This document provides examples of how various middle schools in New Zealand are using ICT tools to enhance learning. It describes tools like solo-coded rubrics, questioning using Blooms taxonomy, and websites used for topics like typing, juggling, current events, music, and history. Reflections note that ICT helps engage students, develop thinking and language skills, and make learning more meaningful when combined with discussion. Next steps include having students create their own rubrics and questions.

1. Examples of ICT Tools used in the Middle SchoolYrs 4-6Huntly Primary School ICT Milestone Report

2. Examples of Room 9 ICT Tool Implementation in 2009.Solo-coded Rubrics for Learning Sequences and Assessment.Questioning using Blooms Taxonomy and Solo’s Thinking Levels for Teaching and Learning.

3. Solo-coded Rubrics for Assessment and Learning Progression.Three levelled rubrics have been driving assessment and learning programs for a year and a half now, but adapting and combining the rubric idea with the 4 solo thinking levels , when appropriate, to make solo-coded rubrics has made the THINKING around the learning more effective and meaningful. Using SOLO to explore and illustrate deeper THINKING and UNDERSTANDING within tasks is something we wish to explore further.

4. Room 9’s Thinking Wall

5. Questioning using Blooms Thinking Levels We read or view a text, then work through the level question cards, recording our ideas in our topic books. It’s very similar to reciprocal reading.Sites we use include www.stuff.co.nzwww.tvnz.co.nzwww.bbc.co.uk/cbbswww.firstnews.co.ukThis can be done with the whole class, or any size group.This ICT promotes oral language as students discuss ideas, clarify key words, predict outcomes, and justify their opinions and responses to a current event.

6. Learning Intention: To learn how to touch type using a keyboard for a computer.It was identified the students in Room 9 were frustrated with how long it took to type a text. We used the touch-typing website www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing to learn the skills. Initially the students worked their way through the early stages of the site, then used the solo-coded rubric to self assess their progress, and to understand their next learning progression. While working through the program students constantly self assessed their progress, justifying their perception of their ability, and referred to it to find out how what they have to do to be able to move to the next level.

7. Learning Intention: To enhance our hand eye co-ordination skills by learning how to juggle.To develop hand/eye coordination in P.E. We decided to learn to juggle. We used the URL www.youtube.com/watch?V=T16BVIFFPQ and followed an excellent clip that broke down the skills of juggling and explained it in a way the children understood.After 3-4 viewings of the clip and practices, and attempts at making balloon juggling balls the class in small groups came up with an assessment rubric we using for self, and peer assessment and goal setting to learn this skill set.

9. Reflections and Next Steps for Learning.Using these two tools has brought about more thoughtful discussion in class. The students are explicitly moved through deeper levels of thinking of an idea - by questioning and moving through learning steps. in turn the students become more aware and in charge of their learning, and articulate with their explanations. This helps them have a better understanding of what they are learning, and to stay engaged through stimulating discussion and multi-media based information.The next Step is to redefine the questions again, and have the students pose and explore the types of questions best suited for their particular purpose. Also I will try to step back a bit from driving the rubrics and have the students create their own.

10. Huntly Primary Middle School ICT Milestone ReportRoom 5 Yrs 3 & 4Teacher: Desne Harris

11. How This is UsedTo engage children in discussing news items- children will be motivated to enquire about the world they live in - by viewing news items, whether textual, photographic or video, the children will be motivated to discuss issues that are relevant to, or of interest , them.To view music videos, via Youtube, that have been relevant to my programme with follow-up discussion.- by using visual images the children will be able to make the link between static music and movement.

12. My ICT Technology Making use of the internetHow it can be facilitated to encourage and improve children’s oral language.Utilising the data projector as the main ICT tool to implement this.This idea was formulated at a teacher workshop facilitated by Mark Treadwell.

13. How This is Used - continuedThe children will be encouraged to become familiar with the equipment. - a number of children have shown an interest in how to set up the data projector.

14. Learning OutcomesMore children are sharing/joining in with class discussions.Children are choosing to look at news items in their own time, either individually or as a group.Children are keen to set up the equipment.The class is learning to appreciate the link between singing and dance.

15. Examples of Work

16. ReflectionMake sure the equipment is working – it was best to set up before school.Make sure that the content is interesting for the children otherwise they will become disinterested. I found that videos are more effective than print.Check any video on Youtube prior to use for appropriateness.Children’s oral language has improved, both in vocabulary and grammar.This has been an excellent tool for building children’s confindence.

17. Next StepsTo use the data projector to model further ICT work (software and online resources).To use with photos to encourage descriptive language for writing.To view DVDs that are relevant .

18. ICT Focus Year 4/5Integration of media for reinforcement of learnt knowledge.Room 6Teacher Daniel Cotton

19. Snap shotThe ICT focus for the integration of the learning strands for students is rubric based with achievement measured by each child's development.ICT is used by way of virtual media, in video clips and data shows to further strengthen the understanding and learning of pertaining areas of development.Children are required to use discussed information, apply it to a particular learning context, have it reinforced by the virtual media, discuss the media and then reflect on all of this to apply to an appropriate context within the learning and rubric assessment.This is reinforced by ways of the children drawing upon all “funds of knowledge” and incorporating differing learning styles for cognitive development.

20. How you ask?Through the Pandemic unit the children were given the opportunity to explore the different information using different information tools. This ranged from discussion to application, to reaffirmation, to discovery to reflection and application again.This was seen through the focus of the Black Plague, Influenza, Polio

21. Rubric Information for these

22. ExamplesThrough out the course of this work certain websites and links were made for children to view, gather, interpret, and collect information from.www.wikipedia.comwww.britanica.comhttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/03/0310_040310_blackdeath.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPXMRZzaZtQ&feature=fvsrThe story of Penicillin.http://www.fi.edu/pieces/burr/Influenza Epidemic in NZhttp://christchurchcitylibraries.com/kids/nzdisasters/influenzaepidemic.asphttp://www.tki.org.nz/r/socialscience/curriculum/SSOL/outbreak/index_e.phphttp://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/flu.htmlMeningitishttp://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/meningitis.htmlMaori Medicinehttp://www.aoteamoana.co.nz/native/native.htmlhttp://www.kawhia.maori.nz/index.htmlThe Plague Nursery Rhymeshttp://www.rhymes.org.uk/ring_around_the_rosy.htmhttp://www.william-shakespeare.info/bubonic-black-plague-elizabethan-era.htmChildren’s Hygienehttp://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=289&id=2146http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HandWashing/http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/wash_hands.htmlBacteria Sitehttp://archive.food.gov.uk/hea/711/english/part1.htmlhttp://www.agr.state.nc.us/cyber/kidswrld/foodsafe/badbug/Badbug.htmAll of these websites and more were used in students being given the opportunity to explore the possibilities for learning information gathering.The children were also given the task for developing their own pamphlets surrounding each of the 3 diseases, with the children asked to set the phamplet out inWays to prevent the spreadingWays it effected peopleSigns of the diseaseThe children were allowed to explore and develop their phamplett into a working piece, or “information guide” to the diseases.The children used all the information gathered in their books and other previously visited websites (much like the ones above) to create the phampletts.The learning outcomes for theses projects were for the children to voice their own opinions and ideas on the diseases, as well as explore media and other forms of ICT to convert into their own understanding and knowledge development.To explore, interpret, process, evaluate, reflect and apply were the main outcomes.

23. Examples of children’s work and discovery...

24. ReflectionIn the beginning the children were hesitant and slow to access websites and apply information, but merely steering the children in the appropriate paths lead to sound and rich information being drawn from these forms of ICTAllowing children to view and use a range of different learning styles really enriched the learning process for the children and gains were evident in the depth of discussion that followed afterwards, surrounding their previously thought or new ideas.Some pieces of information proved to be slow and boring for some children, with frustration at the complexity of wording and as well as length. Further analysis of these websites and predetermined websites would of and will prove to be more beneficial for the children.This process will be carried through into other topics and other curriculum areas such as writing and Mathematics to really cater and draw out the rich levels of learning that can be achieved as being apart of a inclusive teacher.

25. Room 7 ICT TechnologyBased on the two main workshops, the main focus was to get pupils involved in a range of technologies to implement the thinking and managing key competencies. We started with photo-story from start to finish .The students were shown how to use the internet on related topic s in our school wide planning. All pupils had the opportunity in using paint section for developing a story. Emphasis was heavily on thinking and reasoning.

26. The Actual Use Of It.We began with a simple learning intention on how to use the camera and try out the helpful hints for taking photos.The pupils were organised into groups. They selected a theme and followed the guidelines on the computer. These pupils were the first of the class trained up. They in turn were responsible for training up a new group of their own. Pupils shared their Photostory work with the whole class using the data projector.

27. ReflectionThis course has generated a high interest level in the class and pupils enjoyed the hands on aspect. They learnt to cooperate and manage themselves better in group work. Pupils could identify the different ways they could make their work better. The next step for me is to branch further out and continue to look for ways to integrate ICT into the regular class programme.