Enhancing learning through technology

Trudy Brothwell,
St Hugh's Church of England Mathematics & Computing College/Spitalgate Church of England Primary School
Grantham, UK

The critical issue for education in the developed world in the 21st century is how to prepare all students for work in a knowledge-based economy -- in particular by ensuring equality of access to information for all.

In Grantham, a small rural town in Lincolnshire, England, there are pockets of extreme deprivation surrounded by areas of great affluence. Schools serving the deprived communities have the added pressure of ensuring that targets set for students in standardized tests do not lead to an arid curriculum with an over-emphasis on 'teaching to the tests' in order to compete, further disadvantaging these students in relation to their more affluent peers.

The project discussed in this paper is designed to provide: (a) a forum for schools to develop shared and joint resources; (b) a vehicle through which the traditional model for education can be challenged; and, crucially, (c) the infrastructure to 'iron out' the inequalities in the area and ensure all students can enjoy the learning opportunities technology offers. The schools involved have the vision of an education 'ecosystem' with the schools as the hub, creating and maintaining linkages with other provision, support systems and enrichment programmes.

The project involves a re-examination of the role of a teacher and the structure of a school day by allowing children, students, parents and the community to extend their learning opportunities beyond 9.00–3.00 in a fixed building so that they can learn at a time and place which suits their individual circumstances. One school, for example, has cancelled the half-term holiday immediately prior to the General Certificate of Secondary Education examination and rescheduled it to later in the year to ensure maximum success. With their own funds and support from a variety of sources, the schools are:

• using the potential of broadband to provide 'hot spots' in the community where students and parents can access schools' individual virtual learning environments (VLEs) and other secure sites – the Community Centre, Children's Centre, Sports Centre, a pub and a clinic;
• installing the necessary hardware in family homes to provide secure, internal access to students in need;
• providing 'at cost' hardware for all families;
• providing technical staff to support networks;
• allocating time for staff to create, develop, share and maintain a virtual learning environment.

This project produces many benefits for staff, students and parents, viz.

Staff:

• have the opportunity to develop flexible working patterns including time in school;
• can monitor the time spent by each student on the VLE and, thereby, assess the programme's effectiveness.

Students:

• have access to learning at any time and almost anywhere, with real-time feedback from staff;
• have access to accredited online learning programmes which widen the range of qualifications on offer;
• can be credited with time spent studying out-of-hours as access to sites is logged;
• have opportunities to develop as global citizens via Comenius links accessed through technology.

Parents can:

• access critical information about their children's education;
• receive advice on study support;
• access other agency information via links on the site;
• become 'returner learners' in their own right;

Families for whom English is an additional language can access the site in their home language.

The community

• has a central point from which access to community education is available;
• can see learning as a lifelong activity;
• can easily support the learning agenda of all the young people in the area.

The outcomes of the project overall are:

• the sharing of planning and resources by teachers in project schools leading to the efficient use of staff time;
• positive learning dialogues with families;
• higher attainment in key stage tests;
• an enriched curriculum, both within school time and via VLE;
• access to the wider global community.