The attached mapping document provides the German contribution to the IO 1 of the TACCLE4-CPD project. It gives a quick overview on relevant policies/strategies in the regional contexts of the German partners – the city state of Bremen and the neighbouring state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen). The mapping is based on short expert interviews with the members of the Local Advisory Group of the Bremen partners. The questions focused on
policies that facilitate (or prevent) active, innovative and broad-based use of digital tools in education/training and learning (and on their impact);
identifying practical problems and obstacles to introducing and using digital tools;
initiatives that encourage teachers and learners to use digital tools in their daily work.
Some level of ICT purchase
planning
takes place, including standardisation of ICT equipment, use of mobiles, laser
printers and purchasing with warranty.
Procurement planning and
standardisation of ICT equipment takes place. Older computers are disposed of
environmentally.
There is an integrated
approach to IT procurement which takes into account full operating costs of
ICT equipment and technical support provision
LAN and broadband
access
A network exists through at
least some areas of the school.
School is connected to the internet through
LEA broadband provision.
Internet access is distributed through the Local Area Network.
Most rooms and computers are
connected to the school network, facilitating access to online and network
resources.
A high speed and reliable wifi network
extends to all areas of the school. All computers are connected to the
network facilitating access to online
and locally based server resources.
Resources are accessible from a
central server dedicated to learning and teaching. All teachers and pupils have secure access
to server space, and their e-portfolio, from within the school and remotely.
Technical support
Technical support is carried
out
using mainly voluntary assistance. Occasionally a technician is paid to carry
out urgent work.
Technical Support is provided
by an
external company on a call-out basis as required. No technical support
contract
is in place.
Technical support is factored
into procurement planning, all equipment is purchased with an appropriate
warranty. Formal
technical
support contract with Service Level Agreement
(SLA) is in place with an external provider.
Technical support is planned
and
integrated with ICT procurement planningandtakesintoaccountfullICT
operating costs.
Software and digital
content
Limited e-learning resources
are available. Central licensing agreements are used
The school has a range of
appropriate learning resources to support learning
at all levels.
There is easy access to
appropriate digital content that teachers have
catalogued by subject/curriculum area.
The school creates its own customisable
digital content is accessible from home and school.
ICT equipment
Some classrooms have desktop
computers. A laptop and portable projector, printer and digital camera are
available as shared resources.
Some rooms have digital
projectors and computers. Peripherals, such as digital lcameras and scanners are used
for
e-learning activities.
All learning areas have access
to a range of ICT equipment including digital lprojectors and
wirelessly-enabled tablet
PC’s. Laptop trolleys are used to improve access to resources.
All learning areas have access
to a range lof ICT
equipment. Provision is made for
the incorporation of students’ mobile
devices.
Licensing
It is unclear whether all software in school is properly licensed
The school is developing a
software llicensing
programme for the applications installed on the school’s equipment.
The school has a log of all
licenses lfor
software and applications in use throughout the school.
The school ensures that all new linstallations of
hardware and software
meet the required licensing standards.
All teachers
are aware of the CPD opportunities on offer. Many teachers have participated in CPD training
The majority
of staff have undertaken individual or whole school CPD in ICT
Teachers meet
their professional development needs through active participation in
communities of practice, peer-to-peer networks and accredited practice-based
research
Planning
Interested
individuals identify their own CPD needs
An individual
teacher or the e-learning team identify the whole staff CPD needs in relation
toICT integration
The ICT
co-ordinating teacher or the e-learning team facilitates the identification
of overall learning needs of staff. CPD programme developed
Teachers
engage in ongoing self evaluation and reflective practice in progressing the
CPD programme
Focus
CPD focussed
on acquiring basic ICT skills
Some staff are
participating in CPD which focuses on the integration of ICT in the
curriculum
Most staff
have engaged in CPD focussed on e-learning across the curriculum
Schools
identify and design whole school professional development programmes based on
their specific needs, delivered in their own school with support from
external agencies when needed.
Teacher confidence
Teachers have
basic IT skills but lack the confidence to apply these in the classroom
There is
growing confidence among staff in the integration of ICT in the curriculum
The majority
of teachers isconfident in the
integration of ICT in their daily teaching
Teachers share
their expertise and innovative practices confidently within their own school
and with other schools.
SEN
Some staff
have attended CPD programmes for ICT with SEN
All teachers
in learning support and SEN have undertaken CPD in ICT and SEN
Teachers have
acquired the skills to use some assistive technologies and other technologies
to support pupils with SEN and are adapting their teaching methodologies to
use ICT in SEN. Teachers have attended CPD training in specific areas e.g
autism
Teachers are
confident and have acquired the skills to use a wide range of technologies to
facilitate the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs
Informal learning
There is
little sharing of e-learning ideas and good practice among staff
Sharing
e-learning ideas and good practice among staff takes place in an informal
manner
Teachers
regularly share new e-learning practice with each other via staff meetings or
e-mail
School
supports and facilitates peer-to-peer learning in ICT using a variety of
formal (e.g VLE) and informal approaches
Teachers have
a general understanding of how
e-learning can improve teaching and learning
A number of
teachers understand creative ways of integrating ICT into the curriculum
Most teachers
understand how e-learning can be used in the curriculum to improve student
learning
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Teachers have
determined their own methodologies for integrating ICT into the curriculum
Planning
The is little
planning for ICT integration with ICT activities focused on learners
acquisition of basic IT skills e.g word processing
There is some
planning for ICT integration with the focus mainly on teacher preparation,
whole class teaching, group and individual work
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Teachers plan
in a structured way for ICT integration in their lessons and classroom
activities
The school
devotes time to exploring new approaches to using e-learning to improve pupil
learning.
Teacher Use
Teachers use
computers primarily in isolation from regular classroom learning activity
Teachers use
ICT for lesson planning and as a teaching tool
Teachers use
ICT to provide learning opportunities that support cross-curricular, subject
based and interactive learning approaches
Teachers have
embedded ICT into their practice to facilitate pupil-directed learning. There
is consistent evidence of collaborative, discovery based and authentic
e-learning activities throughout the school
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Student
Experience
Students
occasionally use ICT as part of the learning process
Pupils
experience e-learning activities regularly
Pupils
experience e-learning activities regularly and use ICT to collaborate on
curriculum activities both within school and with other schools
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Pupils are
facilitated to use ICT to support and assess their learning e.g creating
digital content, e-portfolios
SEN
Teachers are
aware that ICT can enhance the learning opportunities of pupils with special
educational needs
Teachers’ use
of ICT focuses on the development of literacy and numeracy for pupils with special
educational needs
Teachers use
ICT diagnostic tools,. assistive technologies and ICT resources to address
curriculum objectives with pupils with SEN
ICT is
integral to all aspects of SEN teaching and learning as well as in the
development of IAP. ICT resources and assistive technologies are incorporated
into all levels of school planning
As part of the Taccle CPD project, we are producing a Roadmap with criteria and rubrics that will enable institutional managers and other agencies to measure institutional progress.
The draft of the Roadmap has five sections:
Leadership and planning
Curriculum
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Infrastructure
Culture
This post contains the draft for Leadership and planning – subsequent posts will contain the others sections
The Roadmap is designed for self assessment against four stages in institutional development:
Initial
e-enabled
e-confident
e-mature
It is designed to allow institution to development evaluate and monitor their progress towards e-maturity
The draft Roadmap is published here as part of the consultation exercise we are presently undertaking. We welcome feedback on how useful you feel such a tool should be or any modifications or additions you think would be useful.
R. Map 1
Initial
e-enabled
e-confident
e-mature
Leadership and planning
Vision
Vision focuses mainly on ICT equipment.
le-Learning vision is developed by e-Learning Team
le-Learning vision is fully integrated into the whole school vision.
e-Learning vision is wide ranging and
shared by all stakeholders. It is actively tested through the pupil learning
experience.
l
Plan
Basic ICT Plan is in place.
e-Learning Plan has been developed by
e-Learning team
One teacher or a group of teachers has
assumed leadership for ICT planning in the school
Comprehensive e-Learning Plan is
integral to the whole school plan.
The development of the plan is led by
Head / ICT co-ordinating teacher / e-Learning Team,
with all staff contributing and whole school acceptance. Designated ICT co-ordinating teacher with clearly defined duties and
responsibilities.
Teachers implement the e-Learning Plan
in their daily work. Staff & students are actively engaged in innovative
and exemplary practice.
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Integration
Focus is mainly on ICT equipment and the
acquisition of basic ICT skills
Focus is mainly on supporting the integration
of ICT usage throughout the school. l
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Focus is mainly on supporting more comprehensive
integration of ICT and the exploration of new and more effective approaches
to ICT integration
Focus is mainly on supporting and
facilitating personalised and self-directed
learning. l
Acceptable
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Acceptable Use policy
School has developed an Acceptable Use
Policy for the Internet or has signed up
to LEA policy
School has developed its own AUP
following consultation with staff, pupils, parents, governors
School has developed and ratified an AUP
for Internet and ICT use following consultations with staff, students, and
parents. All stakeholders are familiar with its contents and the plan is
fully implemented.
The AUP accommodates innovative use of
new technologies, and facilitates the development of an ethical and
responsible approach to the use of these technologies.
l
SEN
Support of ICT as a tool for learning in
special educational needs exists but is uncoordinated
Use of ICT is focused on the areas of
learning support and resource teaching.
School supports and encourages the use
of a wide range of ICT resources and assistive technologies throughout the
school to facilitate the inclusion of students with special educational needs
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School includes use of ICTand assistive technologies in all Individual Educational
Plans (IEP) for students with special educational needs and uses ICT in all
aspects of SEN
The aim of this project – TACCLE4 CPD – has been to support continuing professional development of teachers and trainers to enhance their digital competences. It does so by developing strategies and training concepts for education and training managers, curriculum developers and training providers.
The focus of the TACCLE4CPD project was primarily on compulsory education but throughout the development of strategies and tools implications and potential for Adult Education were explored.
Technology Enhanced Learning and the creation and use of digital media has been slow to make an impact in adult education. In many countries there is very little in the way of CPD for adult education teachers in general compared with teachers in the school sector. This is in part due to the high proportion of Adult Education teachers who are part time or who are teaching Leisure / Liberal Arts / Hobby classes that do not lead to examinations or formal certification. Adult education is notoriously underfunded in most countries which makes investment in CPD even less likely. However, this also means that training can have a high impact in Adult Education.
Contributions of TACCLE4 CPD to Adult Education
The TACCLE4 CPD reports for the field of VET include the following themes:
Developing a Quality Culture in blended Adult Education
As blended learning is becoming increasingly important in Adult Education, quality assurance has become a focal concern. Quality, in Blended Learning, highly depends on the training of teachers, including their training in the use of ICT.
The aim of this work is to produce a report with recommendations for the applicability and transference of the project outcomes to VET. It will also include adapted versions of the key deliverables if they are felt to be appropriate.
Technology Enhanced Learning and the creation and use of digital media has been slow to make an impact in traditional apprentice training schools and apart from commercially produced and copyrighted media in specific subject areas there is not a lot of generic material to support the training of VET trainers.
We expect the imapct will vary across industrial sectors. As part of the Learning Layers project, one of the Taccle Trainers delivered a workshop for 12 trainers at a Construction training centre. It was the first time any of them had created multi media materials or used social media for learning. They asked for follow up training and after six workshops they developed their own in-house CPD programme using peer support and skills exchange models. This showed that the training is transferable and on that occasion had a huge impact. On that basis we are expecting a impact in terms of awareness raising and creating interest in the potential of digital technologies for learning.
Click on the buttons below to find resources for practitioners and staff development facilitators and trainers developing competence in digital technologies in the classroom.
We have developed a web based collection of materials, resources, ideas and activities for staff development facilitators and trainers developing competence in digital technologies in the classroom. The materials can also be used for self directed CPD by all staff.
There is a considerable body of work around training trainers and teachers, and a smaller but significant number of publications on training teachers to use technology for learning. However, almost all of them are academic papers or research reports. We have taken that research together with the experiences of expert trainers in the field and translated it into a practical handbook for professionals who have to design, organise and deliver CPD opportunities and other training events for teachers.
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM – A HANDBOOK FOR VET EDUCATOR TRAINERS
In the case of vocational education and training, a series of special reports have been produced to address the specific challenges and opportunities for promoting digital competences in the field of VET. This handbook presents those reports in a portable, embeddable format for VET professionals and those responsible for CPD Â and educator training in vocational contexts.
Continuing Professional Development for ICT in Education and Training
