Website: The Technology Block
Level: Years 6, 7 and 8 extension class
School: Waipawa Primary School
Area: ICT – full year
Teacher: Simon Pearse
Intro
First year Technology teacher Simon Pearse established an extension Technology group at Waipawa Primary School where the students created and maintained a website to document and promote Technology Education in the school using a variety of software and media, with excellent results.
Background
Waipawa Primary School is a decile 3, full primary school with a role of 147 students that serves as a technology centre for the Central Hawkes Bay region catering for 300 students from 17 different primary schools.
Teacher Simon Pearse worked in a variety of fields within engineering for 23 years before completing his teaching diploma in 2010. 2011 is Simon's first year of teaching at Waipawa Primary where he takes classes in Electronics, Graphics, Hard Materials, Food and ICT, as well as running the extension unit with six students from three different grades.
Simon explains that the extension unit was developed after he took over an existing electronics unit and was impressed by the level of student ability.
"I was very surprised at the depth and the level at which the students could go with their electronics. I think that made me realise the potential the students have, so I wanted to see how much further we could push them."
Simon now takes the extension group, consisting of two students each from Years 6, 7 and 8, for 10 hours a week, every five weeks, for the whole year.
Goals
Simon's initial goals for the unit were not only to help the students realise their full potential in ICT but also to encourage a far more independent style of learning, something he would like to see across the board in Technology classes.
"It's incredible what students ask me permission to do sometimes, so I wanted to encourage them to think for themselves and make their own decisions. I also wanted them to learn how to learn independently, to find out things for themselves rather than just asking for information and having it supplied by the teacher."
Preparation
Once the extension team was created, Simon prepared a basic brief and course outline to inform an initial brainstorming session. Simon says his preparation for the unit was minimal – the research and selection of the software was left to the students, and the school's IT block had a reliable broadband connection and a computer for each student - and relied on him giving the students an idea and them running with it, with Simon acting as facilitator.
Key stages
The project started with Simon introducing the topic and giving the students an overview of what he wanted to achieve, which in simple terms was to have the students create and maintain a website. This led to a brainstorming session with Simon and the whole team that resulted in the development of their key objective for the website: to communicate what they were doing and the ways they were learning in the Technology department at Waipawa School.
This was then turned into a final brief, which specified that a website would be developed for students, school friends, teachers and caregivers that would communicate what Waipawa students were doing in Technology using a variety of media including video, photos, presentations and documents.
Simon explains that while the students could have chosen any number of topics for the website to focus on, the schools Technology department was selected as the best choice for a number of reasons.
"I was certainly guiding them in that direction, but if they had wanted to do something completely different, then that's what they would have done. It's about them creating something they are interested in so they take ownership." Simon says.
With the brief finalised, the students then broke into three pairs to research the fundamental aspects that would make up their planned site, with one team researching the free software options for web design, another looking at the layout and functionality of existing websites and the last looking at aesthetic aspects such as fonts, colours and backgrounds. The students then came together to present their findings.
"They made suggestions, asked opinions and went through the whole consultative process, deciding on a software package, layout, colours, fonts and other attributes they wanted for the site. So it was very much a design process from that perspective."
One of the most important decisions was choosing the software, as this would be the main tool used throughout the year for the site. Simon was fortunate in that the students chose webs.com, a system he already had some familiarity with.
"I asked the students to trial several different online web page creation packages to find out which was the best one. They came back to webs.com, which they found easiest to use, but still had everything they needed to create their page. I had the experience of using that site, but, had they chosen a different one, I would have been learning that on the spot – but that's part of the challenge."
Once their design was agreed upon, the team started experimenting with the web development software, with the goal to have the website up and operational within a week.
"That was the challenge, but they actually had several websites up and running within a day, just by experimenting with the software," Simon says.
Once the final website was online the project took on a different nature, with the website having to be maintained, updated and new materials, text, and media added as the student's skills and projects developed throughout the year.
Outcomes
One of the first projects completed and added to the website was a short movie, where the students learned to use Windows Movie Maker, skills which they later used to document a robotics project on the website and enter a couple of movie-making competitions.
For Simon, the most exciting project showcased on the site involved learning to use a popular new online presentation package.
"Prezi presentation software is being encouraged everywhere in industry, so it was a case of getting the students to use it by saying 'this is what people are using now, investigate it, see what you think, here's a scenario for you, work to that and see what you come up with."
Challenges
Simon feels that the unit has been extremely successful but still finds that meeting his primary goal of creating an independent learning environment an on-going challenge.
"The initial reaction is that the kids ask 'How do you do this?' and I say 'Well the information is there, see if you can work it out, if you can't work it out then I will have a look in a few minutes'. It's almost as a reflex that they are asking, but after a few minutes they have found the answer themselves and moved on. To me, it's about getting students out of the habit of asking until they really need help."
Like many Technology teachers, Simon has also found that the documentation and paperwork for the project was fairly low on the students list of priorities. "They want to be doing it rather than writing about it, so I've tried to keep the paperwork to a minimum. But it is necessary at times to help guide the technology process and keep everyone on track."
Benefits
As the software used in this unit was freely available online, there are obvious advantages for any school equipped with computers and a broadband connection. Simon also feels that creating an awareness of the accessibility of this technology has increased the student's general confidence using the internet and ICT.
Working on a website also gives the students an opportunity to use the latest technology available, something that Simon uses as a selling point for the course.
"People in industry are using things like Prezi for their CVs, so telling students that this is the latest way to do stuff does get them interested. And the fact that at the end of each project they are showcasing their work to their classes and teaching their teachers how to use the software must be a big thing for them pride-wise."
The range of technologies and media used to update and maintain the site through the documentation of other projects has also kept student interest high throughout the year.
"They enjoy the whole process because one minute they could be looking at how to build a web page, then the next they could be using the camera to make a movie, so they are never stuck doing the same thing for days," Simon says.
Another advantage of creating a website has been the ease with which the students can show their progress to other students, teachers and parents, which has created a strong sense of pride in what they have produced.
"When they realised what they had achieved, that was a big 'Wow! We've actually done that and it's live on the Internet'. Parents have also been on the website and posted messages on it – for the students to be showing others what they have done means they are obviously very proud of it."
Along with the positive responses from the wider community and students, the website's proven use as a teaching tool and promotion for Technology education has meant that Simon will be continuing both the website, and the extension unit, next year.
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