e-Portfolio

Artefact One

A Rich Seam- Leadership

What

‘It is a future that is distinctly possible to realize. It will take the learning ingenuity of the many. It is a rich seam worth opening’ (Fullan & Langworthy 2014, p. 79)

The future of the students in our classrooms could not be more unknown and challenging. As educators we can not predict our students’ future vocations as the world today is forever changing and at an alarming rate.

Fullan et al (2014), outline new forces that are coming together to open extraordinary learning opportunities. The three forces are namely ‘new pedagogies’, ‘new change leadership’ and ‘new system economics’.

New Pedagogies

This new pedagogical way of learning is not just 'instructional strategies’. Fullen et al (2014), describe it as ‘deep learning’. This is where teachers and students work alongside each other building learning partnerships using digital tools for deep learning tasks. This then allows students to be the drivers of their own learning, to strive towards reaching their own goals using digital technology and resources.

New Change Leadership

Leaders of change need to be able to see the big picture. Fullan et al (2014), describe ‘new change leadership’ as developing a ‘learning leadership culture’. They believe that the first step to successful change, leaders need to have a directional vision for where the school needs to go and what is possible with the new innovations. Leaders for this new change need to lead alongside colleagues and not from a top down model.

New System Economics

This is looking at costs and outcomes of the new innovations of digital resources. Fullan et al (2014), belief that by re-aligning assessment measures and accountability then the new education models can begin to lift the excitement in teachers and students alike for learning, and in turn meet targets of preparing students today for work and life in their future. The actual cost of providing technology rich classrooms is becoming less. Fullan et al (2014), believes that there is substantial evidence that shows technology can have a positive financial impact on the school.

So What

As leaders of change in our schools we need to implement these changes as soon as possible in order for our students to get the most out of their education while at school. This is not an easy task as there are many barriers to overcome at all levels from global to institutional through to personal. As leaders we can address many of the institutional barriers with strategic thinking and applying strategies that are known to work. For instance working alongside and with teachers and students in a collaborative way which encourages ownership and buy in, rather than a top down approach. At the personal level leaders need to understand teachers thinking by unpacking their attitudes and beliefs in the new innovation. This is when the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) developed by Hall and Hord cited in Evans and Chauvin (1993), is a useful tool for leaders to use to gather information on teachers and then to develop professional development opportunities that are appropriate and worthwhile.

The system economics is more of a challenge for leaders to overcome. The Ministry of Education policies of measuring assessment and the Education Review Office reviews place restraints on schools and make it difficult to put in place new innovative ways of learning. We need to ‘let go’ and take charge and think of new ways that we can measure learning and accountability while providing students of today with authentic learning opportunities that are useful and relevant to their futures.

‘Our schools and our pedagogies need to inspire and to ensure that all students are capable of independent learning and purposeful action in the world, and have not only the foundation, but also the practical experiences and technical skills to create valuable futures for themselves and their societies’ (Fullen & Langworthy 2014, p. 78).

Now What

I would be extremely keen to implement this CBAM into my school. At the beginning of 2015 we introduced BYOD'S into the two senior classrooms and other rooms are following suit very shortly as we have just finished our School Network Upgrade (SNUP). Staff are at varying levels of both experience and confidence in the area of ICT integration into classrooms. This model would be a very useful tool in establishing and understanding their attitudes and beliefs and help our ICT lead teacher and school management in designing professional development opportunities for them and also help them grow professionally with guided support.

References

Evans, L., & Chauvin, C. (1993). Faculty developers as change facilitators: The concerns-based adoption model. To Improve the Academy, 12, 165-178.

Fullan, M., & Langworthy, M. (2014). A Rich Seam: How New Pedagogies Find Deep Learning, London: Pearson.

Artefact Two

Mind Map

            PROFESSIONAL-BUREAUCRATIC-POLITICAL-TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
              \

What

• My area of identified change is the integration of ICT into classrooms via BYOD's. The mind map shows how the four areas used as headings namely international, institution, regional and personal all have an impact either directly or indirectly on the identified change.
• International and regional parts have an indirect impact on institutional and personal areas, although this can vary in importance depending on the latest trends or the level of collaboration and support of a region.
• The institution has a direct impact on the identified innovation change because if many of the elements listed are not well in place and working correctly the personal aspect can not be carried out. For example there definitely needs to be a strong infrastructure of internet access to enable one to one devices to work sufficiently.
• The personal aspect is the largest with the most direct affect on the participants. There are three main stake holders in this area, being students, parents and teachers. These stake holders can be at varying degrees of confidence, experience and have differing attitudes and expectations when it comes to ICT integration into schools and classrooms.

So What
The areas that contribute the most to my school situation are institution, resources and teachers. There are many factors that impact on the successful implementation of ICT in to the classroom. These factors including school leadership, infrastructure, resources, professional development and technical support which have varying levels of impact from low through to very high. 
Similarly Mumtaz (2000), found the same when they reviewed literature on 'factors that affect teacher's use of information and communication technology'. They found that institution, resources and teacher effected teachers' use of ICT in their classrooms with the most contributing factor being at the teacher level. Until just recently we had a very unstable internet infrastructure which made it very frustrating for teachers and students to access the internet and software for learning. We also had low technical support for technological problems. Resources before BYOD were fairly limited with classrooms below yr 7 and 8 only having 4-5 laptops per class. To supplement these laptops some junior classes had interactive white boards, the only problem being that some teachers had little experience with them. 
We have now received our School Network Upgrade (SNUP) which has made a huge difference with the internet connection and some ipads have been purchased for junior classrooms. All classrooms have wifi access which allows more students access both via their own devices and while working collaboratively as laptops can now move away from physical internet connections. Teachers and students alike are less frustrated and more technological aspects are being embedded into teaching practice. This has also impacted on teachers experience and confidence. They are a lot more willing to take risks and adopt new practice with the technologies already in place in the classrooms. Students have begun to bring more of their own devices to school allowing school resources (laptops, ipads) to be more available for approximately a 1-3/5 ratio. 

Now What
With the SNUP now up and running emphasis needs to be placed on teacher development to empower them to use these devices in their classrooms to enhance their learning programmes through effective pedagogy.
Involve all teachers in the process through:

• Developing school wide policy

• Planning an in depth school wide professional development programme

• Providing in class one to one teacher support

References
Mumtaz, S. (2000). Factors affecting teachers' use of information and communications technology: a review of the literature. Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education. 9(3) 319-342.

Artefact 3  

Learning Reflection- Change Models

What

I found reading about the models; Davis, Eickelmann and Zaka's (2013), 'Global Biosphere', The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), cited in Evans and Chauvin (1993), Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation cited in Sahin (2006), and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) cited in Park (2009), interesting and very thought provoking.

I began reflecting on what goes on in my own context which is a primary school setting where I teach the year 7&8 students and this year the school decided to implement BYOD’s into the two senior classes and also encourage all teachers to use ICT in their teaching practice in their own classrooms.

Firstly Davis' et al (2013), 'Global Biosphere' (figure 1), looks at the big picture of the influencing factors when a class and teacher are faced with a new ICT innovation. It is like a ripple effect but in reverse. The teacher and class are at the center and the ripples are spreading outwards having less and less influence the further out they go, but unlike ripples on the water the effect and influence on the classroom and teacher is moving in the other direction, inwards. As educators we need to be very aware of all influencing factors when making new innovative decisions in order for them to run smoothly in their implementation.
Figure 1

The other readings that I connected with were both the CBAM Fuller (1985), and later developed further by (Hall, Wallace & Dossett, 1973; Hall, George & Rutherford, 1979; Hall & Hall, 1987) cited in Evans et al (1993) and Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation Rogers (2003) cited in Sahin (2006). These models have a lot of similarities and look more at the teacher in depth and how their feelings, attitudes and beliefs can have an effect on the success of the implementation of a new innovation. The CBAM can be a successful way to help facilitators understand others’ perceptions and feelings on new innovations, and therefore allow them to adopt strategies to drive forward the progress of teachers through the 'stages of concern'.  

Reviewing these above models reminded me of Renihan (1984), Managing Change model where seven vital factors need to be in place in order for effective change to take place. They are:Vision, Attainable objectives, Skills, Incentives, Resources, Action plan, Monitoring and evaluation. If one of these elements is missing Renihan (1984), believes that the change process will be ineffective.

Figure 2.

Source: The Managing Complex Change model was copyrighted by Dr. Mary Lippitt, founder and president of Enterprise Management, Ltd., is 1987.

So What

In my context I would like to use the CBAM to get a more indepth insight of teachers 'stages of concern' and how they are feeling and what their attitude is towards the integration of ICT into their classrooms. From my observations so far I believe that there are many varying 'stages of concern' amongst our staff.
Some questions I have:

What are the specific strategies that a leader can adopt to help teachers move beyond their identified 'stage of concern'?

What influencing factors do teachers perceive as being a barrier to the implementation of ICT in their classrooms?  

What support, skills and training do teachers believe that they need in order to use ICT effectively in their classrooms to enhance their own pedagogy and student achievement?

What support is there for ICT lead teachers?

Now What

For my further learning I would like to critically analyse teachers’ beliefs, attitudes and confidence in the use of ICT in their classrooms. It would be very interesting to do this in my work place using the CBAM model to further inform the ICT management team on future actions that need to take place for the betterment of teacher pedagogy and student achievement. I also like to explore the professional development delivered by outside agencies that could work with our lead teacher.

References

Davis, N., Eickelmann, B., & Zaka, P. (2013). Restructuring of educational systems in the digital age from a co-evolutionary perspective. Journal of Computing Assisted Learning, 29, 438-450.

Evans, L., & Chauvin, C.(1993). Faculty developers as change facilitators: The concerns-based adoption model. To Improve the Academy, 12, 165-178.

Lippitt, M. B. (2003). Six priorities that make a great strategic decision. Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 24(1), 21-24.

Park, S. Y. (2009). An Analysis of the Technology Acceptance Model in Understanding University Students' Behavioral Intention to Use e-Learning. Educational Technology & Society, 12(3), 150-162.

Renihan, F.I., & Renihan, P.J. (1984). Effective schools, effective administration and effective leadership. The Canadian Administrator, 24(3) 1-6.

Sahin, I. (2006). Detailed review of Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory and educational technology-related studies based on Rogers' theory: The Turkish Online Journal Of Educational Technology, 5(2), 14-23.

Artefact 4- 

Learning Planning Framework- whole school level

What
I have selected a seven teacher primary school in a small town in New Zealand. This assessment was carried out from a personal perspective to gather information on the overall judgement of the school’s e-Learning Planning Framework and was restricted to public documentation without detailed insights into all organisational processes.

eLPF UC learn

Leadership and Strategic Direction

School documents outline basic cyber-safety policies. Cyber safety aspects to be covered are outlined for each year group 1-8. However it is not documented when this is to be taught or how to support student learning on the internet. Parent consent forms are signed regarding permission for photos of students to be published in newsletters and blogs. There is no evidence of e-learning in the school vision however there is evidence in professional development plans that the ICT leadership personnel have very little opportunities for up-skilling.

Professional Learning

The culture of the school is supportive however when the stakeholders are observed and involved in discussions their attitudes, beliefs and abilities are extremely varied. I believe that if the Concerns-Based Adoption Model developed by Hall and Hord (1987) cited in Chauvin and Evans (1993),  had been administered the staff would range on the stages of concern from 1-informational through to 6-refocusing. An ICT professional development action plan is in place but the implementation of this is not consistent. Furthermore this ICT action plan focuses largely on the use of the technologies, not on upskilling pedagogical practice to support student learning using ICT.

Beyond the Classroom

The school has a website with classroom blogs connected to it. Classroom blogs are commented on by both students and parents although this varies hugely between classes. There is an up to date facebook page which is used regularly to share what classes are doing and notices about school events. This page is updated regularly by the school community and commented on often by members. One class uses a Learning Management System (LMS) and google docs where parents have access to their child’s work.

Technologies and Infrastructures

The school has invested in resources over the past few years. Most laptops are leased and ipads have been purchased. There are interactive whiteboards in five out of the seven classrooms. Students are allowed to bring their personal devices to school but the infrastructure is yet to be upgraded so this proves difficult. One class has full use of BYOD’s and school laptops with 1-1 devices and this class is able to run wirelessly most of the time. Technical support is limited and sparse therefore some staff members have become problem solvers with technical issues.

Teaching and Learning

E-learning is of high importance for two staff members and they are wanting to establish a cohesive curriculum that includes e-learning opportunities in context. Digital citizenship is evident but is delivered in a shallow way and needs to be more robust and consistent throughout the school. Some online assessment practices such as e-asttle are used and records are kept on a School Management System (SMS). Teachers are using technologies in their classrooms at varying levels with the senior class students using devices for their learning with increasing vigour.

The school is at the emerging stage in all aspects however from discussions with the ICT leader there is the need to begin with the teachers. There needs to be a plan put in place to upskill and move them through the CBAM Hall et al (1987), 'stages of concern' by defining their attitudes, beliefs and misconceptions as it has been identified that many are very apprehensive about ICT integration.

Evidence to inform decisions

School policies

School vision

School cyber safety plan

ICT lead teacher action plan

School staff

So What

The eLPF is a very useful tool to use in any new school initiative being implemented. It highlights areas that need development and it also gives an overview of what is going on in the big picture of the school at varying levels. It is necessary to point out though often when a tool like this is used the data shows that the school is working at a level that is higher than what is probably true. This has happened to us in the past. When a survey was completed for the first time participants did not have a strong understanding of the initiative that was being assessed from their perspective. When the survey was completed a second time and the participants understood more of what they were doing and the content of the project, they tended to put themselves lower on the rating scale realizing that they were not working quite where they thought they were. I compare this to when we were introduced and carried out professional development on the e-asttle marking rubric for writing. As we got more confident and experienced with marking and using the rubric we tended to mark harder than we did the first time as we had a better understanding of what the writing should look like at each different level.

These tools need to be used often and revisited during the implementation stage and again at the sustaining stage to monitor that there has not been a dip or drop off in the new innovation. Is is also a valuable tool for teachers to identify what it is that maybe causing a barrier in their practice that they had not necessarily noticed or thought of. 

Now What

• Use this eLPF with the whole staff and review annually
• Review the school policies
• Design professional development from the outcomes

Sources

Chauvin, C., & Evans, L. (1993). Faculty developers as change facilitators: The concerns-based adoption model. To Improve the Academy, 12, 165-178.

Ministry of Education. (2013). e-Learning Planning Framework.

Artefact 5

Managing Complex Change from a Leadership Perspective

What

School effectiveness and school improvement researchers have realised that leadership is complex and that not one size fits all, and that effective leadership is critical to the success of a school. School leadership is primarily about teaching and learning and leadership can become more powerful when it focuses on student’s learning and strengthening teaching. Harris (2002), commented that school improvement is a process of changing school culture where the school is at the centre of change and the teachers are an important part of this process.

In a previous entry on this blog I described briefly Lippitt’s (1987), Managing Change model where there were five components necessary to bring about change. (figure 1)

Figure 1

Source: The Managing Complex Change model was copyrighted by Dr. Mary Lippitt, founder and president of Enterprise Management, Ltd., is 1987.

Knoster (1991), modified Lippitt’s (1987), Managing Complex Change model from five components to six by adding consensus between vision and skills. This then added to the model the treadmill action when an action plan was missed out.

This is shown in figure 2.

Kotter (1995), stated that leaders are often able to identify what is wrong but are unable to determine where the root of the problem lies and how to resolve it. The new component of consensus if left out causes sabotage. This happens often in schools where there is a top down approach to new innovations. Kotter (1995), comments that caution needs to be taken with the consensus component as if the leader is a ‘results orientated’ leader they may want to leave this this step out to get quicker to the action.   
Figure 2


From the conversation on adobe connect with Carolyn Stuart a model developed by Schrum and Levin (2012), shows how leaders can identify where there maybe gaps in certain areas which can become a barrier to the integration of ICT. This is a very clear and informative model for school leaders to use directly for ICT integration. It allows them to identify and then act on an area or areas that are hindering the effective implementation of an ICT innovation.

 

Source: A conversation with Carolyn Stuart on leadership for EDEM 630
http://connect.canterbury.ac.nz/p7hr2lxuawj/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

So What

On studying these models it is easy to see why so many new innovations implemented into schools, either do not get embedded into practice or are not sustained. Leaders need to fully understand the models in figure 2 & 3 to make sure that a new innovation is implemented successfully.

Now What

As a member of our school management team I need to:

• Share models (figure 2 & 3) with my principal

• Share model (figure 2) with my curriculum lead teachers
• Share model (figure 2 & 3) with my ICT lead teacher
• Work through the model (figure 2) with my lead teachers discussing what each stage looks like and reflecting on experiences we have had at implementing new innovations.

References

Harris, A. (2002). School Improvement. What’s in it for school? London: Routledge Falmer.

Kotter, J. P. (1995). Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail. Harvard business review, 73(2), 59-67.

Knoster, T. (1991). Factors in managing complex change. Material presentation at TASH conference, Washington D.C.

Schrum, L., & Levin, B. (2014). Evidenced-Based Strategies for Leading 21st Century Schools. Thousand Oaks, C.A: Corwin.

Stuart, C. (2015). A conversation with Carolyn Stuart on leadership for EDEM 630.