Teachers understand the importance of preparing for classroom teaching. Preparing for online projects is also vital to achieving successful project outcomes. The five elements in this pillar were evident in all Group A reports. Preparation: select a project Delivering curriculum needs and supporting learning outcomes were common starting places for project selection. However, one Group A teacher chose Netdays as a vehicle for professional development for the teaching staff at his school. While another teacher mainly saw it as a tool to support Languages Other Than English: ‘I was looking to find a ‘sister’ school in a country that spoke French to communicate and do projects on a regular basis and thought Netdays would be an ideal way to achieve these aims.’ Michael McKenzie, Colac Primary, Victoria. A teacher needs to form some criteria for project selection before identifying a project from the wide range available (refer to Appendix, Table 3). Survey results indicate that 80% or more of Group A considered the following criteria when choosing the Netdays project: Learning outcomes. Student needs, skills and interests. Technology requirements. Uniqueness, challenge and sense of fun. Of lesser importance but still considered were teacher expertise and the support offered within the project. In the surveys by Group B, 80% of the teachers considered learning outcomes with only 30% or less believing that student needs, skills and technology requirements were important selection criteria. One could suggest that teachers who achieved project goals considered a range of elements when selecting the project, while teachers who did not complete project goals failed to consider important selection criteria. Once the project was identified then planning commenced. Preparation: plan Group A teachers’ planning encompassed technology requirements, student skills and learning, curriculum and resource development, contingency plans to overcome barriers and their own professional development. The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL: 2001) has developed extensive material on technology and education. Their researchers have identified the indicators of effective planning and design when using technology (refer Table 4). These indicators were used to develop the survey questions given to Group A and Group B. Table 4: Indicators of effective planning and design Indicators of effective planning and design What do students already know and what can they do? What are the learning needs of each student? What accommodations need to be made to meet those needs? How will the use of technology enhance the acquisition of new knowledge? How will effective technology use engage students in the lesson/unit? What instructional technologies best support my objectives and curriculum content? What school wide resources, human and material, are needed to successfully integrate technology into the curriculum? In what ways can the appropriate use of technology change the evaluation of student learning for this lesson/unit? http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/framewk/ pro/planning/proplain.htm Table 5 shows how Group A teachers actively planned before the project commenced. Every Group A teacher ensured he or she had the technical requirements and were clear on the project goals and activities. They all ensured their students were skilled and prepared. Of the teachers in Group A, 81% also prepared materials and resources to support the project. Whereas 80% of Group B teachers did not prepare any classroom materials for the Netdays project. Even though all of Group A teachers‘ computer skills were quite high, 63% of them participated in workshops and teleconferences offered through the project in comparison with 10% of Group B. All of the teachers in Group A and Group B believed preparation was vital to project success. However in all areas, Group B ranked lower than Group A in showing what preparation they actually undertook. Unforeseen barriers may have contributed to Group B teachers not achieving the project goals. Table 5: Actual planning completed by Group A (green-top) and Group B (grey-bottom) How did you prepare for Netdays? Responses: Made sure school computers had the technical requirements (i.e. Internet access and Flash) 100% 70%   Read about the project via website and notes sent 100% 90%   Joined the teacher’s listserv. 63% 50%   Actively participated in the listserv. 25% 0%   Participated in any workshops or teleconferences. 63% 10%   Ensured my students had necessary email and computer skills. 100% 50%   Prepared materials and resources to suit project outcomes. 81% 20%   Shared project with parents and school community. 44% 10%   Traditionally teachers’ curriculum programs involve collecting resources, lesson planning, writing and organising learning, for example group dynamics and timetabling. Interruptions to timetables, changing student needs etc are standard barriers to learning, but are usually overcome by the experienced teacher. Online projects totally change the depth and complexity of learning barriers. Some of the problems encountered by Netdays teachers* included: Flood of email from Netdays project schools to our school network account. Teachers and students unfamiliar with online projects. Online chat sessions with cultural guests coincided with timetable. Technical difficulties. Lack of up to date computers and connectivity. Lengthy time waiting for other schools to respond. Making contingency plans and having a flexible approach to problem solving is important as some problems are out of the teacher’s direct control. For example, approximately 40% of the 342 schools registered in the Netdays project did not complete their school gallery details making it difficult to choose a partner school. Sue Lemmer from Surrey Downs Primary in South Australia overcame this barrier by printing out the school gallery list. Students then worked in sections to check links. Schools with inactive links were eliminated from their list of potential partners. Sue points out in her report, ‘I would advise teachers to think through the project and try to anticipate possible problems, both from a content and a process viewpoint.’ The barriers to learning in an online project could be overwhelming and beyond the time available to a busy teacher. However, good preparation goes a long way to ensuring problems are minimised. Some strategies Group A teachers used in the Netdays project are listed: I spent time exploring Australian and European Netday sites so I was familiar with the navigation and activities. Allowed students to become familiar with the website and tools (for example chat rooms) so they could focus on the content and concepts being discussed. Regular team meetings with teachers to plan and share resources. Ensured technology met project and student needs before commencement. Asked for help from project coordinators via listserv, email and phone support. Participated in professional development activities offered that support my learning needs. Set up student emails and storage space on server. Critical dates are added to the calendar and we review dates daily as part of our classroom administration meetings. This useful strategy helps us to monitor our time and prioritise tasks to be completed by a particular date. Preparing for an online curriculum project requires a clear understanding of the goals and learning outcomes to be achieved. The depth of activity in a large curriculum project can obscure the initial reason for participation. Advice from Lankshear and Snyder concur. ‘A good rule of thumb for all teaching is to clarify to ourselves, as teachers, just what social practice the class is going to be involved in. If we are not clear about that, it is unlikely that the learners will be.’ (2000: 137) Comments from Group A teachers support this view: ‘We spent a lot of time first of all deciding what it was that was needed and then time planning what each group was going to concentrate on. Planning away from the computer was important as it allows a smoother approach to using computers when students know where they are going.’ Joseph Meale, Ogilvie High School in Tasmania ‘Being clear about how the project fits within curriculum frameworks and how it will be embedded into everyday classroom practice is important, to ensure that teachers do not become stressed by trying to approach it as an ‘extra’ unit of work.’ Sue Lemmer, Surrey Downs Primary in South Australia ‘Restrict involvement to what is manageable and achievable. Consider why you want to be involved, what your commitment is, what you hope to achieve by your involvement and how it can assist you in maximising student learning outcomes.’ Richard Opie, Warracknabeal Secondary College in Victoria Preparation: organise Teachers bring their own methods of delivery, planning and management strategies to online projects. Every class is unique and students’ needs vary. In the Netdays project, each class had access to different technology and support. Models of delivery were diverse. When participating in online projects, teachers need to be clear on the delivery model they are organising. The different delivery models as reported by Group A teachers have been documented as exemplars of the range of options open to teachers when planning online projects. Each successful model lists group structures, technology, teaching and management strategies and student involvement. They are examples only and could be changed to suit student needs and resources but are described as models including factors to be organised. The italic notes are taken directly from the teachers’ reports. Model one: small group of interested students and specialist teacher Three teachers from Group A described this model of delivery. In one case a teacher librarian chose fifteen interested students to participate in Netdays. Kuraby Special School also used this model to extend their 11–14 year old students and help them to understand about other countries and cultures. Teachers needed to organise teams, student roles and tasks, parents/aide support, technology needs and liaise with classroom teachers. Group structures Small teams of three to four students who work together out of school time if necessary. Project roles clearly defined for example one group writes about local cultural event, another chooses school photos, another finds reference websites. Computer access while other specialist classes running (eg swimming). Teacher aides/parents used to support students’ learning. Technology Three current computers with latest browser and Flash installed. A pod of computers allowed teams to work side-by-side and cross-conference. The special school used one computer with Internet access in the classroom and a digital camera featured in most work as students had little reading ability. Teaching and management strategies Class teacher kept informed and helped to develop activities. Make a roster of when students have time on the computer to ensure equity. Maintain the complexity of the various tasks so students have responsibility to manage tasks, solve problems, present answers. Flexibility a necessity to meet contingencies arising within project and within students’ school life. Student involvement Students motivated and enthusiastic about the project. Suits range of abilities. Constructivist approach to learning – students in control of their learning path, access to computers. Special students were guided in their investigations. Regular reports to classes and the school community. Model two: direct teaching: whole-class approach in a computer lab with learning technology teacher and/or classroom teacher/teacher-librarian High school classes used this approach as it suited the school’s timetable and resources. Teachers needed to organise lab timetables, lesson structures, group roles and technology needs such as email addresses and storage space. Group structures Students visit lab once a week for 50 minutes with each student having access to a computer. Technology Network of 25 to 30 workstations running latest browser, example Internet Explorer 5. Teaching and management strategies A specialist teacher (learning technology or teacher-librarian) managed the access time and project. Teachers prepared guidelines and activities. Whole class participated in the introductory sessions with their class teacher to put project in context. Balanced guided tasks and clear expectations re participation with freedom to enjoy and experience the Netdays Oz and Europe sites. Teacher prepared, clear on required tasks and aware of the freedom for exploration that the site provides. Student skills were sufficient to achieve success with the communication required. Student involvement Discussion, planning, negotiated Group tasks to complete project tasks. Students have been involved in ICT lessons through the Resource Centre for four years and are quite experienced with graphics, email, navigation, working online and ‘having a go’. Students were involved from the earliest stages in planning and gathering information. Model three: students allocated Internet time in lab and in class time with teacher support Many large primary schools are operating in this way. They have a computer lab and also four to six computers in their classrooms. This is an ideal situation as students work on investigations in rotations in class time and more structured lessons in the lab. Teachers needed to organise classroom rosters/rotations, supporting materials/resources, lab timetable, group roles and technology needs. Group structure Students had access to four networked computers in the classroom and visited the school laboratory twice a week for one hour each session; students work in pairs in the laboratory and as individuals in the class via rotation. Used in-class computers for authoring Internet site and chat sessions. Technology Lab set-up: new computers with Netscape Communicator browser; four networked computers in classroom. Established a Group email address for my class to enable effective communication. Teaching and management strategies Familiarisation with outcomes and project needs. Check for hardware/software suitability. Allowed students to investigate the site themselves. Ask students to each collect a suitable school for a joint project and justify their selection with the 5Ws and How strategy (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How). Utilised the teacher listserv on a daily basis to seek advice and help others. Student involvement Involve students in the initial input about our school and our community. Students worked well in pairs, sharing ideas and discoveries and brainstorming ideas for exchanging cultural information. Spend time investigating the various activities and then get together (still in the lab) to discuss the various activities we had discovered. Model four: whole school approach organised by the computer coordinator This model was undertaken by three of the schools in Group A. Colac Primary used this model to include all year 3 to 6 classes in the Netdays project. Teachers needed to organise teachers’ professional development, sharing of ideas and resources, lab timetable and/or classroom computer rosters shared, storage space for shared photographs and documents, email accounts for each class. Group structure Twelve classes of year 3 to year 6. The time given to the children varied from classroom to classroom depending on the classroom teacher. This time varied from everyday in some rooms to once or twice a week in others. Students worked in groups rotating through activities. Technology Each classroom had six to eight computers networked to the Internet. Access to digital cameras and two technicians on site. Teaching and management strategies Teachers shared planning and resources. Reviewing any messages/postcards on a daily basis. Student involvement The children were my biggest asset because they were keen to do this and really enjoyed writing to someone overseas, receiving mail back and generally having a friend somewhere else in the world. Organised an exchange student from Switzerland to talk to students. The questions they asked him were amazing and went a long way to getting a better understanding of that country. Students’ having regular and meaningful access to the computer was the key. Model five: an extension of original project using a whole-school approach Wamberal Primary used Netdays as motivation to build a virtual tour of their school and local community via their website. Using a project to stimulate extension activities is a powerful and motivating model of delivery. Teachers needed to select the school web team and roles, installation of software, storage space, a task list, develop strategies to meet student skill needs and a mentoring program. Group structure Each class worked on a project: the task was to build a school website to showcase during Netdays. Set timetable with K–2 30 mins, 3–4 have 45 mins, 5–6 have 60 mins, hands on lessons each week and professional development for staff. Technology Network Windows 98/NT4, 15 computers in Lab using Internet Explorer 5. Teachers supplied with preparation eg: lesson plans, installing Shockwave and lessons in how to create the Netdays website, eg use of Dreamweaver. Teaching and management strategies Meeting of interested students to form web team. Permission gained from parents to include student photos on the website. Team members worked together and had organised themselves into subgroups to complete specific tasks. Task list ticked when completed. A mind map was drawn up with areas that the students considered relevant to the topic. This was revisited throughout the project. Create series of questions to ascertain children’s prior knowledge of the topic. Student involvement Students often worked through their own time to complete tasks. After building each page the team members viewed the page and made constructive criticisms on how it could be improved. Whatever model a teacher uses the organisation needed is critical to success. Listing the technology, curriculum, student and personal needs is a start. One simple strategy used by a Group A teacher was to mind map the project then list all the areas that had to be organised. Some areas were delegated to a technician, some to students, others to teaching partners or supporting staff. Using a mind map helped the teacher to plan ahead, organise project needs and know what support was required. Preparation: support The fourth factor in the Preparation Pillar is support. Project support needs to be organised for technology use as well as teaching and learning needs. NCREL (2001) has also identified support indicators in schools where there is robust access to technology for students and staff (refer to Table 6). Table 6: Indicators of effective technical support Indicators of effective technical support Hardware is wired, ready for use, and supported by available and knowledgeable technicians. All users are well trained and have the ability to provide meaningful feedback to support personnel. New users are quickly incorporated into the system. District technology coordinators are encouraged to give input on the integration of technology into the curriculum. Teachers are invited to participate in planning and policy meetings involving technology but are not expected to serve as technicians. Students participate in some technology support. http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/framewk/acc/support/accsuppr.htm These indicators are best practice scenarios but could help inform schools. The indicators describe teachers as being well trained and able to provide meaningful feedback re their technology needs. Three schools from Group A employed a technician. However, the technicians’ role was to ensure the school’s technology met the project’s needs. The teacher still had to organise email dispersal, use the digital camera, upload web forms and understand how to best manage student learning in an online environment. Many teachers in the Netdays project reported they had to learn new technology skills. Table 7: Initial survey of Netday participants showing new skills gained Use the Internet 19%   Use email 19%   Attach a file to an email 39%   Use a digital camera 42%   Use a scanner 23%   Use a chat room and/or discussion board 61%   Submit a web form 39%   Participate in a listserv 42%   Manage student access to the Internet 48%   Change photos into web format (gif or jpeg) 58%   Learn to word process or use other applications 16%   It is up to the teacher to identify his or her own professional development needs and seek assistance within the school or online project. Netdays offered support via a teachers’ email list, synchronous chat, phone and email support and some states organised workshops, teleconferences and teacher relief days. Some schools provided support for their teachers after needs were pin-pointed. Wamberal Public School in New South Wales developed workshops for their teachers on web building and using a digital camera as the school extended the project goals to the development of a website with a Netdays virtual tour. http://www.wamberal-p.schools.nsw.edu.au Schools need to ensure teachers have access to latest technology, technical assistance and to help identify and assist professional development needs. Some teachers were given time away from the classroom to prepare and/or participate in projects. Their schools saw this as a positive reinforcement and support strategy to encourage teachers to engage in Internet projects. Sue Lemmer (Surrey Downs Primary, SA) supports this view of the role of schools in supporting teachers in online projects when she reported: ‘It might be useful to set up teacher mentors where teaching teams or partners plan for involvement together. Release time to attend any introductory workshops and access to any training and development needed, can also be beneficial. For example, if the project involves web page authoring, teachers without prior experience might need help in accessing the required training. Teachers need less support as they become practised in planning and managing the involvement and learning in online projects.’ Although ‘just in time’ learning is very powerful, identifying required skills prior to the project’s commencement will help ensure success. It is worth noting that students may already have the required technology skills and can act as mentors for the teacher and for other students. Jamie McKenzie believes that, ‘It will take many teachers 2–3 years of sustained professional development (30–40 hours yearly) to develop the skill set and enthusiasm to support dramatic and frequent use of these tools (technology).’ (2001) Current research from Becker concurs with the association of professional development to Internet use. ‘Although the Internet is often presented as a novice-friendly area of computer use, relevant prior computer knowledge many be an important pre-requisite for a teacher to make the Internet a valued resource in their classroom.’ (1999: 29) Preparation: reflect During the planning stages, teachers in Group A described how they reflected on the project and student needs to maximise learning outcomes. Although a checklist could be used, it is often an intuitive act as part of good teaching practice. Fogarty reports that, ‘Reflection gives time to scrutinise, observe and question. In the reflective phase the mind sorts and synthesises, rearranges and reconnects. This is when transfer takes place. This is the phase of the learning cycle that moves inert knowledge to relevant application.’ (1997: 184) Reflection in the preparation stage lays the foundation for success. Contingency plans, material development, meeting student and teacher needs are key elements in the initial stage of preparing for an online project. ‘Too many teachers tend to work backwards, that is they go to the computer and then develop a plan.’ Joseph Meale, Ogilvie High School, Tasmania Reflection informs the second pillar: participation. * Note: Italics indicate text from the teacher’s reports (Group A). Return to top         Select a project Plan Organise Support Reflect