The Whole School Evaluation
The school
that I have selected is the one that provides distance education from early
childhood level to Year 13. The school has regional offices all throughout New
Zealand and at present is in the process of decentralizing their services even
more. The current e-learning approach of the institution is going through the
empowerment phase in relation to eFLP framework. Personally, I would place the
school at the extending stage if looking at the process of decentralizing the
school services.
The capability, profile and visibility of eLearning both
within the school and across the broader education sector and the increasing contribution
it is making to the achievement of the school’s strategic visions and goals
have also increased substantially.
Leadership & Strategic Direction: Empowering
e-Learning offers a unique opportunity for school to
provide individualised learning programmes due to the flexibility offered by
the delivery method and the capability for teachers to proactively manage,
create, and offer specific and individual learning opportunities. When
implemented and utilised effectively, this flexibility leads to improvements in
student achievement, presence, and engagement.
The school vision integrates e-learning throughout.
The school’s approach to eLearning must also viewed
against key national and international trends in educational use of technology.
These include the blending of distance education with classroom practice across
the sector, the potential development of a National Education Network based on
advanced networks, the proliferation of third party digital content, and a
paradigm shift in media creation and ownership propelled by developments in web
technologies and diminishing ICT costs and copyrights.
Professional Learning: Extending
The professional
learning in on going, open and safe. There is ongoing PDs going for staff every
week on various ICT use in teaching/learning/administration. The schools also provide free Microsoft
courses to staff and students as well. The implementation of personalised
learning has been spearheaded by school-wide professional development that will
continue in 2014 and beyond. This professional development supports regional
teams of teachers to use information they have about students to develop and
adapt programmes to meet students’ needs.
Beyond the Classroom: Empowering
Technology is one of
major form of communication with students and parents as well as with other
staff. ICT also provides a range of communication tools for students and their
caregivers to interact with the school and better access to community
resources. Culturally inclusive practices includes the capability of eLearning
and specifically its use of multimedia, plays a core role in the achievement of
Maori learners through its flexibility and capability to deliver via Te Reo
Maori, audio and visual media and experiential learning.
Technologies and infrastructure: Empowering
Through the delivery
and implementation of the Systems Replacement Project (SRP) and specifically
the new Online Teaching and Learning Environment (OTLE) as well as key
personnel and capabilities within school, the school has positioned itself to
have the capability and resources (both human and systems) to take advantage of
the opportunities that eLearning and ICT provides our students, teachers, and
broader community. There is a whole school virtual network for student learning
as well as for staff which is safe and flexible. There is efficient
administration network of technology for effective management and
organizational work such as (SMS). School wide system for maintenance and
development is available. There is very efficient technical support with remote
server connections as well. Help is available in a flick of time.
Teaching and Learning: Extending
Whatever the technology, learning is the vital element. E-Learning
is an important element in the evolving distance learning pedagogical framework
within school and is key to the new approaches to learning required to meet the
learning needs of individual students. Providing access to learning activities
through a range of ICT applications and services also provides students opportunities
to develop a range of 21st century skills and competencies that are
increasingly required for success in the workplace and further education.
E-Learning is fundamental to the effective delivery of personalised learning
programmes. E-Learning provides the school with many ways to connect with
students and engage them in learning. School recognises that some of the
students have no or limited connectivity. The school has improved this
situation by developing community relationships that provide students with
access to safe and reliable connectivity such as in local libraries and having
regional centres where students visit to work.
The school shapes the review and development of courses ensuring that
the approach chosen for each course best meets the learning needs of students.
Increasingly, as students become more independent, the balance of activities in
the distance environment will become less focussed on instruction and more on
experience, with teachers facilitating and supporting the growth of a student’s
personal knowledge networks. The use of different ICT and/or media needs to
reflect learning needs and context. The idea is to match the learning intent
with the eLearning method and tools that can deliver those learning outcomes
within the learner’s own context and capability.
Over the next two to three years the contribution of eLearning and
ICT will increase, as the school deploys a greater proportion of courses onto
the OTLE and more courses and content are delivered via eLearning.
In future, the role
and delivery of eLearning and ICT must fit within the school’s business
practices. It should not restrict or impinge on the opportunities for learners
who are unable to participate in eLearning.
To this end, the
school has developed an e-Learning content development framework which sits
alongside current business practises offering enhancement through eLearning,
whilst ensuring no student is excluded or restricted in their capability to
achieve and succeed.
