MANAGING ICT MANAGING ICT
Due to its ICT specialism,
to encourage them to want to get involved by logging on
to access information. We plan to organise workshops
Nottingham’s Djanogly City
in which parents receive an update on online reporting,
including step-by-step advice on how to best use it.
We are forging ahead with online reporting, but in
Academy is progressing Combating
order to ensure that face-to-face communication is also
maintained between teacher and parent, the first Friday of
faster than many schools
every new term we hold an Academic Review Day. This
provides an opportunity for parents to meet with teachers
in its ICT offering. But this
to review their child’s academic achievements and
progress. The aim is to achieve a level of inclusion for
parents and should there be any problems, this is where
makes a digital divide for
the digital
intervention methods can be discussed and agreed.
Due to online reporting, a teacher’s time is spent
some a real danger. Matt
more effectively and is able to positively change
the relationship between parent and child. Teachers
Buxton explores the
divide
and parents now have easy and accurate access to a
child’s full education information. This enhances the
importance of engaging
conversation between teacher and parent, making it
more meaningful. For example, now at these parent’s
evenings the conversation immediately becomes
parents to help tackle this
focused on academic results and teachers have data
to support their comments. Parents can assess the
problem
evidence and if their child is underperforming they can
try and ascertain why and become actively involved in
their child’s education.
JANOGLY CITY Academy in Closing the gap: Djanogly For some parents, a digital divide may arise owing
D
Nottingham is attended by 1,800 City Academy in Nottingham to financial issues. Djanogly has been working with
students and has been an ICT the e-Learning Foundation, a trust that strives to
specialist school since 2003. ensure children have access to the technology required
One of our mission statements We decided that we required an online system Problems may arise when the provision of ICT to support their learning. The organisation provides
is to drive forward new technology capable of collating all information across the school within the school does not match that on the outside parents with a grant, and parents can also contribute
with an aim to incorporate ICT which would also competently store information – for example, some parents are computer illiterate and financially. So far this year, 170 families have benefited
in order to improve teaching and learning. We are online and be accessible both remotely and on-site. may feel intimidated by their child’s strong computer from the grant and have received a Netbook and a USB
consequently always looking for new ways to drive and Implementing an MIS enabled us to take a big step knowledge. Also, another cause of a digital divide, dongle for home access.
implement ICT, and online reporting was an obvious forward in the provision of online reporting to parents. which relates to the students, is that those who are Also, commencing this term, we are looking to
service to provide. One of the most positive aspects regarding online slower learners can sometimes feel intimidated if they link with New College Nottingham to provide parents
Enabling parents to access a wealth of information reporting is that parents can log in and access information are less astute than their peers at grasping the use of new with the opportunity of using a bus kitted out with nine
including school grades, attendance, special needs at anytime and from anywhere with internet access. technologies. computers. This will be available for an initial duration
information, and home and class work schedules, However, although largely positive, for it to be fully As a result, it is vital to ensure that these learners of six weeks per group, and depending on its popularity
online reporting provides parents with a new insight successful, parents need to be engaged with their child’s do not become disengaged, and this again can partly we may increase the frequency of these sessions.
into their child’s education. education to want to do this. They also need to have access be reliant on parental engagement – if parents take If implemented in a well managed and effective
We introduced a management information system to the internet, and a basic level of ICT proficiency. an interest then the chance increases that they will way, online reporting is immensely beneficial. Parents
(MIS) to facilitate management within the school. Prior We have high levels of ICT access through Tablet encourage and support their child where necessary. must be educated and supported in keeping abreast of
to this, we used a basic spreadsheet to input grades PCs, laptops and desktop devices, as well as plasma Parental engagement is key to a child’s learning how it works, to avoid excluding some parents and
which required each member of staff to add in student screens in the school corridors announcing messages experience. children. Successful inclusion of parents is crucial and
grades at the end of each term. This system proved and lesson times. The result is that many of our At Djanogly, we are attempting a big push to tackle parental engagement will prove extremely powerful and
extremely time-consuming as only one person at a time students are highly ICT literate and they obtain practical the issue of disengagement, both relating to parent and motivating for learners. SecEd
could access it and it was not accessible to teachers from and transferable skills to support them throughout child, and we aim to achieve this using a variety of
home; a highly inflexible solution. In order to collate adulthood. However, with these learners progressing initiatives. • Matt Buxton is director of learning technologies
information, a huge amount of work was required and ahead in terms of ICT literacy, this can create a so- Much of the work we do as teachers involves trying to at Nottingham’s Djanogly City Academy, which uses
the viability we required was not available. called “digital divide”. publicise the information about online reporting to parents Serco Learning’s MIS, Facility.
Organised by
3rd national conference
SCHOOL AND PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING
Listening, hearing and delivering: developing services
to meet the needs of children, young people and their families
The Centennial Centre, Birmingham 6th & 7th October 2009
Objectives
• To provide school and public health nurses and
• To stimulate discussion about the way forward for
partner agencies with an update on some of the
school nursing and integrated services
challenges and opportunities facing the specialty
• Through personal examples, case studies and
• To provide a relevant and attractive learning
informal discussion, to improve and enhance
environment for knowledge and creative thinking that
performance and practice
will benefit future development
CONFERENCE FEE INCLUDES ENTRANCE TO THE CONFERENCE, LUNCH AND REFRESHMENTS AND FULL CONFERENCE DOCUMENTATION
MA Healthcare Ltd, St. Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road, London SE24 0PB
For further information and a booking form, please contact
Tel: 020 7501 6762 Fax: 020 7733 8174 Email: laura.d@markallengroup.com
MAH BJSN09 190x130.indd 1 21/8/09 12:41:47
10 SecEd • September 3 2009
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