Embracing ICT in Elementary Schools

1. An Example to Be NotedElementary Schools Embracing ICT http://namust.khi.is NERA 2004 ConferenceIceland University of EducationReykjavik March 11–13 Torfi Hjartarson – torfi@khi.is Iceland University of Education

2. The LearnICT Research Project • Seed grant in 2001, three year grant from 2002 • Four research teams consider the use of ICTin pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary settings • Directed by Allyson Macdonald head of the Research Centre at the Iceland University of Education

3. LearnICT – Main Goals • To consider possibilities that ICT opens up for teaching and learning • To investigate affects of ICT on schools, teachers and students • To explore interactions between schoolsand their local communities • To increase knowledge on the construction of distributed and flexible learning • To improve and increase collaboration in the area of educational research on ICT in education

5. Research Team in this particular study Allyson Macdonald Auður B. Kristinsdóttir Sigurjón Mýrdal Torfi Hjartarson Þorsteinn Hjartarson Þuríður Jóhannsdóttir

7. 4 43 3 4 18 ≈ 10%

8. Related Studies Leadership • Leadership • Teachers • Students • Curriculum Design • Regional Authorities • School Libraries • Special Education • Observations in class Teachers Students

9. School Leadership • Mostly very supportive and often quite proactive • As a rule principals rely heavily on one or two senior staff members responsible for ICT issues • Background, position and approach varies considerably from one staff member to another • Many principals and some senior staff members have recently attended new graduate programs on administration and school development • Principals encourage staff development and a sense of schools as learning communities of teachers and students seems to be growing

10. Teacher Ed and ICT in Schools Teacher Education National Curriculum Schools

12. Regional Authorities • Only larger communities have a clear policy regarding investment, technical support and educational goals • Most regions seem devoted in their efforts to promote use of ICT and ensure access to equipment and technical support • ICT is generally seen as a catalyst of desired change in the classroom and the most ambitious regions are clearly making an effort to provide their schools and teachers with pedagogical support and insights regarding use of ICT

13. ICT as a Subject Area • As a rule one or two classhours are dedicated to ICT at all age levels from six to thirteen years • Fourteen and fifteen year olds are generally offered ICT classes as an elective • Some schools throw in extra hours for typing • School libraries are often responsible for weekly hours devoted to information retrieval and sometimes project work involving ICT

15. School Libraries • The libraries could generally have a more integrated role in supporting and promoting different media and ICT, their potential in this respect seems yet to be fully recognized • New school buildings reflect new ideas regarding the library and open flexible spaces for multiple forms of teaching and learning

19. Electives at a Distance • A couple of schools are offering their oldest students opportunities for distance learning at schools at the secondary level • Others are considering such options or working on mutual exchange of distance courses with other schools at the primary level

29. Dynamics in Focus Regional Policy National Policy Teachers School Curriculum School Leadership Technical support ICT Consultant Students ICT Classes Shool Library Parents

30. A Unified Front? Regional Policy National Policy Teachers ? School Curriculum School Leadership Technical Support ICT Consultant Students ICT Classes Shool Library Parents

31. Focus of Teachers Regional Policy National Policy Teachers ? School Curriculum Regular Classes School Leadership Subject Disciplines Technical Support Special Education ICT Consultant Students ICT Classes Shool Library Parents

32. Schools and Communities – Fullan

33. Intriguing Trilogy by Michael Fullan • The Inside Story • The Inside-Out Story • The Outside-In story Fullan, M.G. (2000). The three stories of education reform. Phi Delta Kappan 81(8): 581-584. Also available: http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kful0004.htm

34. The Inside Story • Collaborative work culturesor professional learning communities • Assessment literacy • Restructuring vs. reculturing

35. The Inside-Out Story • Schools must react and join forces with the outside world • Parents and community • Technology • Corporate connections • Government Policy • Wider teaching profession • Sucessful schools connect, contribute, choose carefully, mobilize and attack incoherence.

36. The Outside-In Story • Supportive infrastructures • Policy focused on decentralization • Local capacity building • Rigorous external accountability • Stimulation of innovation

37. Activities and School Society Facilities and resources Curriculum Homes School Organization Students outsideClassroom Hours ICT School Leadershipand Administration Teachers outsideClassroom Hours TeachingLearning Staff development Assessment Technical Support and Administration Special Education Regular Classes Computer Classes Other Schools Subject Disciplines School Culture School Library Culture

38. Activity Theory Activity Systems as Units of Analysis Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research http://www.edu.helsinki.fi/activity

39. Activity Theory Relations and contradictions

40. Coherent and Extensive Support Móaskóli Lautaskóli Helluskóli

41. Fermentation and fragmentation Mýraskóli Hveraskóli Lindaskóli Bugðuskóli Flóaskói Hálsaskóli Klettaskóli

42. Small but beautiful • Space, access, collaboration, flexibility ...

43. Successful exploitation of ICT • Formal expectation of ICT-use by head teachers+ guidance, technical support and resources • Staff development with adequate length, task relevance, opportunities for exploration and classroom evaluation, peer support and exchange • Clear and adequate guidance on curricular positioning and implementation by central and local government • Initial teacher education, formal assessment of ICT competences, articulation and cooperation among faculty, matching of exemplars and resources with schools John Robertson (2000): The ambiguous embrace: twenty years of IT (ICT) in UK primary schools

44. Guidance • The teacher should not merely be a ‘guide on the side’, students need ‘guidance by an expert’

45. Important Issues • Leadership, standards and supportive measuresat local, regional and national level • Support and consultation from dedicated staff members with pedagogical insights, overview and skills in ICT • Staff development, assessment and in-service training • Access to equipment, resources and convenient work areas – laptop computers! • Collaboration within the school and beyond • A vivid school culture, flexibility and team work • Teacher initiatives, innovators and early adaptors • Careful mobilization and coherent efforts

46. Allyson Macdonald, Auður Kristinsdottir, Sigurjon Myrdal, Torfi Hjartarson, Thorsteinn Hjartarson og Thuridur Johannsdottir make up a research team around the study reflected in this presentation. The study is part of a larger research project called NamUST or LearnICT. http://namust.khi.is Torfi Hjartarson assistant professorIceland University of Education torfi@khi.is