Over the last few months we’ve been investigating the DEA – “Digital Excellence Awards” for our Junior School. The program, by award winning Educator Dr john Ingram (link) is an excellent way of ensuring that students receive their “digital entitlement” throughout their time at our Junior School.
After several presentations and a trip to visit Lynbrook PS (link), on Monday of this week, the JS committed to implementing the Program for 2009!
This is exciting news on many fronts. This decision marks the recognition that it is important to have a mapped ICT curriculum across our Junior School to ensure that our students are developing a staged series of ICT skills that they will need to the rest of their lives.
Not only does the DEA deliver a JS ICT curriculum, it provides us with a tool to assess the ICT literacy of our staff against the same skill set our students will have, and provides our Staff ICT Trainer with a method of customising a PD program that can target those most in need, or deliver specific training in skills our staff don’t have.
Now there is a Win-Win situation.
Currently, the program will be introduced to staff at the beginning of the year, and the current idea is that we should enrol them as “students” to use the system as if they were the learner. This would give them a familiarity of the program and the skills that students are attaining, and also give them an opportunity to better plan their second Semester of work.
In the middle of the year, all JS students will be enrolled into the DEA.
It’s an exciting project, one that will bring excellent results for our students, staff and the School!
Tx,
Burgess
Tags: Curriculum, DEA, Digital Excellence Awards, ICT, ITC, Junior School, Staff Professional Development
