e-Learning & STEM Technology

Why e-Learning?

e-Learning supports bringing in ideas, linking ideas and presenting ideas. Digital content is used from a variety of sources for many purposes and used to support teaching, learning, research and administration including support for lifelong learners. We consider the use of ICT as a tool to support learning across the curriculum. To enhance the learner experience across the curriculum in an innovative educational environment that is fully connected and supported by e-Learning, students at Sunnyhills are invited to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) from Years 3-6.

e-Learning Links

Sunnyhills School uses a range of ICT to bring in ideas, link ideas and put ideas into another context. ICT makes connections to:

• overcome barriers of distance and time;
• share learning beyond the classroom;
• support learning by offering specific ICT resources for diverse learning needs; and
• create opportunities to learn by offering virtual experiences and tools.

Organisation of e-Learning in School

e-Learning at Sunnyhills School is integrated throughout the curriculum. The school uses the e-Learning Planning Framework to guide the teaching and learning. The framework provides schools and teachers with:

• a self-review tool for schools to gather evidence about practice
• a 'road map' for building e-learning capability
• a tool to evaluate the effectiveness of e-learning programmes
• resources and services to support schools as they build capability.

Phases in the e-Learning Planning Framework move from 'Emerging" through to "Empowering". These phases describ how digital technologies are integrated into teaching and learning within each dimension of the framework.

The phases describe:

• development in technology integration
• pedagogical development, from teacher-directed to collaborative, co-constructed learning.

The phases - from Emerging through to Empowering - have been aligned with a number of international frameworks that describe how techology is adopted and integrated into teaching and learning.

Key characteristics of the phases:

• Pre-emerging: There may be little awareness of what e-learning is or the role it can play in teaching and learning. No deliberate actions may yet have been taken to explore e-learning. The use of technologies may be ad hoc, and there may be no reference to technologies in the school’s strategic planning.
• Emerging: Your school may be focusing on investigating, raising awareness, and planning for ways to integrate technologies in your school's vision and curriculum. You may be finding out about particular technologies and their use across the dimensions. In the classroom, you may see technologies added on to teacher-directed tasks possibly as a substitute for non-digital approaches.
• Engaging: Your school may be focusing on establishing and connecting planning across the school as well as trialing ways to use technologies appropriately to meet staff, community, and students’ needs. In the classroom, you may begin to see technologies used as part of higher-order (deep), collaborative teaching, and learning. The technologies begin to improve aspects of the learning experience.
• Extending: Your school may have effectively aligned processes and practices across the school and community. The use of technologies is appropriate and allows significant adaptation of learning experiences to meet all learners' needs. In the classroom, teachers and students may work together to use technologies as part of authentic, higher order, co-constructed learning.
• Empowering: Your school and community regularly plan, review, and evaluate in partnership. Technology use is "anytime, anywhere", virtual, open, and equitable. It enhances needs-based, co-constructed learning within and beyond the school community. In the classroom, technologies make new ways of learning possible. It is collaborative, personalised, higher-order, and embedded in the real world.

Source: TKI

STEM Technology

At Sunnyhills we offer STEM with a learning specialist as part of our classroom release and through our innovative Tinker Time in class programme. An integrated approach is taken in the STEM Exploration Station which teaches Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics through problem based learning and practical learning experiences. Students learn about the design and engineering processes to enable them to think creatively and solve problems in a systematic way.

The learning focus in our Exploration Station is selected to align with the inquiry work the students are completing in class where possible. Many of the activities carried out through our Exploration Station can be carried on in the classroom through science, maths and literacy links. At Sunnyhills our students have opportunities to share their work with the wider community and take part in both local and global activities, to ensure that our students have an awareness of the world around them.

In STEM activities, students work in groups as well as independently. The students develop skills such as working with others, managing themselves, communicating and thinking critically and creatively. Problem solving skills are a strong focus throughout these programmes for all year groups.

At Sunnyhills we teach the digital technology curriculum including the technological areas of:

• computational thinking for digital thinking
• designing and developing digital outcomes

Through our innovative initiatives of the STEM Exploration Station and Tinker Time programmes.

We also are proactive in explicitly teaching digital citizenship through our Shine Online programme.