ICT-based communication and collaboration for learning policy

Transcription

1 ICT-based communication and collaboration for learning policy Approved by School Association October 2007

2 Table of Contents Policy statement... 3 Background and rationale... 3 Introduction... 3 The national context... 3 The Tasmanian context... 5 Online learning environments for the 21 st Century... 5 Definition... 6 ICT based communication and collaboration... 6 Scope... 6 Policy goals and requirements... 7 Goal 1. Goal 2. Goal 3. The School will provide opportunities for all learners to access, contribute to and become proficient participants in ICT-based communication and collaboration to enhance their learning Users outside the immediate school campus will participate in ICTbased communication and collaboration to enhance the educational experience of learners Teachers will manage ICT-based communication and collaboration to meet the needs of learners Goal 4. Teachers will ensure appropriate and safe use of ICT-based communication and collaboration, including participants rights and responsibilities Responsibility

3 Policy statement Taroona High School recognises the need for Tasmanian educators and students to access and participate effectively, efficiently and ethically in ICT-based communication and collaboration. This policy recommends a set of actions to ensure: guidance in the provision and use of ICT-based communication and collaboration to meet the needs of educators and learners alignment between this policy and other policies, Tasmanian curriculum frameworks and pedagogical practice the safety and security of users. Background and rationale Introduction The use of ICT-based communication and collaboration in learning and teaching is increasingly accepted as being integral to good educational practice. ICT-based communication and collaboration is fundamental to the development of learning in the information age, enabling students K-12 to participate and interact in new ways. The pedagogies that support collaborative learning outlined in Tasmanian curriculum frameworks, fit well with ICT-based communication and collaboration. This policy provides direction on the development of infrastructure and processes to enable the establishment and maintenance of learning communities that are accessible, equitable and meet current and future needs. The policy recognises the importance of ICT in the lives of young people and takes account of their high level of competence as multiple users of digital technologies. Providing students with opportunities to develop their capacity to use ICT for learning is integral to a 21 st century curriculum. The national context Learning in an online world: the school education action plan for the information economy (MCEETYA, 2000), together with its support documents, sets out a nationally agreed vision for the future and a roadmap for change with two major goals for people involved in school education: 1. All students will leave school as confident, creative and productive users of new technologies, including information and communication technologies, and understand the impact of those technologies on society. 3

4 2. All schools will seek to integrate information and communication technologies into their operations, to improve student learning, to offer flexible learning opportunities and to improve the efficiency of their business practices. Achieving these goals is contingent on school leaders and teachers being committed to the integration of new technologies into practice and having the knowledge, skills and understanding to use the technologies appropriately and effectively. The Pedagogy Strategy - Learning in an online world (MCEETYA, 2005) states: Pedagogies that integrate information and communication technologies can engage students in ways not previously possible, enhance achievement, create new learning possibilities and extend interaction with local and global communities. The focus of these pedagogies is learner-centred and requires learning to be: individualised and collaborative experiential, building on prior learning self-managed and cumulative authentic directed to higher-order problem solving. The Pedagogy Strategy advocates that, in building learning communities, educators should use ICT to: provide communication and collaboration tools such as chat, , messaging, discussion forums, online meetings and online conferencing. provide opportunites for students to be part of broader communities support participation in online collaborative projects make learning activities, information, courses and feedback available online anywhere anytime support students using online resources to share with other students and experts increase parent access to student work. 4

5 The Tasmanian context The Tasmanian curriculum reflects the key policy and strategy documents, objectives and initiatives of the DoE and Tasmanian Government. These include: Tasmania Together Learning Together Curriculum initiatives, notably the Tasmanian Curriculum Framework Essential Learnings for All: the Atelier Report The ICT in Education (K-12) Strategic Policy Learning Architecture Project (LeAP) and other initiatives developed to support the delivery of integrated infrastructure Guaranteeing Futures: Empowering your child for the future A focus on the needs of students is given high priority in the DoE. This includes support for their development as autonomous learners who exercise significant control over their learning. In increasingly flexible education environments, ICTbased communication and collaboration supports dialogue and enhances services for learners and educators. In addition, it facilitates joint decision-making among schools and enables all schools to feel part of an extended learning community. This gives schools increased capacity to work together to meet the educational needs of students. Online learning environments for the 21 st Century Communication and collaboration technologies permeate the personal and educational lives of students in our schools and will become increasingly pervasive in the future. It is the responsibility of educators to provide opportunities that enable young people to develop their existing knowledge and skills to improve their learning. The acquisition of digital literacy is an entitlement of all students. Because students live in an increasingly interconnected world, proficiency in the use of ICT-based communication and collaboration is essential. Such proficiency provides a means for students to interact with a variety of authentic communities and engage in learning beyond the walls of the classroom. ICT-based communication and collaboration has the potential to facilitate high quality learning anywhere - anytime and support students development as creative, active global citizens. In exploring these exciting pedagogical possibilities, educators need to be mindful of the safety and security of users. The right to participate in ICT-based communication and collaboration goes hand in hand with the responsibility to respect the rights of others. This policy guides the functionality and processes associated with ICT-based communication and collaboration to ensure that existing and emerging technologies are used effectively, efficiently and ethically. 5

6 Definition ICT based communication and collaboration For the purposes of this policy ICT-based communication and collaboration includes the use of infrastructure, applications and data brought to learning by learners as well as ICT provided by DoE. An illustrative example is that of mobile phones, which can be used for learning and should be dealt with under the same acceptable use policy as other communication technologies. Scope This policy refers to the effective, efficient, ethical use of ICT-based communication and collaboration for learning. Other legislation and policy that impacts upon this Policy are Personal Information Protection Act (2004) 1 Copyright Act (1968) 2 Copyright Legislation Amendment Bill (2004) 3 Archives Act (1983) 4 Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy (2000) 5 The policy applies to: all users of ICT-based communication and collaboration at Taroona High School. communication and collaboration tools that are directly provided by the DoE, and those that are available by other means, such as personal devices, freely available tools and products purchased by schools or the community the use of DoE-supported communication and collaboration tools and environments both within and outside of school hours, on and offsite. It also covers the use of unsupported tools and environments if such use impacts on the school community. 1 Found at: 2 Found at: 3 Found at: 4 Found at: 5 Found at: 6

7 Policy goals and requirements Goal 1. Taroona High School will provide opportunities for all learners to access, contribute to and become proficient participants in ICT-based communication and collaboration to enhance their learning. There is a need to ensure that: ICT-based communication and collaboration environments, and their use, are consistent with the goals and purposes of the Essential Learnings and other curriculum frameworks K-12 in use within DoE learners can, where appropriate, initiate and manage their own online communication and collaboration learners can use records of their participation in ICT-based communication and collaboration as evidence of learning the right to access ICT-based communication and collaboration is seen as a mainstream entitlement and any restrictions are in accordance with wider behaviour management policies and practices. Goal 2. Users outside the immediate school campus will participate in ICT-based communication and collaboration to enhance the educational experience of learners. We need to ensure that students, parents and guardians have the opportunity to participate in ICT-based communication and collaboration Goal 3. Teacherss will manage ICT-based communication and collaboration to meet the needs of learners. There is a need to ensure that: educators can manage ICT-based communication and collaboration to enhance learning opportunities educators actively use students participation in ICT-based communication and collaboration as evidence of learning educators exercise their responsibility for duty of care of students in managing and monitoring the use of ICT-based communication and collaboration. 7

8 Goal 4. Teachers will ensure appropriate and safe use of ICT-based communication and collaboration, including participants rights and responsibilities. There is a need to ensure that: the school meets its duty of care responsibility for students, including the provision of suitable ways of maintaining safety students and other users adopt appropriate protective behaviours as part of utilising ICT-based communication and collaboration privacy and security of personal data is treated in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act all content complies with Copyright and other Intellectual Property legislation and guidelines interactions are logged and recorded for educational purposes, including the use of online interaction as evidence of learning, and safety and security reasons students have easy access to logged and recorded information that might be useful evidence of their learning each user of ICT-based communication and collaboration is made aware of the monitoring, gathering and logging of information relating to their actions within that system all students agree to the Acceptable Use Policy and that parental or guardian consent is obtained (where appropriate) for students to use these technologies each instance of ICT-based communication and collaboration has a link to the statement of acceptable use. 8

9 Responsibility The Principal will ensure that their school s Acceptable Use Agreement is signed by all students allocate funding for ICT-based communication and collaboration that is not available systemically, but is required to meet their particular needs ensure that ICT resources are appropriately maintained and regularly updated to maintain their currency and quality, and that access for students is managed ensure that staff are supported in their use of ICT-based communication and collaboration encourage a culture of ICT-based communication and collaboration as part of their leadership role. School-based technical staff will under the direction of the Principal and ITS, ensure that ICT resources in schools are regularly updated to maintain their usability, currency and quality be aware of and respect the privacy issues associated with the level of access they have to information and services. Teachers will promote and manage the effective and responsible use of ICT-based communication and collaboration by students take responsibility for their own competency in the use of ICT-based communication and collaboration. 9