Collegial visit between OLMC and St Michael's Blacktown

On the 5th November teachers from St Michael's  had a collegial visit to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  We saw children accessing and sharing  their work on Google Drive.  Their was some samples of iMovie trailers where students persuaded others how good the iPads are.

At St Michael's students used strip design to retell the main events of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They used images from the internet and their own drawings.

Another class presented a freeze frame retell of the story ' I am jack'. They used the camera roll and story patch. A different class brainstormed ides about solar energy using Google Docs then they were able to represent ideas using any App.

Additionally, other students had to persuade others to read their favourite book using iMovie trailer. Firstly they had to brainstorm ideas in popplet then create every image using any app. Students used explain everything, drawing pad, pic collage and feltz.  They also draw images. They then shared their iMovie on Google Drive.

Collegial visit between Our Lady of the Angels Rouse Hill and St. Joseph's Schofields

Today provided the opportunity to see how technology is being integrated into learning. The children through their projects have a deep understanding of the content, they are using the app that best suits their learning needs and their intended purpose. The collaboration, dialogue, engagement and higher order thinking skills demonstrated by the children were outstanding and provided an authentic snap shot of 21st Century Learning.

We saw the skills of collaboration and communication as the students worked together on the one task through google doc. They shared their ideas and discussed how they were going to present their documentary.  The communication between children was great.

The students developing problem solving and critical thinking skills - the students had to find ways to overcome some issues whilst working in the project and they had to be critical thinkers in terms of the content they had to chose and the manner in which they present their work.

From a teaching perspective I walk away with a wealth of ideas, new ways to use apps for different purposes, I have established a link with other school in our local area, it was affirming to know we have laid a solid foundation for our students and we have made great progress on our journey this year. The discussion about children's learning, reflection on teaching and where to next have been very valuable.

Thank you for a wonderful day of learning and reflection.

Collegial Visit between St Joseph's Primary School, Schofields and Our Lady of the Angels, Rouse Hill

What a fantastic day we had visiting St Joseph’s Primary School, Schofields. It was an invaluable experience that we will take with us. It was good to realise that we are on the same track and that our students are moving towards redefinition in terms of their iPad use. It was wonderful opportunity to reaffirm that what is happening in each school is valuable and changing the learning of each child in each class involved in the iLearn program. 

We saw lots of wonderful samples of work showcasing their journey throughout the year. We found that students were using multiple apps to produce quality pieces of work. Through our journey we saw children using apps that demonstrated their strengths, children showing critical thinking when evaluating pieces of work and collaboration. It was great to have an ongoing dialogue with our colleagues. This opportunity allowed us to gain affirmation and to also exchange ideas that we could implement within the classroom. 

Collegial Visits for the iLearn Project

As the first year of our iLearn project draws to a close we have decided to offer teachers the opportunity for a professional visit to a nearby iLearn project school. The students have now been operating in a 1-1 iPad environment since Term 1 so it is a chance to share the learning that has taken place.

Teacher Modelling iMovie Trailer

 Collegial visits provide a reciprocal opportunity to visit another iLearn classroom and exchange teaching resources and ideas. Collegial visits are NOT concerned with professional critique or judgement nor teacher appraisal. They will be our main professional learning opportunity for the teachers for this term. Over the course of a school day, each school team will visit another Year 4 iLearn classroom in a nearby project school and also host a return visit in their own learning space.  Each classroom visit will be followed by an hour long professional conversation led by the Teaching Educator and a school leader. It will incorporate shared reflection on the student learning observed, in light of the SAMR framework and identified 21st Century learning skills.

Clear protocols have been developed to ensure the visits take place in a spirit of mutual respect and trust. A simple observation tool is used for data gathering and reflection to support the professional conversations. The Observation Tool will then be used to support the professional dialogue. We hope this will be a wonderful learning opportunity for all.