students may share their portfolio with other students in class and across year groups. This promotes sharing of learning both vertically and horizontally. Peer assessment/feedback is an important part of the process, allowing students to learn how to give and receive constructive feedback from others, while learning from the work of others. Students connect their learning with home by sharing with family members and making connections beyond the classroom. Parents can review the portfolio with their child at the end of each unit and discuss their learning and growth over the course of the unit. Many platforms allow parents to subscribe to updates where they receive instant feedback EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 033
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feature when new entries are added, further adding to timely conversations to connect the learning. Parents should engage with the opportunity to ignite discussion with their child and comment on their work. How will it work? The logistics of implementation can often make or break the success of any new implementation process. Having a discussion with teachers about how to facilitate implementation in the classroom invites teachers to explore strategies with one another. How many devices do you have? Will this be a once a week task or ongoing as appropriate when students want to add? What requirements do you have for students with their reflections? How will you monitor student progress, entries and conferring? How much time a week do you need to allocate with your planning? All of these questions help to foresee potential areas that would break the flow of implementation. By visualising the plan in advance, teachers are able to plan for successful implementation. What are the roles of various stakeholders? As a school, identifying the stakeholders and their role allows for each stakeholder to have a greater understanding of how they can positively impact the process of ePortfolio implementation and reflections. Once the stakeholders and their role have been identified actionable items of how they may achieve their role helps to develop transparency amongst stakeholders. The role of the student may be to create and maintain an ePortfolio throughout the academic year as a way to reflect on his learning and share his growth. By unpacking this role, the student will have a better understanding of how to select pieces, how many pieces should be included throughout the reflection process (as a minimum), how they should reflect and how they will share with others. There should be role clarity for all teachers who support the student
with their ePortfolio: the homeroom teacher, the single subject teacher, the English as a second language teacher, educational support teaching assistants and learning support teachers. Each of these roles play a crucial part in the overall student experience. Where appropriate, the role of the education technology coach should be outlined in how they will support both teachers and students as they navigate the digital portfolio process to ensure implementation does not fully fall on either the homeroom teacher or the education technology coach. Rather, support should be shared by all. As part of the sharing phase of the process, parents and peers become stakeholders. Parents need to be taught how to engage and interact with digital work, as it may not be a familiar concept or area of comfort. Providing parents with the educational tools to engage with the portfolio and engage in conversations with their child allows for deeper reflections and conversations with their child. Similarly, peers need to understand how to construct their peer feedback to be meaningful and effective without being critical. This is a life skill that can support students beyond the portfolio. Finally, a shared understanding of the technical aspects of the portfolios needs to be decided. If present, it will likely be the IT department. However, where these departments do not exist at a school level, it may fall to the homeroom teacher or an administrator. To reduce frustrations, the responsibility of creating the templates and deploying them to students, as well as technical problem solving, need to have a stakeholder identified for this ole. What opportunities are there for reflection As students contribute work to their digital portfolio, they have the opportunity to reflect on any of their work samples, noticing their strengths and areas of growth. They may reflec on how they have demonstrated the learner profile attributes, attitudes and transdisciplinary skills through the
selected work samples and their actions at school. Students may reflect on how they have developed throughout the year, as well as between years. AgeÂ-appropriate reflection strategies are key to developing successful reflections. Younger students may wish to reflect through audio, videos, photographs and limited written text, whereas older students may focus on written reflection more. By allowing for choice in how reflections are documented, individual needs shine through with student reflections Focusing on the importance of students Regardless of how the school or the teacher defines these questions, the focus of the ePortfolio should always come back to the students, their learning experiences and growth. The digital portfolio demonstrates a snapshot of a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s learning over the course of the year and time within a school. As students progress through the year groups, the portfolio evolves with them, allowing for further reflection between years and not just within a year level. When the ePortfolio is designed with students and their learning as central to the process, ePortfolios can add valuable reflection, documented evidence of learning and a platform for sharing growth, challenges and successes of students as a means of supporting their continual learning journey. ETS
Emily MacLean is an international educator working at Chatsworth International School in Singapore as the education technology coach. She is a Google for Education Certifie Innovator (GUR14), a Google for Education Certified Trainer and an Apple Distinguished Educator (Class of 2015). She enthusiastically supports teachers across the primary school to effectively integrate education technology into the classroom. She is currently completing her Masters of Education (Information Technologies) from Charles Sturt University.
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The Benefi s Of In-House Printing:
How Schools Can Save Money And Time By Using Internal Resources
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officespace Despite the long-ago promise of the paperless office and the increase in digitised content, schools still need to print a variety of materials, from application forms to exam papers and from yearbooks to event posters. To date, many schools outsource all but the most minor of printing jobs for a number of reasons. For example, they may not have the relevant equipment for printing or finishing on campus. They may also find cost efficiencie in printing larger volumes externally. Most schools do not have enough resources and staff to spend time managing big print runs and the staff that are available often have no formal or updated training. Additionally, many schools simply do not have the physical space for a print room. This has all added up to a culture of outsourcing print jobs. However, advances in technology mean that in-house digital printing operations are emerging as a viable way to deliver organisation-wide efficiencie and to pave the way for competitive differentiation and innovation. While digital production solutions have been around for some time, recent technological advances mean the quality and flexibility of digital printing is better than ever before. Digital printing is also relatively low cost and high speed, meeting demands of now and in the future. Four Drivers towards In-house Digital Printing There are four main trends that have emerged to drive the demand for in-house digital printing operations:
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Print automation It has been well documented that, by streamlining the workflow, an organisation can make bottom-line boosting cost savings, efficiency and productivity increases, along with reductions in human intervention and errors. The development of print automation technology has allowed the print room to streamline production processes with farreaching benefits for the whole o ganisation.
Traditionally, finishing was considered the major bottleneck area in the print production workflow due to its complexity and labour intensity. Latest developments in inline and near-line finishing equipment for digital printing, such as collators, binders and folders, are now automating the set-up to reduce make-ready, especially for repeat or same format jobs. Automating print production with job tickets is simple and straightforward, and includes the automatic set-up of output devices as well as fully automated inline finishing Due to their integral role in the automated workflow, in-house printing operations are being called upon to share the valuable data they have access to, such as the volume of print jobs, invoices, customer communications and marketing pieces, which can drive operational efficiencies by informing management decision making.
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Web-to-print Web-to-print software lets users easily submit print jobs using an Internet browser. Its role in process automation is critical for cost efficiency. Web-to-print is fast evolving into web-to-finish and web-to-product in organisations investing in their own comprehensive online printing capabilities based on all-inclusive, fully automated workflows Educational institutions are well placed to leverage web-to-print solutions further as online portals for creating, archiving, managing and deploying communications between teachers and students, or between the school, students and parents. Such portals might even provide certain variable data printing capabilities that enable nonprint or non-design staff to create, customise and order personalised documents. Maximising the value proposition of webto-print requires a fi m dedication to the process, the development of an easy-to-use interface and promotion of the tool to those most suited to using it.
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Shift to cross media If students, parents and industry partners prefer to access information from a variety of channels, schools and universities that want to remain competitive and prominent need to find a variety of ways to each them. Cross media applications are tipped to become one of the fastest growing production tools. To keep up profitability many print providers and in-house print facilities have already diversified their services portfolio beyond just printing to cross media offerings. Just as institutions can no longer afford to offer their stakeholders generic, hard copy mail outs, neither can print providers afford to limit their offerings. They also need to coordinate and consult throughout the entire set-up for this mailing to include, for example, a personalised URL (PURL) that takes the recipient from print to the web, or a QR code that the recipient scans with his mobile phone to offer more information via the web. An increasingly important aspect of cross media outreach is personalisation. Personalising a document so that it addresses everything from the individual recipientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name, salutation, demographic, past results to his subject preferences, is a powerful demonstration of the relevance of the communication.
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Shift from offset to digital The 2010 InfoTrends study, Future Proof Investments in Document Technology, found that those who rely on in-house print centres expect turnaround within 48 hours for run lengths up to 4,999. Like the external print provider, the focus of the inhouse printing operation is to provide the best, most responsive service to its clients. The advantage of the in-house centre is its proximity and its exhaustive understanding of the school and the wider implications associated with failing to respond effectively to demands for fast turnaround. In addition to greater demand for quicker turnaround times, the expectation for more
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Quality N ew technology means high-quality digital printing is able to produce high-quality finished printed material. Schools can also maintain control by monitoring jobs as they are printing, which means they can make adjustments where required and ensure that the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s colours and branding are presented correctly.
Advances in technology mean that in-house digital printing operations are emerging as a viable way to deliver organisationwide efficiencies and o pave the way for competitive differentiation and innovation.
complex finishes and more engaging and conspicuous materials has also increased. Digital, with its superior variable data and inline finishing capabilities, looks set to continue its unwavering climb in popularity over offset. Digital production processes allow frequent, last-minute information updates and, as a result, eliminate a great deal of printed waste. Digital printing has responded to the call not only for faster turnaround, but costefficient shorter run-lengths, personalisation in marketing and transactional documents, and print on-demand. The new technology behind digital print systems is better than ever before, so the accuracy and consistency that was elusive is now achievable. Six Reasons to bring Printing In-house There are six key reasons schools should bring professional printing in-house:
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Control and cost savings Outsourcing the printing of yearbooks can be costly to deliver perfectly bound, fullcolour, quality yearbooks. To achieve printing and finishing discounts, schools are often required to order a minimum amount, which may end up being surplus to requirements. Managing the process in-house means
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Consistency Using the same equipment and processes for every print job can help schools ensure their materials are presented correctly and consistently, every time. It makes it possible to reproduce logo colours to the highest quality.
schools can produce these materials as required, reducing waste and delivering more control over the entire process.
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Flexibility Being able to respond fast to things like requests for a prospectus gives schools a potential competitive edge. This flexibilit to print materials on demand reduces the chance of existing materials going out of date and becoming wasted, while still letting schools respond quickly.
This fl xibility to print materials on demand reduces the chance of existing materials going out of date and becoming wasted, while still letting schools respond quickly.
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Bulk printing By automatically diverting larger print jobs to the print room instead of printing on office multifunction printers, schools can save time and money and free up the multifunction printers for smaller print work. Production press printers offer higher quality as well as cost savings.
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Customisation Printing professional-quality materials in-house provides opportunities to customise materials on the fly, creating high-value, personalised communications. This can include prospectuses, letters, report cards and more. How Konica Minolta can help Konica Minolta works closely with schools around Australia to find ways to streamline their processes and lower costs by better managing print volumes and complex printing requirements. Cutting-edge solutions help schools take back control and improve print room functionality and capacity, letting schools realise significant time and cost savings through bringing printing in-house. ETS
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What About University For My Millennial Son Or Daughter? | By Shelley Kinash |
There has been lots of media about university lately that makes parents wonder whether it is the right choice for their sons and daughters. This article starts by acknowledging the negatives and worries, but read on for a balanced perspective and advice. Some of the recent arguments against university include: • In the new digital economy, the workforce is changing, work is being replaced by computers; there is more crowd- sourced contract work and there are fewer traditional full-time careers. • There are free alternatives to university such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which some futurists believe are going to replace campuses. • It is challenging to choose a degree pathway because the types of jobs graduates can expect at the beginning of their degrees will likely have changed by the time they graduate. Furthermore, universities are often unclear about what degrees lead to what jobs. • In the massification of higher education, there are far more graduates than there are relevant discipline-related job vacancies. • Graduate outcomes (the percentage of graduates employed full-time after four months) are the lowest they have been in 20 years. • Employers say that university is not giving graduates the skills, capabilities and attitudes they need to be hired and then to be successful employees. • There is an increase in the opportunities and support for entrepreneurship and start-up ventures that do not necessarily take a degree. • Pressure-related anxiety and stress are on the uprise and the first-year drop-out rates are high. • Enrolment costs are rising; government funding is predicted to significantly decrease, thereby putting more of the costs onto families, and cost of living while attending university is expensive. EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 041
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Nextstep ATARS Then there are conversations about the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). These are the scores that are calculated for graduating secondary students that may determine qualifications for different types of university degrees. For example, medicine, engineering and law have traditionally been known to require higher ATARs than degrees like business, arts and humanities. However, universities tend to be unclear about ATAR cut-offs for various degrees and the student admission scores vary from yearto-year. There is widespread agreement that there are a higher percentage of admitted students with lower ATARs than ever before. Universities have scaledup their support for students entering with lower ATARs and other factors, which may increase the risk of failing or dropping out. There is, however, conflicting evidence and widespread debate as to whether or not ATARs are valid predictors of university success. The students who graduated from Year 12 at the top of their classes are not always those who breeze through university. Even if they do continue on to achieve high distinctions (HDs) in university, employers report that the most academic students are not always the best employees because their intense studying may mean that they have missed out on well-rounded life experiences. At the other end of the spectrum, some students struggle with the generalist curriculum of secondary school and consequently achieve low ATARs. They may ‘find’ themselves in university and do very well when they are studying a particular discipline that they are passionate about. The implications are that parents should not classify their son or daughter according to ATARs. There are secondary students with high and low ATARs who are excellent candidates for university and experience success within university and beyond into their careers; while the converse is also true.
Why University? The most straightforward arguments are economic. The United States Department of Education’s (2015) research indicates that: • University graduates with a Bachelor’s degree typically earn 66 percent more than those with only a high school diploma, and are also far less likely to face unemployment. • Over the course of a lifetime, the average worker with a Bachelor’s degree will earn approximately $1 million more than a worker without a post-secondary education. • By 2020, an estimated two-thirds of job openings will require post- secondary education or training. (http://www.edu.gov/news/ press-releases/fact-sheet-focusing- higher-education-student-success). There is every reason to believe that these American statistics will hold up equally in Australia. While facts have not been as clearly presented, evidence from the Federal Government indicates an equivalent future. There are many other benefits to university education. For example, university graduates have been known to have: • higher quality of life, happiness and satisfaction • expanded relationships and opportunities to meet people from diverse contexts • love for learning and quest for knowledge • more open doors, possibilities and opportunities • self-esteem, status and respect from others • defined and actioned values, ethics, morals and empathy • critical-thinking, problem-solving and research skills as well as the ability to differentiate between fact or supported thinking, and opinion or beliefs • heightened social and communication skills due to the
on-campus experience of interacting with large groups of people on a daily basis. Early Indicators that University is the Right Choice So how do parents gauge whether or not their son or daughter should be applying for university or pursuing an alternative pathway? Before considering if, it is important to consider when. N ot all Year 12 graduates are ready (or wanting) to go from high school straight into university. Some Year 12 graduates need more time or experiences to decide which disciplines or degrees to pursue. Others may need a break from studying before committing themselves to more. Economic circumstances may necessitate working to afford living away from home at a university of choice. Not immediately commencing university does not mean that students are forever cut off from higher education. There are numerous alternative pathways for mature-aged learners. Here are some indicators that university may be the right choice now. The student: • wants to go to university and is not only going because parents say so or because that is what his or her friends are doing • has some ideas as to what he or she is interested in learning more about and/or pursuing as a career • may not know what he or she wants to learn but still wants to learn something; in this case, attending a university that subscribes to the Melbourne model may be wise so that he or she can spend a year in a variety of units (tasting options) before committing to a specific degree pathway • shows some commitment, dedication and resilience for study; those who complained their way through high school and avoided homework and revision where possible may not be
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ready for the heightened level of commitment at university. If university remains a consideration, then there are ways of navigating and managing one’s student experience that will make the problems and worries listed at the beginning of this article less likely. In other words, encouraging university-bound students to follow this advice will decrease their chances of dropping out, failing, getting stressed or graduating unemployed.
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Get skills (especially in technology and media) Employers are vocal that many university graduates know theory but cannot apply it and lack skills. When they say skills, they mean both transferable and career-specific skills. Both kinds usually apply to the networked digital space. At university, seek out and practise opportunities to write clear emails without grammar and spelling mistakes. Learn how to write business reports as well as academic essays. Communicate in plain, user-friendly language and learn how to build appropriate engagement through social media. Beyond learning specific software, learn how to learn new software to stay up-to-date with constant evolution and change. Know what apps do what and how to keep abreast of the latest trends.
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Differentiate and brand yourself (including online) People talk about the massification of higher education. This means that there are many more university graduates than there are job vacancies in a field. Graduates are going to have to know and be able to confidently say why they are the best hiring choice. Stand out from the crowd. Students should research what skills employers are looking for by reading relevant job adverts through their degree, and make sure they have those skills by the
time they graduate. This can be done by carefully selecting subjects, by doing an internship and/or volunteer work, or by enrolling in extra-to-load workshops and outside-university training. Graduates also differentiate themselves by their extra-curricular activities, which leads to the next point.
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Pursue extra-curricular activities throughout university There are many options, including any concentration or combination of sport, music, drama, clubs, societies, student leadership and so on. There are numerous reasons why this is important. Employers are increasingly vocal that seeing extra-curricular activities on an application is a key and vital recruitment criterion. Many say they will not hire graduates unless there is evidence that these graduates are well-rounded. Participating in extracurricular activities helps develop the three super-skills that employers are most looking for – communication, motivation/initiative and leadership. Extra-curricular activities should be fun, which reduces stress and increases relationships and thus social supports. Furthermore, these relationships extend one’s networks, which in turn improves employment prospects.
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Use the education technology that universities provide Every university now has a learning management system (LMS) like Blackboard or Moodle where students access their assessment tasks, schedule, readings and interactive exercises. Most subject sites include extra readings, lecture recordings for revision, FAQs, glossaries and optional quizzes so that students can self-assess how they are going and where they need to devote more energy. There is clear evidence of a link between student engagement with the provided education technology and student success. Students who
delay or minimise use of the available education technology tools and resources are at much higher risk of failing, dropping out and/or not gaining employment upon graduation. It is vitally important that students fully use the provided education technology tools and resources early and often throughout their degree.
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Take full advantage of student support Universities have many varied supports for students that go well beyond assigned tutors and lecturers. Every university has a career centre, which all students should visit in their first year to maximise employability so that they are ready upon graduation. There are extra academic supports for all, (whether students are at risk of failing or wanting to move from a credit to a distinction). Libraries have much more than books, online and face-to-face. There are counselling services for the full continuum of issues. It is critically important that students explore and discover all that their university has to offer and take full advantage. Today’s exciting digital times are changing the workforce and people’s overall lives in ways that they are only beginning to discover. Rather than making university obsolete, the digital revolution is heightening the need for carefully managed higher education experiences and educated citizens. Development of education technology also means that university students are supported like never before and they need to fully take advantage of these opportunities. ETS
Dr Shelley Kinash is the Director of Learning and Teaching at Bond University. She can be contacted via email at skinash@bond.edu.au
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Effective Use Of Digital Tools To Promote Creativity In Assessment | By James Jenkins | One of the topics that we cover in Year 9 science at Canterbury College is ecology. As a biology teacher, I have always enjoyed teaching this unit of work. Food webs, biotic and abiotic factors, and energy pyramids are all very interesting concepts. However, despite our best efforts, we found that student engagement was decreasing. N ot just with the lessons, but also with the assessment. Of course, assessment should be for learning, not just of learning, and we were unsure that our exam was the best way to do this. It had a good range of questions, allowing us to determine how well students had understood the concepts, but we felt that we could do better. The decision was made to organise the unit of work and the culminating assessment in a different way; a way that would allow more student choice, allow for more relevance and allow students to be more creative about how they would demonstrate their knowledge. We know that our students are engaged by the use of digital tools, so we wanted to utilise this engagement to help them learn the ecological concepts. We decided to get the students to research an ecological disaster and then look at the impact of that disaster on the ecosystem. They could choose between a range of options, such as the Stradbroke Island bushfires of 2014, the Brisbane floods of 2011 or the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, or from occurrences of introduced species like cane toads or fire ants. If the students could not find anything on the list that they wanted to study, they could come up with their own topic.
The reason for using the disaster is that students would need to analyse and evaluate their research to understand the impact on the ecosystem. It is not as easy as going to Google for the answer. Students could find pieces of information, but would need to put them all together to answer our questions well. The research phase consisted of some very specific questions that students needed to answer in the context of their chosen ecological disaster. This needed to show us that the students had gained knowledge of the important concepts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the same concepts that the test had previously assessed. The next phase of the assessment was for students to create a news story style presentation. We looked at how news delivery has changed over time. Students considered the way that digital magazines like National Geographic now intertwine text, photos, animations, interactives and videos into their articles. They could immediately see the effect that this has in terms of audience engagement and connectedness to the story. The students were then told that they needed to turn their research into something similar. They needed to create a news story that would tell the tale of the ecological disaster that they had chosen, and the effect that it had on the ecosystem. Students would need to explain the ecology of the area before the disaster, the predator-prey relationships, the estimated populations and so on, and then explore the impact of the disaster and look at future predictions. EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 045
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Many of our students were excited to be creating this type of presentation, but did not really know what to do or where to start. We spent a lesson where the students were exposed to a range of different tools that they might like to consider using: Microsoft Sway, Weebly, emaze, various video and picture editing tools, Voki, Survey Monkey, Smile Box, Comic Master, Google Maps, Screencast-O-Matic, and more. We wanted to allow the students to tell their story their way, but needed to expose them to the possibilities that digital tools provide. We had decided when planning the assessment to give dedicated time to the presentation phase. The students had spent two weeks analysing and compiling their research and they now had two weeks to work on their presentations. This might seem like wasted curriculum time to some, but giving that time to the task meant that we had high expectations of the end product. We also knew that the skills that students would develop in using these digital tools would be valuable long after the conclusion of this unit of work. In fact, students in this group have since used these tools in a range of other subjects and in out-of-school projects. The range of approaches to this task was very encouraging. Some students opted to make their story into a documentary in which they could include footage from the ecosystem, the before and after disaster food webs that they had constructed and the audio that they narrated. Other students chose to use blogs (mostly edublogs) or websites as the platform for their presentation. They could then create a range of different multimedia to populate the page and tell the story. Weebly was a popular choice for a website as the simple drag and drop
boxes for headings, text images and video are easy to use. It also allows the easy integration of embedded codes from a range of sources and easy linking to other pages and external sites. Microsoft Sway was also utilised well. Students could easily access this without the need to sign up, as it is part of our Office 365 package. It is basically a one-page website that allows you to organise a range of media types into your presentation. The design and remix tools also added some very creative options that made some of the news stories look very neat. As creating webbased products using Sway and Weebly can result in a larger audience, the students were motivated to do a good job.
We know that our students are engaged by the use of digital tools, so we wanted to utilise this engagement to help them learn the ecological concepts. It turned out that students were also very good at combining tools to do what they wanted, rather than settling for something because it was easier. For example, a few students combined PowerPoint and Screencast-O-Matic to turn their static presentation into a narrated video. Some other students had designed an avatar in Voki to read some information. The embedded code that they got from this was not supported in Sway, so they decided to use Jing to record the talking avatar and then put this into Sway. It is important to know that none of the teachers were fluent in the use of all the tools that the students used. We did some initial research to determine the digital tools that we would introduce to the students, which included a brief description on what they could do with
them. It was then up to the students to investigate them further. Quite often, the students and teachers were learning how things worked together. Students would also learn from each other. Someone would come across a good tool for a particular purpose and share it with the others in the class that could utilise it. This only worked as well as it did because we had built in the time to spend on the presentation and communication of their stories. In general, the end products were very good. The best stories really captured the attention of the audience. The mix of media that was used to not only present the conceptual information, but to also tell a story, really worked. It was clear to see that the students had gained a deeper understanding of the ecological ideas than they would have done by passively consuming the content and sitting an exam. The relevance of the issues and the creativity that the task allowed had certainly increased the engagement of the students. It is sometimes hard to find the most appropriate ways to leverage the power of digital tools in the classroom. This experience turned out to be a great way to integrate a range of these tools into our curriculum with successful outcomes. ETS James Jenkins is the Coordinator of Digital Pedagogy at Canterbury College, South of Brisbane. His areas of interest include student motivation and engagement and the incorporation of technology into science teaching. James is passionate about incorporating technology in ways that enhance teaching and learning.
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professionaldevelopment
Modern Learning Professional Development
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| By Grant Jones | Teachers need to stop using the phrase 21st century learner when referring to students in their classes and start referring to them as modern learners. Delivery of information needs to occur using future-focused learning skills. Many teachers have had the thought that technology is what makes a classroom a modern learning space. Using Microsoft Office applications to publish work is not delivering high-quality education. Technology enhances classrooms. Modern learning principles do not specifically say ‘technology’, but to be successful and competent in them, technology has to be an integral part. For students to be ready for the careers of the future, with some jobs not even conceived yet, teachers need to give them every opportunity to be exposed to and consolidate modern learning strategies. Before teachers have students undertake these work habits and skills, they need to both understand and actually practise what they preach. Collaboration Students are born collaborators without even knowing it. When they play in the playground in a group, they create new ideas and work together to achieve a combined outcome. This is collaboration without the students even knowing it. Collaborative and collaborate are the buzz words that are being used in education these days but, in some regards, they are not being used in their truest capacity. There have been many times in both classrooms as well as staff meetings where collaboration is occurring, but it is always driven by one or two people. To successfully collaborate with someone or a group of people, all stakeholders need to be invested in the task and all actively contributing to the task. Collaborative learning sees all students and sometimes teachers actively participating in meaningful discussions and projects where all participants are contributing equally to achieve a combined outcome. Teachers need to give students ample opportunities
to work and consolidate in a collaborative fashion, as working with others will be a crucial aspect of their lives. Creative and Critical thinking Teachers are always asking students to produce work that is creative and imaginative, but they still pull out the same units of work with the same old resources each year. Teachers need to challenge themselves to teach differently and always deliver their content creatively. If teachers model this, students will in turn start to bring creativity as well. Teachers need to harbour a safe learning environment where students have the ability to be creative. Creative thinking also encompasses more than just aesthetics; it also looks at different ways of thinking, such as the Six Thinking Hats, lateral thinking and change perspectives. Changing perspectives is a powerful attribute to have as it encourages constructive criticism both in giving and receiving. The notion of ‘putting yourself in someone else’s shoes’ allows students to analyse how others live within society and then develop empathy. The notion of critical thinking allows students to think about ideas and content in certain ways so as to arrive at the best possible solution in the circumstances that the thinker is aware of. As students gain competencies in this style of thinking, they will begin to understand links between ideas, identify relevance of ideas and become more reflective in their thoughts and ideas. By using quality, openended questioning, students will be able to critically think and analyse problems, and come to a more educated and justifie outcome. Creative and critical thinking are invaluable skills that will definitely equip students for their future career. Effective Oral and Communication Skills For students to be competent in these modern learning skills, teachers have to look beyond the notion of ‘public speaking’ and ‘writing with a pen’. To have effective
oral skills, not only do students need to be confident in speaking in front of an audience, they also need to gain skills to verbally ask effective questions, critically reflect on their own work as well as others, take on criticisms from others and self-reflect Students now have the opportunity to communicate using a vast array of avenues, including visual presentations, multi-modal presentations, online blogs, Skype, emails and a multitude of apps. Teachers need to equip students with skills that allow them to use these communication tools to their highest potential and educate students to use them correctly and safely to become confident digital citizens Innovation Innovation is another buzz word that is used throughout education. To be truly innovative in the classroom, teachers must look beyond what they already do and challenge themselves to implement great future ideas into their practice. Once teachers become innovative, only then can they expect their students to be innovative in their learning. In its truest sense, innovation is defined as a new idea, device or method. Using this definition, teachers can take the approach that, once the effective integration of technology into their lessons occurs, they can start to become more innovative.
Once teachers become innovative, only then can they expect their students to be innovative in their learning.
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in mind, without the same old rows. Students also need to be given more choice as to where they will sit and complete their work. Instead of assigning a designated position for students to complete all tasks, hand ownership to students and get them to choose where they want to work. This does take a fair amount of training, but if teachers set up expectations, then students will become self-driven and make appropriate choices. This has worked extremely
The learning environments need t be set up with modern learning principles in mind, as the space can either allo students to flourish or be squashed out.
Looking at the SAMR model, teachers must aim their lessons towards the Augmentation (A) and Redefinition (R) when using technology integration. This will bring innovation into the classroom. Handing discovery over to students will empower them to create and be innovative with technology. Students crave the opportunity to explore and produce innovative products. This falls into the Redefinition part of the SMAR model as they are creating something that was previously inconceivable. This stems back to the definition of innovation – students have created a new idea, device or method. Teachers need to support and nurture students to be innovative learners, as this skill will once again equip them for the careers of the future. Without innovators, many technologies and what most people take for granted today may not exist. Learning Spaces The learning environments need to be set up with modern learning principles in mind, as the space can either allow students to flourish or be squashed out. If teachers want students to be collaborative, the classroom needs to be designed with that
effectively in my classroom. I do premise some activities with questions for thought such as, ‘Where would I learn best?’, ‘Is the person next to me the best person to sit next to?’ Gone are the days in my class where students remark, ‘Someone is sitting in my seat!’ as there are no designated spots. Empowering students to make choices as to where they complete tasks, whether it be a desk, a standing table or even on a cushion on the floo , gives students the ability to take ownership of their learning. After attending the Leading a Digital School conference recently in Melbourne, all the keynote speakers empowered the delegates to hand over the discovery and active learning to the students and watch them flourish. By handing over the ‘power’ to students to discover, they become more independent, more motivated and more active in their learning. This will allow students to develop key modern learning skills that will equip them for the careers of the future. Ian Jukes and Ted McCain have stated that teachers need to teach using a split screen. On the left hand side, put all the essential content that has to be covered and then list the modern learning skills that the students will be working towards on the right hand side. If teachers keep the mindset that classrooms are future focused, they are always giving students the best learning possible. ETS Grant Jones is a Technology Teacher and PBL Leader St Marys Public School in Brisbane.
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Leading And Mentoring Technology Change In School | By Zeina Chalich | Effective leaders inspire the evolution of a shared vision and moral purpose, provide opportunities for those around them to act, foster a culture of collaboration and change, and support the development of a professional learning organisation. When leading educational change, it is essential to identify, consider and acknowledge challenges arising from today’s world. Leaders have a crucial role in implementing change. They are no longer seen as the controls of change, but rather are change agents whose productivity and success is evaluated based on their ability to empower others. Teachers need to be seen as change agents who are leaders of pedagogy and curriculum. Consistent innovation, effective integration of technology, meaningful professional development, connecting beyond the walls of school and an open mind are all strong expectations of teacher leaders in the digital age. School teams today must establish a vision and implement a strategic process that creates a teaching and learning culture that provides students with essential skill sets – creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, technological proficiency, and global awareness (commonly referred to as 21st century skills) – to operate in the technologically sophisticated society in which they live and for jobs that have not been created yet. A direct response to the changes in education systems across the world has been the establishment of the N ational Australian Curriculum, which focuses on developing students’ skills in ICT. The aim of the Australian Curriculum is for students to develop ICT capability as they learn to use ICT effectively and appropriately to access, create and communicate information and ideas, solve problems and work collaboratively in all learning areas at school and in their lives beyond school. The capability involves students in learning to make the most of the digital technologies available to them, adapting to new ways of doing things as technologies evolve and limiting the risks to themselves and others in a digital environment. Teachers’ understanding of the effective use of digital technology has matured over the years. While simply ‘using’ digital tools and devices was once seen as effective practice, teachers now
understand that ICT needs to facilitate a transformation of learning and pedagogy and provide a platform to do new things in new ways. In many schools, Puentedura’s (2006) SAMR model for effectively integrating technology into the curriculum has been applied when designing teaching and learning opportunities to ensure technology is not just a substitution for pen and paper tasks but incorporates the four levels of the SAMR model – Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinitio Digitally rich teaching and learning is built on the understanding that traditional, ‘factory-inspired’ models of education do not facilitate the pedagogies or learning modalities required to support today’s learners to be active, global citizens. While aspects will be contextualised for each school, digitally rich teaching and learning typically: • enables personalised, constructivist, student-centred learning where learners and teachers collaboratively co- construct knowledge • promotes a connectivist learning methodology, where students leverage knowledge networks and critically evaluate the credibility, authenticity and relevance of information • fosters digital citizenship, where students work towards authentic, rich, real-life and higher order thinking tasks and assessments, connecting, communicating and collaborating with others locally, nationally and globally to engage a moral purpose • supports student development of digital fluencies including teamwork, communication, collaboration, self-direction, innovation and effective use of ICT • leverages online learning spaces to transcend the traditional walls of a classroom to offer 24/7 learning, enabling better feedback, reporting and parent involvement in their child’s schooling • focuses on creative tasks, where students work to high levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Like any educational change, digital transformation requires a shift in teacher practice, which in turn could threaten teachers’ sense EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 053
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feature of competence, frustrating their wish to feel effective and valued. Teachers clearly require significant support to cope with the stress faced in altering their pedagogy and these issues are only issues once teachers are compelled to commit to change and alter their practices. Significant professional learning is required by teachers to develop a rich understanding of and acceptance for digitally rich teaching and learning. Joining a professional learning network (PLN ) and being part of a positive mentoring relationship are two effective ways to influence change in any school setting. Traditional understandings of knowledge have significantly shifted in recent years, particularly with regard to who – or what – holds it. Just as classroom teachers are no longer the guardians of information for their students, professional development leaders are no longer the sole messengers of new ideas and practices. According to the connectivist learning theory, learning happens through a knowledge network, where learners access nodes of information and develop understanding through recognising patterns and authenticating sources. Teachers need to be empowered to take charge of their professional learning by using digital technologies to develop their own PLNs to best personalise their learning for their own context. A networked learner utilises a PLN where many local and global colleagues, through both synchronous and asynchronous connections and through many digital technologies – including blogs, instant messaging, web conferences, twitter and email – communicate and collaborate around key areas. It is this ongoing, anywhere, anytime professional learning, particularly when teachers are engaging with their PLN and contributing back to their network, which can sustain innovative practices through connections made with like-minded colleagues. As individual teachers create their own PLN based on their personalised needs and interests, they are empowered to take charge of their own professional learning, not limited to the workshops or conferences they can attend, nor to the priorities set for them by a school or department. Taking part in a weekly twitter
Joining a professional learning network (PLN) and being part of a positive mentoring relationship are two effective ways to influence change i any school setting. chat like #aussieED is a good way to expand a global PLN and is often referred to as “the best PD in pjs” by regulars. Mentoring is essentially a formalised relationship that supports and encourages professional learning. Mentoring provides a powerful opportunity to improve students’ learning outcomes through teachers learning with and from each other, making skills and experiences inter-generational. The old model of mentoring, where experts who are certain about their craft can pass on its principles to eager novices, no longer applies. Mentoring enables teachers to reflect on their practice and to question what they do as they go about their teaching. As a means of collegial professional learning, mentoring requires careful planning and effective implementation so that it becomes embedded into the culture of the school supported by design, not chance. In mentoring, a sound and trusting relationship will rely upon the degree of understanding and responsibility shared by the mentoring partners. In any relationship, time needs to be given to establish common ground, understandings and expectations. The mentoring partners need to meet together regularly. It is important to structure time to get together and treat it as a high priority. Allow an informal conversation to develop sharing and discovering common interests, values and goals. It is important to establish parameters early in the mentoring relationship. Be sure communication is clear, open and specific Mentoring partners need to explore who they each are and what they understand of
a mentoring relationship. Consideration may also be given to work personalities, preferred learning styles, teaching philosophies, expectations of a mentoring relationship and ways to overcome disappointment and disagreement. In order to measure the success of a mentoring relationship, it is essential to establish specific and desirable goals in the beginning. Mentoring is a two-way process between two effective learners. They should discuss what they want and do not want, strategies to achieve these, and the style and purpose of feedback. These may include: setting objectives, feedback styles and purposes, accepting where they each are at and sharing skills and knowledge. Some suggested strategies in working with mentoring partnerships may include videoing lessons – of partners and others for joint review, collaborative planning and assessment using Google Docs, joining in Twitter chats to discuss learning-specific topics, book clubs to read and explore current research, learning teams with an emphasis on trialling new ideas through meet ups like ‘appy hour’ and techie brekkie, reflecting and refining practice through vlogging and blogging, networking with other beginning teachers and mentors at edtech Teach Meets or conferences, and creating a Google site with a bank of resources and edtech teaching links to share with others. ETS Zeina Chalich is a dynamic educator and international presenter with teaching experience in primary schools and university. In her role as Leader of Learning & Innovation, Zeina leads ‘disruptive’ change in digital pedagogy and personalised learning. In 2015, Zeina was awarded the CEC Br John Taylor Fellowship research prize for her research exploring design thinking in a makerspace through a STEAM curriculum. She also won a N ew Voice in Leadership Scholarship from ACEL for leading change in digital pedagogy and mentoring. Zeina is a founding member of #aussieED and the founder of #makerEDau twitter chat. She was recently announced the winner of the 2015 Edublogs Awards for the Best Individual Tweeter Category. Connect with her @ZeinaChalich and @makerEDau
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| By Brad Murphy | Two Innovation Adoption Models In a previous article, A Management Approach To Implementing N ew Technologies And Pedagogies In The Classroom, in the February/March edition of Education Technology Solutions, a strategy for implementing technology in schools was outlined and demonstrated using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) innovation adoption model. Also mentioned in the article was an alternative and much older approach known as the concerns-based adoption model (CBAM). Although a detailed outline and critique of these two approaches is beyond the scope of this article, a brief description of their differences, similarities and limitations will be provided, along with other approaches to minimise such limitations in the effective implementation of innovative change in educational institutions. CBAM focuses on a specific type of adoption environment and addresses concerns while not explaining individual choice and adaptation to technology adoption. In contrast, UTAUT deals with a specific type of innovation with a focus on behaviour. Due to both approaches having their relative strengths and weaknesses, they may be used in complementary ways. UTAUT can be used for the adoption part of introducing a new innovation, such as determining how useful teachers might see it being to their everyday teaching. CBAM can be used for the implementation part of the teacher development process (Straub, 2009). According to Straub (2009), a limitation of both approaches is that they assume a top-down approach; however, although bottom-up approaches can launch and sustain innovation, it is likely to disappear without support from administrators (Hord & Hall, 2015). Both top-down and bottom-up processes are important and require a clear process to succeed, with CBAM and UTAUT providing this. Although both approaches measure top-down innovations, they can also be used to initiate bottom-up approaches to support the initial top-down innovation. When coupled with bottom-up strategies such as peer mentoring, action research and design thinking, transformational change in schools can result. Coupling Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches for Maximum Benefi The education system is not open to change, and favours traditional structures (Altunay et al, 2012). The changing of digital spaces is no exception. Tensions between pragmatism of utilising faster planned top-down approaches rather than inclusive emergent bottom-up ones will always be in schools (Holmes et al, 2013; Todnem By, 2005). Authentically changing digital learning spaces requires transformational leadership and five key characteristics: developing a shared vision; developing relational trust; the ability to solve complex problems; focus on teaching and learning; and engaging with the wider community (Holmes et al, 2015). The greater the difference between the new practice and the existing one, the more difficult it is to execute change, hence the statusquo is sustained (Klein, 1996). Teachers further down the hierarchy must share the vision and be convinced of the pedagogical value
of change and be confident in its execution within their context. The problem with planned top-down approaches is over-dependence on senior managers, more suited to small-scale incremental change rather than transformational change in dynamic environments like schools. It also assumes all stakeholders are willing and interested in implementation (Todnem By, 2005). Top-down managerial approaches favour a culture being predominantly managerial rather than collaborative. However, successful ICT management should not be assigned to individuals, but distributed to a large group (Voogt, 2013). Teachers’ ‘levels of use’ progression of an innovation, which can be determined as part of CBAM, is as much due to interventions that facilitate the implementation of the innovation as it is the school’s culture of change (Anderson, 1997). Implementing change in a school is a complicated process (Holmes et al, 2013) and not all can be known about the process of teachers implementing changes to curriculum and instruction (Anderson, 1997). Because of this, the pedagogical approach is often left to teachers, causing the process to lack pedagogical drivers (Hunter, 2007). Both operational and pedagogical drivers are needed for successful innovation to ensure scalability, sustainability (Hunter, 2007) and appropriate pedagogical practice. Just as changing the shape of a building does not automatically change pedagogy (Hattie, 2015), neither will changing a digital space, as both pedagogy and technical infrastructure must be thoroughly evaluated in both domains (Hewagamage, 2012). Participative techniques are best to manage resistance with stakeholders involved in the learning, planning and implementation stages of change, increasing commitment and reducing resistance (Waddell & Sohal, 1998). Design thinking and action research provide alternative approaches to overcome the inadequacies of traditional approaches; they facilitate sustainable innovation and, when combined, overcome the limitations of each (Sankaran & Brown, 2012). Bottom-up, emergent approaches characterised by continuous, open-ended, adaptive processes (Todnem By, 2005) are important to complement imposed top-down initiatives where ongoing training is vital (Towndrow & Wan, 2012). Action research is a bottomup approach, engaging participants in self-reflection which leads to personal change and development, while CBAM (and UTAUT) is associated with investigation of participant responses in top-down situations (Khoboli & O’Toole, 2012).
The action-research spiral as adopted and improved from http://education.qld.gov.au/ students/advocacy/equity/gender-sch/action/action-cycle.html
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CBAM and UTAUT allow for a deeper exploration of teacher conceptions and opinions, resulting in alternative approaches to professional development (Khoboli & O’Toole, 2012) through targeted feedback surveying, which is important for the identification, analysis and resolution of problems (Aladwani, 2001). This can be used to feed into action research approaches. Used in conjunction with each other, design thinking, action research and adoption model surveys (UTAUT and CBAM) are powerful communicative and collaborative tools in problem identificatio and resolution. Finding Solutions Using Design Thinking and Action Research Below is a ‘swim lane chart’ showing a process incorporating action research and design thinking. Once innovation adoption model surveys identify specific concerns and needs, a flexible and creative process is required to find solutions. UTAUT can be used to identify colleagues with strengths to help others in a peer mentoring process. Leading on from this in the context of the classroom, an action research process can be used to observe and understand specific needs through observation and understanding and then reflection. Following this, planning can take place ideating new approaches and solutions before taking action through prototyping, hypothesising results and then testing through action to observe the results before further refinement and p ototyping.
Although the value of deductive and inductive thinking (commonly applied to traditional strategic planning focused
on finding one solution) should not be ignored, it needs to be complemented by action-based abductive approaches to generate multiple possibilities to allow a determination of what works in practice by trialling, prototyping and improving (Sankaran & Brown, 2012). N either deduction nor induction result in fundamentally new findings. Abduction, the logic of what might be (Dunne & Martin, 2006), is a divergent process allowing for new knowledge and insights (Kolko, 2010). Concept-knowledge (C-K) theory, with referencing between concepts and knowledge, allows for comprehension and interpretation, supporting lateral thinking forming new ideas freed from status-quo conditions (Poli & Corsi, 2013). Prototyping allows concepts to become knowledge, while testing prototypes creates multiple alternatives for moving knowledge to new concepts to create new knowledge (Hatchuel et al, 2004). To achieve this, design thinking, which can transform teachers’ pedagogical beliefs (Koh, 2015 [2]), balances convergent and divergent thinking through ethnographic methods and observational research to address illstructured problems effectively (Sankaran & Brown, 2012). Most attempts at innovation fail (Dyson, 2011), with reflexivity the key through a process of reflect, plan, act and adapt (Sankaran & Brown, 2012). The design thinking process of rapid prototyping and the repetitive cycles of action research go hand-in-hand in achieving this. However, in practice, action researchers emphasise the interpretation of existing situations, not the design and creation of actual change being situated in the social context of the problem (Romme, 2004), hence the need to integrate design thinking to generate new ideas (Sankaran & Brown, 2012). Collaboration between stakeholders with diverse knowledge and experience exposes topdown strategic planning as increasingly limited in complex environments (Sankaran & Brown, 2012).
Peer coaching as part of the dissemination of innovative practices through design thinking and action research can be revolutionary, incorporating regular feedback allowing teachers to ‘know thy impact’ through assessment for teaching benefiting students (Hattie, 2014). Vital also in introducing new learning spaces and innovation to schools is determining staff concerns and adoption through change management strategies like CBAM, with collaborative cultures like peer coaching and team teaching supporting it (Anderson, 1997). Similarities between action research and CBAM stages (Khoboli & O’Toole, 2012) where the two can be used in conjunction with each other are: • Planning – awareness and information* • Reflecting – exp essing concerns* • Acting – considering consequences* Finally, schools must have a common pedagogical language such as TPACK, a framework allowing design thinking to be employed by educators (Koh et al. 2015 [1]), in enhancing technological teaching practice (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). The Australian curriculum mandates effective ICT integration (Hunter 2015); however, most use it for information transmission (Koh, 2015 [2]). TPACK, which should be an integrated part of collaborative culture in schools in organising professional learning (Voogt, 2013), is highly useful for integrating ICT (Hunter, 2015). However, Koh et al (2015 [2]) recommends TPACK uses design thinking to address complexities in ICT-integrated lessons, allowing for increased adaption and flexibility (Koh, 2015 [2]). This will be the focus of a future article. Educators expect students to collaborate in groups, yet teachers often do not. Pedagogically progressive practices, with larger class sizes and two teachers team teaching and collaborating, where design thinking, action research and peer coaching can be modelled in order for adoption models like CBAM to be most effective, need to be considered. ETS Brad Murphy has been a science and physics teacher in Western Sydney for 20 years and has also taught pre-service physics teachers at Western Sydney University. Professionally, he has a passion for astronomy as well for integrating technology into education, transforming teaching and learning.
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Q SP UO EC TE IA “ED LD U IS TE CO CH UN SO T W LU IT TIO H N YO S” UR AN OR D G DE E T R
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getconnected Young People and Technology in Australia Young Australians are embracing technology more than ever. N o longer are their interactions with their friends and peers limited to the schoolyard or restricted by the time spent inside a classroom, playing sport, attending birthday parties – they are connected to one another like never before. Ownership and access to various forms of technology and the Internet is increasing at an exponential rate. A recent report by the Australian Media and Communications Authority, Like, post, share: Young Australians’ experience of social media (2013), revealed that the vast majority of 8–17 year olds are online, and that their likelihood of accessing the Internet increases significantly with age According to the report, most children will use a home computer to access the Internet and around 75 percent also access it at school. Around 50 percent of teenagers aged between 14 and 17 years access the Internet from their mobile phones, and around two in five children aged 8–11 years use other mobile devices to access the Internet. N ot only are they well-connected through a range of devices, but being online has a significant role in a young person’s life too, with around two thirds of 10–13 year olds and 80 percent of teenagers describing the Internet as being very important to them (ACMA, 2013). For most children and young people, the Internet is a positive experience, and in a world where a level of digital literacy is essential in most job roles, encouraging children and young people to become familiar and comfortable with technology is beneficial for their futures. However, it is important that this positive encouragement is carefully balanced with making them aware of the risks involved, particularly around their privacy, cyberbullying, and online grooming. Alarmingly, around one in five 12 to 17-year-old Internet users have seen something that bothered them online (ACMA, 2013). Teachers or supervisors in
the digital age have an important role in educating students about how to use the Internet safely and responsibly, and what to do if something upsets them, to help make the online world a positive place for them to grow and learn. Children and young people use technology to engage in the same activities they always have – to communicate with their friends, play games and build a sense of identity. As with most things, the activities children enjoy doing change with age and online activities are no exception. While younger children primarily use the Internet to play games or do their homework, teenagers are spending much of their time social networking and listening to music. From secondary school onwards, there is an expectation that children and young people will engage with their peers through social networking (ACMA, 2013); this includes their immediate friends, but also people they may not personally know. Social media is one of the primary ways they communicate to one another, share their interests, broaden their relationships and also build their social identity. Social media has introduced a level of socialisation not experienced by generations before, which can make it difficult for adults to understand the effect it can have on young people and their relationships. The Cybersafety Challenge The Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) Cybercrime Prevention team identifies three key areas of challenge for young people when it comes to using technology – privacy, relationships and reputation management. When it comes to privacy, AFP Cybercrime Prevention Project Officer Mel Sevil said the focus is not only on young people protecting their personal information now, but also on being aware of their digital shadow – the online information about them which builds over time and remains permanent. “Children and young people appear aware
of the risks to their immediate privacy, but tend to underestimate the implications of information that has been posted previously,” Ms Sevil said. Relationships can be just as challenging online as they are in the offline world and young people have to manage these with not only their friends and enemies, but often with complete strangers. “Online relationships can potentially expose children and young people to more serious issues occurring such as cyberbullying, online grooming, and sexting. It’s critical that if an adult is going to allow a child access to the Internet, that they are aware of the prevalence of these issues and what they can do to prevent and how to report to the appropriate authorities if a child is harmed.” All Internet users need to be aware of how the information they share online affects their reputation, as well as their personal relationships. For students particularly, what they do or say online may also impact their current and future schooling and employment opportunities, and they should try to leverage the Internet as a way to promote their skills and abilities. “As an educator, you may feel a lack of understanding about the technology, apps and websites young people are using can make it difficult to teach them safe and ethical ways to behave online. Parents and teachers however are well-positioned to guide and supervise children’s online activities and they can strengthen their influence with teenagers by making sure their knowledge of the Internet and the popular sites and activities they are using is current and relevant.” When it comes to safeguarding children, there are many strategies schools can adapt and these often work best when delivered in collaboration with parents so that children are receiving consistent messaging at home and school in relation to their online behaviour. These strategies can include technical actions, such as applying parental
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controls to devices or setting limits to the time they spend online, and behavioural actions, such as talking to children about their use and being a positive online role model. About ThinkUKnow Australia ThinkUKnow Australia is a partnership between the AFP, Microsoft Australia, Datacom and the Commonwealth Bank that aims to raise awareness among parents, carers and teachers of how young people are using technology, the challenges they
How the ThinkUKnow Cybersafety Program Works ThinkUKnow has been designed primarily to educate parents, teachers and carers about young people and technology, and how to stay safe online. The objective of the program is to give adults the knowledge and skills to help them protect themselves and their family online, while also encouraging them to embrace technology into their lives just as young people are in a positive and beneficial way
Teachers or supervisors in the digital age have an important role in educating students about how to use the Internet safely and responsibly may face and how to help them navigate these challenges in a safe and ethical way. The ThinkUKnow cybersafety program is delivered in collaboration with policing partners the New South Wales Police Force, Northern Territory Police, Queensland Police Service, South Australia Police, Tasmania Police and Western Australia Police, along with Neighbourhood Watch Australasia. ThinkUKnow was originally developed in the United Kingdom by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, and has been adapted to recognise the sites, applications and devices that young Australians like to use, as well as their specifi online behaviours. Members of state and territory police agencies and representatives from industry partners make up a network of more than 500 trained volunteers who visit schools and organisations across Australia to deliver faceto-face and digital ThinkUKnow sessions to parents, teachers and carers.
“The ThinkUKnow program is unique in that it provides valuable insight on cybersafety from both a technological and crime prevention perspective,” Ms Sevil said. “The program helps teachers and parents understand the changing role of technology in young peoples’ lives, but also the legal implications this may present, particularly when it comes to behaviours such as sexting and cyberbullying.” This is achieved through the program’s partnerships with policing agencies and with industry leaders Microsoft, Datacom and the Commonwealth Bank, who can provide specialised knowledge and insight into the technology and devices young people are using today. At each ThinkUKnow session, a trained volunteer from an industry partner organisation will deliver the presentation alongside a member of the AFP or participating state and territory policing partners, with time for participants to raise questions or concerns at the end.
These sessions aim to equip adults with knowledge around devices and the Internet to help them have open and honest conversations with young people about their activities online to prevent them from becoming a victim of crime. The sessions also provide teachers and parents with practical skills they can apply at school and home to make the online environment safer and to help encourage responsible use of the Internet. The ThinkUKnow program content and resources have also been designed to meet some of the General Capabilities of the Foundation to Year 10 Australian Curriculum, including personal and social capability, ethical understanding and information, and communication technology capability, to ensure a holistic educational approach to cybersafety that is applicable to Australian schooling. Booking a ThinkUKnow Cybersafety Session ThinkUKnow presentations are free for all Australian schools and can be booked through the online booking tool on the website (www.thinkyouknow.org.au) or by contacting 1300 362 936 during business hours. The ThinkUKnow website also provides a great range of additional resources for parents, including factsheets, a cybersafety guide, and practical tips on protecting their family online. ETS We would like to thank the Australian Federal Police Cybercrime Prevention Team for their efforts in writing this article. References Australian Communications & Media Authority 2013, Like, post, share: Young Australians’ experience of social media, viewed 15 June 2015, www.acma.gov.au/~/media/mediacomms/ Report/pdf/Like%20post%20share%20Young%20 Australians%20experiences%20of%20social%20 media%20Qualitative%20research%20report.pdf
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TECH STUFF
066 PRODUCTS Swivl Epson EB-595Wi My IG3 Portal SPRK+ Parallels Desktop 12 for Mac Targus 4-Port USB-C Hub The Expand Lens Seagate Guardian Series™ Hard Drives
072 NOTICEBOARDS PrintLab Teacher’s Guide The Education Show a huge success The global rise of flippe learning MFB Security enclosures
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FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EdTechMagazine EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 065
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showcases Swivl Swivl is a complete learning platform that enables anyone to capture video using technology they already own, such as tablets and smartphones. Users can then share this learning content on Swivl’s private and secure video hosting service, where they always retain the rights to their content. Professional Development Don’t distract students and teachers from learning and teaching to boost performance. Capture and share lessons on video with Swivl, and allow administrators to provide coaching anytime, anywhere. Flipped Classroom End your struggle to find online examples of content or use new development tools. Instead, use Swivl to turn every lesson into learning content and measure its effectiveness with Swivl Cloud. Lesson Capture Cut down the time required for teachers to create, edit and post lessons. The robot includes tracking, panning, and features an inbuilt microphone to capture as much content as possible. The Swivl solution automates the process, enabling teachers to easily build and share secure libraries of content. Collaboration Stop worrying about your content’s privacy. Improve skills and learning outcomes by sharing teaching techniques amongst staff, or even with other schools, with Swivl’s controlled sharing tools. Edunet is one of the leading technology hardware suppliers to schools in Australia. Contact sales@edunet.com.au or 1300 338 638 to arrange for an onsite demonstration at your school. Our team is happy to arrange an obligation-free quote!
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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.
16/09/2016 10:13 am
Epson EB-595Wi The ultra short-throw EB-595Wi from Epson is the world’s first 3LCD,
Wireless interactivity
touch-enabled interactive projector. Offering roughly 3x Higher
When using the Epson EasyMP software with a networked projector,
Colour Brightness than competitive models, Epson 3LCD projectors
teachers are no longer tied down by restrictive and confining
ensure bright, vivid lessons. Featuring up to 3,300 lumens of colour
cables. Educators can wirelessly display and interact with content
brightness and 3,300 lumens of white brightness, the 595Wi shines
as they move about the classroom with their laptop or tablet to
bright. Take learning to new heights with touch- and pen-based
experience a whole new level of interactive freedom.
interactivity, which makes it easy to draw and collaborate using any wall and familiar, intuitive gestures. Teachers can use the
Advanced network connectivity and management capabilities
included Moderator software to simultaneously share students’
Present A/V content over the LAN or annotate on network content
work from multiple devices. Plus, it includes SMART Notebook™
using the EB-595Wi’s instant annotation tools. With Epson’s EasyMP
collaborative learning software and can display images up to 100”
Monitor software, IT administrators can configure and monitor the
from just 12” away.
status of their Epson networked projectors, including the remote viewing of power status, lamp hours and temperature/filter
BYOD Classroom
conditions.
The EB-595wi supports BYOD classroom collaboration and wirelessly shares and controls content from personal devices to the projector
SMART Notebook™ software
with Epson’s Moderator device management software.
SMART Notebook™ collaborative learning software helps teachers
• When fitted with the optional ELPAP07 Wireless LAN unit, the
create engaging and interactive learning experiences. Make
EB-595wi can wirelessly connect up to 50 Windows® and Mac®
learning fun with SMART Notebook™ subject-specific functionality,
devices, plus iOS or Android mobile devices running the Epson
easy integration with mobile devices, and thousands of pieces of
iProjection App.
pre-created content. Each Epson EB-595Wi includes a four-seat user
• The teacher can share content from up to four device screens
license for SMART Notebook™, as well as a one-year subscription
simultaneously to the projector and control which device
to the SMART Notebook™ Advantage software maintenance
screens to display.
program.
• Encourage and control classroom collaboration; it’s perfect for
comparing students’ work side-by-side.
For more information on the EB-595Wi visit www.epson.com.au/ projectors
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showcases My IG3 Portal “My.IG3, The IG3 Education Portal brings together many of IG3’s education software solutions into one convenient single-sign-on website” IG3 Education Ltd, previously known as Eduss Asia Pacific Ltd,
IG3’s Education Software
is an education solutions provider, established in Australia in
products now accessible
January 2001. Providing K to 12 educational and interactive
via My.IG3 includes the
technology solutions, teacher training and customer support
following:
services, IG3 Education has a proven track record in Australia,
• The Language Market
New Zealand, Southern Africa and Malaysia. In fact, almost 75%
• Chinese
of Australian schools use IG3 Education’s education solutions and
• Japanese
products along with 14,000 additional home users. IG3 Education’s
• Indonesian
Language Market Software is used in over 4,500 Australian schools
• Italian
and the new HTML 5 version of its Chinese and Italian software is
• German • French
used on ESA’s (Education Services Australia) Language Learning Portal. The Learning A-Z products are now used in over 3,300
• IG3 Maths (An improved version of the Eduss XiTeach Maths
Australian Schools and ReadMe in over 2,000 Australian Schools.
product)
• IG3 English (An improved version of the Eduss XiTeach English
IG3 Education Software products can now be accessed and managed 24/7 via the My.IG3 Portal, a single-sign-on website,
allowing access to multiple products though a single unique user
• ReadMe Literacy
and Phonics products)
name and password. Teachers can view progress, add students
• Learning A-Z
to their classes, assign tasks and so on via a secure administration
• Headsprout
tool, and students will only see and have access to products they
• Raz-Kids
are enrolled to. The My.IG3 App available on the Apple store and
• Reading A-Z
the Google Play store allows access to the majority of the IG3
• Science A-Z
products included in the portal via Apple iPad’s, iPhones, Android
• ReadyTest A-Z
devices and smartphones. With the majority of IG3’s Education
• Vocabulary A-Z
Software products converted to HTML, the products are platform
• Writing A-Z
independent, and operable on the majority of hardware platforms Register for a 7-day free trial today via www.my.ig3education.com.au
used across Australian schools.
SPRK+ Designed to inspire curiosity, creativity and invention through connected play and coding, SPRK+ is far more than just a robot. Powered by the Lightning Lab app, you can easily learn programming, complete hands-on activities, and share your creations with the community. Navigate a maze; program a painting; mimic the solar system; swim across the water; have a dance party… The only limit is your imagination. SPRK+ and Lightning Lab allow you to collaborate with other users around the globe to innovate the world of education and empower anyone to program. Equipped with Bluetooth SMART and a strong scratchresistant UV coating, SPRK+ takes hands-on learning up a notch. Join the growing community of makers, students, instructors, and
For Education Offer and Discount for schools, please contact us.
parents – all learning on the same social platform. SPRK+ will foster a love of robotics, coding, and STEAM principles… all through play.
MACINTOSH-ADDICT E: info@macintoshaddict.com.au
Learning is evolving. Get on the ball.
T: 03 9013 7333 W: macintoshaddict.com.au
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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.
16/09/2016 10:13 am
Parallels Desktop 12 for Mac While the number of Apples Macs in use in the education space continues to grow year-on-year, the reality remains that Windows based machines are still far more common than Apple Macs. The reason this is relevant, is because unfortunately not every software developer has the time or money to support developing applications for Windows and OSX Platforms so they are forced to build for the largest possible audience. So, if you are an avid Mac user like me, then you occasionally find yourself needing to use software that won’t natively run on a Mac. Sure, you could reboot in boot camp to run Windows but that is a pretty major pain for anyone who needs to switch between programs all day. Thankfully, this problem was solved a little over 10 years ago with the launch of Parallels, a software application which enables users to run Windows® applications like they were made for your Mac® – without rebooting. Since its launch in 2006, Parallels has become the #1 choice for Mac users worldwide with over five million users currently running Windows apps on their Mac via Parallels. The recent launch of Parallels Desktop 12 (PD12) for Mac sees Parallels continue their long established tradition of improving not just the software but also the user experience, features, speed, reliability and stability with each and every new version. The performance increase is one of the first things one notices upon launching the latest version of Parallels. With the ability to suspend and relaunch a virtual machine in under three seconds (on my Macbook Pro), one cannot help but be impressed by an almost 100 per cent increase in speed over PD11. Then, of course, there is the raft of great new features incorporated into PD12. For starters, the new Always Ready mode enables you to set up Parallels so that it automatically launches a specific virtual machine when you boot your Mac. However, it leaves the virtual machine paused in the background meaning that it is instantly available when you need to open a Windows app but isn’t in the way or taking up valuable resources when you don’t need it. Interestingly, the auto update feature launched in Windows 10 attracted a lot of criticism from users due to the fact that their machine would often initiate an update and leave the user unable to work for protracted periods of time. In PD12, users can override this function and choose to schedule updates for a time that best suits them. For those users running the Windows 10 Anniversary edition, PD12
from within the PD12 installation wizard which has made installing
lets you use all sorts of cool Windows features like equation editor
Parallels and Windows immeasurably more manageable to non-
and ink in programs like Word, One Note and Power Point.
technical users.
PD12 also features a new toolbox full of great things like screen
In all, PD12 is a huge step forward. I would encourage any Mac
capture and video download, screen record and a host of other
user with a need to access Windows application to check it out
really handy features.
today. You will wonder how you ever lived without it.
However, one of the improvements I most enjoyed in PD12 was the ability to purchase, download and install Windows 10
For more information visit www.parallels.com
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showcases
Targus 4-Port USB-C Hub In order to make laptops and tablets smaller, thinner and lighter, manufacturers and designers need to find ways to reduce everything from the size of components to size and number of connection ports. Enter USB-C, the new USB interface set to replace the standard USB port we have all known and used for decades. And while this new standard might pack more speed (about twice as fast as USB 3.0 and roughly as fast as Thunderbolt) into a single port, it is still just a single port. So what does one do when needing
Features:
to connect either multiple devices to a laptop or older devices
• Turns one USB-C port into three USB3.0 ports and one USB-C port.
that don’t feature USB-C connections? Thankfully, Targus have you
• LED indicator to show data transmission activity.
covered.
• Support USB3.1 Gen 1 with up to 5Gbps transfer speed.
The new 4-Port USB-C Hub is Targus’s latest accessory designed
• Hub also accepts USB2.0 peripherals and devices.
for the mobile worker looking for cutting edge technology in
• Supports plug-and-play and hot-swapping.
peripheral connectivity. This is the perfect companion accessory
• RoHS compliant.
for the latest laptops with USB-C technology. Featuring three ports of USB3.0 and one port of USB-C, it will connect to all your existing
For more information visit www.targus.com/au or
USB peripherals and devices.
Freecall 1800 641 645 (Australia) or 0800 633 222 (New Zealand).
The Expand Lens The Expand Lens is the ideal collaboration and learning tool for iPad. Its unique, patent pending design brings a wide angle view to your front facing camera with productivity enhancing stands. A great addition to any 1:1 iPad classroom, the Expand Lens brings student teamwork into Skype, Facetime or Hangout sessions. Use it with Swivl Practice app to develop reading, writing and drawing skills. Or use it with the Recap app, by Swivl, to make video responses and reflections more effective and natural. Teachers can use the Expand Lens either on its own or in combination with the Swivl Robot and the Swivl Practice app for capturing video in class for reflection and coaching. It is great for expanding the field of view to capture student interactions. Thanks to its wide angle effect, the Expand Lens transforms any video chat or conference into a group activity that instantly feels more natural. This add-on lens works great with Skype, Facetime or Hangouts, to expand the conversation to more people and even allows you to include desktop items like documents and notebooks in the conversation. Make iPad video more natural and effective with the Expanded Lens, broadening not only your field of view but also the range of application for which the iPad can be used.
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For more information call 02 9452 6001 or visit www.aptech.com.au
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.
16/09/2016 10:13 am
Seagate Guardian Series™ Hard Drives Seagate Technology, a world leader in storage solutions, recently unveiled a new portfolio of 10TB high capacity drives dubbed the Guardian Series™. Purpose-built to help customers better manage and move the huge amounts of digital data they consume and create, the 10TB Seagate® BarraCuda® Pro desktop drive, Seagate IronWolf™ for NAS applications and Seagate SkyHawk™ for surveillance represent the most complete 10TB portfolio in the industry. The Guardian Series features industry leading technology that raises the bar on features, speed and capacity for use across a wide range of markets, including personal, creative and design computing, online gaming, small- and medium-sized businesses and large-scale surveillance systems. Innovative capabilities in the new 10TB drives include multi-tier caching technology (MTC Technology™), an intelligent caching architecture for maximised performance; AgileArray™, designed to optimise drive performance through error recovery control, dualplane balancing, and power management; and ImagePerfect™ for surveillance, supporting more high resolution cameras than any other industry drive. BarraCuda Pro 10TB Desktop Drive As data becomes the life blood of all online interaction and workforce productivity, Seagate has brought back its hugely popular BarraCuda brand to respond to demands for high capacity storage at an affordable price point. BarraCuda Pro combines 10TB at 7200 RPM for outstanding performance, and includes power-saving features to help keep drive operating costs low, as well as a five-year limited warranty for peace of mind. Furthermore, the FireCuda™ SSHD combines flash with the latest hard drive technology for both 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch offerings. The FireCuda drives ignite both fantastic capacity (up to 2TB) and performance solutions (up to five times faster than its HDD counterpart) for gaming and creative applications. IronWolf 10TB for NAS
SkyHawk 10TB for Surveillance
Tough, ready and scalable, IronWolf combines the legacy of big
An industry first, Seagate celebrates its 10th year of shipping
iron with tough, pack-leading performance for NAS applications
surveillance drives with its latest 10TB SkyHawk offering for
and a wide range of capabilities designed to meet the most
surveillance systems relying on large storage solutions for network
challenging always-on environments. NAS-optimised with
video recording (NVR). SkyHawk drives use rotational vibration
AgileArray, IronWolf is built with drive balance, and is the first
sensors to help minimise read/write errors, and can support the
in its class of drives to have rotational vibration (RV) sensors to
razor sharp vision of 64 cameras, more than any other drive on
mitigate vibration in multi-drive systems, RAID optimisation for best
the market. Ideal for modern, hi-resolution systems running 24/7,
performance with error recovery control, and advance power
SkyHawk drives also come with a data recovery services option for
management providing power savings in NAS. The result is power
additional peace of mind.
when and where it’s needed most. IronWolf raises the bar even further with multi-user technology that provides a 180TB/year user
For more information on the Seagate Guardian Series and all Seagate
workload rate.
products please visit www.seagate.com/internal-hard-drives.
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noticeboards
Noticeboards
PrintLab Teacher’s Guide
Imaginables and PrintLab have just released the PrintLab Teacher’s Guide in an effort to assist educators getting started with 3D printing. The guide covers everything teachers need to know prior to their journey in 3D printing. From background and opportunities to teaching strategies, curriculum and tips, the aim is to share the knowledge gained over the years to support 3D printing in education. It is undeniable how important 3D printing in education is becoming. 3D printing is very much disrupting the design and manufacturing scene that we see today and because of this, it is essential that we equip our students for the challenges of tomorrow. One of the biggest challenges educators are faced with is the lack of resources for teachers to get involved. It’s very easy for educators to dive into 3D printing without understanding the challenges, however may lead to problems when introducing 3D printing in the classroom. The PrintLab Teacher’s Guide features an honest, informative approach that doesn’t shy away from the fact that integrating 3D printing into education can be difficult. The guide is written as a journey and includes links on where to learn about 3D printing, what products are available as well as where you can get advice and support. Example strategies are also offered to assist educators in creating a roadmap for themselves.
In addition to highlighting the challenges, the guide also identifies the huge rewards that teachers stand to gain from introducing 3D printing in the classroom. It’s an amazing time for teachers – several years from now when they see their students innovating out in the field, they can look back with pride at the fact that they were the ones who were there at the very beginning, to introduce them to this exciting, innovative technology.
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Along with the PrintLab Teacher’s Guide there are also several lesson plans developed by Makerveristy which are available free at the Printlab site. The lesson packs feature very structured and well documented guides to assist educators in the classroom. Both The PrintLab Teachers Guide and free lesson plans are available at www.weareprintlab.com
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.
16/09/2016 10:24 am
The Education Show a huge success
Those in the education industry converged on Melbourne for The Education Show recently, with close to 2,700 visitors attending the threeday event. Held from 2-4 September at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, and showcasing over 100 suppliers of education products and services, The Education Show delivered the latest resources for classrooms, schools and careers. The Education Show was part of the inaugural National Education Summit, where principals, school leaders, business managers and educators from K-12 came together and enjoyed concurrent conferences, masterclasses and interactive seminars, all under the one roof. A highlight of The Education Show was the Free Seminars featuring a number of leading experts. Held over all three days of the event, these free sessions focused on learning technologies, literacy and classroom management through to teaching and learning programs across the curriculum. A popular feature of the Show was the Autism Spectrum Disorder Mini Conference, with keynote speaker Professor Suzanne Carrington. Attendees took advantage of this important mini conference that has been designed to highlight the latest research on autism from a studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; perspective. On the Sunday, visitors participated in the free Wellbeing Workshop, which focused on how teachers
can manage their stress levels, and included a dynamic yoga session. Additional to The Education Show, over 800 delegates participated in the concurrent Conferences that were taking place as part of the National Education Summit, which were all wonderful networking and learning opportunities for those involved.
The Education Show will be returning to the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from 1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;3 September 2017. Enquires can be made through International Exhibition & Conference Group on: 03 9596 9205.
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The global rise of flipped learning and why flipping the cla is the perfect approach in today’s educational climate
The rise of flipped learning globally is indisputable. Jon Bergmann, one of the pioneers of the Flipped Class Movement is leading the worldwide adoption of flipped learning by working with governments, schools, corporations, and education nonprofits. Jon is coordinating or guiding flipped learning initiatives around the globe including China, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, the Middle East, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Canada, South America, and the United States. In addition to Jon’s work, flipped learning projects mushroom in schools and other educational institutions all over the world. For example, here in Australia in a project run at the University of Adelaide, the flipped classroom concept is being translated into practice in first year Health Sciences. Jon Bergmann – flipped learning pioneer and FlipCon Masterclass Jon Bergmann, one of the pioneers of the flipped learning movement, will be in Australia in October and November 2016. Why not come and learn from Jon at the FlipCon Masterclass day at the Gold Coast (Saturday 15 October) or Adelaide (Saturday 19 November)? The choice is yours! Meet Jon and the other Masterclass leaders and hear briefly about their expertise and passion for flipped learning. Learn from global experts on
flipped learning, why flipping the class is the perfect approach in today’s educational climate. Learn the four categories of technology necessary to flip your classroom, how to create flipped videos students will love, and get important tips on how to build in interactivity into your flipped lessons regardless of which technological tool you use. There is not just one way to flip a classroom. Learn how teachers from all disciplines and all levels can flip their classes. And for those interested in flipping a school, what are the best practices for bringing
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flipped learning to scale? How do you bring key stakeholders into the picture? Register for Gold Coast now at: www.ereg.me/FlipConGC/register Register for Adelaide now at: www.ereg.me/FlipConA/register If you want something less intensive than the FlipCon Masterclass provides, then there are other FlipCon options for you, available at: www.flipconaus.com
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.
16/09/2016 10:24 am
MFB approved for supply of the latest specificatio Class C & B Security enclosures
MFB have put their Class B and Class C Security Enclosures through rigorous testing in the latest round of certification by the Australian Government’s “Security Construction and Equipment Committee” (SCEC), and passed with flying colours. This round of testing saw the cabinets meeting strenuous compliance to the latest specifications, and this meant some long hours for MFB’s in-house design team. The team worked through the specifications and, using years of experience, were able to come up with a cost effective compliance for its latest models.
This meant both Class C and Class B versions of the security enclosure, in both floor standing and wall mounted styles, are now approved for supply. The enclosures feature the new designed door construction, including added security in and around the boltwork, and beautifully styled door hardware. The Class B versions are also fitted with the latest Kaba X10 certified locking system. Another new feature is the approved high security cable entry system designed to provide flexibility and ease of use for the installer. Add to this new venting options, forced air management systems
and the biggest accessory range on the market, and MFB has the complete package for any high security install. www.mfb.com.au
S30 Notebook Trolley handy storage bin
ergonomically designed
available in 5 colours
easy to see charge status
loads of venting
designed to accommodate and charge 16 devices large shelves to suit even the largest laptops
VIC NSW
P (03) 9801 1044 P (02) 9749 1922
F (03) 9801 1176 F (02) 9749 1987
secured with multipoint locking doors
breakaway mains connection
large 360 locking castors
E sales@mfb.com.au E sydney@mfb.com.au
EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 075
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16/09/2016 10:24 am 29/10/2014 11:04 am
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