! 
Connecting ICT and Action: 
Personalised Learning for Diverse 
Learners 
Greg O’Connor 
July 2014 
CEO Melbourne
presentation 
bit.ly/ceomelbourne
Resources 
bit.ly/ceomelbourne14
The Myth of Average 
Todd Rose
designed for AVERAGE
ban the AVERAGE 
design for the EDGES
Chris Windsor / Getty Images 
one size fits all
Adjustable Seat for Learning / Personalisation? 
Todd Rose at TEDxSonomaCounty!
design to the EDGES
designed for the average?
technology
Today’s Schedule! 
! 
Session 1! 
Background information and tools! 
Session 2! 
Group work - Guided exploration and discussion! 
Session 3! 
In school groups or pairs - development of action 
plan ! 
! 
Present you plan!
Horizon Report 2014
Horizon Report 2014 
Key Trends! 
• Rethink the roles of teachers! 
• Shift to Deeper Learning Approaches! 
! 
Significant Challenges! 
• Authentic Learning Opportunities! 
• Integrating Personalised Learning! 
! 
Important Developments! 
• BYOD! 
• Cloud Computing
Personalisation 
a way to allow students to pursue! 
their education according to! 
their individual needs
Fairness? 
Research on fairness indicates 
that most adults’ notions of 
fairness are arrested at the 
kindergarten level: Everyone gets 
the same thing. However, the 
functional definition of fairness is 
that everyone gets what they need 
Dave Edyburn
What is average? 
Edyburn (2006) http://www.uwm.edu/~edyburn/L%26L2006.pdf
universal design for learning 
www.cast.org/udl
bit.ly/litsupport
Promote resourceful & 
knowledgeable learners! 
by ! 
providing options in the 
way information is offered 
and understood 
representation
representation 
• Text to speech! 
• Vocabulary acquisition! 
• Comprehension! 
• OCR! 
• Audio! 
• Video! 
• QR Codes! 
• eBooks! 
• Augmentative reality ! 
!
Promote strategic, ! 
goal-directed learners! 
by ! 
providing options for action 
and expression 
action & expression
action & expression 
• Word prediction! 
• Handwriting recognition! 
• Speech recognition! 
• Audio recording! 
• Video! 
• Note taking
Promote strategic, ! 
goal-directed learners! 
by ! 
providing options for 
executive functions 
executive functions
and the teacher said 
you can take notes
executive functions 
• Video masking! 
• Note synchronisation ! 
• Mind mapping! 
• Image use! 
• Text auto summarisation! 
• Citation support! 
• The cloud! 
• Reminders! 
! 
!!
engagement
engagement 
• Provide options for recruiting 
interest! 
• Provide options for sustaining 
effort and persistence! 
• Provide options for self-regulation 
! 
!!
#event horizon 
The point of no return for 
education and technology
if there is an inevitable danger coming towards 
you, move towards it. Fullan
assistive technology is 
too powerful not to 
have a plan* 
*adapted from Michael Fullan, (2013) Startosphere: Integrating Technology, Pedagogy, and 
Change Knowledge
FULLAN 2013
the most crucial factor ! 
= you
SETT Framework 
www.joyzabala.com/
Nevit Dilmen http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AChild_01546_Nevit.jpg 
filter, sieve, assess
SAMR! 
Model 
4-level approach to 
selecting, using, and 
evaluating technology 
in education 
Redefinition 
Modification 
Augmentation 
Substitution (Ruben Puentedura) 
Enhancement 
Transformation
! 
SUBSTITUTION 
Wordprocessors 
PDF readers 
Browsers
! 
AUGMENTATION 
eBooks 
OCR
! 
MODIFICATION 
Alternative formats: 
Convert to audio 
Video creation 
eBook Creation 
!
! 
QR Codes 
Augmentative Reality 
Wearables 
Alternative assessment 
REDEFINITION
Disruptive Innovation
Sandpits: Guided exploration and 
discussion
sandpits 
1. Myth of Average! 
2. Horizon report! 
3. Assistive technology tools - literacy support! 
4. UDL/SETT/Rubric! 
5. App smack down! 
! 
!
attention span of 
around 15 minutes 
before significant 
levels of mind 
wandering occur
sandpits 
Myth of Average! 
Go to this website and complete the lesson! 
http://bit.ly/mythaveragelesson! 
! 
!
sandpits 
Horizon Report 2014! 
Watch the video. What trends, challenges and 
key technologies will have an impact on your 
school in the next 12 months?! 
http://bit.ly/horizonreport2014! 
!
sandpits 
Literacy Support Tools! 
What tools could you explore to design to the 
edges in your classroom? ! 
bit.ly/litsupport!
sandpits 
UDL/SETT/Rubric! 
Ban the Average. Identify a student. Ask the 
SETT questions. Using the rubric review a 
literacy support tool you have considered. ! 
!
sandpits 
App Smackdown! 
Share an app or Google extension. 2 minutes 
per smackdown.! 
!
prepare! 
not ! 
repair
So What? 
!! 
What? 
!! 
What next? 
!! 
What? 
!! 
What 
have I 
learnt?
So What? 
!! 
What? 
!! 
What next? 
!! 
So What? 
!! 
What does 
this mean for 
my 
classroom?
So What? 
!! 
What? 
!! 
What next? 
!! 
!! What are my 
What next? 
next steps?
Give it a go! Start. Go. Begin.
What next? 
!! 
What are my 
next steps?
only 3% of adults have clear, 
written, specific, measurable, 
time-bounded goals, and by 
every statistic, they accomplish 
ten times as much as people 
with no goals at all 
Brian Tracy
Jason Gibson & Jason Caroll
specific clear goal/s! 
measurable! 
time-bounded !
Provide printed material as 
digitised text to allow for text 
to speech technology! 
! 
Unit 3, History worksheets 
digitised and provided to 
students! 
! 
Week 5, Term 3 !
bit.ly/sharegoal
institutions will try and preserve the 
problem to which they are the solution 
Cathy Davidson (2011)
presentation 
bit.ly/ceomelbourne
Resources 
bit.ly/ceomelbourne14
! 
grego@spectronics.com.au 
twitter.com/gregoconnor 
Spectronics.com.au/Blog

Connecting ICT and action