Navcon 2K4: Learning with ICT - the Distributed School

On Friday morning, (the morning after the conference dinner!) I presented a session with Richard Millwood on 'Learning with ICT: the Distributed School'

We used SubEthaEdit to share the names and backgrounds of the people who came to listen. Having outlined our proposal for the Distributed School, participants then simulated the live video connection between the three sites. This activity stimulated people to discuss and think about what the learning might look like in the Distributed School.

Here is the document that participants collaboratively wrote using SubEthaEdit. Each group took on a location around the world. Text has been copied and pasted as written by participants.

UK:

The need for a global curriculum
structure.. so groups of schools agree of what is taught, to whom and when
Teacher competency... being able
to handle this sort of teaching and learning... also the relief teacher situation
- how comfortable are the back up staff going to be to build this expertise?
Preparation time.. collaborative
teaching takes planning time.

International education - new mode of teaching where teachers take on shift
work if operating across countries.. Parents doing work for their children..
need for some sort of ID device to prove that Mary is actually operating the
computer
New assessment methods ie: assessing
work that is produced electronically

Discipline issues - Would students really be responsible for their own b/h?

Need to be on same platform technologically... otherwise huge delay in possible
in communications.. Collaborative peer assessment (ie:email document outlining
standards, group negotiate and assess). Virtual surveillance of schooling..
Parents log into monitor what students are doing.
Capturing learning - issues around
building a structure to capture students' learning... think of the parent
who demands to see Johnny's exercise book... ie: need for huge amounts of
data capturing capacity
Social interactions... eg: Physical
education ... how will this be addressed? Building in social interaction time
in a face to face mode.
Hardware/software/power - Need
for a local power generator to back up the power

New ways of learning -
[Traditional model of schooling]
Possibility to use tech to offer expertise in a particular subject area not
already offered by the school

Tasmania

important stuff

getting sense of community [using
technology socially before using it formall]y
how to get past the 'legal duty
of care' that means schools block things like chat components - how to manage
this? [urban schools key issue]

working doc:

serious planning issues [coordination so all on same lane]?

how teacher participation happens?

fluency of conversation?

incorporating chat effectively? [merging different technologies for a better
fit for flow of conversation

getting sense of community [effective connection across sites - or even within
schools - f2f communication is essential how to facilitate that effectively
- establishing protocol

how to manage cummunity across time zones? for 'lesons'

how to get past the 'legal duty of care that means schools block things like
chat compnonents - how to manage this? - how do we manage where kids go?

how to break the content is fitted to the class model?

Technoogy issues -l

funding/support

philosophy - curriculum issues

pedagogy different teaching practices

colaborative

length of school day - routines/structure. Time zones

how would you choose partners

What is the key point of chosen schools

- different teaching practices

cultural aspect

national/global

Cultural activities/kapahaka

compatibility of software/hardware

common platform for sharing

security /safe learning environment

quality of assurance of programmes being delivered - accountablity

teacher driven/child driven

face to face capabiity- real life experience

technological support

adult supervision

Facilitator to oversee cluster

Board of trustees?