Arawang Primary School is a big primary school in Weston Creek with almost 500 students in years P-6. Arawang has an interested and switched-on community and they were instrumental in putting together the school’s ICT Plan.
When principal Jeni thought about how ICT was going to work in the school, she realised the best approach was to bring together a group of people that had a good range of knowledge in the area. An ICT planning committee was formed, which included teachers, parents and experts from outside the school. The process took a while (as most good things do), and the school’s Technology PLC is finalising the document ready for publishing by the end of this term.
The committee met regularly while the plan was formulated, with everyone able to contribute ideas and questions. The visitors from outside the school presented their examples and experience to give the committee some background knowledge. The newly formed Technologies PLC is reviewing the document before final publication.
The school will also contribute to the WiFi upgrade, to make sure that there is sufficient coverage for all their needs now, and into the future.
This post outlines just one way to approach technology adoption and change in the school. We encourage you to read this and other posts on this subject when trying to find the best fit for your school. You might find one way is perfect, or you might find that the best approach combines a variety of ideas from lots of different schools. We'll publish more of these stories over the coming weeks.
When principal Jeni thought about how ICT was going to work in the school, she realised the best approach was to bring together a group of people that had a good range of knowledge in the area. An ICT planning committee was formed, which included teachers, parents and experts from outside the school. The process took a while (as most good things do), and the school’s Technology PLC is finalising the document ready for publishing by the end of this term.
People
Bring in people that know
Arawang’s ICT committee included a range of people with different expertise. Teachers and executive staff representing different age groups, parents, the business manager, and people from central office and other schools that are already implementing ICT.The committee met regularly while the plan was formulated, with everyone able to contribute ideas and questions. The visitors from outside the school presented their examples and experience to give the committee some background knowledge. The newly formed Technologies PLC is reviewing the document before final publication.
Let people work together
As a result of the planning process, Arawang Primary has established a dedicated ICT Professional Learning Committee. The committee will be responsible for realising the goals of the ICT Action Plan and making sure that all members of the school community can participate in the process.Teacher development of ICT Skills
Developing the capability of teachers at Arawang Primary is another priority. All teachers will receive training in Google Drive and Google Classrooms, with teachers in year 5 and 6 attending more comprehensive training. All teachers will be offered coaching and mentoring and encouraged to share their practice with each other.
Process
Plan carefully
Arawang’s ICT plan was carefully workshopped with the ICT committee, going through several drafts before settling on a plan for the Technologies PLC to revise and publish. The three year plan sets out strategic goals across leadership, school infrastructure and devices, student development, parent communication and teacher capability.Teach explicitly
ICT skills will be explicitly taught to students at Arawang Primary School, with activities aligned to the Australian Curriculum. This will be ongoing from the early years of schooling right through to year 6. This outcome is the number one priority of the school’s action plan.
Technology
The ICT committee decided the best approach for Arawang Primary School was to purchase Chromebooks for students to use at the school. This ensures that all students have access to the technology that best fits their purpose, when they need it.The school will also contribute to the WiFi upgrade, to make sure that there is sufficient coverage for all their needs now, and into the future.
This post outlines just one way to approach technology adoption and change in the school. We encourage you to read this and other posts on this subject when trying to find the best fit for your school. You might find one way is perfect, or you might find that the best approach combines a variety of ideas from lots of different schools. We'll publish more of these stories over the coming weeks.
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