Thursday, February 18, 2010
Newsletter Posted: Budget, FDK, Vision, Throne Speech, Calendar and More
My January/February 2010 newsletter is posted on our district website. Remember to check our website periodically for news and updates as there is always something new, two recent examples being postings in regard to full day kindergarten and the posting of the "calendar options paper" that I presented to the board earlier this month. If you want to go straight to my newsletter, click here. Comments, as always, are more than welcome.
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6 comments:
Dr. Elder, I have a question about the media information regarding the budget shortfalls for the next school year (2010/2011). I can't quite figure out whether the school district budget shortfalls are going to be less with the changes as described in the throne speech. Could you shed some light how that which was described in the throne speech is going to influence SD63 in general, and the predicted shortfall in particular?
The improved budget situation (although still a $3 million challenge!) is not as much a result of the throne speech as it is a result of the provincial budget which provided funding for the provincially negotiated teacher salary lift next year and the total cost of implementing full day K in year one.
Thank you. :)
Dr. Elder, I have read the School Calendar Options document, and must say I am impressed with the visionary and realistic approach you take. The Balanced Calendar makes a lot of sense to me, though I appreciate the scope of the potential repercussions. Coming from a country that utilizes a balanced calendar (6-2-2), where holidays are determined by province, and coordinating time with family in other provinces can be very difficult (though it definitely spreads out the 'mass exodus' and such.
I am very much in favour of the flexible learning system, and while I see that the greatest benefit thereof would lie within secondary education, I also know a few children in the elementary schools who would greatly benefit from it. Would the district be researching options for integrating flexible learning into the elementary system too? SIDES has so much to offer, and at the moment it's mostly an 'either/or' option when considering the disruption to the regular learning that takes place in a classroom. Obviously the logistics of such an integration of both systems would be extremely difficult to achieve, and it would be heavily determined by the need to document learning outcomes (such as grades and demonstration of understanding). It is mostly your description of the choir practice that makes me wonder whether it would be considered a potential area of research for elementary learning, since the flexibility to move into deep learning when the opportunity arises would be a great asset also for younger children who are having a harder time with 'switching' to a new subject when they are mentally and emotionally still engaged in the previous subject.
Current technology and our current information-based society (and access thereto) is increasing children's propensity for instant deep learning, at a very fast pace in short bursts. The classical method of instructing many children (with their varied learning styles and needs) at once is, in my opinion, in direct opposition to the way our society is presenting information, and expecting assimilation. How does the school district incorporate such a discrepancy in its planning and discussions? Is the increased integration of technology in the classrooms (even in elementary schools) a part of this? Does the district even acknowledge or perceive a discrepancy between how information is presented in schools versus how it is presented in society as a whole?
Thank you for considering my ramblings and questions.
Thanks for this Global. Yes, we DO see a discrepancy between traditional settings and what is required for the future. The good news is that our schools are moving very quickly into that future, both through pedagogical changes (instruction, assessment, diversity, etc.) and through the implementation of our outstanding information technology plan. Also, during this month and into April I am visiting secondary schools to share some thinking about the future of learning. I am talking with teachers, support staff and administrators about what might be coming as government plans to "modernize education for the 21st century." Exciting times.
If I might respond to Global Nomad's comment about the way in which information and technology are affecting students learning and overall lives and how the district is responding to this. My name is Gregg Ferrie and I am the director of information technology for the Saanich school district. In the past 2 years we have accomplished a number of objectives which allow teachers and students opportunities for the type of learning opportunities you express.
As a start, almost all of schools are now using Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) as both a Content Management System (CMS) and Learning Management System (LMS). This system not only allows the school to communicate news, calendar events and contact information but gives teachers the opportunity to post homework, pertinent web links and other content at the Elementary and Middle schools. Lochside elementary school and Bayside middle school are good examples of this being done. At the secondary level Moodle is being used to supplement face-to-face learning in much the way universities like UVic does. Stelly's secondary school is starting to use this extensively. Students who are using this system and then go on to post-secondary will be very familiar with this supplemental distance learning environment. The use of Moodle in our schools is becoming much more pervasive and supported. It incorporates both synchronous and asynchronous web 2.0 tools, forums, wikis, blogs, glossaries and other learning tools.
Additionally we are incorporating technology into our schools which allows access to the school system ubiquitously (accessible anywhere). By the end of this school year all elementary school students and one middle school will now have access to their school system from anywhere within the school and more important home. This goes much beyond just getting access to files or documents, as teachers and students can login to their desktop with all of the programs, files and bookmarks being available. This approach of anywhere/anytime more closely fits the type of access students have available with internet-based information that you mention.
As well, we are working at developing a social-networking environment, similar to Facebook, but completely secure and separate to allow teachers opportunities to use this environment to supplement their curriculum with modern technologies which students are accustomed to.
Finally we are working very hard making all resources available through a web-browser but in a very secure environment. Our long term vision is to support essential face-to-face learning from teachers with access to supplemental resources and learning in much the same way children from distributed schools might, with the advantage that they have a physical school environment and their teachers to guide and instruct.
I would be pleased to elaborate on our vision for the future but I believe we have come a long ways from the typical school district view of technology integration being desktop centred.
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