More than 20 years ago I taught on the West Coast were I was told a yarn about a tree-feller who had an inenviable record for the number of trees he could fell in a day with his axe. A salesman came to town selling chainsaws, and was able to persuade the tree-feller that he could increase the number of trees he cut down by using a chainsaw. The a tree-feller duly bought a chainsaw and headed off into the bush. At the end of the first day he returned to town where the salesman inquired how things had gone. The tree-feller reported that he’d managed to cut down about the same number of trees as he had with an axe, but that he expected to do better the next day.

The following day he returned with reports that he’d only managed to cut down half the number of trees he normally would have, and on the third day this had fallen to around a quarter. The salesman, keen to ensure his reputation wasn’t tarnished, offered to help the tree-feller perfect his technique with the chainsaw. Taking the chainsaw in both hands he dragged on the starter rope and pulled, and BBRRRRRrrrr – the chainsaw roared into life. At which point the tree-feller leapt back in amazement – “what’s that noise?” he gasped.

An oldie, but a goodie The point of this parable – nothing changes by simply inserting a new piece of technology!

I thought of this story when I read a news item this morning from the UK, where Government Minister Vernon Coaker, on opening the BETT education show, used his speech to trumpet the Government’s plans to provide 270,000 free laptops to low-income families, which were announced earlier this week. In his speech he claims that having access to a laptop in the home can boost children’s GCSE scores by two grades.

Now if this is the case I’d certainly be interested in seeing the evidence. Don’t get me wrong, I am a BIG supporter of students having access to a personal digital device that can enable them to connect to the internet and express themselves digitally – it’s just that I’ve been around long enough to see the claims and counter claims that are made for (or against) the introduction of new technologies in education.

I can recall my first job as a lecturer was to get my students to survey the number of OHPs in the schools they were about to begin a practicum. The responses were the same – every school had been provided with OHPs by the (the) Department of Education, but these students found the majority unused in back rooms, or covered in books and papers in the front (or back) of classrooms. Similar reports exist where there has been a roll-out of interactive whiteboards and computer labs.

My (recurring) theme here is the need to consider professional development in all of this. And I’m not talking about short sessions to teach people where the buttons are and how to save and edit etc. I’m talking about professional development that is connected to practice; focuses on the teaching and learning of specific academic content; and helps locate the technology use within the teacher’s context, and is connected to other school initiatives.

The problem is, PD is expensive, and you can’t measure it in terms of the number of “widgets” that are purchased – which is why, it appears, in governments all over the world, we see investment in things, not people. We need to see a change in priorities.

Mr Coaker may well have evidence to support his claim – if so, we need to see it, and when we do I’ll wager that the actual laptops were only a (albeit important) part of the picture that led to the rise in achievement.

I’ve  been reviewing some of the material I’ve gathered over recent years as I prepare for some of the staff development days I’ve been invited to contribute to at the end of the month when schools are about to begin, and came across this report that was released about this time last year. Titled professional learning in the learning profession, it examines what research has revealed about professional learning that improves teachers’ practice and student learning.

The problem of how to maintain a highly skilled and effective workforce in our schools is a complex issue, and there no easy answers. this report provides some useful insights, however, of the key principles that should underpin any approches to professional development in our schools or at a regional or national level.

I was intrigued by the the opening paragraph in the introduction that sets the scene for much of what is reported (emphasis mine):

“Decades of standards-based school reform have helped identify what students need to know and be able to do… But educators and policymakers are recognizing that it is time for Standards-Based Reform 2.0. We need to place a greater priority on strengthening the capacity of educators and building learning communities to deliver higher standards for every child. Enabling educational systems to achieve on a wide scale the kind of teaching that has a substantial impact on student learning requires much more intensive and effective professional learning than has traditionally been available. If we want all young people to possess the higher-order thinking skills they need to succeed in the 21st century, we need educators who possess higher-order teaching skills and deep content knowledge.”

So here are a couple of important messages for everyone from leaders in schools through to our national policy makers :

1. we can’t skimp on professional development in our budgets
2. what we do must be strategic, future focused and measurable in terms of impact on student achievement

Key findings from the research include:

• Sustained and intensive professional development for teachers is related to student achievement gains.
• Collaborative approaches to professional learning can promote school change that extends beyond individual classrooms.
• Effective professional development is intensive, ongoing, and connected to practice; focuses on the teaching and learning of specific academic content; is connected to other school initiatives; and builds strong working relationships among teachers.

The report also notes that over 90% of U.S. teachers have participated in professional learning consisting primarily of short-term conferences or workshops. While teachers typically need substantial professional development in a given area (close to 50 hours) to improve their skills and their students’ learning, most professional development opportunities in the U.S. are much shorter. It also states that U.S. teachers report little professional collaboration in designing curriculum and sharing practices, and the collaboration that occurs tends to be weak and not focused on strengthening teaching and learning.

Similar concerns are expressed in other international studies, including New Zealand’s own INSTEP research and programmes. As educational leaders we must take note of what the research is telling us. Cutting back on investment in PD simply because it is an easy target, and not “mission critical” is a very unwise move. Similarly, PD that is ‘hit and miss’, and not strategically linked to the goals of the organisation is also a waste of investment.

The organisation I work for is committing significant resource this year to designing and providing the sorts of programmes that will effectively support schools in their strategic approach to PD. In doing so we’ve had to include some short-term workshops and seminars to meet the immediate needs as expressed by teachers and principals, but the real value lies in the longer term engagements. It will be interesting to see how widely these are adopted.

following on from my post of a couple of days ago abut the impact of digital technologies on learning, this e-book from project RED provides some useful insights into what is working in schools that are using technology effectively. A piece in the introduction puts this in context:

There is a tremendous gulf between schools that are committed to preparing students for success in the 21st century with help from digital technology and those who are still taking a “wait and see” attitude about the role of technology in the classroom. In response, project RED has conducted a survey of technology transformed schools across the country to find out what’s working for them and to show how technology can save money when properly implemented.

What will it take for technology to transform learning and schools, just as it has transformed homes and offices in almost every other segment of our society? In this eBook, Project RED — a national research and advocacy effort — shares preliminary results from a survey of technology-rich schools and takes a look at what past research and current observation tells us about the keys to successful technology implementation.

I found the section on Dynamic Leadership of particular interest, especially this quote on pages 11-121:

“In summarizing several years of research on the impact of Maine’s Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI), Dr David Silvernail, director of research for the Maine International Centre for Digital Learning at the University of Southern Maine shares findings about effective leadership:

1. There must be a clear strategic vision and plan
2. Teachers must receive strong, meaningful and sustained professional development and support
3. Technology must be appropriate to the task and focused
4. The technology must be used as a learning tool
5. Assessments must match learning with technology
6. There needs to be clear evaluation and research plans developed early in the initiative.
7. It is important to articulate and manage expectations

Nothing particularly new in this list – pretty much mirrors the findings of the research that has been carried out in the NZ context – but these are lessons we should review and be reminded of regularly, in order that we don’t simply revert to taking the “wait and see” attitude referred to in the introduction.

In particular, I would STRONGLY endorse the second bullet point above – the need for strong, meaningful and sustained professional development and support for teachers. At a time when we face financial constraints and cuts are being made, it is easy to “pick off” PD activity as an easily identifiable area to save money – but the impact of this can be devastating, not simply in terms of the effect on individual teachers and their professional growth, but also on our schools as environments within which we nuture young minds and talent.

The beginning of the school year is a great time for refreshing our thoughts about school vision and giving expression to what we want to achieve in the year ahead. I find I’m always busy at this time of year, participating in teacher-only days before students return to begin their studies. These days are generally times where school leaders are keen to spend time thinking about the ‘bigger picture’ of education, before descending into the ‘valley’ where the more immediate issues and concerns become a priority.

Of course, as someone who spends quite a bit of time thinking about the bigger picture issues, I’m more than happy to be a part of these days – because unless we spend at least a little time with our eyes on the horizon we’re likely to stay in the ‘rut’ of our current existence, unable to address some of the things that really do need addressing in how our schools are organised and operate.

For some time now I’ve followed the work of the the Beyond Current Horizons (BCH) project in the UK, which has been looking at the future of education beyond 2025 , After two years of hard research this project has drawn to a close, but the research has culminated in the creation of the new FREE web resource Vision Mapper containing six future scenarios of how the world may look in 15 years time.

The resource has been designed to be used as a pratical toolkit for long-term planning, supporting people to think systematically about the future to inform actions needed now. It’s well worth a browse, as there is material there to support a range of activities that could be incorporated into a “beginning the school year TOD”, everything from a series of activities to help you with your vision exploration, to a full-on school redesign pack with step-by-step outline of a process inspire your educational vision and help you get started with your planning.

If you haven’t already planned what you’re going to do on your TOD, or if you’re looking for something that might add a little more direction and engagement, you may well find something worthwhile in this resource.

I’m often asked to provide evidence of the impact of ICTs on learning in the work I do – particularly when working with policy developers, some of whom remain skeptical and unconvinced that ICTs in education are worth the investment.

What makes the response to this sort of question difficult is that the real benefits can really only be demonstrated in the longer term, and are seldom (if ever) revealed in the short-term, “standards-based accountability” measures that are often used. In addition, many of the benefits of well-crafted technology use identified by researchers can equally be argued as occurring in well-managed, non-technology supported learning situations.

In 2003 BECTA published a report called The big pICTure that reported on the impact of ICT on attainment, motivation and learning in formal school settings. This report summarized a number of large-scale studies available at the time, and provided some of the earliest quantitative evidence of what these impacts are.

So it was with interest that I had the opportunity over the holidays BECTA’s (Nov.2009) review of the evidence of the impact of digital technologies on formal education, titled “The Impact of Digital Technology“. This report is similar to the previous one in that it provides a review of a number of large-scale studies – but in this case, the writers take into account that the impact of digital technologies on learning is just as likely (if not more-so?) to occur out of school settings.

While the quantitative analysis of impact on learning in the various curriculum areas is of immense interest to me, it is this issue of context that is particularly significant IMHO. It is summed up well in the introduction on page 4:

“The ICT revolution is a deep cultural revolution changing all modes and patterns of our lives and hence bound to lead to dramatic changes in education. It is characterised by its recognition of two basic facts:

1. ICT has a powerful defining impact on all important aspects of our lives and hence our culture (in terms used often in this context: it is a ‘defining technology’)
2. The ICT revolution is a part of a group of intertwined revolutions that in the past 20 years have been transforming Western culture from a modern into a postmodern culture.”

As we look forward to the changes that are likely to take place in our education mileu here in NZ in 2010, particularly with the roll-out of the advanced network, it is important that education leaders, researchers and policy makers are cognizent of the issue of context in relation to what the impact of all of this might be on learning, and take care to ensure that any evaluation or research design takes this into account.

Having enjoyed a thoroughly relaxing and refreshing break over Christmas and New Year camping at the beach with my extended family I’m now back at work to see what 2010 has is store for us all. Here are just a few of the things that come to mind as I prepare myself for the first day back…

A hot topic for 2010 around NZ will undoubtedly be the expansion of the advanced network. An article by Brett O’Reilly in this morning’s Herald provides a pretty good summary of what the advantages to NZ will be from this activity – schools do actually get a (small) mention! News that REANNZ has had more funding approved for its activity in this area for the further development of the KAREN network is also good news.

With the increased speed and capacity of the advanced network we’ll see all sorts of developments in the area of video conferencing – I see that Skype are currently working with two TV manufacturing partners (LG and Panasonic)  to embed Skype in the latest generation of internet-connected widescreen HDTVs. This will certainly bring video conferencing a lot closer to the general population. According to Skype, up to 5 million Skype-enabled TVs will be delivered during 2010, but the TV alone will not do it. In addition to a high-speed connection, users will need to purchase a specially designed web cam.

Speaking of innovation – it will be interesting to see how many applications the MoE receive for their new position of Manager, eLearning Innovation, very inconveniently advertised over the period that everyone was away on holiday – applications close at the end of today, so there’s still time to apply

All of this talk of innovation again highlights the need for effective professional development in order to remain current in our thinking and practice. A couple of events worth putting in your diaries for 2010 are the DEANZ conference, to be held in Wellington from 25 – 28 April, and ULearn, to be held again in Christchurch from 5-8 October. The DEANZ conference will be of particular interest to those involved in online learning and distance education of any description, while ULearn caters for teachers and leaders from the ECE and school sector.

As a final thought before I head off to start the day I thought I’d share a link to a blog post by Dr Leo Casey, Director of the Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching at National College of Ireland. Leo shares his “top ten insights for learning” – a series of reflections based on his observations and experiences as a teacher. An excellent summary that cannot be read without challenging some of the things we encounter in our present paradigm in schools and tertiary institutions!

A new role in the NZ Ministry of Education has been advertised that should be of interest to all those who have an interest in the strategic direction and leadership of ICT in NZ schools.It’s the first time I can recall seeing the word “innovation” associated with a role within the MoE – looks like an exciting new development

The ad appeared on the MoE website just before Christmas, and closes on 10 January, which doesn’t leave much of a window of opportunity for anyone to apply, particularly as most potential applicants will be on holidy – (indicating that it may not actually be a real job, but intended for an internal person?) – but the responsibilities are huge, and is important that the very best person can be found for this job – so please spread the word!

Manager, E- Learning Innovation

We are seeking a Manager, E-Learning Innovation to join our team located in Wellington.

The Manager e-Learning Innovation will ensure there is nationwide knowledge on knowledge and understanding of the role of e-learning in supporting teaching and learning, that strategic decisions are made in relation to innovation and broadband, ensuring that government priorities are met especially with regard to an overview of content and services in the Broadband in schools project and the dissemination of this information across these sectors in order to ensure the success of the $1.5 billion role out of ultra fast Broadband to schools.

You will lead and manage across the e-learning unit, and take responsibility for the achievement of team results and the development, implementation and alignment of one or more work programmes – in particular oversight of content and services and ICT capability.

You will have:

• A relevant tertiary graduate qualification or equivalent practical knowledge in relation to e-learning and ICT systems, software and infrastructure
• Proven relationship management skills, including the ability to establish and maintain a high level of trust and confidence in users and stakeholders
• Ability to facilitate the resolution of complex business and technical problems
• Knowledge of Information Technologies
• Proven financial management skills

If this opportunity interests you apply now using the ‘Apply Online’ button. You can view a job description below or for further information please contact Jenny Fitzwater on 04 463 8586.

Applications close at 5pm on Monday 11 January 2010.

Download the job description here:
Job Description [WORD; 83kb]

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and an inspirational new year!

If you’re still stuck for some Christmas gift suggestions, here are some from Oren Arnold:

“To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.”

I’m off now for a well deserved two week break with my extended family, camping by the beach where I hope to be able to enjoy days of swimming in the surf, BBQs for breakfast, bike rides with my youngest kids, and long walks with my two grandsons!

Interesting report from KY3 News in Springfield, Missouri on the challenges and opportunities of working with social networking in schools. Emphasis appears to be on the communications capacity of these networks, and the assuption that because they’re common place in students lives now that schools need to be exploring how they can appropriate them within the role they have.

Some interesting quotes from a couple of the people interviewed..

“I’m preaching the gospel of using social media as another public relations tool,” said social media expert Evelyn McCormack.

“We are on Facebook and Twitter to get that transparency,” said Josey McPhail of the Springfield district.

Also interesting to note that issues of privacy and online safety, and the development of policies around the use of social networking tools in schools is being considered, but nothing yet developed.

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

My colleague Malcolm Moss in the UK sent me a link this morning to an fascinating concept video on the future of digital magazines. As we become increasingly familiar with the functionality of the touch-screen on the iPhone and familiar with devices like the Kindle, this video provides some interesting perspectives on where the development of where the whole concept of layout and design might head with these devices in the future.

The basic concept being explored is how we can take the established behaviours exhibited by those who simply pick up a magazine to browse and cater for them in an e-book world. The illustrations of how this thinking is evolving and what the solutions in the future are well worth viewing in this video clip.