Year Level(s): Year 5

Number of Students: 31

Broad Aim: To explore how ICT can be used to enhance learning and teaching.

Specific Aim: To identify ways in which the use of ICT can help Raise Achievement for Maori, Pacific and other students in low decile schools.

Method: I will explore ways in which ICT can be used to help with the parent interview process. I will develop a template in PowerPoint that students can use to record their achievement across a range of learning areas. This will include information such as their achievement in basic facts, samples of their handwriting and information on their goals for the year. Students will attend the interview with their parents. They will take their parents through the PowerPoint presentation showing them what it is they have achieved and outlining where it is that they intend to work on over the next term or so.

Assessment: I will use anecdotal notes to review the successfulness of this approach as a means of enhancing the parent - teacher - student feedback process. I will reflect upon whether the process is perceived as beneficial by both the parents and students. I will also explore the degree to which students are more aware of their learning goals as a result of using this approach.

Learning Areas for Project: Numeracy, Literacy, Topic

Essential Skills for Project: Communication, Numeracy, Information, Self Management & Competitive, Social & Cooperative, Work & Study

Achievement Level(s): 2, 3,

Specific Learning Outcomes: Children will work individually and collaboratively to design a PowerPoint presentation about their year in Rm 15.
* Children will evaluate their goes so far and set new goals for term 3.
* Children will record their basic facts data and spelling results on a graph using excel.
* Children will use the digital camera to take photo's of their work.
* Children will analyse their work standards.
* Children will present their presentation to parents at mid year interviews.

What Went On: At the beginning of term two we began the process of making PowerPoint presentations for mid year interviews. During writing the children looked at all areas of the curriculum and wrote about what they had been doing so far. This took a couple of weeks to complete to a high standard and was important as it made computer time more productive later on.
They evaluated their work and decided what pictures they would need for each area.
They then began the process of designing their interview.
Children worked in a teacher, learner, watcher model and started by recording their basic facts and spelling data on an excel spreadsheet and graph.
While children were on the computer others took photo's with the digital camera and completed school work.
Next they added photos of their handwriting samples to the presentation and ticked which skills they were demonstrating and what they needed to work on. Children followed the same teacher, learner, watcher model.
As each page was completed we would start another page in the presentation as a class. Children who were away slotted themselves back into the cycle when they came back.
It took about 4 weeks to complete the interviews to this stage. With my help children then recorded their voice in a couple of slides.
The week leading up to interviews children practiced speaking out loud a buddy.
On the day of interviews the classroom was rearranged and a data projector was set up. Children practiced their interview once more.
At each interview children showed their parents where to sit and presented their PowerPoint show. Each show was aprox 15 minutes in length.

What Worked:
* Taking time from the beginning of the term so that there wasn't too much rush at the end.
* Children filling out everything on one sheet before hand so that they were then only concentrating on ICT skills.
* The teacher, learner, watcher model works well as everyone becomes a teacher and shares knowledge. Because the watcher does just that when it is their turn to use the computer they already have ideas and the process is sped up.
* Children only doing small things each time meant that they learnt a task well and spent a max of 20 minutes in the whole rotation. It meant that they weren't missing out on other curriculum areas and each child had a turn on the computer everyday.

* Children presenting their interviews to their parents was amazing.
Only 3 parents were unable to make it to interviews which is a significantly higher proportion than normal. Children had kept their work secret and parents were 'blown away' by what their children knew about themselves and their ICT skills.

It was a lot of work for everyone involved but gave the children complete ownership of their learning.

What To Do Different: There will definitely be a next time and obviously little improvements along the way.
Next year I would like the children to have more say in the overall design of each presentation. This year they followed my master template.
The digital camera is for whole school use but I could have used it full time in my classroom for the term. Next year I will get children to take photo's of work from term one and store them on the computer.

The degree to which students achieved the specific learning outcomes for the action research project: Fully

The degree to which ICT helped students achieve the specific learning outcomes for the action research project: Extremely helpful

Supporting Files: http://www.lea.co.nz/ictpd/uploads/Shauns.ppt