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ICT@ESF INSET Issues Board 28&29 Sept'99

ESF ICT Support Assessors / Venue: South Island School
Chris Smith (CS) / Liz Hankin [LH] / Eliz Kerr (EK)
This page lists the issues that members added to an Issues Board
during the course. Questions and answers are still being added
email Chris Smith

• Remember there are two opportunities from ICAA .. NOF Materials and ICAA ICT Teacher Certification. [CS]
• All ESF teachers will have the opportunity to have access to a personal set of the ICAA (NOF) ICT materials if requested. [CS]
• All ESF teachers will have the opportunity to complete the ICAA ICT Teachers Certification. [CS]

• ICT is an item in the ESF Development Plan (ICT section) [CS]
• it is stated that all ESF teachers are expected to achieve the ICT outcomes as identified in the TTA document [CS]
• the ESF Dev.Plan has been approved by the Academic Committee, ESF Foundation Management Team and the ESF Executive [CS]

• The use of the public button, will allow all registered users to see your comments, ICAA has editorial rights over comments in the public domain! [LH]

• the concrete outcomes are the ones that are achieved by completing the 'tasks' within the Learning units, in reality the concrete outcomes will be work files, templates, databases etc that are developed by you. These will be posted on the resources section of the website, or laternatively used internally and recorded in your journal as completed.
• There is no test, and the proof is that as teachers, you are all using ICT as a teaching, admin and assessment tool within the curriculum [LH]

• I would suggest that you look at the ICT assessment criteria used in the ICAA ITCC modules, available on Shambles. Also within all of the subject materials (Support Materials) there is a description of the assessment that can be carried out on the National Curriculum Subject Orders, and the IT NC Orders) [LH]
• look at http://www.icaag.com/certificates_frame.htm and also http://www.shambles.net/ITinset for more details of the ITCC programme or talk with Alan Dickson [CS]

• In order for a member of staff to receive a certificate from ICAA to acknowledge they are an ICT Support Assessor for the ESF they should have demonstrated that: [CS&LH]
  1. they have worked through the ICAA NOF materials and have an understanding of their structure as well as content.
  2. have completed the online 'Learning Units'
  3. they have worked towards a minimum of the ICT "Teacher Certfication" to at least Subject level and provided evidence of satisfying the criteria (Online or portfolio)
  4. are familiar with the NETg CD in order to be able to advise colleagues on how they might use it
  5. have attended the 2-day course in Sept'99 and the 1-day course in May 2000
Note that (1), (2) and (3) overlap [CS]

• If you select to put it in the public domain, the copyright is opened to a share-facility, if you seek to put it up as restricted access,then the author retains the copyright. [LH]

• It is not 'assessed' as such, it is more that it is to see that they are managed, that is why the title is a Support Assessor. The Support Assessor oversees that the teachers are managing to get to grips with the development of materials, and is available to Support them, this counts as the assessment. [LH]
For certification, ICAA will need to know that the teachers have completed the Learning Units, at the time that they request certfication. For you, the ICAA Team members, ie LH, are the Support Assessors, for the members in your school, it will be you. [LH]

• Point taken, that there must come a saturation point, but the technology will be developing and therefore require further development. So it may not be new content but because of the revision of the curriculum, the development of new software there will be a need for new ideas. [LH]

• If you 'Log Out' then it will record your visit and acts as a recording device, ie you are happy to have the section recorded as you can manage it. The exit button will allow you to leave without any recording taking place. [LH]

• through visit to the resources and journal entries (public only!) and through contact with individuals, eg by e-mail. [LH]
within school, it is more difficult, however, ICAA is looking to schedule some visits to schools in May, at the end of this first period. We expect teachers to tell us if they are not finding it easy to develop things for the Learning Units, it's then up to us and others following the programme to help out. [LH]
• At a distance, the programme is reliant on the good will of teachers to run it in the schools and inform us, ICAA is not meant to be seen in an examining role, it is a support role. [LH]

• each teacher will require different levels of  support, as the agreed timing for their individual programme will be established with the teachers, the type and nature of support will be determined through a combination of things. [LH]
• if the teachers need skill training, will this be done through the school? It might be that the Support Assessor will help with this...school policy decision. If the teacher is going through the Learning units straight away, then the Support could be scheduled on a monthly basis unless a teacher feels they need more. [LH]
• although the work from ICAA's point has purposefully been kept to a minimum, it will be up to the individual to establish what they are willing to do, and what is too much! [LH]

• The answer lies in the Netg materials and the base line criteria (LH new criteria or ITCC modules issed at the INSET sessions by CS) [LH]

• For the Support Assessors they should email the changes needed to Chris Smith who has administrative rights to the area to allow him to do this. [CS]
• Once an individual ESF school starts to register other colleagues on the ICAA course then ICAA will creat an area for the school and give administrative access to a designated mamber of staff (recommended it is a Support Assessor) [CS]

• No it is in the strands relevant to the subject area and the nature of the Learning unit being followed. The Learning Units demand more than one software application to be developed, so I would suggest you read through the Units first, look at the suggestions in the Needs Identification pro-forma issued at INSET, and make a decision as to what is relevant then. [LH]

• Please refer to items (4) and (13) [LH]

• No, the idea of electing a focus area/subject is really for ICAA in the UK. We have to tell the TTA how many History teachers are following the programme., etc. The focus area might make it easier to see where you are up to, but you can produce materials for any subject to meet the Learning Units.[LH]

• Yes if you are going to Coordinator and Management Levels. Southampton University demands evidence. [LH]
• For subject specialist level, no, it is important to read the criteria and to understand what the difference is between the Entry level and the Subject Specialist level. Please refer to Eliz at the ICAA Office or the Soton website for details of the type of evidence they require. [LH]

• for 1999-2000 the ESF has budgetted centrally to pay for all Support Assessors to have [CS]:
  1. all ICAA materials, CDs and paper based
  2. registration to ICAA website http://www.icttg.co.uk/
  3. certification for SAs
  4. one copy of NETg ICT skills CD
  5. supply cover for three support assessors from each school to attend the 3 days of INSET (2 in Sept & 1 in May)
  6. cost to bring ICAA facilitators out in 1999-2000 has also been covered
• one ICAA/TV Choice video has been purchased for each school [CS]
• if schools wish to fast track other staff through the ICAA scheme with a full set of materials in 1999-2000 then schools will need to budget about HK$3,000 per teacher [CS]
• for 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 Chris Smith will, at Christmas 1999, be asking schools which staff hope to go through the scheme during these years. He'll then present the request for central budgetting to cover the costs to the INSET planning group. [CS]
• if schools decide to provide non-contact time for any part of the initiative they already have the option to plan this from the INSET resources (dolloars & supply days) given to each school each year [CS]

• This is being referred to ICAA  Finance Director. CS will get the answer! [LH]

• it is up to each school to decide the best way to implement this ICT initiative in their own school ... therefore the school has to decide if NCT is required [CS]
• schools already receive resources each year to support this if wanted [CS]
• there is no central directive to schools about this [CS]
• any individual school requests for additional resources for any ESF-wide Professional Development should be through school principals and INSET co-ordinators to the ESF INSET committee (co-ordinated by Liz Muscroft) [CS]

• see the answer to question 2

• please see answer to item (15). It is important to demonstrate ability to meet the needs of the Learning units relevant to the phase of education and abilities of the pupils being taught [LH]

• our ICT programme is designed to be relevant to what ESF teachers actually do in the ESF [CS]
• I'm not aware of any similar national schemes in USA or Australia (if you find out then please let us know) [CS]
• local sector (HKSAR) schools ( HK Education Department) have yet to provide any ICT professional development of this level [CS]
• other HK International Schools were invited to join us at the INSET, only GSIS accepted [CS]

• please see answer to item (20) [LH]

• Upon completion of the Learning Units, contact Eliz Kerr at the ICAA Office, or if not wanted until ICAA visit in May, the certification will be automatic. [LH]

• I agree (personally) and will be presenting this to the committee's that have a responsibility for the relevant budgets [CS]

• The Certificate is a piece of paper from ICAA endorsed by Univserity of Southampton. Please see answers to earlier items. If you want to produce to portfolio against the criteria, please do so, we wanted to make your life easier, if it would be easier to produce stuff to match the criteria, then ICAA will be able to look at a portfolio, but please note this is not required, we really wanted an ICT solution to an ICT qualification. [LH]

• The reason that the programme has been devised for a team in each school to work through it first was that we thought the first group would complete or be well on the way with the programme before supporting others. You would only need to support others when you are ready. [LH]

• during the summer term 1999 the librarian's group (ALESS) asked Chris Smith if they could be included in the ICT INSET [CS]
• ICAA do not offer the training to librarians in their scheme and were not accredited (by TTA/DfEE ) as providers for ICT librarians INSET in UK [CS]
• in August '99 Chris Smith met with The Library Association (accredited ICT UK trainers for librarians in partnership with Christchurch College) in London [CS]
• it is hoped to negotiate a scheme for librarians to start in September 2000 [CS]
• funding for INSET for non-teaching staff is from a separate budget to that of teaching staff [CS]
• more details later [CS]

• The ESF ICT Devlopment Plan says that all ESF teachers should have achieved the TTA ICT Outcomes by the end of the 2001-2002 academic year. [CS]
• It is expected that for an individual teacher the time needed would be no more than 12 months to achieve this. [CS]

• The IT Certificates of Competence are co-ordinated in HK by Alan Dickson / Sha Tin College [CS]
• A course is being planned for the morning of Sat. 20th Nov. 1999 at Sha Tin College [CS]
• details will be sent to schools before 10th October [CS]

• I shall produce a CD of all materials (including PowerPoint files) and send to SAs before the end of October [CS]
• If SAs require them any earlier then they should contact me [CS]

• NO... the licence we have only allows the CD to be used by/for the Support Assessor it was given to... and does NOT cover use by anyone else... including other staff & students[CS]
• I have asked NETg to give us licencing prices should schools wish to buy a licence to use with students [CS]
• a single copy of this CD usually costs several hundred pounds [CS]

• The cost of the management level is about £800 per year, further degree courses have not usually been funded centrally by the ESF [CS]
• Visit the Southampton website for more details [CS]

• You do not have to work within one age group, or one phase of education. The programme should be meaningful to your role as a teacher, if you teach cross subject and cross phase then that is what it should consist of. The idea of stating a focus area is purely administration for ICAA and the TTA stats, it is not intended to tie you down. [LH]

• I am doing a check on this, at the moment ICAA has editorial rights over things in the public journal but obviously not in the personal ones. If errors are made in the public area, then if notified ICAA will change it, or if spotted ICAA would change it automatically. I'll have to check about personal edits with the programmers and get back to you on this one. [LH]

• see answer to question 26 & 28 [CS]

• The question about what levels isn't really relevant. The original discussion about teachers and levels was directed to the ITT PGCE etc, and that was suggested that they should all be level 8. There is nothing at all being talked about for 'levels' for teachers nowadays, so the new format of the NC doesn't affect anything. The only level a teacher is expected to reach is through the coverage of the TTA Expected Outcomes... [LH]

• ICAA took a positive decision to make the ICT fall within the subjects. If ICT is to be taught in isolation, not recommended by NC and the new orders. then a teacher could use the Assessment within all subjects to determine the IT skills that a pupil would be using within their work if they followed the suggested scheme. [LH]

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