Whole Person Education - Knox Grammar School

Life at KnoxKnox teacher becomes ‘Google Certified’at Google Teacher Academy!Technology at Knox is not about technologyYear 5 students Toby Buchner and Manas Mohandass regularly utilise their laptops and the SMART Board toenhance their learningGoogle selected Mr Michael Beilharzto attend the Google Teacher Academywhich was held in Sydney during theEaster holidays.The Google Teacher Academy is a freeprofessional development experiencedesigned to help K-12 educational leadersget the most from innovative technologies.Each Academy is an intensive, one-day eventwhere participants get hands-on experiencewith Google’s products and technologies,learn about innovative instructionalstrategies, and receive resources to sharewith colleagues. Upon completion, Academyparticipants become Google CertifiedTeachers who share what they learn withother K-12 educators in their local regionsand beyond.Google Certified Teachers are exceptionalK-12 educators with a passion for usinginnovative tools to improve teachingand learning, as well as creative leadersand ambassadors for change. They arerecognised experts and widely admired fortheir commitment to high expectations forstudents, life-long learning and collaboration.This heading may seem like a strange statementcoming from a technology coordinator, buttechnology is not about technology, it isabout learning.Information Communication Technology(ICT) at Knox Grammar School involvesembedding technology into all subject areasand developing students who are innovativecreators and critical users of digital content.Effective integration of technology allowsteachers to combine new methods of contentdelivery alongside established methods ofteaching. It enables students to become part ofthe global community and access informationfrom multiple settings, adding value to theirlearning experience. Technology when used inconjunction with other teaching pedagogies,can enhance students creativity, flexibility,collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinkingand communication skills, as well as, their abilityto construct knowledge in a variety of settings.No longer are students constrained to the fourwalls of the classroom, teaching and learningcan take place ‘anywhere, anytime’.In today’s educational environment manytechnologies are being used to enhancestudent learning. The advent of Web 2.0has encouraged teachers and students todevelop new and innovative ways of learning,developing and assessing tasks. For example,Blogs and Wikis have become prominenttools in education and are being widely usedwithin schools. These powerful learning tools,allow for peer assessment and collaborationin ‘real time’, giving students the opportunityto learn from each other and re-exploretheir own understanding.Knox is developing many innovative ways ofintegrating technology into the curriculum.Science students have been critically thinkingabout science experiments by developingmovies that highlight the key stages of theirpracticals. These have become learning tools forthemselves and for other students. Photoshophas been used to develop 3D images andVoicethread, a collaboration tool that allowsstudents to ‘voice’ their ideas in an onlineshared environment, providing teachers andstudents with immediate auditory feedback,has been used by many departments. UsingMovie Maker, students have produced moviesexplaining the differences between biomes andaudacity has been used to develop podcasts.Technology is allowing the learning landscapeof Knox to broaden. In collaboration with girlsfrom PLC and the Cheongshim School in Korea,Knox students are using Skype and Scholaris(the school’s learning management system) towork on a collaborative project on BuildingRelationships through the Research Process.These are only a few of the technologyrich learning experience students are beingexposed to at Knox.Mr Michael BeilharzICT Teaching and Learning IntegratorThe Thistle / June 2011 | 12