SCD/Milestone Reports/Resources, Documentation and Downloads/Milestone 1 11 June 2010

Purpose

The purpose of the milestone reporting process is:-


 * To provide clusters with the opportunity to reflect in a focussed way on their progress and to inform their future planning
 * To provide National facilitators with an overview of cluster programme progress so facilitators can support the formative learning processes
 * To provide the Ministry of Education with information to evaluate the ICT PD national programme; allowing the identification of issues and trends and exemplar practice.
 * To provide the Ministry of Education with evidence that an individual cluster is complying with the contracted agreement.

NOTE: The Ministry of Education can suspend payments if a satisfactory milestone has not been submitted by the due date.

Submission of milestone

The milestone report should be drafted in document format (e.g. Microsoft Word, Open Office, Google Docs) by the cluster leadership team for ease of sharing with cluster schools and the National facilitator.

The draft milestone should then be emailed to or shared electronically with the national facilitator assigned to your cluster at least 14 days before the milestone due date.

Once approved by the National facilitator you need to do the following:


 * Rename the approved version of the milestone according to the following format:leadschoolname_contract number_milestone numbere.g. regionalclusterone_10-0132_M1
 * Create a PDF of the approved version with the same naming formate.g. regionalclusterone _10-0132_M1.pdf(Use of the PDF format means that no further edits can easily be made to the milestone. Word processed documents can be converted to PDF format using Adobe Acrobat or with free distributions such as PrimoPDF. Mac OS allows the creation of PDF’s from the Print Dialogue Box. Google Docs allows you to download the file in PDF format)
 * Email the final version to the following people:
 * the Ministry ictpd.programme@minedu.govt.nz
 * your national facilitator
 * all cluster principals
 * An alternative courier address is provided on the milestone template for rare cases where email may not be practicable (e.g. firewall or file size issues). Clusters can courier an electronic version of the milestone report on CD-ROM or Flash memory drive.

If you have not received acknowledgement of the safe delivery of your email within 3 working days please contact the Ministry at [mailto:ictpd.programme@minedu.govt.nz ictpd.programme@minedu.govt.nz]

Response to milestone

During the development of your milestone your National Facilitator will support you with formative feedback on the process that will help you to gauge your progress so far and future steps. Copies should be circulated by the lead school to all schools within the cluster. Once they have approved your report it should be circulated to all cluster schools and then forwarded to the Ministry of Education.

When the report has been approved by the Ministry of Education a formal letter acknowledging the report will be sent to the Principal of the lead school/Project Director.

Milestone 1 Tasks

1.1 Liaise with the National Facilitator assigned to this project;

Communication with our National Facilitator (Warren Hall) has taken place as and when needed by both parties. In all cases, Trevor Storr, the cluster person responsible for communications with the National Facilitator, has communicated with Warren. Communication has been in the form of email, telephone and skype conversations and has generally been concerning the following topics:


 * communication with other clusters
 * protocols for communicating and sharing cluster PD between regional clusters
 * suggestions on communication strategies within our cluster
 * protocols for producing and sharing milestone reports (this milestone is produced in Wikieducator and so is publically available)
 * milestone templates
 * Attendance at SCD governance meetings

In all cases, the response of Warren has been timely and his comments responsive, thoughful and helpful.

1.2 Report on the outputs for Programme Outcome A for this milestone period as detailed in Schedule One:

Programme Implementation





















Report on the outputs for Programme Outcome B for this milestone period as detailed in Schedule One

Programme Implementation


 * 1) Report on the outputs for Programme Outcome C for this milestone period as detailed in Schedule One

Programme Implementation

1.6 Report on the progress (i.e. programme effectiveness) towards achieving Programme Outcome A for this milestone period

The overview of vision of the three year contract and where it will be in 2012 and beyond was synthesised into a rubric to help with establising the learning journey for the teachers. It has been used to inform the PD and to help in raising awareness and support across the clusters involved.

Mid-year review  a. What progress has been made towards achieving these goals?

The cluster is well on the way to delivering on the above outcomes. The PD group have begun their learning from a range of prior abilities with some teachers already implementing work through online courses, all have been engaging in PD around use of the tolls and the pedagogy behind developing effective blended learning. As discussed below in order for effective long term sustainability the development of the community of practice to support the learning for all staff has taken precedence.

b. What evidence supports this? 

The development of the programme for teachers includes;


 * the work here on WikiEducator [WE], http://wikieducator.org/SCD
 * in the Moodle sites [Learn, Educo and WestNet]
 * and on the teachers individual personal responses on Ministry hosted Mahara ePortfolio. http://portfolio.vln.school.nz/

The documentation on WE is completely open and an invitation has been extended to all involved in and overseeing the project to explore the work already there. The other online spaces have varying levels of transparency, both to ensure the confidence of the group and to enable a high trust model to be established.

A login has been created to enable our National Facilitator to access the sites as required to evidence the growing confidence in discussion by the teacher cohort. All teachers as part of their PD programme are developing an ePortfolio it is hoped that greater access to this can be enabled in future milestones.

c. List any key lessons for the cluster?

The fundamental lesson in the set up stages of this cluster, and especially underpinned by the high degree of online activity is that communication is key. Clear and coherent information is required to ensure the success of this project.

The need for flexibility in execution of the contract has been highlighted both in the early face to face provision of professional development and in the follow on virtual sessions. This has assisted in developing trust in the efforts of the participants being supported by the cluster personnel.

d. What are the next steps towards achieving the cluster goal/s?

Still to be fully implemented is the Institutional Review, as discussed above a key part of the UC course. This will assist in the development of the courses for individual teachers as well as enabling a clear view of what will be required for the component schools to begin to effectively manage change to meet the projected cluster vision.

1.7 Report on the progress (i.e. programme effectiveness) towards achieving Programme Outcome B for this milestone period

Mid-year review

The formation of the community of practice has informed much of the early work of the cluster. From the planning stages with Professor Niki Davis for the supporting University of Canterbury Graduate course through to the initial face to face PD week the focus has been on the development of a robust community of practice which will lead to the effective dispersal of the skills and processes of implementing blended learning practice throughout the cluster schools.

a. What progress has been made towards achieving these goals?

The leadership group have been working closely earlier in the year to establish the environments and protocols for the development of the community of practice including the intitial PD [discussed above] to encourage the emerging community. Following on from this the group were surveyed and ways of assisting the formation of the community worked through with the group. The facilitators have been working alongside teachers form within their region and responding to discussion collectively to ensure continual progress.

b. What evidence supports this?

As evidenced in 1.2 of this milestone from the first face to face PD in march a strong community has emerged among the teachers who attended. The numbers supporting this are;


 * 33 active participants in the UC course on the moodle site http://educo.vln.school.nz [the online community learning area]
 * 37 active participants in the Sandpit on the Educo Moodle
 * 36 active participants in the Mahara Portfolio space who share reflections through the closed group SCD ICTPD

The numbers attending the Virtual PD [follow up after school VCs] has varied from 14 maximum in the first series through to the least attending for the second series being 1 per VC. This is consistant with these sessions being voluntary and accessible on an 'as needed' basis and has included teachers joining mid-session due to other meetings or duty and some teachers staying past the notified end time to explore further tools or discussion.

Teachers are also demonstrating their ability ot seek and give assistance through the various fora on both the UC course and the Sandpit area and through email contact of individuals. Some individual teachers are already stading out in terms of their leadership and contribution within the PD cohort.

It is envisaged that as the work of the cluster progresses more evidence of the work of this community will be shared through both the Mahara and in the Case Studies area as part of this WikiEducator space.

c. List any key lessons for the cluster?

As discussed previously the ability to clearly communicate and to provide a flexible response to the requests of the PD cohort has been valuable in both generating a strong community of practice and in demonstrating personalised learning for the teachers. d. What are the next steps towards achieving the cluster goal/s?

Planning will now begin on the next face to face PD session which is again in Christchurch. This will be an important next stage in cementing the community of practice online and in beginning to explore how the community will support each other in both their practice in schools and in their sharing with their school community

1.8 Report on the progress (i.e. programme effectiveness) towards achieving Programme Outcome C for this milestone period

Mid-year review

Cluster wide almost all schools have contributed to the programme by sending their selected teacher to engage in the professional learning. The two schools who have not yet put foward a teacher to this project are engaged at a management level and will hopefully join and contribute further through the project. One of these schools had to withdraw their teacher due to personal reasons [a replacement has not yet been found].

While schools are clearly demonstrating their willingness to engage, the Institutional Review a current PD activity of the teacher cohort, will highlight more clearly what needs and is changing within the systems and structures.

a. What progress has been made towards achieving these goals?

The Principals of all of the cluster schools have been informed by the facilitators, of the nature and process to be involved in the review of their school; in terms of the readiness to embrace the tools and structures of blended learning practices.

Currently underway, the progress so far is the development of the review process itself and in some cases initial interviews and surveys within individual institutions. This is lead within the UC course by Professor Davis and supported by professional readings, individual PD on tools to use and discussion within the forum set up to sustain effort across the teacher cohort. b. What evidence supports this? The evidence of this work will be more fully explored in the next milestone, where many reviews will be available in the case studies and reports produced. These will appear both in this WikiEducator space and be shared through the Mahara ePortfolio.

c. List any key lessons for the cluster?

Integral to the review of the cluster schools has been the discussion around generating the review questions and targets. The teacher cohort have taken on the process with some of them broadening the scope and adding extra dimensions to the data they are gathering. Key learning for the facilitator group has been the rigour of engaging Professor Davis and the UC course here and the continuing support from within the learning community if the teacher cohort themselves.

d. What are the next steps towards achieving the cluster goal/s?

As discussed above and in 1.6 a current focus of the cluster is the institutional review. Due for completion just prior to the next face to face professional development meeting in the July Term break, this will strengthen the move into the next stages of both the UC course and inform discussion within schools and their communities. The outcome of this review process will contribute to the discussion across the cluster schools and assist in underpinning strategic planning for sustainability beyond the contract period.

1.9 Learning@School Conference Evaluation 

There was no physical representation by the SCD Facilitators at the Learning at School Conference as this had not been budgetted for. As discussed above there will be representation at ULearn later this year.

In terms of the impact attendance would have had, all involved in facilitating this cluster attended a meeting in Wellington where Derek Wenmoth, Marg McCleod and other Ministry personnel presented about their roles in the Virtual Education Field, Change Management, NEN and KAREN. Derek also presented as part of the initial PD programme for SCD teachers and is currently working with a member of the SCD facilitation team on the Learning Communities Online Handbook.

The facilitators of the SCD project communicate with the OtagoNet/DunedinNet project and would welcome the opportunity to meet virtually wiith other REC clusters.

1.10 Changes to or additional contact details

The Facilitator role for WestNet is in transition as Vicki Smith is taking leave from the end of Term two until the beginning fo Term four and will have only sporadic access online. Throughout this period Pete Graham will be the primary contact for WestNet.

Pete has taken up the role of facilitator for the WestNet eSchool and both Vicki and Pete have been working closely to ensure that the transition is straightforward. Pete has attended the March PD at UC in Christchurch, meetings with Darren and Trevor and will be represent WestNet for the Blue Skies meeting in June.

Pete Graham [email pete@westnet.school.nz]

Disbursement schedule

Cluster Budget Contributions

The clusters are contributing a combined total of 1 FTTE to the project during 2010, as outlined in the original contract. The operational costs will be more than we originally anticipated probably twice as much. This will be transferred from the teacher PD costs as we are anticipating cost efficiencies in this area. The cost of the teacher development / PD for the face-to-face meetings in Christchurch has been less than we budgeted for. The anticipated spending for 2010 will be closer to the optional flatter payment model. Due to the lower costs of the face-to-face PD we will be able to offer more PD in 2011 and 2012 that we originally planned for. Moving to the flatter payment model will allow us to keep 'on budget'. General comments

When you have had your Milestone approved by your National Facilitator then you can email a PDF copy to:

ictpd.programme@minedu.govt.nz