ImpaCT ... making IT count
The great debate about the role of technology in education has increased significantly since OECD released the results of a survey on the use of technology in schools.
"Computers do not improve pupil results says OECD." ~ BBC News
"Teachers have been "dazzled" by school computers."~ Tom Bennett - Behaviour Advisor
Whilst the media opted for headlines such as those above that would grab attention, those who took time to read the report came away with a different conclusion and one that most people close to the subject would agree on.
"It calls for new approaches to integrating technology into teaching, because at present technology use is not optimal...What the report is actually saying is that technology is no substitute for good pedagogy... It also suggests that technology can be a distraction for students if it is poorly deployed... Both conclusions tell us more about the pedagogy prevalent in schools than they do about the potential of technology." ~ Steve Wheeler
"Cause and Effect ... raising the standard of education should be the cause, with technology the effect." ~ Julian Thomas, Master of Wellington College
"Technology can amplify great teaching, but just doesn't replace poor teaching." ~ Andreas Schleicher
Having the technology in itself means nothing. Yes it creates the opportunity to enhance learning and accelerate progress ... but not without skilful application.
To make an ImpaCT you need to have the technology in the classroom and in the hands of the learners AND you need to know how to teach with it.
It is about what teachers are confident and able to do with what they have. It is about teachers adopting a pedagogy first approach to their use of technology. It is about them being able to use it skilfully, flexibly and purposefully to create rich and inspiring experiences for their learners .
It is about how they are supported and developed in order to have these skills and capabilities that enables them to grow and mature as 21st century teachers.
“We have not yet become good enough at the kind of pedagogues that make the most of technology; adding 21st century technologies to 20th century teaching practices just dilutes the effectiveness of teaching.” ~ OECD Report 2015
VISION & PLANNING
To be successful in creating an environment where the learning is driven by the pedagogy and accelerated by technology, it is essential that everyone understands the part that technology can play in delivering their educational objectives.
The journey to achieving this shared and deep understanding of the vision for digital technology in a school needs to involve everyone in some way - learners, staff and the wider community, encouraging wide-ranging consideration of everything education technology could improve, from the canteen to the classrooms and beyond. The resulting vision should then drive and inform investment, planning, implementation and training over the next few years ... ensuring decisions and choices made are the right ones for their educational goals and aspirations.
Our ImpaCT survey has been designed to gather data on the current use and impact of technology in your school. The resulting analysis and report provides a baseline assessment of ICT Maturity that can then be used to inform planning and strategy development.
The survey covers three specific areas of focus.
1. PEOPLE – Practices and Pedagogy
Exploring the preferences, behaviour and practices of your people in relation to how they use technology in their professional role for different types of activity and different purposes such as for communication, collaboration or for their own professional development for example.
2. CULTURE – Cohesion and Communication
Gathering the opinion of your people regarding vision, policies, strategies and environment and the extent to which they advocates the use of technology.
3. TECHNOLOGY – Opportunity
Understanding the level of access and opportunity that your people have in terms of devices, digital tools and environments.
Gathering data in all three areas enables the data to be interpreted more holistically so that behavioural responses can then be considered alongside any cultural drivers and varying levels of opportunity.
The survey has been designed so that it:
- ... is easy to use and quick to complete and, as a result, achieves a higher completion rate
- ... provides an ICT Maturity assessment for the people, culture and technology in the school
- ... can be easily personalised for individual customer requirements
PEOPLE responses will generate an ICT Maturity Grid - this can be done at school, department, Key Stage or even individual level.
The diagram below is at individual level but it shows how it can be colour coded according to the subject or department each person is associated with.
Overall ICT Maturity can then be broken down into the level of maturity implied for different purposes relevant to their professional role.
CULTURE responses will provide insight into the extent to which beliefs, visions and advocacy in relation to the use of technology is shared and cohesive.
TECHNOLOGY responses can illustrate the level of opportunity that exists for staff and students to access and use technology for learning.
Creating a strong, relevant and focussed strategic plan relies on being able to understand and define both what the focus of any change should be and also what the level of magnitude of any such change is for your people, your organisation and your systems and processes. Our on-site consultancy activity has been designed to build on the insight gained from the survey into where you are now, by facilitating discussion and debate to check clarity and understanding about where you want to be. The resulting strategic plan, which will be developed with you, should give you real confidence that your time, investment and development activity in this context will deliver the greatest progress and success in relation to your educational goals and priorities.
We will revisit and review the plan with you regularly to ensure you always have a relevant and dynamic 1-2 year rolling plan that reflects the activity required to continually improve the ImpaCT that technology has on the learning outcomes for your young people.