ROCKINGHAM INNOVATIVE DIGITAL SCHOOLS PROJECT

Late in 2006, the Principals of Kolbe Catholic College, Star of the Sea Rockingham, St Bernadette’s Port Kennedy, and St Vincent’s Kwinana, were invited to a meeting with the Director of Catholic Education, Mr Ron Dullard at the CEO to discuss the possibility of targeting the broader Rockingham region with regards to a Middle Schooling Transition Project, using ICT as the medium. Knowing Kolbe College had the services of 2005 Australian IT Educator of the Year, Mr Trevor Galbraith on staff to lead the project, was also a motivating factor. The project is focussed on using the myinternet suite of products available in all Catholic schools in Western Australia as a vehicle for developing Digital Portfolios as a vehicle for Primary-to-Primary and Primary to Secondary school discussion and liaison. The project will also put in place a process towards aiding the transition of students from primary to secondary schooling, and to assist middle school teachers to integrate ICT into teaching and learning programs and pedagogical practices that will benefit student outcomes.

PHASE TWO

The project will commence phase two of its implementation after the group met at Kolbe Catholic College on Friday March 2. The Principals of the Catholic Primary schools involved were Mr Des Wilkie, St Bernadette’s, Ms Nadia Maso, Star of the Sea and Mr John Ryan, St Vincent’s. They were all very keen and supportive of the project and the wide ranging implications of the communication that has already transpired between the schools during the initial stages of the project. They also spoke passionately about the infrastructure that they have put in place in their particular schools to prepare for the use of Information Technology as a delivery vehicle of electronic portfolios. As a group of principals they were genuinely excited about their schools participation in the project and the opportunities for development that is about to occur.

PROJECT OUTCOMES

The hopes of the project include:

1. Participants to be provided with the skills to use the full range of myclasses and myportfolio suite of products as learning and assessment tools in the classroom
2. Primary school and secondary school teachers to work collaboratively, coming to understand each others’ curriculum, teaching and assessment practices, based on the relevant documents (eg Curriculum Frameworks), thereby gaining an insight into providing sound programs and fostering consistency for students from Year 6 to Year 9.
3. Sharing of information regarding individual students that will benefit the transition of students moving into a secondary school setting.
4. Students from the feeder primary schools developing a portfolio that will be recognised and used in the development of programs and inform the assessment process by the secondary school.
5. Providing continued opportunities to shift from teacher centred to student centred, inquiry based learning that encourages the development of skills and higher order thinking through the medium of ICT, thereby moving towards becoming a digital school.
6. Teachers learning to use Video Conferencing to assist in an efficient, alternative communication tool, using the necessary protocols on a regular basis to share understandings and issues of concern between the schools.
7. Develop specific tasks based on National Learning Statements in ICT, English, Science, Mathematics and Civics and Citizenship
8. Explore funding possibilities for the project eg through ASSISTM, and with the assistance of CEO and the support of all participants

PARTICIPANTS

There is a very enthusiastic and committed group of teachers involved in the project both at the primary and secondary school level. Overseeing the project will be Trevor Galbraith the Assistant Deputy ICT at Kolbe College who will build upon the strengths and inter-school relationships between the expertise of Pam Brown, Gavin Poole and Chris D’Mello, the ICT support personal in the three primary schools. They will receive major input and support from the Catholic Education Office with the visioned work of Mr Peter Carey the Curriculum Consultant in the areas of Technology and Enterprise, Careers and The Arts.

LEADING EDGE

This project, which is on the leading edge in implementing electronic digital portfolios into the cluster of schools in the region, will get plenty of exposure at both the state and national level in the coming months.

The Project Leader, Mr Trevor Galbraith will present the planning and implementation phase to “Editure (myinternet) National Catholic Symposium Group” which is being hosted in Perth by the CEOWA this March.

The group has also been invited to present an update of the project’s implementation at the Catholic Education’s Teacher’s Conference in July of this year in the innovative use of technology section in Catholic schools in Western Australia.

Trevor Galbraith along with the Principal of Kolbe Catholic College, Mrs Caroline Payne will represent the CEO at a World Conference, “Leading a Digital School” to be held at Twin Waters Resort, Maroochydore Queensland in August 2007.