Whole school development,change and leadership - Teaching with Technologies: The Essential Guide - page 119

Table 6.3 How technology-based tools and digital resources help communication within and

beyond the institution

How technology tools help Example

Communication with peers
in other schools/colleges
and school/college staff

· use of outlook calendar instead of bulletins, sharing calendars
is helpful for school/college trips
· email is the best tool we have (but some staff do not look at
email). Twitter helps 'just-in-time learning'
· finding schools/colleges for projects: e.g. through e-Pals for
curriculum projects
· forums and discussion groups, are good but there are too
many in different places
· email to staff and other schools/colleges can save time if not
over used

Teaching and whole-class
and group learning -
personalizing learning

· PDAs and tablet devices used for individual group work
· mobile phones and voting technology
· easy to find, accessible, user friendly, immediate, targeted
communications, use of video clips (small size is important)
scaffolding learning
· IWBs and visualizers have changed the ways teachers are
teaching. Learners are more likely to share and comment
on each other's work and the quality of their evaluations is
better
· showcasing learners' work through plasma screens and
through the website is motivating for learners
· live video streaming e.g. showing live artists working
· integrating digital photos into reports of visits or school/
college guides is motivating learners to write and work
together
· discussion can be held online and then revisited and reflected
upon whereas a class discussion might not be remembered

Administration · all learners' education plans are on the system and staff update

these online this saves time

CPD - formal and informal -
saves time

· video clips for demonstrators, mini-clips
· able to share resources via the learning platform by placing
handouts and documents about the use of technology on the
vLE
· access to courses and 'how to' resources

Communication with parents

Leask and Preston (2010) reported that there are few communication channels which
donotrelyontechnologyandthat,whilesomeprimaryschools/collegeshada
preference for face-to-face communication with parents, others had well-developed
e-communication systems. Sensitivity of the information and parity of access to