Reflection 3

So far......wow, we have covered a lot in this course. I feel as though this is the most diverse paper I have taken. When I think back to my first blog post with a video, and how much I know now I really don't know where to start.
I have learned a lot through out the course. The academic essay on online tutorials created a meaningful research road for me to go down. That is 1 of the things I have really enjoyed about the course, everything has been meaningful learning.
As I have said in previous posts, the change models are realistic to my school setting and I enjoyed putting them into context. For me, at the beginning of this course I was someone who was passionate about technology in education. Now I am passionate about others seeing what the changes are and why things need to change. It's not just about the technology anymore for me, but thr process of change and supporting others to get there.
Scenario planning is a great way to think forward. We have ERO early next term so I will be interested to find out if they have seen examples of this in schools. This term I had the opportunity to create my entire planning folder in a OneNote notebook. This was a trial that I am going to show ERO, and hopefully create some change within my school. I have learned that scenario planning also has to look at sustainability as well as change and I feel that this type of planning involves both.
The annotated bibliography is a great way to find out information in a meaningful way. A friend of mine wished all her assignments had one to support them, she loved it and was thinking about doing one for her research personally.
I am still unsure about using the scenario matrix in context. I got enough of a handle on it to understand what I was doing, but feel as though I would still struggle to apply it to my school.
It is a relief not having such a full on course schedule this time around. The mooc had a lot of useful and insightful information, but I really felt like some of it was over my head. I appreciated that most members led conversations around most topics which clarified a lot for me. I learned a lot in a small amount of time, which sitting back, I can now appreciate.
I feel as though I have started to think about technology on such a deeper level now. I can take the ecological perspective of my society into consideration when scenario planning, and I actually know what that means. This course has made me think more about the bigger picture of the changes, it's not just about us in our classroom, but it's about our students community and everyone around us. It has made me more aware of keeping those around the school involved by informing them of changes and just keeping them up to date.
The ElPF has opened up my eyes to where the school I work in may be, and where I want it to be. I have discussed it with my Principal and he was very keen to integrate it into our review process. I am keen to discuss it with ERO and see what their thoughts are.
I have enjoyed becoming part of the class and this has been much easier with the use of twitter and blogs and forums. I have felt as though there has been a lot of support, and it has been easier to push on through when you know someone else is feeling the same.
I want to know more about e-mature schools. I would love to see one in action. I wonder if these schools have specific staff members running the focus or if everyone is on board. I also wonder how they get everyone on board.
At this stage I still have so much to learn. I feel I have only just touched the surface of changes in technology. I would like to learn more about implementing scenario planning into primary schools, and more about using the elpf to create change in a primary school setting.

Elearning planning framework

I have selected a small rural Primary school in the South Island of New Zealand. The school had a role of 90 students and has 5 Teachers. The schools current e-learning approach is characterised by 1:1 learning in one classroom, a couple of passionate staff and a Board of trustees who in the past has been supportive of e-learning. 

• Summary of the 5 areas

Leadership and strategic direction
This school is at an engaging level. There is a strong management team in place. The skills from management are constantly being shared with staff, and there is professional development apparent within the school around e-learning. There is also an expectation that Teachers are aware of the e-learning going on in the school and have input as to where to next.

Professional Learning
I would say the school is at an extending level. This is supported by the networking available for Teachers in the wider community associated with the school. There is also quite a bit of professional development available through funding from the MOE which has supported the professional development of the staff. The school has just started using the Teacher as Inquiry model as part of their Appraisal process. Their next step is to use this as part of their professional development and needs around ICT.

Beyond the Classroom
The school is at the engaging level. They have constant communication with the BOT about their successes and hopeful next steps in technology. The parent community are fully aware of the integration of ICT into the classrooms, but their are no reports as such as to how it is going.

Technologies and Infrastructure
The school is at the emergent level. The school has quite a few resources but there isn't a collaborative feel through out classrooms. The support within the school is focused around professional development, not so much the technologies. Some of the technology is outraged and running into problems, and the infrastructure is not totally capable of running all the wireless devices available at the same time.

Teaching and Learning
The school again would be at an emergent level. Although some of the classes may be technology rich and practising integration into other curriculum areas and assessment, it is not school wide.

The evidence comes from observations of classroom practice.  I also had numerous conversations with staff and the principal of the school.

Disclaimer: This assessment was conducted as a personal learning exercise to gain understanding of the eLPF and the assessments are restricted to public documentation without detailed insights into all organisational processes.