Naace Strategic Conference 2007

Dr Vanessa Pittard, Director Evidence and Evaluation, Becta

Practice-based research has an important role to play in building up evidence of how technology can be used effectively to support learning.

It also plays an important role I enabling learning to take place from the leading edge and enabling effective professional reflection on emerging practice.

In researching new practice with technology practitioners need to consider: robustness of design, capturing the learner experience, assessment of outcomes, salience and transferability of findings.

There are particular challenges in assessing the value of learning technologies to learning outcomes.  A framework of outcomes relating to technology for learning is presented

Christina Preston, Chair MirandaNet Fellowship; John Cuthell, Director Research and Implementation MirandaNet Fellowship and Dai Thomas, Director of ICT at Warden Park Specialist School and Mirandanet Fellow

This theme will explore a number of approaches to ICT CPD and evaluate their effectiveness in terms of school improvement, pedagogical change and learning for both pupils and teachers. Examples will be drawn from a number of projects that have examined the affordances provided by new technologies, and ways in which these have been used to promote personal and institutional transformation in learning.

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Credit: Leon Cych for Naace

Mark Bennison, Deputy Head, Westminster Academy

Embracing the RSA 21st century competency-based curriculum, learning is integrated and thematic; moving from the yearly theme of community, through global citizenship to enterprise in the first 3 years (KS3). Tutoring is vertical, e-learning embedded, through their Connetix Learning Environment; at its heart, an individual learning plan for all students.

Ina secondary school whose catchment is probably the most diverse in the UK; 75% of students are EAL, 35 main languages are spoken, Westminster Academy cannot help but embrace the agenda of global citizenship and has as a core vision, the importance of preparing its young people for a perspective which is global; economically, socially and technologically. In this session, Mark Introduces “school for a global future” showing how, working closely with organisations – MirandaNet and iNET – the global citizenship agenda comes to life.