Led by: Tom March

What: Masterclass: Building Next Era Ed

When: Friday, May 18, 2012

Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm

Where: Immanuel College Function Centre, 24 Morphett Road, Novar Gardens

Cost: $169.00 CEGSA Member
$249.00 Non CEGSA Member (includes 12 months individual membership)

Premise: When students have 1:1 access to rich digital resources, the technology can disrupts the traditional one-to-many teaching or render it less effective. For a 1:1 approach to be successful, four critical aspects must be addressed.  Leaving any one of them out undermines the entire effort.

1. Rich Digital Learning Spaces: The classroom is the traditional location for learning in a school.  When students have personal digital devices, they similarly need a place to meet to engage in meaningful learning experiences.  A school must provide a secure online space that supports rich media and intuitive publishing and collaboration. Without Rich Digital Learning Spaces students cannot meet and work as a class.

2. New Routines for Cutting Edge-ucators: The common routines of “chalk and talk”, group projects, research and discussions are all either undermined or under-utilise technology.  Teachers and students need new routines that support advanced learning and take advantage of both the 1:1 and collaborative nature of digital learning. Without New Routines teachers will under utilise technology’s potential for powerful learning.

3. An Empowered Vision of Curriculum: A Board of Studies Syllabus or an Australian Curriculum provides the framework for teaching practice and learning outcomes.  When teachers are the source of the information, they do their best to anticipate and modify their instruction to suit their students. When students have 1:1 access to learning, how do we know what they have learned?  How do we help them progress? An empowered vision of curriculum provides multiple pathways through content, skills and understandings and presents learning in the disciplines as a continuum where students can achieve at their own pace and fulfil their potential across a matrix of competencies. Without an empowered Vision, students will be left with a one-size-fits-all Curriculum.

4. A Framework for Self-managed Learning: Much of traditional teaching focuses on classroom management.  Orchestrating more than 20 students to move in the same direction requires considerable skill.  When students work independently via 1:1 devices, they must take control of their own learning or fall victim to distractions and amusements.  The fact that students’ learning scenario is already 1:1 outside of school should motivate schools to provide a framework to support and scaffold student autonomy and self-directed learning. Without a framework for Self-managed learning students are “left to their own devices.”

Bio: Tom March has contributed to authentic teaching and learning for the past three decades. He finds this often involves technology as both inspiration to creativity and a means to impressive results.  Recognised as a Teacher of the Year Finalist for San Diego County after five years in the profession, he concluded ten years as a classroom teacher by taking a fellowship at San Diego State University.  There, Tom worked with Professor Bernie Dodge to develop the WebQuest model.  Since moving to Australia in 1998, he has contributed at least one new product or initiative every two years.  These include Web-and-Flow, BestWebQuests, ClassPortals, The New WWW, CEQ•ALL and Next Era Ed.   Each initiative builds on what's been learned and addresses new needs of Web-enriched education.  He regularly keynotes, writes, and facilitates workshops focused on aspects of making learning more Real, Rich and Relevant.

Once registered, payment must be made with a credit card in order for your registration to be successful due to short time frame leading up to the event.