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We sat down with Valerie Karaitiana and her eLearning team at Dallas Brooks Community Primary School in Victoria, Australia, to discuss the vision, goals, and impact of their 1:1 program. Dallas Brooks Community Primary School is a new school located in the City of Hume. The school opened it's new building in King Street, Dallas at the beginning of 2013. In 2013 Dallas Brooks Community Primary School has an enrolment of 480 primary school students with 150 children enrolled in preschool programs. The school operates onsite 3 year old and 4 year old Kindergarten Programs and Playgroups for children up to 3 years of age on both campuses. The school community represents a diverse range of socio-economic, cultural, religious and language backgrounds Eighteen different ethnic groups are represented with the majority of students from language backgrounds other than English, the largest community groups being Arabic and Turkish speaking.

A visual tour of the new school site is available on the architects website.

When did your program begin?

2009

What are the devices involved (iPads, laptops, smartphones, etc.)?

Lenovo Netbooks

This program was a school-wide, or grade-wide deployment?

The program operates or students in grades 3 – 6.

Are your students allowed to take their devices home at the end of the day?

Students take their netbooks home and are responsible to have them at school fully charged.

How has your 1:1 program affected the students’ role in shaping how, where, and what they learn?

-Provided a greater opportunity for student voice

-Students are able to have greater input into when, how and why they access technology

-Students are encouraged to articulate their learning needs in conversations with teachers

-Students are able to access learning from home e.g. Teachers regularly place work online for students

Has the role of teachers changed as you introduced 1:1? If so, how? Is this an effect of your 1:1 or is the 1:1 program a result of rethinking teaching practice and learning?

-Yes the role of teachers has changed there is far more consultation and collaboration between teachers and students

-Teachers now naturally include opportunities for use of technology within their unit planning this is a direct result of the introduction of the 1:1 program

-Due to the availability of online content and the almost limitless possibilities and opportunities for students to research content, teachers’ roles have changed becoming greater facilitators to encourage critical thinking rather than providing raw and often limited content

-By having a 1:1 device students are only limited by their imagination and their teacher confidence to ‘let go’

We often find that there are both reluctant and resistant teachers when schools introduce 1:1 and all the changes this can bring about. It’s normal and to be expected. If this has been the case at Dallas Brooks, what approaches are you using to minimize issues? Are all teachers required to use the technology? Encouraged to use it?

• Our 1 to 1 program is directly linked to our school vision.

“Our vision is to actively engage the learning community in authentic learning projects to develop responsible global citizens.”

The Dallas Brooks Community School Primary School vision:

• links to Inquiry, Numeracy and Literacy programs

• extends opportunities to improve eLearning planning

• guides us when working as a Worldwide Mentor School

• provides a starting point for our presentations

• establishes a clear understanding for ourselves as a learning community

• provides a clear purpose for the use of student learning devices within our classrooms

• requires a whole school shared responsibility

• We have a whole school expectation that technology is an integral part of all areas of the curriculum

• Leadership has expectations that teachers incorporate the use of student learning devices within all areas of the curriculum

• Professional Learning Teams are provided with shared planning time. Teachers are encouraged to share their ideas to incorporate the 1:1 program

• A range of Professional Development opportunities are provided for staff (more details Question 4)

• Teachers are encouraged to take risks and try new ideas.

What type of support are you providing for teachers during the transition? In general, what is professional development like in the school? Has it changed since you began the shift to 1:1?

Staff support consists of formal hands on experiences, formal teaching and learning discussions through Professional Development and Professional Learning Teams, informal just in time support and Peer coaching.

Opportunities for support have included –

• Access to conferences for staff

• Techie breakfasts

• Professional Learning Teams

• Curriculum Days

• Establishing an in school Peer Coaching Program –

• Appointment of trained Microsoft ICT Peer Coach

• Peer coach has trained 6 staff, drawn from each team, within the Microsoft program

• Each peer coach will then support another staff member who will be trained as a coach in a second cycle of training.

Have you had to change the design and set-up of learning spaces?

Dallas has been in the fortunate position to have recently moved into a completely new architecturally designed school. The setup and design of the schools learning spaces has been strongly influenced by the 1:1 program.

Have you re-considered how you do assessments? If yes, in what way?

• 1:1 enables greater Student Voice within the assessment process by providing the resources for choice and reflection

• Students now frequently self-access over time using video and audio to prove attainment of goals for particular projects or skills

• Digital portfolios have been introduced and have evolved over time from a static word document with pictures…. Into a multimedia tool for reflection

How do parents feel about these changes? Any general community reaction?

The 1:1 program has been positively received by parents and the community. Parents value the ability for learning to now be 24/7 and within their homes. In many case the 1:1 devices have been the only device available to families and has provided them with the means to access resources inside their homes and communicate with the outside world in ways previously not possible.

In your opinion, what has been the most significant challenge in undertaking a 1:1 program? How did you/are you tackling this issue?

The most significant initial challenge was the change in the pedagogical thinking. Through regular reflection amongst professional learning teams and by trialing new ways to change and improve our practice we have successfully talked and worked through issues as they have arisen.

What, so far, has been the most positive outcome in regards to learning that your 1:1 program has garnered? Do you have any stories to share with the AALF community?

The 1:1 program at our school has enabled our students to be active global citizens. The best example of this has been the schools active involvement in Deforest Action program (http://dfa.tigweb.org/school/dallas). The 1:1 devices have allowed students to join authentic global discussion with schools and other organizations around the world, create products such as an online store to make money to buy back land, (http://www.cafepress.com/dallasdeforestshop) for Orangutans in Borneo and effect change in communities overseas looking poachers through satellite footage provided through an earth watchers program.