Information+&+Communication+Technologies+Policy

**INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES POLICY**

Society High has taken part in an initiative program that facilitates the use of ICT across the school curriculum. ICT within this school we believe engages the students in an effective way that supports classroom learning. Using ICT to teach our students facilitates better understanding of key conceptual ideas and makes for a good learning experience. It is important that the learners develop a comprehensive, resourceful and effective use of ICT to enable them to contribute and participate in a variety of learning techniques and activities which would be of assistance in their near future.

Being an established school, //Society High// has its own website that consists of the school’s intranet and all necessary information that allows students, teachers and parents to know and understand what is happening within the school, all while making use of our ICT resource. Our website sheds information on all school policies, current news and what’s intended for the future of //Society High.// Our intranet forms the basis of discussion forums and blogs between students and teachers. Each student is also given an email account which is strictly used for school work and not for personal use. Our internet and email services are filtered and monitored by ICT staff to ensure that all users are using the technology responsibly and there is no abuse or exploitation.

Our school is committed in resourcing students with different ICT tools to further enhance their understanding and knowledge of their disciplines. Our online curriculum is freely available to each student via the school’s intranet website which enables students to access more resources, services and applications for their studies and is available 24 hours, 7 days a week. Collaborations with Australian cultural institutions such as science museums, art galleries and the National Film and Sound Archive assists the students in accessing and utilizing online cultural treasures for their studies. We also aim to have a 1 to 1 computer to student ratio by the end of 2011 as per the Digital Education Revolution initiative from the Australian government.  //Society High // endeavours to create different learning strategies for students with the use of an ICT tool called e-learning, particularly with assessment. Digital story telling is a popular ICT resource that our school brings into the curriculum, as a way to assess student outcomes. It is a current trend that not only motivates and stimulates student thinking, it also gives students a sense of ‘title’ as they carefully create their very own digital story. The program ‘Movie Maker’ comes installed on every PC and laptop with Windows and is used to generate the digital story. Relevant pictures are uploaded onto the program that creates their story and a script is carefully thought out and recorded. Music, end titles and special features can also be incorporated to make for a more fun and interesting project. Integrating digital story telling into the curriculum as an ICT resource provides a better learning experience than conventional PowerPoint presentations and more importantly addresses one of the key objectives of VELS.



 Another form of e-learning that is integrated into the assessment of the curriculum is the use of wikis. Using such a method to assess student productivity makes as a collaborative tool to store and produce content knowledge, working extremely well in the classroom environment. Teachers offer initial support to familiarise the students with this type of ICT and will also eventually form the basis of discussion boards for projects between students and teachers, handouts, homework and excursions. Pages within the wiki can also be re-written, removed, edited and discussed by other students that have been invited to visit the wiki. The process allows students to work collaboratively with their peers in a more enjoyable and educational manner.

At //Society High//, we incorporate the use of ICT in as many subjects as possible. For instance, students studying either French or Mandarin, which is compulsory up until year 10, employ the use of ICT through a program that was created called e-pals. This is a modern form of the conventional ‘pen-pal letters’ where students write emails to a corresponding student of the same language all year round. Students develop friendships from across the world whilst at the same time expand on the knowledge and literacy of their subject.

We also take the time to understand and recognise that students take on information in various ways and we need to cater for their different learning abilities. We therefore ‘bring every classroom to life’ by using interactive whiteboards within each classroom. The Promethean ActivBoards© offers a much better learning environment for students compared to the usual transparencies, PowerPoint presentation and notes. Students are able to learn and develop critical thinking by looking at crisp images with high quality sound and colour as well as different objects, shapes and movement. The interactive whiteboard is connected to a computer where relevant programs are used to project content, activities and videos for students to learn from. This type of learning caters for a range of abilities, especially that of the visual learners. As the bell sounds, students are eager to get ready for the greatest educational show on earth that is brought to them by the use of the interactive whiteboard.

The financial backgrounds of the students’ families does not allow for the ownership of a laptop for each individual. The school has therefore set up numerous computer pod stations to cater for students’ needs to use ICT for their schoolwork. The library has the most computers located within its Learning Resource Centre, where students can assess a wide range of videos, DVD’s, documentaries, interactive software and programs to assist with their learning. The library’s operating hours are from 8am till 6pm everyday to cater for students that do not have computer or internet access at home.

Bullying within schools, in particular cyber bullying is not tolerated within //Society High//. Our ICT staff work in conjunction with student welfare officers to ensure that all students are utilizing ICT resources and not exploiting it. Bulletins, discussion boards and emails are monitored not only to prevent cyber-bullying, but to stop it in its tracks. ICT and student welfare staff also work together to aid students in need of any help. Within the school’s intranet, links have been posted to various websites such as Kids helpline (which is set as the wall paper for all computers), Headspace, Reach Out, Beyond Blue and many more so that struggling students can privately seek help if they wish to using the computer.

//Society High // offers a wide range of ICT resources for their learners, and as a result there are some expectations of the students in regards to their conduct whilst utilising the resources. It is to be solely used for school work; however permission can be granted for other uses by ICT staff. The programs and software already installed on the computers are to only be used. Any misconduct or misuse of the internet will be dealt with by their coordinator. We have a strict policy in regards to ipods and mobile phones whereby they are not to be brought into the school grounds as they are deemed a distraction for student learning. Pay phones are located near the office for student use.

RATIONALE ** //‘Technology can enable people to better develop their intelligence – no question about it’//[1].
 * 

From the early time when computers were introduced into schools, there have been many positive and constructive reports on students’ learning. As a result, students stay on tasks longer, augment their commitment to learning and complete and accomplish more through the utilisation of the computer[2 ]. There is strong evidence which suggests that the integration of IT into the school curriculum not only gives students the opportunity to enhance their learning, it also increases their motivation, as they have an increased sense of achievement, self-directed learning, satisfaction and interest. Research conducted by Stradling, Sims and Jamison (1994) illustrated that the use of portable computers had improved the attitudes of most students that ranged from school work to homework[3 ].

//‘They are more willing to spend more time completing pieces of work, working through lunch-times, after-school and on homework. Their work is better presented and this has resulted in much more of their work being used for display purposes.’// Secondary School teacher quoted in Stradling //et al//., (1994)  We recognise that we need to captivate and motivate our learners; for that reason curriculum leaders at //Society High// have developed a high-quality professional syllabus that incorporates the use of various ICT assessment methods to support students’ different learning environments and capabilities within all disciplines.

We have high hopes for the future of IT within our school, as we are a part of The National Secondary Computer Fund. The Australian Government is funding a $2.2 billion Digital Education Revolution (DER) initiative aimed at upgrading ICT within high schools with an end result of a 1 to 1 computer/student ratio by the end of 2011. Through consultation with state and territory governments, it was found that nearly a third of secondary schools in Australia had a compute/student ratio of 1 to 8. It was also found that some schools lacked actual computers or had computers that were more than four years old[4 ].

The Australian government put this initiative into action as it is a contributing factor towards a new pedagogical approach to teaching and learning within Australian school that will indeed prepare learners for further education, training and to live and work in the digital world[5 ]. Over the course of six years, the government will supply new ICT equipment to all schools with year 9-12 students, deploy high speed broad brand connections, offer professional development for teaching staff on ICT, make available online tools and resources that supports VELS and the future of the National Curriculum. The DER also allows parents to partake in their child’s schooling through online learning and access[6 ].

Increasing the utilisation of computers by means of the DER, enables students at //Society High// as well as all other secondary schools to be involved in challenging and exciting activities which is all supported by making use of worldwide information, resources and tools so that students are able to process, communicate and elaborate on information within their educational lives[7 ].

Technology within the school system can be used to accommodate a variety of intelligences as well as target different learning styles. //Society High// caters for a range of learning types by integrating ICT into the school curriculum as studies show that learners of the millennium generation are more towards the kinaesthetic and visual learner spectrum[8 ].

Technologies do exist such as the interactive whiteboard (IWB) that compliment these learning behaviours and also act as a catalyst in improving students’ interaction and motivation within the subject[9 ]. Technological tools that are available allows for the flexibility within the classroom for both teachers and students, where students are able to choose their own way to learn which will in turn match their own strongest capabilities or it can give them to opportunity to improve in the areas that they find difficult[10 ].

Theorists such as Piaget and Vygotsky hypothesised that people use physical, mental and social experiences to create their own individual conception of what they believe the world around them is like. The conventional classroom limits the amount of physical and social interactions that is required for students to develop personal conceptions. The use of technology, however, decreases these limitations, consequently broadening students’ experiences immensely. Cognitive development is therefore enhanced by the use of technology[11 ]. In order for students to develop a deeper understanding at //Society High//, technology is be used within our school which supports Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s proposal of cognitive development. Simulations or virtual worlds can be used to correct student misconceptions and allows students to get a sense of the real world within the classroom and helps them to build, expand and strengthen new knowledge.[12 ]  Back to Policies Home

REFERENCES ** Clarke, I., Flaherty, T., & Yankey, M. (2006). Teaching the visual learner: The use of visual summaries in marketing education. //Journal of Marketing Education,// 28(3), 218-228 Harper, B., Oliver., & Agostinho, S. (2001). //Developing generic tools for the use in flexible learning: A preliminary progress report.// Paper presented at the 18th annual conference of Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertairy Education, Melbourne. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif';">[] Accessed on 20/08/09 Leask, M., & Pachler, N. (1999) Learning to teach using ICT in the secondary school, //Motivating students through the use of ICT,// pp 22, 2nd edn, Routledge. Snowman, J., Dobozy, E., Scevak, J., Bryer, F., Bartlett, B., & Biehler, R. (2009). //Psychology: Applied to teaching//, (1st edn), John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. Sternberg, R. J. (1997). Technology changes intelligence: Societal implications and soaring IQ’s. //Technos//, 6(2), 12-14 Stradling, B., Sims, D., and Jamison, J. (National Foundation fro Educational Research) (1994)//. Portable Computers Pilot Evaluation report.// Coventry: NCET

[1] Sternberg (1997) [2] Leask and Pachler (1999) [3] Stradling, Sims and Jamison (1994) [4] www.deewr.gov.au [5] http://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/DigitalEducationRevolution/Pages/default.aspx [6] http://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/DigitalEducationRevolution/Pages/default.aspx [7] http://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/DigitalEducationRevolution/Pages/default.aspx [8] Clarke, Flaherty & Yankey (2006) [9] Snowman et al., (2009) [10] Harper, Oliver & Agostinho (2001) [11] Snowman et al., (2009) [12] Snowman et al., (2009)