The Ultranet: Continuing our Learning

Our objectives:

•Further develop skills and understanding of the functionality and enhancements to Release 1

•Overview of the Learning Tasks and Learner Profiles tools

•How to develop a Learning Sequence in the Learning Tasks tool to support high quality teaching and learning

•Develop an approach for supporting students and parents on the Ultranet

Day One

Email

Learning Tasks

LearnerProfile

ultranetDesign

Collaborative Learning

Connect

My Content

eXpress Space

Community

Home

Learning Tasks•a place for teachers to plan, deliver and assess learning activities•students can participate in learning activities and receive feedback and observations on their progressLearner Profile•provides a place to find and record up-to-date, personalised information about the students that you teach•Students can access information about their progress which will help them to determine meaningful learning goals•Parents can access information about their child’s progress and participation in school

The Instructional Core

Student

ContentTeacher

Instructional Task

HOW DOES THE ULTRANET ASSIST WITH IMPROVED STUDENT OUTCOMES?

There are three ways you can increase learning and performance:

1. increase the knowledge and skill of teachers

2. change the content

3. alter the relationship of the student to the teacher and the content

"The instructional core helps us identify where we're trying to improve…The teacher, the student, the content – if you change one, you have to change them all.”

HGSE Professor Richard Elmore

It is the quality of the task that is central to improved student outcomes

The Ultranet and the I.C.

How could the Ultranet support improvements in the Instructional Core? Specifically in:

• The level of content• Teacher’s knowledge and skill• Student engagementand• The instructional task (which will be visible on

the Ultranet)

Student Data

Teach

Assess

Plan

How the Ultranet supports quality learning and teaching

Student Data

• Where are my students up to with their learning?

• Teachers can readily access rich, up-to-date information about their students………

Ultranet functionality???

Plan

• What and how do I want my students to learn?

• Teachers can readily collaborate with their colleagues and share their curriculum planning.

• Data can be used to plan and deliver a more personalised curriculum

• Digital learning resources can be incorporated.

• Collaborative learning can be facilitated through web 2.0 tools

Ultranet functionality???

Teach

• How do I actively support and monitor my student’s learning?

• Learning tasks are delivered online or offline and are facilitated by the teacher

• The teacher monitors student learning

• Ultranet functionality???

Assess

• What evidence of learning have my students demonstrated?

• Teachers can assess and record student progress online.

• Students capture evidence of their learning

• Ultranet functionality???

Teaching and Learning Cycle

Creating a Learning Sequence

Learning Sequences

A Learning Sequence is a series of Learning Items which complement each

other. A Learning Sequence might include items which represent a learning

topic from different perspectives, or might encompass a number of linked

activities. A teacher can provide opportunities for students to complete a variety

of types of activities by creating different Learning Items within a single Learning

Sequence.

Create a folder for the Learning SequenceThis folder can include a Teacher Overview and / or a Student Overview.

This overview can describe the purpose of the learning sequence, what is to be achieved and establish learning goals

It can also include any curriculum standards or assessment information the teacher wants the students to be aware of at the beginning of the sequence.

1

The following is an example of a Learning Sequence titled “Responding to an

Issue”, an Literacy unit looking at local issues in the media.

Discussion Learning Item: Group Discussion of an Issue Using the Six Thinking Hats

This example “Responding to an Issue” begins with a discussion to prompt inquiry and to establish common understandings.

The students have selected an issue and are using deBono’s Six Thinking Hats to discuss different aspects of the issue in groups.

The students are then required to come up with six key research questions as a result of the discussion. This discussion can be copied for each group.

2

Journal Learning Item: Current Affairs JournalThroughout the unit of work, the students work collaboratively with their group members on the issue that they have chosen. However, they are also asked to complete a current affairs reflective journal individually.

Students are asked to choose an article of interest, consider the prompt questions that are provided and respond in their journal.

Teachers can participate in the journal through providing specific feedback to students on their learning to cultivate higher order thinking, monitor progress and ensure a progression of learning.

3

Task Learning Item: Considering Key IssuesThis offline task gives instructions for students to work in groups using the graphic organisers, the links to which are provided for the students in the Collaborative Learning Space.

Students are asked to organise their ideas using the information that they have gathered so far through their research.

A PowerPoint presentation that was used during explicit teaching in class is embedded in the Task for students to refer back to.

The teacher makes Observations on students working in teams.

4

Reference Learning Item: Practising ProofreadingHere students are directed to a website where they are being asked to practise their proofreading skills.

Students are required to conduct two of the practise tasks and then make an observation, self-assessing their performance.

The teacher can also contribute observations.

5

Submission Learning Item: Local Issue ArticleIn this Submission, students are asked to use all the information collected from their research journal to write a newspaper article as a group on their chosen issue.

The genre of newspaper writing would have been taught, modelled and exemplars provided to the students.

Students submit a draft of their article by writing directly into the Rich Text Editor or writing it elsewhere and attaching it as a file.

6

Summary of Learning Sequence

A Journal is used for students to reflect periodically on current affairs that are in the news

A Discussion is used to engage students and identify common understandings and starting point for learning. These are given to different groups of students.

A Task is used to provide students with a offline group activity to further explore an issue

A Reference is used to direct students to a website where they can conduct skills practise directly related to the intended VELS outcomes

A Submission is used for students to submit a piece of work culminating from work completed in previous learning items

ULTRANET © 2010Department of Education and Early Childhood DevelopmentGPO Box 4367 Melbourne, Victoria 3001