Reading+Two+-+H

The growth of enterprise pedagogy: How ICT policy is infected by Neo-liberalism. By Mark Brown **Discussed by: Rebecca Greenhalgh, Simone Valeri, Kieran Robertson, Kristy-Lee Eagleton, Veronica D'Amico and Amy Reynolds.**

Questions: I think by giving teachers the skills and knowledge to use these new technologies then this will assist in improving ICT being taught in NSW schools. It is also important to identify that technology should be used as a tool for teaching not technology as a teacher's replacement or time filler. WebQuests are excellent tools for embedding the teaching of information literacy into the curriculum. I believe that tool can be used to assist the teacher to teach literacy but we have to be careful in what we use. WebQuests can be incorporated into our programs but we need to make sure that they are appropriate and fit in with what is being taught (that is, they are complimentary to the learning). WebQuests provide opportunities to motivate both students and teachers to work collaboratively in learning as a team. This is just one example of how technology that can be used in schools. (Rebecca Greenhalgh)
 * How can sch[[image:http://www.af.org.au/Consortium/French_Links/images/webquest4.jpg align="left"]]ools improve ICT being taught in NSW? **

When using or creating WebQuests a clear idea of goals and learning outcomes that want to be achieved from this activity need to be maintained. This will ensure that the learning goals are managable and known to students. Thus, the effectiveness of the ICT to //support or compliment// learning will increase.(Simone Valeri)

In conjunction with effectiveness, having in-services /external services in schools allows improvements in ICT and its content (how it will be taught and used). Technology has made an influence on daily life, and being incorporated into school curriculum. Evident that most schools have access to computer facilities, whether it be in the library, labs, classrooms or even take-home. (Veronica 4/6/09)

I believe alot of current teachers are 'affraid' of technology and do not use technology in any part of teaching or learning in thier classrooms. The inclusion of technology is becoming increasingly evident in all schools across NSW, alot of school are implementing Smart Boards from Kindergarten to year 6 to ensure young children entering the school will have access to this wonderful learning resource through out their entire primary education. As peggy Ertmer states ' along wiht incresed access have com increased opportunites for teachers to gain knowledge." In order to improve ICT teaching in schools across NSW these teachers need to learn the way of the future of teaching and learning, this may result in in services or simply learning through observation how other teachers use techonology to aid childrens leraning of a paricular concept. Furthermore, teacher talk in the staff room or around the school often prompts motivation, as a teacher will often expain a successful lesson and teh ICT component that assisted in making the lesson so effective. I feel implementing theses aspects in NSW schools will improve ICT teaching across all KLA's in NSW. (Amy Reynolds, 4/6/09)

In order to improve ICT education is schools many things need to occur. These include: (Matt Chamberlain, 5/6/09)
 * greater professional training of teachers in ICT.
 * Whole school strategies and learning sequences that address how ICT needs to be taught and how it can be integrated into the existing syllabus.
 * Change in school culture regarding technology.
 * Recognition that ICT exists as a way top support current learning practices and understand that a healthy balance needs to developed between both.


 *  Improving ICT in schools! **
 * Support and Training for teachers and students in regards to existing or new technologies (through regular training opportunities - Simone Valer)
 * If possible for schools to purchase new technologies and encourage the use of these in the classroom. E.g. Interactive Smartboards
 * Demonstrating how technologies are/ can be used in real life situations
 * Teaching skills necessary for the 21st century
 * Ensuring that ICT is not solely focused upon but rather integrated into curriculum
 * Teachers need to be sure they equip the students with the skills required to use the form of technology needed for a task before setting the task
 * Fostering enquiring and explaination which could be done through many forms of technology. E.g. Web Quests
 * Allowing students to utilise ICT to pursue and explore their own interests and questions regarding different learning topics - student directed/ cetred learning (Simone Valeri)
 * Using ICT tools and facilities appropriately and effectively ensures ongoing and extension of technology and learning.
 * All teachers present in a school community feel they have adequate ICT skills and knowledge in order to use ICT resources to effectively teach children and allowing children to use recources to construct conepts at an indiviudal pace. (Amy Reynolds)

Throughout the course of a student’s development in literacy learning, it is vital that they are given the opportunity to ascertain literacy skills that will grant them the ability to thrive in all aspects of the modern society. Teachers need to construct a new literacy pedagogy that successfully incorporates the significance of a multiliteracies approach to the school based curriculum. This pedagogy must create ‘access to the evolving language of work, power, and community, and fostering the critical engagement necessary for them to design their social futures and achieve success through fulfilling employment.’ (The New London Group, 1996 p. 1) For effective integration of multiliteracies into the contemporary literacy pedagogy, teachers need to apply four key literacy components into the classroom learning environment. The four elements that create a successful multiliteracy pedagogy are: situated practice, explicit instruction, critical framing and transformed practice. (McRae, 2009) The role of situated practice is to create a foundation for learning; it involves conducting background research of the students skill sets, text practices and life world. This element engages the teacher to consider the cultural background of the students, how they learn, how they think and what modes they typically use to engage in texts. (McRae, 2009) Children need to be taught literacy through explicit instruction; they need to understand specific skills and strategies for reading multiple forms of texts. This will create an enhanced understanding of the multimodal methods that can be used to ascertain the purpose of the text that is utilized through the context and the child’s prior knowledge. Critical framing engages students to break down the text and critically analyse the information presented to them from a variety of texts. It is essential that students are given the opportunity to investigate and assess the function of the text and authority. Being proficient as a critical reader allows students to transform their literacy learning skills and strategies to other contexts in real world situations as they generate and apply different forms of texts for specific purposes. (McRae, 2009) These four elements are critical for developing the literate person of the 21 st century. It reinforces the reading and writing values and principles that have formed the foundation of the traditional literacy pedagogy. However the contemporary literacy pedagogy extends conventional methods by preparing students for the multimodal means of communication they will be required to use to successfully function in today’s society. (Kieran Robertson)

//"How you use technology in education is more important than if you use it at all"// (Thronbury, "Technology in K-12 Education: Envisioning the Furture", 1999). Kristy-lee

**Apply this reading to what you have seen or might see occurring in schools currently.**

*At my first prac, i used to mark the role with the smartboard. I also used to use the smartboard to display pictures of stories i would read for RE. The students loved the fact that they could see the pictures large but concentrate on the story. We also did some Mathematics work using protractors on the Smartboard. It was new and different and the students were enthusiastic about //having a go.// This isn't really current occurings, but I thought I would share that with you! Veronica* 

Wow, Veronica that incorporation of ICT in the classroom is very creative, however on the other side of things- on my third practicum I was placed in a two stream school in a year one class, both classrooms had a Smart Board. My teacher was a little older and considered to be a digital immigrant, the other year one teacher was younger- a digital native. The different ICT skills became evident on the 1st day, one teacher (the digital native) used her Smart board for everything she could think of and the other teacher who would be considered a digital immigrant appeared to be fearful of technology because she did not feel in control. In the one term of being there I developed more skills if how to use and incorporate the Smart board to provide meaningful learning opportunities for the children then she had learnt over the year, this made me realise the advantage I have being a digital native. I feel that I can embrace technology and use it to create meaningful learning engagements for my future students. As mentioned in the article some current teachers will not change their beliefs and incorporate technology until they have to, as graduating teachers of the digital age become prominent in the education system I feel ICT technologies will be embraced and traditional teaching pedagogy such as the teacher talks and the student listens will become a thing of the past. **(Amy Reynolds)**

When I was working as a Teacher's Aid in a Stage 3 IM class the teacher used a digital camera to take photos of the students when they were doing activities. Then at the end of each day she have the class use the smart board to make a photo story of what they had done in each lesson. This reinforced what they had learnt during they day and motivated them to do the work so that their photo would be taken and be in the story. (Matt Chamberlain, 5/6/09)