USING TO SUPPORT TEACHING & LEARNING

By Tim Manson Vice Principal Cullybackey College

A little about me . . . •  Have taught Geography for 20 years •  Have served as a HoD, Faculty Head and Curriculum Manager •  Worked in the only school in NI to gain specialist status in

Geography •  Achieved over 90% A* - C at GCSE over last 5 years in a partially

selective secondary school (to 2014) •  Achieved over 85% A* - B at A Level Geography over the last 3

years (to 2014) •  Have written a new textbook & revision guide for the CCEA GCSE

Geography course and 2 revision guides for the CCEA A Level Geography course

•  Work with CCEA as the Principal Examiner for both GCSE and A Level Geography

•  Left Slemish College after 17 years to become the Vice Principal of Cullybackey College

24/7 Learning// Digital Omnivore •  Online presence – www.thinkgeography.org.uk

•  Apple web •  Linked across to Google sites

•  Learning podcasts (itunes) •  Twitter •  Edmodo - social media learning area/ online essays

“ICT is not being used well enough to support learning”

The 2012 NI ETI Chief Inspector’s report

My application to the GTA

Google CPD •  Summer 2010 •  I paid for Travel and Accom myself •  Google Teacher Academy •  2 days of CPD in Google products •  Designated a Google certified teacher Positives: ²  Networking – 50 innovative teachers ²  Learning – opportunities to try new things – Google sites/ maps/ docs and

apps for education ²  Intensive and hands on programme

Negatives: o  Not all content was relevant o  I get scared off by people who are only interested in their ‘one’ product o  Certain level of digital literacy required by teachers

How do I use Google? •  Docs suite •  Google drive •  Gmail (as a backup in school) •  Google maps (I am a geography teacher after all!) •  Youtube

Two Main areas 1. Google sites as the backdrop/ free

storage for my web site 2. Google forms for course evaluation/

feed back

Think geography Youtube Podcasts Google sites

Why do I use Google?

•  Accessibility and portability across all devices/ platforms

•  Stability – works on most devices (apart from C2k computers)

•  Simplicity – everything is very easy to learn to use •  Safe storage – very difficult to lose work •  Can be done individually and does not need complicated

logins and security (different from Fronter) •  Yet – sharing pages and content is very easy •  Its free

Time

Por

tabi

lity

The changing nature of how teachers prepare for digital learning

How would you encourage teachers to ‘opt in’ to Google? •  The teaching style of every teacher is very different. •  The skills and ability of any teacher to adopt new technology and to use

it is never the same. A blended approach to learning needs to be taken: •  Teachers are social animals who like to learn from each other and value

opportunities to learn from other more experienced practitioners. •  Albatrosses – one day of training will inspire them to go away and do

(already flying – ready to try a different way of flying – ready to go! •  Fledglings - training followed by online support – use of online support

and webcast technology (eg google hangout) – they are ready to try to fly.

•  Hatchlings –Training needs some detail and focus – need to be nurtured & supported until they are ready to break free for themselves.

•  Magpies - Need an incentive, a prize ‘you have to create a web site for learning and you will get a certificate’, a badge, an acknowledgement.

“A school is only as good as its teachers” “A school is only as good as its teachers. With the relentless focus in recent years on teaching and learning, as well as outcomes, this has never been more true. It has led us all to think in new ways about how to improve the classroom experience for children – and teachers.” Jackie Beere, writing in the Foreward to ‘Perfect teacher-led CPD’ by Shaun Allison

What is the key question you are asking? How to develop teacher’s USE of technology?

How to develop teacher resources FOR learning? How to develop 24/7 online learning?

What is the right question?

Will Richardson wrote: “Schools as we know them developed in a particular place and time to meet a specific set of social and economic needs. But times have changed, and the way we need to think about education has changed too.”

SUPPORTING TEACHERS IN CPD

Everyone learns differently A Blended approach to learning for teachers is important •  The vast majority of teachers are interested in making sure that they

develop their practice and can become ‘better’ teachers •  The vast majority of teachers will spend their time in one school, in one

room teaching one subject or one class. They need to be inspired, challenged and developed.

•  Teachers are social animals and like networking and meeting together to share and swop ideas

•  Some teachers like to tinker – they want easy to use help guides available and accessible

#niedcamp v  RTU had supported this opportunity for CPD for many years. v  Due to funding restrictions this was pulled this year. v  Very quickly a group of teachers on twitter started talking and put

a meet together to talk further and develop some plans to see what we could do to respond to the obvious need that students had.

v  Tues 18th August was agreed, the GTCNI helped source a venue – Stranmillis college and already we have 211 people who have signed up to attend before we have even put a programme together.

v We currently have offers from at least 25 People to present. v  The power of social media and informal connections kick started it

all!

CPD model for NI •  Should there be common closure dates across NI to facilitate

training? •  Should teachers have to keep a log of their own professional

development? (eg in England 30 hours a year). •  Is it important to gather teachers across phases or train within

phases? •  Should teachers be forced to undergo some form of ‘top-up’

training using online learning like the Health Service (re-accreditation/ re-validation processes?)

•  Should teachers be rewarded for accessing additional CPD? •  Blended approach!

Edmodo

Contact details E: timmanson@mac.com T: @mapsman or @thinkgeography1 W: www.thinkgeography.org.uk