November 2009 Vol. 1, Issue 10 (PDF - 16.2Mb) - Department of ...
November 2009 Vol. 1, Issue 10 (PDF - 16.2Mb) - Department of ...
November 2009 Vol. 1, Issue 10 (PDF - 16.2Mb) - Department of ...
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62 Nov 09<br />
Xxxx eLearning<br />
Using ICT for<br />
something special<br />
Vermont South Special School caters for the educational, social and emotional needs <strong>of</strong> children<br />
aged five to 12 who have a mild intellectual disability. A key focus <strong>of</strong> the school is for teachers<br />
and students to challenge their knowledge and use <strong>of</strong> ICT to improve learning outcomes.<br />
According to Esther Hall, Ultranet coach in<br />
the Eastern Metropolitan Region, the culture<br />
<strong>of</strong> knowledge sharing and support at Vermont<br />
South Special School allows non-tech savvy<br />
teachers the freedom to experiment with new<br />
technologies. “Vermont South Special School<br />
has teams <strong>of</strong> teachers who are enthusiastic<br />
and committed to learning new ICTs for the<br />
benefit <strong>of</strong> their students.<br />
“The school culture embraces ICT and<br />
teachers <strong>of</strong> varying ability levels are willing<br />
to try new technologies and adapt tools to use<br />
in the classroom for purposeful learning for<br />
their students.”<br />
The leadership team at Vermont South<br />
Special School encourage their staff to<br />
undertake pr<strong>of</strong>essional learning in ICT.<br />
School leaders promote the use <strong>of</strong> ICT as<br />
a tool for learning and demonstrate the<br />
benefit <strong>of</strong> using different types <strong>of</strong> technology<br />
throughout different subject areas.<br />
The school’s ICT coordinator Margaret<br />
Handreck says her school has a particularly<br />
innovative approach. “Last term, groups<br />
<strong>of</strong> teachers went to a variety <strong>of</strong> Waverley<br />
Network Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Development sessions<br />
to learn new Web 2.0 and multimedia tools.<br />
Back at the school the groups presented what<br />
they had learnt, allowing informed decisions<br />
to be made in each subject on what technology<br />
would facilitate student learning,” she says.<br />
Vermont South students are benefiting from<br />
their teachers embracing the use <strong>of</strong> ICT<br />
to enhance their teaching <strong>of</strong> subjects. Each<br />
student’s work is being showcased through the<br />
use <strong>of</strong> student digital portfolios which aids in<br />
motivating the student’s learning.<br />
To find out more about how ICT<br />
can be used in a special school contact<br />
Esther Hall, Ultranet Coach at hall.<br />
esther.l@edumail.vic.gov.au
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