We want to hear your voice! Regional Think Tanks - July 2010

Many thanks to our members Julie Frankland and Tim Scratcherd for the following report from Bradford:

Forty two Naace members from all sectors of the association travelled from far and wide to Bradford Challenge CLC to participate in a lively and constructive day. In addition, 145 people joined the think tank virtually through the video stream, Twitter, Slideshare and Wallwisher. The summary that follows cannot capture the vibrancy and range of discussion, or the passion of the participants, but it does represent the key outcomes.

Purposes of Day

• To achieve consensus from participants on the role of ICT in education.
• To agree key messages and audiences.
• To devise strategies for engaging these audiences with these messages.

Context

• Greater autonomy for schools / Independent state schools (Free Schools and Academies)
• Improved parental choice / Independent state schools (Free Schools and Academies)
• More support for the poorest / Pupil premium
• Whole system improvement / Reducing bureaucracy.

These were used as prompts to elicit consensus on the unique selling points (USP's) of ICT in advancing education.

Issues Arising

• Need clarification around what is meant by achievement and attainment. What will they use as measures and for accountability?
• What does the Government see as its core business in terms of education? (What should the Government do and what should it not do, and leave to schools.) (Use as a ‘hook’ when we do manage a meeting!)
• There is a lack of consistency amongst schools about their role and purpose. For example, some believe that all learners should have an entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum and relevant learning experiences and others believe their role is to prepare pupils for the assessment regime (exams!).
• Whole system improvement – the culture of the coalition is competition and market forces to drive up standards. Conversely, there was a strong view from participants supporting the concept of a universal entitlement.
• More support for the poorest – what does this mean? ‘Support’ will be cash to the schools but will it ensure that pupils will have tangible benefits?
• International models – questions over currency of data and information, and transferability to the UK setting, were raised.

Key Messages

• Entitlement and equity as opposed to a post code lottery!
• ICT has USP's as:
  
  • A shaper of the curriculum: ICT is re-shaping the world and learners need to be educated for the world in which they live, not least to ensure that UK PLC remains competitive.
  • A tool to support management: ICT is essential for the management of information about learners, to inform progress, and personalisation; provides efficiencies and radically improves communications.
  • An enhancer of learning and teaching: learners see education as relevant when ICT is used as it reflects ‘their’ world and the world outside; outstanding schools always make effective use of ICT; ICT engages disaffected learners and empowers learners with disabilities – it enables them to access learning and teaching.
  • A subject of the curriculum: with more relevance than, for example, learning about the past.
• In a market place of schools, ICT is a strong selling point.
• ICT is an integral part of life and should be an integral part of education. It is not about grabbing the next piece of kit, it is about empowering learners to be able to choose and use the most appropriate tools creatively – this is what industry wants and what Naace strives to promote.

What do we do and how do we do it?

• Pupil voice, Learner Charter
• Engaging readers of the Daily Mail
• What schools need from Naace
• Engaging the reluctant teacher
• Engaging local authorities
• Parental engagement, VLEs and online reporting
• Free schools
• Working with schools (new and old) to develop a vision for 21st Century Learning.

Naace are taking these themes and, together with input from the Bristol and London events, will seek to refine a strategy to take the work forward.

The following article brings you the key messages and recommendations from the latest regional Naace Think Tank reflecting on the direction of ICT in education in the current political environment. Thanks to Allison Allen for collating all the notes recorded at the London Think Tank on 28 July 2010. Special thanks also go to Scholastic for providing the venue and refreshments on the day and lots of useful resources for colleagues to take away too! Please see here for full details of the events that took place.

Key messages

• There is confusion about the terms for ICT/IT/TEL/DL. Should it be “Technology”?
• ICT means: the subject (knowledge, skills/applied/world of work/computer specific; higher thinking, and real world contexts); the cross-curricula enabler; the management tool (data, progress, personalisation); the infrastructure/utility; and the transformational technology!
• ICT is global and learners need to be educated (curriculum) to survive, enjoy good life chances, grow and take advantage of life in their world; assure continued economic viability/market leadership of UK plc.
• ICT engages the disengaged, empowers the able and the differently-abled, enhances equalities and enriches human diversity.

ICT:

• should be an equal right;
• has a role to play in home/school interaction – enabling anytime, anywhere learning (which may be school driven);
• is a relevant and uniquely ground-breaking subject of the curriculum.

Naace:

• in particular through ICT Mark has a USP of expertise;
• is identified as an agency of change with professional commitment and strategies for change.

Recommendations and ideas

• We need to raise the importance of Learner Voice by targeting Youth Parliament and Junior local politicians.
• Work with Free Schools and new Academies to ensure technology is there to help parents. We can offer expertise and support to staff and SMT of these new schools which importantly, the government will be monitoring. Naace is a broad church that can address many audiences.
• Appoint a PR officer with TV awareness, capable of using multi media/multi channels. This could be shared with a sponsor to raise the profile of Naace and communicate news via various media.
• Engaging with the government – select 5 key policy areas, not just ICT in order to reach wider audience. Draw parallel with products to support key areas in time for CSR!
• Harness Big Society by talking to parents and communities.
• Think about a different supply chain model.
• Create repository of key documents and evidence including impact (start with/cooperate Becta).
• Pupil voice, Youth Parliament
• Information area for parents on Naace website eg e-safety, digital literacy.
• Develop resources such as pre-prepared presentations with voice-over. Continue CPD4Free – a valuable resource.
• Showcase what good looks like.
• Aggregate good blogs from Naace members. (open to all)
• Multi-agency, multi-channel resource on lines of Teachmeet.
• Schools will miss local network meetings – can we develop a franchise model to replace them?
• Parental engagement, VLEs and online reporting.
• Free schools, Academies, expertise, support, visioning – for parents too.
• Policy makers need to acknowledge the importance of ICT without throwing money at it to show its value. This puts us in a stronger position to help schools if senior leaders see ICT is valued...
• There was a strong feeling in London that there is great pride and passion in Naace.

Naace will take the ideas from all these Think Tank events, and seek to refine a strategy to take the work forward.