APRICOT Picture APRICOT'99 Education Track Program
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. Education Track Program from information to hand as at, 09:45am (Brisbane time), February 26, 1999. 

APRICOT'99  -  Education Track  -  Thursday  4 March 1999 
Co-ordinated by the APNG Education Working Group 

Focus 

The general focus of the Education Track will be to promote understanding between the "providers" and the "users". Whilst excellent research in educational establishments and private enterprise is advancing the technology, "users" are neglected. Surveys tell us that many homes are connecting to the Internet but that the usage by classroom teachers is minimal. One possible explanation for the lack of interest from this potentially significant sector of population is absence of information and service. There is a pressing need to inform classroom teachers of the educational resources available through the Internet and the opportunities for them to use it in classroom teaching. But further to this the "technical people" must help the teachers use the technology. 

Format 

Two regional projects of significant magnitude will be examined in this education track. The Ministries of Education (Australia and Singapore) have been invited to present papers which describe their solutions to the issues of planning, establishing, using and maintaining an education network. The emphasis to be on K-12 schools but could extend to include flexible delivery to remote communities. The critical issue of Teacher training and support will also be addressed in the education track. There will be ample time for discussion of issues and it is hoped the regional diversity included in the presentations will offer solutions to meet most circumstances. 

Content 

A function of the papers is to establish the nexus between the "technician" and the "practitioner" in the K-12 arena. So the target audience will range across hardware suppliers, ISP's, school's IT managers, government policy and network planners, teachers in charge of local area networks in their schools and classroom subject teachers. 

Topics 

  •  How to set up network access specifically in the schools and K12 context
  •  How to plan and manage a network in schools
  •  How to provide, deliver and support resources to schools.
  •  What educational resources can best be set up
  •  The process in building networks
  •  The administrative support system to sustain the process.
  •  The component of teacher training.
Schedule 
Thursday, March 4, 1999. 
There will be two plenary presentations followed by three Education Stream sessions: 

09:00am to 09:30am     Room 208/209 

Keynote Speaker:     Chris Moore 
"The Clearinghouse and its Transformation of the Internet"
09:30am to 10:00am      Room 208/209 
Keynote Speaker:      Van Jacobson 
"Apocalypse Now - the Internet in the new millennium"
10:00am to 10:30am              Morning Tea 

10:30am to 12:00noon      Room 208/209    Chair:  Professor Chen Nian-Shing  

Education Track E1:     Ministry of Education Victoria, Australia. Peter Lasscock     
"Technology: The Classroom, the challenges and the future"
12:00noon to 1:30pm              Lunch 

1:30pm to 3:00pm      Room 208/209       Chair: Dr TSENG, Shian-Shyong 

Education Track E2: Griffith University - Teacher Educator. Glenice Watson. 
"Barriers to the integration of the Internet into learning Professional development." (Word Document)
3:00pm to 3:30pm                  Afternoon Tea 

3:30pm to 5:00pm      Room 208/209       Chair: Dr Shigeki GOTO 

Education Track E3:     Ministry of Education Singapore. Yap Kwang TAN. 
"Internet for Education: Singapore's Experience"
Speakers 

Peter Lasscock 
Based at Bendigo Senior Secondary College  

Peter Lasscock is a Project Officer for the Victorian Department of Education Navigator Project and is based at Bendigo Senior Secondary College in central Victoria. His role is providing professional development to teachers in integrating computers into all classrooms in all subject areas.

This forum will look at the how the Victorian Department of Education http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/index.htm has planned and implemented a whole state strategy to introduce the use of information and communication technologies to all schools. The strategy includes: 

Bendigo Senior Secondary College http://www.bssc.edu.au 
From a state wide perspective the forum will then examine one school's experiences where information and communication technology has been introduced to every classroom with an expectation that all staff will be involved in a whole school vision. 

Key elements of success will be examined including staff letting go, the evolution of the physical classroom space, professional development in context and the importance of sharing and celebrating ideas that work. 

Examples of staff and student uses across many subject areas will be shared.  
http://www.bssc.edu.au/community/lets_collaborate.htm 

School Background 

  • Bendigo Senior Secondary College is a state school which has 1730 students in year 11 and 12. 
  • Every classroom has between 2 and 6 computers, all of which are connected to the network and the Internet. http://www.bssc.edu.au/tech_support/bssc_network/index.htm
  • All staff members have had laptop computers for the last 3 years. 
  • Student have access to 60 dial in lines for network and Intranet access and around 600 are connected from home. 
  • Staff has free dial in access from home.
  • Our timetable includes one hour of compulsory professional development for staff every week. http://www.bssc.edu.au/student_info/timetable.htm
  • The library is online and can be accessed from all classroom machines, from home or anywhere connected to the Internet. http://www.bssc.edu.au/library/index.htm

  • The college intranet is a central part of all curriculum development. 

Glenice Watson 
GradDipCompEd (Brisbane Coll Adv Ed), DipEd MEdSt (Q'ld), BSc (AES) 

Glenice Watson is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.  She is responsible for undergraduate and post-graduate programs concerned with the use of information technology in teaching and learning.  She convenes the Graduate Certificate of Computer Education. Her research interests include professional development for teachers in the effective use of information technology in classrooms, and issues of equity with respect to the use of information technology in education.  Her most recent publication is “Putting teachers in the IT picture” which was part of an Australia wide research project sampling the information technology skills of Australian students and teachers. 

The presentation by Glenice Watson will be concerned with professional development as a barrier to the integration of the Internet into learning.  It is widely understood that attitudes, values and competencies of teachers are the major difficulty with implementing any educational change.  This paper will examine issues relating to the professional development of teachers and discuss the model of professional development currently being implemented in Queensland schools. 

Yap Kwang TAN 
Director, Educational Technology Division 

It has been said of Mr. Tan that he is the Champion of the Internet for Education in Singapore. He has been invited to speak at this Education Track to chronicle his last 10 years of bringing Internet to the schools in Singapore, and to give insight to the Asia Pacific community on Singapore's plan for IT in education. 

Mr. Tan trained as a physics teacher; then assumed various positions in the Ministry of Education (national examinations, monitoring and evaluation) before becoming Director of Planning (1995); became Director, Educational Technology Division in 1997.  Present responsibilities include the implementation of the Masterplan for IT in education. 

He has generously made available his paper, with links to appropriate websites, for early publication. This is to encourage thoughtful consideration and facilitate discussion. During the presentation, he will go beyond this and demonstrate how teachers (as end users) would like to use information technology. 

Mr. Tan has suggested that participants look at the Ministry's website on what Singapore is doing in terms of (a) the Masterplan for IT in Education, and (b) eduMALL.  He would like to focus on the following: 
 

  •  Singapore's Masterplan for IT in Education
  •  How schools will use technology for teaching and learning (talk-cum-demonstration).  This will demonstrate what users (teachers and pupils) want from technology.
  • Question & Answer
Forum 

The presenters have been asked to publish, prior to the conference, discussion papers relating to the issues. Conference registrants and those unable to physically attend in Singapore are encouraged to pose questions, in advance of the conference, for discussion. Papers on the subject, previously published or unpublished, are also welcomed to facilitate informed discussion. These materials will be made available on the web. 

Registration 

Attendees for the Apricot'99 Conference should register at: http://www.apng.org/apricot/apricot.html   and indicate a preference for the Education Track sessions on Thu 4 Mar. Part 4 of the Registration Form indicates the amount payable. Please note that a "special" rate of $50 is available for anyone wishing to attend the "APNG-APRICOT-Education-Track-Only". This special rate is recognition by the Conference Executive of the need to support the focussed interests of educationists and does not give entitlement to the general Apricot'99 facilities.    

Information 

Coordination of the Education Track is undertaken by the Education Working Group of APNG . Papers for publication, suggestions, questions and supportive comments should be sent to Laurence Quinlivan < L.Quinlivan@gu.edu.au >.