The document provides context about the author's role as a second year teacher at Glenview State School, located in Queensland, Australia. Glenview is a small, rural school situated near native bushland. The author teaches a multi-age Year 2/3 classroom of 23 students and utilizes various technologies like interactive whiteboards, a virtual classroom, and a class website to engage students and differentiate instruction. The author is passionate about visual arts and technology and enjoys finding new digital resources to incorporate into lessons to support all learners.

1. m y context

2. D anni Whittaker… my story Year 2/3 Classroom Teacher Glenview State School [email_address] Glenview State School was my first appointment as a graduate teacher last year. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work at such a wonderful school with wonderful people to support me through my first year of teaching . Now in my second year , I am continuing to learn and extend my learning as a teacher. I am extremely passionate about Visual Arts and Technology and I love to explore different ways of creating and learning through ICT s.

3. Glenview is a small, unique school, nestled within the Mooloolah River Valley on the Queensland Sunshine Coast . m y school …

4. Glenview State School is located on Glenview Road , four kilometres west of the Bruce Highway, just behind the Ettamogah Pub. The school is nestled within the Mooloolah River Valley and characterised by the considerable native bush land and abundant bird life. The Blackall Range ( part of the Great Dividing Ra nge) is located a few kilometres to the west. The Glenview area is a rural residential area with many of its families living on small acreages . Many work in the Caloundra or Glasshouse Mountains areas with a considerable number commuting daily to Brisbane , which is less than an hour away . A couple of kilometres to the south west of the school is the Ewen Maddock Dam ; a popular venue for aquatic recreation in the Caloundra City area. This is also the site for school activities such as camps , tree planting and family fun days. The district has some plantation areas and a number of properties w here horses are stabled and trained.

5. The Glenview vision is for our students to be multiliterate members of society . By using Information Communication Technologies we will develop the foundation learnings to enable students to become: Researchers Problem solvers Decision makers Thinkers Communicators Information Communication Technology is an integral part of the Glenview curriculum. All classrooms are equipped with Interactive Whiteboards enabling students to become engaged and connected with their learning. In our class (Group E) we have both a virtual classroom and an external website (Group E Website) that we use in class and at home. There is access to computers is provided through classroom computer pods, additional computers in the classroom, a bank of 18 computers in the library and all teachers have a laptop. Computers are used to develop specific skills such as word processing and document creation. ICT is also used as a tool for research, communication from the local through to global communities and as a connection between the school and home environment. Safe and ethical use of ICT is an important part of the curriculum. Teaching staff use ICT for recording results, communicating with each other and accessing resources from a wide variety of sources to enrich the curriculum. Our ICT resources also include digital cameras, video, MP3 players, and scanners. A large variety of software is available to use alongside these resources enabling both teachers and students to create movies and photo stories, record audio stories, produce documents or take part in a ‘virtual classroom’ just to name a few. m y role

6. m y class 23 students 5 computers 1 IWB 1 virtual classroom 1 Website 1 computer lab

7. Glenview is a multi-age school . We differentiate the curriculum in all areas to suit the needs of our learners . In my classroom there is a variety of learners. In a class of 23 , there are 9 girls and 14 boys. I have 7 year 2 students and 16 year 3 students. 6 students receive learning support for Reading and Writing (Intervention) and 4 (Intervention Support) for Numeracy. It is important for me to be aware of incorporating engaging material especial in areas of literacy for my boys – and for my support students to keep them motivated. I also enjoy searching for new resources that I can use with my students or incorporate into their digital literacy activities. Incorporating the use of our website and the virtual classroom allows me to access a wider variety of tools and materials that are fun and stimulating that are catering to all different types of learners. Students have access to the computers multiple times in a day . They are on for over half an hour average each per day accessing digital literacy activities and math activities. Together as a whole class, nearly 90% of our day incorporates the use of the IWB . I have noticed an increase in the navigation capabilities of my year 2’s who came in with very little experiences with computers and common software knowledge.