How to do a successful 1:1 device program (Part 1)?

Stuff this week - How to do a successful 1:1 device program (Part 1)? A 1:1 device program is one where each student has access to their own device throughout every school day. I am actually not particularly in favour of schools embarking on such a program at this time. I don't mean that I am opposed to it fundamentally but I do think that time, effort and money would be better spent elsewhere. Specifically I think that STEM related resources and teacher training should be where funds are expended right now and I think this would result in better educational outcomes overall. I would also make the point that I am not saying that schools should have no devices but just not 1:1, yet… However, not everyone shares my view so if a school is going to spend tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars on a 1:1 device program then it should be done properly. By properly I mean as I wrote in a previous blog post that considerable planning is required to establish SMART goals by asking questions such as we are doing X which is great but it would be even better if we could do Y. For example, a goal might be that students are to be able to collaborate in real time on a project and teachers are able to provide feedback directly also in real time. Once that goal is established then various software solutions can be examined which in turn leads to the hardware on which that software will run When it comes to 1:1 devices the importance of doing this planning cannot be understated. In 2015 the OECD released a report which found, in part, that a poorly implemented 1:1 device program can actually have a detrimental effect on educational outcomes over having no program at all. This is therefore not something that should be rushed into. So where should schools start? There are actually a number of excellent frameworks that could be used. The QLD Government has one called 21 steps to 21st Century 1-to-1 success, Microsoft has their Education Design and Deployment Guide and Google has their Chromebooks for Education Pilot Guide. All of these broadly follow the same process. First, considerable work needs be done on investigation, research, engagement and planning. After that comes device selection and teacher training. Finally, planning for and actual roll-out. The planning phase is so important and covers the majority of the time from inception to completion of the program. Too many schools simply pick a device and stick it in the classroom and wait for the teachers to work out what to do with them. I have asked many parents of high school kids about their experiences and typically they are required to spend over $1000 on a laptop (sometimes every three years!) and then find the kids merely do word processing, research and read their PDF textbooks. It is no wonder that the headmaster of Sydney Grammar called the laptop roll-out in his school a “scandalous waste!” Unless students are doing CAD, video editing, computer program compilation or other CPU intensive tasks there is no need for such an expensive device. It is also likely that no one device will meet all of a student’s requirements. If you consider your own device use, for a given task, you might choose to use your phone, a tablet, a laptop or a desktop computer. Students should have the same opportunity to choose the device which is best to solve the problem they have. So instead of spending over $1000 for a single device primary schools could choose to purchase a cheaper device in the range of $500-600 and ALSO a tablet and give the students the best of both worlds. So in summary a 1:1 device program can be valuable but only after detailed planning has been done. I would expect that parents would be shown the research that has been done to justify the program and exactly how it is envisaged that the program will improve the educational outcomes and how that will be measured. Transparent reporting of whether the program is meetings it stated goals would then follow. Next week I will wrap up this look at 1:1 programs and discuss the infrastructure requirements and teaching training considerations. So do you think primary school kids should all have their own device? Should they have devices which are north of a grand or would cheaper suffice? Have you seen any awesome examples of successful 1:1 device programs?

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Stuff in the news Mentoring program helps foster love of science in kids and teachers - An article from The Australian 30 January 2017 A warning from Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Stephen Hawking - An article describing the effects of automation on the future job market. Strong STEM skills will be needed for the remaining jobs of the future. 19 February 2017

Stuff to buy Tickle App - This is actually free and is awesome as it allows multiple different platforms to interact. So if you have Dash and Dot, Lego WeDo 2.0, BB-8, Sphero or many others then kids can write code so they work together.  LightBlue Bean - A programmable micro-controller for introducing physical computing. Yes you can do a similar thing with the Raspberry Pi but this is smaller, runs off a battery and can be programmed from an iPad (including using the Tickle app above!). Fantastic! *At this point in time I earn no money from any product I list and I am not affiliated with any other company.

Stuff in education Are We Innovating, or Just Digitizing Traditional Teaching? - An article from Edutopia about blending technology with traditional teaching. 22 February 2017 Kids Don’t Fail, Schools Fail Kids: Sir Ken Robinson on the ‘Learning Revolution’ - An article from Edsurge 23 February 2017 Sharing the Screen in 1:1 Classrooms - 1:1 is great but don't forget about collaboration. An article from Edutopia 1 April 2016

Stuff to do Australia Wide Young ICT Explorers -  A non-profit competition, which has been created by SAP to encourage school students to create their best Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related projects. Registrations open in February. See the YouTube video here! - - - Bricks 4 Kidz® | Awesome Fun With LEGO® Bricks  Young Engineers Australia - Provides an engaging, hands-on learning platform using LEGO® and K’nex® assembly kits CoderDojo - A volunteer run programming club

Stuff to do in Brisbane STEMies - This event is open to all girls in years 4 to 6, offering the opportunity to participate in a series of workshops with STEM topics. To register visit www.flexischools.com.au and search for St Aidan's then select GUEST in the top right class list. Stuartholme STEAM Residential - A STEAM Residential program for gifted girls in Years 5 – 6, which will be held from the 2nd – 5th April during the school holidays The Luminarium Festival - Fun and illuminating workshops and events for children aged 5-13. Wizarding World Weekend is on 4-5 March 2017 World Science Festival Brisbane - 22 - 26 March 2017. Dr Karl for Kids is a FREE event in the South Bank Piazza on 25 March. Whats happening at the Queensland Museum during World Science Week - Loggerhead turtle hatching! Taxidermy and Street Science! Brisbane Library Service has purchased the very flash NAO Robot and is showing it off in various libraries. - - - The Cube at QUT has a number of changing programs.  Brisbane Planetarium - Features entertaining and informative shows for adults and children STEMPUNKS STEM classes for kids in Brisbane Flying Fox Studios - A studio offering programs in the arts, music and construction areas from babies to teenagers in Brisbane Building Block Studio | Learning Activity Centre in Brisbane For Budding Coders And Engineers Fun Chess Classes For Kids in Brisbane | Chess Mates Red Cat Science | Kids get to do what the can't at school

Exemplar Schools

Stuff this week - Exemplar Schools Each of the following schools are exemplary in their own way. However, they are similar in their decision to adopt new and innovative practices and demonstrate a commitment to do so in a methodical, transparent and considered way. In the USA there are schools which specialise in a variety of areas, STEM being one such area. Benton STEM Elementary School has a promotional video which showcases the school and their commitment to providing a rich STEM education for primary school children. It is instructional as it shows how STEM can be integrated into all subjects and how a school has embraced the goal of teaching the children important life skills. An even more impressive showcase video is the one for STEM Magnet Lab School in Colorado. It shows how STEM can be integrated into everything (even music), how it can be done from as early as prep and how subjects should not be studied in isolation.  Whilst Australia does not have a STEM school approval process if a school did want to restyle themselves in this way there are frameworks in the USA which could be used. The Indiana Department of Education has a wealth of information including a four level implementation matrix which gives a great basis for evaluating where a school sits currently with STEM education and where the end goal might be. Whilst Australia has no specialist STEM primary schools that I am aware of there has been reporting of plans to establish a high school in Sydney and there are also specialist high schools such as the Queensland Academy - Science, Mathematics and Technology in Brisbane and the Australian Science and Mathematics School in Adelaide. Either of these could be useful partner in any journey to improve STEM outcomes. Despite the lack of STEM specialist schools there are many schools challenging the status quo and embarking on a variety of improvement programs including some that are quite ambitious. What is common is a commitment to developing a well considered and transparent plan. St Patrick's College in Gympie has rolled out a 1:1 laptop program and their college technology plan and vision shows a clear understanding for the need to properly plan for a device roll out and their commitment to having a series of goals with criteria to assess success or failure. Even more impressive is Templestowe College which has shifted their teaching practices to specialise in personalised learning. Following falling enrolments that threatened the school's viability they embarked on an ambitious plan that has delivered dividends. Their annual implementation plan is a text book example of SMART goals. There is a clear statement of the goal, who is responsible for the goal and how success will be measured. This shows that it is possible for schools that have the will to do great things and that a robust process is so important. The above examples are not provided to suggest schools need to completely change all that they are doing indeed for most this would be foolish. What it is suggesting however is that if a change is envisioned then proper planning is essential. This is true regardless of whether the school is considering introducing education technology to supplement traditional teaching or completely overhauling their teaching methodologies. As I linked above there are frameworks for schools wanting to specialise in STEM and there are also many guides for introducing a 1:1 device program. These also show the way for everything else in between as what is needed is what I emphasised last week; proper planning which results in SMART goals. Is your school developing SMART goals to support their significant changes? Is the parent body being engaged in the process?

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Stuff in the news Project-Based Learning Pro Amanda Robertson Earns Milken Educator Award - A year 4 maths teacher successfully uses problem based learning in her classroom Is it full STEAM ahead for the curriculum? - An article from EducationHQ Australia 20 October 2016 discussing the debate around STEM vs STEAM Editorial: Why STEM matters -  An article from Tasmania's Mercury Newspaper 12 February 2017

Stuff to buy K'Nex launches their own robotics line Tech Age Kids Blog runs through Coding Toys for Kids - What's New for 2017 *At this point in time I earn no money from any product I list and I am not affiliated with any other company.

Stuff in education How to get your school ready for STEM this year - An article from KQED.org 20 August 2013 Ed-Tech Skeptic Larry Cuban Finds New Perspective - An article from Education Week 12 February 2017 Futures Learning - Futures Learning is an initiative of @NSWEducation reforms to innovate learning & teaching in all public schools

Stuff to do Australia Wide Young ICT Explorers -  A non-profit competition, which has been created by SAP to encourage school students to create their best Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related projects. Registrations open in February. See the YouTube video here! - - - Bricks 4 Kidz® | Awesome Fun With LEGO® Bricks  Young Engineers Australia - Provides an engaging, hands-on learning platform using LEGO® and K’nex® assembly kits CoderDojo - A volunteer run programming club

Stuff to do in Brisbane The Luminarium Festival - Fun and illuminating workshops and events for children aged 5-13. Wizarding World Weekend is on 4-5 March 2017 World Science Festival Brisbane - 22 - 26 March 2017. Dr Karl for Kids is a FREE event in the South Bank Piazza on 25 March. Whats happening at the Queensland Museum during World Science Week - Loggerhead turtle hatching! Taxidermy and Street Science! The Cube at QUT has a number of changing programs.  Brisbane Library Service has purchased the very flash NAO Robot and is showing it off in various libraries. - - - Brisbane Planetarium - Features entertaining and informative shows for adults and children STEMPUNKS STEM classes for kids in Brisbane Flying Fox Studios - A studio offering programs in the arts, music and construction areas from babies to teenagers in Brisbane Building Block Studio | Learning Activity Centre in Brisbane For Budding Coders And Engineers Fun Chess Classes For Kids in Brisbane | Chess Mates Red Cat Science | Kids get to do what the can't at school

Its all in the planning!

Stuff this week - Its all in the planning! In September 2015 Australia's Chief Scientist released the STEM: Australia's Future Report which made the point that STEM education in our schools is "Too important to leave to chance". This is the crux of my view of STEM education in primary. There needs to be a better focus yet there is no gold standard model to follow therefore only through proper planning with defined and measurable outcomes will any change be successful. There are many examples of failures. Sydney Grammar last year banned all laptops in school. Los Angeles school district had a failed $1.3billion iPad program in 2015. Last year another USA school district had to pull the plug on a personalised learning trial that cost over $500000. Yet there are many examples of success and I believe these come down to an obvious degree of planning and a healthy scepticism that no one tech thing will lead to educational gold. Schools and parents have to end fixation on tech tools and focus on the outcome. What the outcome is will be the educational goals and instructional models that the school has identified as best fit for their students. There must be defined measurable goals which are sometimes referred to as SMART goals which means they are specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic and time-based. There are examples where principals and teachers talk about the importance of this, this link reports on a successful 1:1 laptop program.  I believe schools should form a working party to bring together the key stakeholders to define these goals. The group members would be the forward leaning tech-savvy teachers, the curriculum experts, the gifted and talented team, those responsible for any 1:1 device programs, any related extra-curricular activities and people who have skills that could help with managing a transformational project. Breaking down the silos between different programs in a school to develop a cohesive plan to support all learners should be the main objective. There are so many options which are now available to schools due to the explosion of technology in society. It is necessary therefore to do quite a bit of research into what is available and discuss what can be achieved. Having a discussion centred around "We are doing X which is great but if we could do Y it would be so much better". Then look into how the school could do Y. At all times it is important to not get carried away with the hype around any one product and stay focused on the goals. There has been research done into how organisations get caught up in the excitement of new technology and so it is useful to understand and continually reflect on the Gartner Hype Cycle. There are emerging organisations which can help such as Edusrge's Concierge Service. Next week I will showcase some exemplar schools and how they have done the detailed planning that should bring success. What do you think? Is your school developing SMART goals and doing detailed planning or are they on the hype cycle and rushing headlong and potentially wasting valuable resources?

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Stuff in the news Workshop Shows Teachers how to integrate STEM in Class - An article from The Commercial Appeal 30 January 2017 The Technological Arms Race - In his 2016 Annual Report, Hamish Douglass of the funds Management firm Magellan Financial outlines their thesis on where technology is taking the world. Fascinating and sometimes scary stuff, pages 2-6.

Stuff to buy Arduino Lilypad - An advanced project but how cool to have your own custom light show on your clothes! Some more great innovations on Kickstarter: Professor Einstein: Your Personal Genius Sasha Tech Savvy Loves to Code: A Children's STEM Book MeArm Pi - Build your own Raspberry Pi powered robot arm! *At this point in time I earn no money from any product I list and I am not affiliated with any other company.

Stuff in education Five Challenges for Science in Australian Primary Schools - An article from The Conversation in June 2015 but still relevant today Calls Mount for Primary School Teacher STEM Focus - An article from Education Matters Magazine

Stuff to do Australia Wide Young ICT Explorers -  A non-profit competition, which has been created by SAP to encourage school students to create their best Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related projects. Registrations open in February. See the YouTube video here! - - - Bricks 4 Kidz® | Awesome Fun With LEGO® Bricks  Young Engineers Australia - Provides an engaging, hands-on learning platform using LEGO® and K’nex® assembly kits CoderDojo - A volunteer run programming club

Stuff to do in Brisbane The Luminarium Festival - Fun and illuminating workshops and events for children aged 5-13. Wizarding World Weekend is on 4-5 March 2017 World Science Festival Brisbane - 22 - 26 March 2017. Dr Karl for Kids is a FREE event in the South Bank Piazza on 25 March. The Cube at QUT has a number of changing programs.  Brisbane Library Service has purchased the very flash NAO Robot and is showing it off in various libraries. - - - Brisbane Planetarium - Features entertaining and informative shows for adults and children STEMPUNKS STEM classes for kids in Brisbane Flying Fox Studios - A studio offering programs in the arts, music and construction areas from babies to teenagers in Brisbane Building Block Studio | Learning Activity Centre in Brisbane For Budding Coders And Engineers Fun Chess Classes For Kids in Brisbane | Chess Mates Red Cat Science | Kids get to do what the can't at school