The End

It was great to see the ways in which teachers diversified their programmes to suit having the same resources in their classrooms every day. However, there are still times when it would be better to have a larger number, especially if you are teaching a specific skill that you want the whole class to use simultaneously. It would seem that the older the children are, the easier it is to manage larger numbers of computers/laptops, as they are more capable and are able to remember more instructions/directions and can troubleshoot themselves. Observations in younger aged classes shows that it can be very difficult to operate a larger number, as the children are more demanding of your time and need a lot more assistance - even with finding the letters on the keyboard - this can potentially lead to disaster, and can turn a lesson into a nightmare! The option of having an extra adult pair of hands would eleviate the problem, or use older students to help. With the second option, this would mean that children would miss out on the learning that is going on in their own class which could pose issues later on.

All teams that were part of the trial have expressed a need for more equipment - we will have to see what the BOT can give us in regards to this. Watch this space ...

Year 2 feedback Term 4

Pros:
We have computer ‘experts’ to help when teacher was busy.
Easy access at all times, ie, can use it in all areas, at any time of day.
Extended the range of activities available.
Is a great motivation tool.
There are always new things to find and use online.

Cons:
There are only 5 computers available and often more than this in a maths/reading group.
Internet doesn’t always ‘want’ to connect.
Difficult to incorporate into already established class routines, etc.
Work is often unfinished during their ‘turn’ on rotation.

Suggestions:
Would be great to have a wider range of games available. We have a lot of outdated games which no longer work but would be great to have updated versions!

Year 3 trial feedback so far

This is the feedback from the Lead Teacher in Year 3. It is important to note that the team has less laptops than other teams, and it is still quite early in the trial.

Pros

Can integrate ICT into all curriculum areas
Can have 3 children completing all the days work on a laptop
Laptops are available at all times of the day

Cons

I feel I am using them less now because:
Some days I need all children to be writing in their book or completing a task therefore the laptops are sitting unused
An ICT task set takes weeks for all children to complete whereas with 10 computers the whole class can be finished a task in 1-2 days

Prefer – having allocated time slots with the whole COW because I can focus in on teaching skills with a group of 10-11 kids while the others work independently then swap over. I cannot teach 3 children and then have the rest of the class working independently. Tasks can be completed in a short space of time rather than dragging out for 2 weeks. ICT can still be integrated into all curriculum areas, it is up to the teacher to ensure that tasks set cover the entire curriculum and that a variety of programmes are used to complete these tasks.

Year 6 final review

1.All teachers in the team like having access to the same resources each day (ease of access, saving work to the desktop if necessary, bookmarking specific sites for the class).
2.The children are able to run on an activity rotation to complete ICT related tasks.
3.We will now trial having one block a week each class in order to teach specific skills and then re-distribute for the remainder of the day.
4. The team would like more laptops and mobile devices to incorporate into our programmes.

Resources

The Year 3 team have taken the bull by the horns, and have split their resources and are implementing the system. I will be working with them on using Newsmaker in their classroom programmes in the coming weeks.
The Year 1, 4 and 5 teams are happy with the way they are currently timetabling their resources at this stage.

The trial continues to Year 3

Year 3 have agreed to trial the split system, after seeing the success from Year 6 and Year 2. This will start today, with a redistribution of equipment (chargers and laptops). I am REALLY excited about how this is progressing!

Feedback from Year 2

After a fortnight of trialling the split, here is the feedback that they have given me:

• Turn taking - children end up with a longer amount of time on the laptops throughout the week doing meaningful tasks
• Other kinds of activities have been included in the day to day programmes (such as shared book activities)
• Bookmarks and links have made it easier for children to locate websites that are pertinent to them
• Workstations - task boards and tumble boards are being used
• ICT is being integrated more effectively - no longer a stand alone thing!

Problems:

• Children don't like others 'hanging' around - this has been addressed with the premise that their name will be put at the bottom of the tumble
• Children need to be upskilled on troubleshooting - such as opening the wrong file or website
• Younger or less capable children need assistance from either older peers, teacher aides or teachers when uploading or converting files for their Ultranet pages