SchoolKiT International

Draft Proposal for

Catholic Education Office Western Australia
Quality Teachers' Program 2003

Presented by:

HUGE Help is on the Way!

Contact Information:
SchoolKiT International

Adam Smith, CEO, asmith@schoolkit.com

Josie Hopkins, Education Manager, jhopkins@schoolkit.com

PO Box 260
South Blackburn, VIC 3130
jhopkins@schoolkit.com
Tel: (613) 8810-1317
Fax: (613) 9923-6162
www.schoolkit.com

SchoolKiT Proposal
Background

SchoolKiT provides products and services that help teachers to meaningfully

integrate technology into their classroom practice to benefit student achievement.
We have a fine reputation and track record for implementing professional successful
professional development for teachers in Australia and around the globe.
All SchoolKiT products and services are based upon a sound philosophical
underpinning as detailed in Appendix A - Background and Philosophical
Underpinning.

Appendix B - Further information regarding Enactz and PDpoint

SOLUTION

PDpoint

Each member of the CEO QTP group would have the following Enactz and PDpoint
'bundle:

The Full PDpoint suite of courses and facilities - this includes the discussion boards,
chat, "10 minute lessons", offline downloadable PD modules, a personal PD planner,
and the ability to enrol in as many of the ~30 different online courses as they like
during the year (with a new course starting every two weeks or less)

SchoolKiT PDpoint is a professional development system designed specifically for K-

12 educators and organizations. SchoolKiT's PDpoint includes ongoing support for
teachers through online workshops, a Professional Development resource library,
eLearning tools, web-based PD planning and portfolio tools. The SchoolKiT PDpoint
resource modules are written for teachers to use for their own learning. They cover
basic applications training and integration concepts.

The CEO is able to access and administer the 'site' for their own QTP group - this
includes editing all Goals etc to suit the focus for the CEOWA QTP members.

SchoolKiT provides all technical assistance pertaining to our products in addition to

the regular 'tutor online' for the PDpoint courses.

Enactz Curriculum Library

SchoolKiT Enactz modules are presented as 'classroom-ready' examples of best

practice technology integration. The mix of personal and classroom situated learning
provides a powerful combination for teacher development.

In addition the QTP participant receives a GOLD ENactz 'classroom' subscription (i.e.
up to 30 computers anywhere in the school) for their school. (Further information
Appendix B)
Proposed Cost

For up to 25 participants $550 per teacher - this equates to a 20% discount from our
regular prices for the CEO of WA - Teachers will be tolkd that it is through the
generosity of the CEO and its QTP porgram that this has been arranged

For up to 75 participants $520 per teacher

Note:

SchoolKiT will work toward the best possible solution where two or three teachers
choose to participate from the one school.

Where other combinations/pricing structures are desireable please contact me

 Appendix A

Background and Underpinning Philosophy

Education has made substantial progress in the development of technology capacity and
system infrastructure. The more immediate need is now focused on the quality of
education to ensure that technology is fully integrated into the curricula of schools to
improve student academic achievement and teacher professional development. SchoolKiT
International has the proven methodologies, technologies, content and training modules
that will support best practice technology integration and immediately schools in New
Zealand meet these needs.

Effective technology integration is a function of embedding technology seamlessly into a

core learning activity, allowing students the opportunity to learn new things in new ways.
The advent of computers into the educational environment provides teachers and
learners of all ages with a most powerful modeling tool, a thinking tool which, when used
effectively, gives students the ability to create interactive, representative models of
natural phenomena, opening new windows on the thought processes of learners.

These are the potential promises that integrated technology holds for education. The
question now raised is "How do we use technology to improve student learning and
teacher professional development?"

SchoolKiT International has been helping thousands of schools to respond to this

question. As lifelong educators, we are committed to providing cost-effective, yet
substantial returns on the investment in technology towards the visible enhancement of
student learning and teacher technological literacy.

In order for schools to deliver on the promise of integrated technology, teachers must
develop the capacity to integrate technology into their curricula and modify their
instructional practices accordingly. The primary step will be to provide all teachers the
opportunity to develop their technology literacy through effective, on-demand,
professional development resources that fit all grade bands and content areas.

At SchoolKiT International, we commit ourselves to any partner, our clients and the on-
going success of any project that we undertake. As such, we are ready to learn more
about the objectives you have for your planning initiative so that we can help contribute
to your proposal and reach an agreement that best serves your integrated curriculum
and professional development needs.

SchoolKiT's products and services are built upon a philosophical underpinning which is
summarised in the following section.

Directions in Education
This is an exciting era for education. To a large degree, what is best for us as individuals
is also wanted for us by society, and is needed from us by the new economy. To
participate and contribute fully today and into the future, students must be lifelong
learners. They must possess the attitudes and skills necessary to plan and direct their
own learning, to collaborate extensively with others, to learn when need arises, and to
transform their own belief systems and behavioral patterns.
Continually changing, today's schools seek to present learning environments and
experiences that will enable students to become lifelong learners. In attempting to foster
the requisite initiative and autonomy, we know that how a person learns at school will be
at least as important, if not more important, than what he or she learns. This shift in
focus is evident in three fundamental areas: Engagement, Interaction, and Thinking.

The shift in emphasis in Engagement has been from students completing pre-defined
tasks because they are compelled to do so, towards learners mindfully constructing
knowledge as they pursue their goals. We usually describe this as a shift from extrinsic to
intrinsic engagement

The shift in emphasis in Interaction has been from students passively receiving
information and corrective reinforcement to students actively participating and
collaborating in the learning process.

The shift in emphasis in Thinking has been from students memorising facts and behaviors
to students dealing creatively and analytically with ideas and generating personal
knowledge.

SchoolKiT products and services are designed to support schools as they move
along the continua of increasing higher-order Thinking and learner-centered
Interaction and Engagement.

What does this have to do with Technology?

Humans drive change and do so through innovation. As we continue to shape our

world with new technologies, so too must we use these technologies as both a
catalyst for and vehicle for change in our schools. Schools maintain relevance with
developments in society not by introducing computer skills as curriculum, but by
assimilating information and communication technologies into the learning
environment and across the curriculum. As SchoolKiT, we recognise two
complementary imperatives.

The medium is digital; there are new things to learn. Digital technologies will be
the normal way that our students will access information, share their thoughts, and
hope to influence others throughout their lives. The medium presents dynamic and
layered ways to convey meaning and so we must revisit what it means to be literate
and infuse our curriculum with new notions of information literacy.
The medium is digital; there are new ways to learn. In the extended learning
environment, we can access information that was previously out of reach and
interact with information in ways that were formerly not possible. Students can, for
example, discuss the outbreak of a new virus with an overseas scientist and model
its spread and distribution patterns using a computer simulation to predict future
events. Many of the most powerful conditions for learning, such as context specific
feedback and creative control can be made more available through computing
technologies.

We successfully create new learning environments, experiences and

expectations when we give technology to students such that they can use it
to seek information, analyse and create information, collaborate, add value,
and, ultimately, create their own information products and tools.
Technology itself is not the solution, it provides opportunities and potential.
It is up to learners, teachers and students alike, to act as critical users of
technology, selecting and exploiting the facilities that truly enhance their
learning. SchoolKiT educators have built our products with these factors in
mind.
 Appendix B

About SchoolKiT Enactz

About SchoolKiT REX

On the local computer, both PDpoint and Enactz learning modules are managed using the
SchoolKiT REX (Resource EXplorer) software described below:

REX is a speedy piece of software that helps you to store and keep track of the self-paced
learning modules on your computer. This means that you DON'T have to be connected to
the Internet to use SchoolKiT learning modules. REX makes it easy to remove old
modules and to add, find and start new ones. REX's features include:

 A consistent, easy-to-use interface. REX's job is to

take away the unnecessary technical hurdles to using
computers in a classroom. After using one REX learning
module, using more is simple. Together, REX and the learning
modules present activities that are rich in learning and
curriculum ideas, and consistent and straightforward in the
way they are presented and managed.
 Easy Distribution of learning modules. REX also
provides an easy way to share our learning modules among
your colleagues. Just pop in a floppy and click the auto-install
button. Or you can email a module to other staff, or store
them in a network folder. Whichever option you choose,
distributing learning modules to your staff is a simple as
handing out a piece of paper.
 REX Learning Modules. Each REX SchoolKiT learning
module presents a clear learning objective and launches the
teacher into a familiar application (primarily Microsoft Office)
providing the assistance he or she needs to thrive and enjoy
the task. In many cases, REX Learning Modules present curriculum ideas that you
can use in you classroom immediately.

About SchoolKiT Enactz Learning Modules

To understand the basis of Enactz it is important that we discuss what is happening in
classrooms that are attempting to integrate technology:

 Teachers have a comprehensive curriculum, and over the years a common and
familiar series of approaches to teaching this curriculum have arisen.
 Teachers want to use technology to enhance the learning experience, but are not
sure how to go about this. They face severe curriculum and time constraints and the
prospect of throwing technology into the mix is often overwhelming.
At the heart of the Enactz concept is the notion of taking familiar, curriculum focused
learning tasks and experiences that teachers undertake in their classroom on a daily
basis and to combine these with familiar and pervasive technologies, such as Microsoft
Office, to create a more powerful learning experience, one that is as simple and efficient
as possible. Remember that the mathematics teachers know, for example, how to go
about introducing students to basic trigonometric functions. Where they struggle is to
create activities that exploit technology to enhance this experience and to do so within
the time and resource constraints they face.
The power of Enactz is that the academic component of the learning module is at once
familiar to teachers and fundamental to their curriculum and, at the same time, the
technical process of successfully using technology to enhance the experience is relatively
straightforward. The success is palpable and immediate.

Enactz learning modules span the full school curriculum. The learning modules are
written by educators and are based on activities that have proven successful in
classrooms. There are presently over 550 learning modules available, and new modules
are constantly being developed and released.

Each Enactz learning module conforms to a strict pedagogical design methodology that is
broadly constructivist in philosophy, and focuses on creating open-ended learning
experiences. The modules are also governed by rigorous technical design and
presentation standards.

A learning module comprised of three main components:

 The challenge. The student is first presented with a clear task that is related
to a curriculum objective. For example, in a high school science module called
Atmosphere Investigation students are challenged to explain why temperature
fluctuates markedly at different atmospheric altitudes. In order to meet this
challenge, it will be necessary for students to form an understanding of
atmospheric layers, their chemical composition and how this affects temperature.
 The template(s). Each SchoolKiT Enactz module launches the student into
one or more Word, PowerPoint, or Excel templates. These are the tools that the
student uses to complete the challenge. The template provides a starting point
for the student’s investigation and learning experience. In Atmosphere
Investigation, for example, the students are launched into Excel and are provided
with data that shows typical temperature fluctuations as you move up through
the layers of the atmosphere.
 Guidance. The module takes the student through the process of using the
tools at hand to meet the challenge. Both curriculum and technical guidance are
presented simultaneously. Students are provided with technical guidance as it is
needed and in the context of the curriculum-focused learning. This is an
important aspect of our methodology. In Atmosphere Investigation, students use
Microsoft Paint to draw a diagram of the layers of the earth’s atmosphere.
Completing the activity requires students to insert this diagram into the
background of an Excel chart. Some students may not know how to do this, so
the guidance provides assistance for students at their time of need. In other
words, students studying science concepts are also learning the desired
technology skills in a meaningful context. This reflects the way adults frequently
attain computer skills in the ‘real-world’ and, of course, the philosophy
underpinning modern educational instruction.

About SchoolKiT PDpoint

Background
SchoolKiT has a wealth of experience in creating 'ready-to-go' and
tailored professional development programs and courses for K-12
educators. In the past, we have focused on face-to-face delivery,
with our trainers running in-house and on-site training. Our staff
are overwhelmingly educators and have a real understanding of
the very unique professional development needs of K-12 teachers
and schools. To be successful, this professional development must
be immersed in the context of the modern K-12 classroom,
curriculum, pedagogy and practical constraints of school life. With
PDpoint Online, we are now bringing this expertise to online
Professional Development.

PDpoint Online
PDpoint Online delivers SchoolKiT's Professional Development
training directly to teachers and in the familiar paradigm of the
class or study group. This is an important issue for online course
delivery systems which have, historically, suffered poor completion
rates. Our classes function much like classes in the real world,
bringing together a trainer (or trainers) and a group of participants
who will take the class together. The classes are active for a period
of time such that students are able to enter and exit the class at
convenient times. The strength of the class approach to taking a
course is that students are not working in isolation; they are with
trainers and peers with whom they can interact for guidance and
collaboration.
PDpoint courses are primarily short workshops that teachers can complete within
hours or days. They are designed to accommodate a teacher's heavy schedule and
the time they can set aside. In the school environment it is typically only possible for
teachers to use single (free) class periods and before and after school time for
Professional Development. When schools do create schedules that set aside longer
periods for professional development, resource constraints usually mean that this
can only be done infrequently.

The teacher professional development modules from the PDpoint library are organised
under headings such as 'Getting Started', '10-Minute Lessons', and 'Curriculum
Integration'. In all cases the learning is presented in an education context, using
examples and suggesting applications that 'ring true' with teachers.

PDpoint allows administrators at the school or central office (as per CEOWA) to
maintain their own users. Beyond this, there is virtually no management overhead.
SchoolKiT publishes flexible class schedules, accepts user registrations for classes
and runs and manages those classes. Administrators can track the activity of their
staff, course completion rates and user satisfaction.