2005 Educator of the Year Al Upton Glenelg Primary School

Category 1 Recognition within own institution - Is the applicant respected as a leader and innovator in their own institution?

Work with Students

Although my own students are my main priority, I am proud that as a full time classroom teacher (on a classroom budget) I've had impact beyond them to other students.

Working at the grass roots on the coal face (as it were) ...

•  My class consists of 6 groups of 5 students each with a 'recycled' and networked computer. With our open door policy we have had many visitors including Peter Simmonds (Manager: TSOF), Wendy Legge (Project Manager: Professional Learning in ICT) and Gawain Duncan (Technical Strategist: Technology & Knowledge Management Services)) plus a number of other educators, pre-service and classroom teachers.

•  Our room is a traditional 'cell' yet is now comfortable, spacious, has web cams, a doorbell and is 'cool' i.e. the kids approve and like the learning environment they helped create. Seating arrangement and classroom design in Room 16 alone has raised a great deal of interest.

•  We use LanSchool - student and teacher friendly computer management software to broadcast my screen or any student screen (plus much more) to optimise collaboration. It has involved us in a great deal of correspondence and shared experiences - more on this later.

•  Many colleagues across Australia have expressed thanks for my leading role in 'bringing kids and computers together in the classroom.'   Many schools are considering expensive (but valuable) interactive whiteboards. I have developed and promoted an alternative model which offers many of the same features (and in many ways - more) but costs significantly less. It has enabled healthy discussion and exploration of holistic ICT integration in the classroom.

•  http://tinyurl.com/8c3o3 presents the way ICT is integrated in our classroom. It is only one page of our extensive blog. The blog is a huge class exploration of online collaboration and is a resource in its own right in addition to all the resources it contains within its pages. Some of our explorations include; publishing our work, group and individual pages, communication with other online communities/schools, participation in e-projects such as Kidday (students from different countries share their journals for the same day), uploading graphics - animations, scanned work and photos (with permission - the kids love it - important for identity and interpersonal skills), collaborating with home (calendar, timetable, updates),   school foci, competitions, discussions, PD pages (with self-created resources to download), curriculum specific pages and fun pages.

•  Also unique to our class (called the miniLegends) is our exploration and contribution to the educational use of computer games. The students have made their own maze games, explored a variety of game genre, and helped their 'buddies' (receptions) to make and present their creations at assembly. Having been called a 'pioneer' in the educational presence and use of Game Maker in R-12 education, I'll include more on this in other categories.

•  I have developed and demonstrated a 'global' classroom. This has involved state, national and international sharing of our literature, artwork and thoughts. I used the Kidlink 'Who Am I' program plus 'KidSpace' and 'Kidday' utilising online collaboration eg journal writing. I also explored several realtime chat programs.

•  Examples of   ICT integration in our room include (please note - these are used within the curriculum); creating charts and recording results in Excel, word publishing with a focus on efficiency eg keyboard shortcuts, exploring use of the digital camera for online publishing (Photofiltre - graphic enhancements),   Hints and Tips eg Google research - type 'watercycle filetype:swf' (from LTI coach network) or type 'nlvm' then click "I'm feeling lucky" (tips shared with parents),   exploring emerging technologies (eg I use and demonstrate my PDA/camera/phone in the class), peripherals   (USB, graphic tablet, printer/copier/scanner), looking after a school camera and downloading photos for other classes to the intranet, PowerPoint data presentations and animations using more advanced features eg motion paths, stop motion animations with the web cams, using sound to enhance presentations/publishing, using LanSchool and self discovered techniques (eg a broadcasted test where all the questions and answers are white font on white background then revealed as needed), karaoke, online collaboration with other schools, using computer games in our learning, exploring Learning Objects, emailing each other and other schools, using NetMeeting in the classroom - chat (text and video) and shared whiteboard, our forum (student voice) is called e-learning@glenelg and has a strong Game Maker focus, creating Big Books (e-books) ...

•  We also used the CD player and computers listening to music of different decades. We explored various genre and technology - records, i-pods, mp3s etc. We use music to positively influence learning - Jensen, E. 'Music with the Brain in Mind', 2000. (Cited in Joseph, J. 'Brainy Parents Brainy Kids' 2002.) I've started to develop a resource which conveniently allows the teacher or student to select and play quiet background music in response to learning needs. I hope it will encourage others to explicitly teach the use of early Baroque (during routines, structured lessons), late Classical (creative, group work, brainstorming), Blues (to settle, calm when needed) and Rock n' Roll (change of pace, being active, and for celebrations).

•  We use a variety of software eg the John Joseph Brain Workshop Resource CD - to explicitly teach about the brain and learning. The magnificent computer generated graphics visually demonstrate neural networks in a way that is engaging and allows explicit teaching.

•  I regularly set up learning for my own class in such a way that resources are provided for other staff and classes. This not only relates to Game Maker and blogging but also to other ICT integration as it becomes needed - eg working with Microsoft applications, e-learning, other online collaboration software, thematic resourcing, research skills

Work with colleagues

Making myself available to other staff to help with ICT integration is another of my joys.

•  I am regarded as a resource person at Glenelg. I offer help and respond to requests regarding a broad spectrum of ICT questions. JIT (Just in Time) as well as RATT (Right at the Time) feature strongly i.e. staff will send down to get me if possible or to write back a note. This includes assistance with technical as well as curriculum/pedagogical issues and requests.

•  I've contributed with the staff individually, in small groups and during staff meetings. I am an active member of our ICT committee. I am often involved in leadership discussions concerning ICT integration. I regularly resource staff members eg seeking out learning objects and open source solutions for our Japanese teacher.

•  Our digital message board, shared computer in the staffroom, electronic reporting, Learning Objects and interactive whiteboard considerations are examples of my involvement this year at Glenelg.

•  Many of my endeavours and resources are also accessed by colleagues beyond Glenelg School.

•  I have mentioned the miniLegends blog and all that it contains as my most public resource. The blog is a class blog and teacher resource combined and has been noted as "the largest individual class blog ever seen." It is a resource as an example of how to modify the 'traditional' methods used by millions of people. I created and manage this plus 'blogalogue' (a demonstration of a blog centered on one discussion topic. It also provides available web space for others to experiment with the online collaboration experience.)

•  I am the originator of Game Maker learning templates. My innovation provides a 'shell' (or the scaffolding) for students to represent and explore their own learning in an environment that closely parallels their own gaming experiences. This link http://tinyurl.com/8xfu9   reflects significantly more than 200 hours this year alone. It is my latest 3D maze template that is based on student feedback and includes the ability to provide questions and answers as well as create individualised learning environments.

•  These templates take advantage of the engagement and motivation of computer games and are designed to be used to promote learning across the curriculum. My resources, lesson plans, notes and thoughts appear on other websites. They are linked to from the official world web site.

•  After negotiations with Julia Atkin (I also attended her 6 day course) I have developed some 'Thinking Styles' resources and with permission uploaded some of her own. Using ICTs I developed a grid for mapping Thinking Styles for class use and created a means to use visualisation to aid the memory. Using PowerPoint, I created a template, called it Spellvis and demonstrated it to R-12 colleagues as part of a Learning-to-Learn project. I also demonstrated this at whole district after-school PD sessions in my classroom.

•  An example of my responses to requests is a teacher from another site wanted to access poetry forms online. I provided 26 forms (styles) and coupled this with a focus to teach handwriting skills. This in turn has been used by a staff member at Glenelg.

•    http://tinyurl.com/dlnpn this is an example external link to my blog. It's from the DECS Early Years Literacy Program website to 'Al Upton - Physical Environment and use of ICT'. I have also included a means for teachers to reflect on their own teaching practice (Theories, Paradigms and Perspectives) based on a state core training day.

•  'SACSA Snapshots' is an online trial resource I have developed based on our state's framework. I have uploaded and made the summary available on my blog and also 'invented' a hard copy flip book version based on these learning areas summaries. These 'snapshots' can be quickly cross-referenced between standards (year levels) and learning areas. This trial is currently being considered for further developments.

•  Writing genres online was a student initiated idea. Templates can be copied and pasted from our blog. I know of staff at other sites that have used them with their students.

•  The blog page and discussion starter 'Interactive Whiteboards - Using not Ignoring Technology?' is an example where I have undertaken a topical ICT issue in order to help myself and others come to our own understandings. As with most of my endeavours this year, my approach is multi-faceted eg including an application for an e-learning grant, a blog page of pros/cons discussion and thoughts, presenting a hypothetical trial, providing online links, collating relevant research, providing comparisons to the methodologies I model in my classroom, posting to other lists (eg lti-coaches, SATEL, it-teachers) so that others can 'dip in' as they desire. One major outcome of this approach is the numerous emails I receive outside of the lists that include requests and often those just wanting to engage in conversations regarding our profession.

•  'Emerging Technologies' is another area for which I'm constantly developing resources and my own skills, knowledge and understandings. It also demonstrates the R-12 nature of my contributions. Correspondence in this area (although mostly from outside of SA) is largely with secondary teachers. I have been asked to comment on a Year 10 course being constructed in Victoria. I was recently asked for input into a meeting with the Premiers Department re the establishment of a pathway from secondary to tertiary and industry. The issue is keeping game programmers and developers in South Australia. Another issue I was able to comment on and resource was raised by a Victorian teacher at an all girls college. She wanted to use Game Maker whilst immersing her students in the French language. This also is a delightful example of my working with colleagues across our educational sectors. I subscribe to and aggregate many overseas organisations and groups.

•  I have also been able to engage with another group of colleagues through the development of myself as a resource. Having won a DECS e-Learning scholarship this year, I'm undertaking post graduate studies in 'Computer Technologies and Learning' and 'Educational Leadership in Computing' at UniSA toward my masters.

Work with parents

•  Home correspondence using ICT takes two forms in our class. The traditional 'letter home' in Word plus online communications - timetables, calendar, updates, and downloadable resources eg Spellvis demonstrating using visualisation to enhance memory.

•  I create online SACSA resources to enable parental understanding of our curriculum   framework and delivery (available on our blog), I develop templates for assessment and reporting, my Year 3s use Excel to chart their own progress, I write anecdotal notes and record scores on my PDA, we have all sorts of digital accounts of the kid's school year, they used the computers to highlight their learning during three way reporting discussions, at this term's Showcase of Learning we set up an interactive environment - parents and grandparents were shown (and instructed) by the kids how they made their animations - this was a student initiated activity.

•  I delight in the fact that parents (including those from last year) consider me an ICT resource eg recommending software, providing links, typing out processes to help with computers at home eg virus protection

•  Providing educational games and interactive (parents/child) homework has proven popular.

•  In response to parental needs I trialled an fm audio system with a student. The benefits were already largely being achieved by a technique I use and have been trying to encourage for a number of years - simply plug a microphone into the computer & speakers. This is fun plus can benefit students with special needs and learning styles or preferences. Students can use the microphone for speaking and presenting to their peers. It also advantages staff by protecting their voices (OHS&W) and even provides behaviour management strategies. I have recently purchased a Bluetooth headset and USB adapter to find an even better solution. I am determined to find or create software that will also be in keeping with our current advances in technology - audioblogging, realtime chat, podcasting. The use of audio in reporting to parents plus creating and sharing our stories is already being setup for the parents of the miniLegends in 2006.

As a class we have voted on and purchased (with the class budget) six USB memory sticks and many CD-RWs we can copy and write to. These will be sent home to parents and caregivers with evidence and celebration of the years learning. These 'e-portfolios' will also contain free software and resources we have used eg Game Maker, PhotoFiltre, Stop Motion Animator. These additional resources are a response to parental correspondence and requests.

Category II Recognition outside own institution - Is the applicant perceived as a leader and innovator by outside individuals, groups or organizations?

Work with teachers in other institutions

•  My contributions this year have been noted as having cross-curricula R-12 (plus some tertiary) relevance. My sphere of influence is not limited to my passions and extends beyond the formal and informal networks I have created or belong to. I am involved in conducting professional learning at school, cluster, district, state and national level. I am also involved in some international correspondences and negotiations. I take pride that these endeavours can benefit our state colleagues and students. I have even greater joy that it all comes from the kid's learning needs and the time I spend with my own class. I remind myself of this when I consider that much of what I undertake is not necessarily apparent but is part of a process eg research, trials, resource development experiments, communications. I speak here mainly of the huge number of hours I've invested not only into my passions but also the broader correspondences, provision of resources and professional development. This reflection is important as I also strive to provide balance and quality time with my main passion - my family.

•  Nationally - As a member of the well funded (2005) 'Computer Game Design, Programming, Multimedia and Mathematics' group with ASISTM (Australian School for Science, Technology and Mathematics) I contributed to the organisation and presented at the inaugural 'Game Programming in Schools' conference in Melbourne. Through the collaboration of this team already a snowball effect is beginning to be noticed. Learning with Computer Games has a well recognised and valued place in education in many other countries and is starting to gain recognition in Australia. It demands a great deal of well rewarded time and effort.

•  State - I've conducted numerous workshops including the last CEGSA conference - generic themes are 'Learning with Computer Games' and 'Online Collaboration' eg 'The Class Blog - Principles, Practices and Possibilities.' In Term 4 I presented a number of workshops and resources to 4th Year pre-service graduate teachers at the University of South Australia.

•  Recently I presented at Alice Springs and Adelaide (TSoF) in 'Computer Games in Education.' I undertook all aspects of organisation. This included ensuring co-presentation with the AV Curriculum Manager from ACMI (the Australian Centre of the Moving Image) in Melbourne.

•  I particularly enjoy PD when the students take pride in and share their own successes eg the TSOF Showcases of Learning 'Using Game Maker', 'MiniLegends - Our Class Blog' (I am still getting requests, references to and correspondence regarding these showcases).

•  District - I am an ITC coach with the Technology School of the Future. [Consciously choosing not to apply as a school ICT coordinator this year has freed me up to broaden the ways and depth to which I can support others.] Being a coach includes conducting LTI courses (Learning and Teaching with the Internet), advanced training, networking, personal awareness plus the opportunity for future possibilities eg further adoption of Educonnect, using EdAdmin (particularly as a professional development tool), being an EdCap facilitator, 'mentoring' i.e. identification of individual site needs and ways to resource them. I feel privileged to be in this role and somewhat humbled by it - despite this, I will not expand here on its many facets. Hopefully it is enough to say the LTI coach role epitomises my passion for professional learning.

•  Cluster - I regularly present and share on a range of themes and practices (eg authentic assessment, homework, literacy, numeracy, ICT integration) at the Holdfast 3-5 Cluster.

•  Site - This is ongoing. I am currently developing and am undertaking a case study that extends teacher PD by also training up students from all classes across the site. They become the 'experts.' This model is to be presented to other educators and sites for consideration for cross-curricula application. As part of this case study I have conducted workshops for teachers at Glenelg from each of the three teams, R-2, 3-5 and 6/7.

•  I've mentioned the CEGSA 2005 conference and given examples of workshops above. I have also been asked if I can present at various conferences. These often relate to specific learning areas (Science, Maths, ICT), location (metro, rural, interstate - Perth, Darwin and Cairns are serious considerations for 2006) and year levels - Early Years, Primary, Middle Years.

LanSchool is the computer management software I use and demonstrate in my classroom plus at workshops and conferences. After considerable time, I was able to organise an ongoing 60% discount that benefits TSOF, all SA preschool and schools in all sectors (state, catholic and independent) and CEGSA organisational members.   I spend a lot of time corresponding with my colleagues about this product and the methodology I showcase. I recently was scheduled to present at a CEGSA Collaborates session on LanSchool. From the advertising of the workshop alone I have received regular requests for information, visits to my classroom, links to purchase (I have no vested interest) and my opinion on comparative software. I have enjoyed the dialogue, questions and thanks.

Participation in professional organisation

•  I am a member of the CEGSA consultation committee. My input has included providing ideas (eg a logo competition), energy and time toward the attraction of new members, promotion of next year's conference plus I will be taking on added responsibility to help ensure an even 'bigger and better' conference in 2006. 'The Many Faces of Cogsa' competition, for example, benefits R-12 teachers and students. It provides a fun way of integrating ICT for SA teachers as well as enhancing staff and student learning by promoting CEGSA. I also enjoy the collaboration with other committee members.

•  Known as an active contributor to our CEGSA email list, I try to keep correspondence light hearted but well considered. As an ICT coach, I am a keen participant of the professional group of those concerned with professional development in ICT at TSOF. Most recently I've been trialling and providing feedback on the new EdCap Teacher Survey Tool.

Through my subscription to a number of lists, blogs etc I am able to not only improve my own practices and knowledge but act as a conduit of sorts to my colleagues in SA. I am keen to be involved in raising the profile of good teaching practices within our state and beyond. I enjoy developing networks which ultimately enhance the learning outcomes of our students. Sometimes I will play the role of the devil's advocate. I consider that, at times, constructively confronting issues and encouraging other educators to consciously move beyond their comfort zone is healthy. It also not only helps me seek solutions but ask the right questions. I subscribe to a number of monthly, weekly and daily lists - international examples include George Siemens and Stephen Downes daily, IT conversations (Doug Kaye - podcasts) weekly, Kathy Schrock monthly. I am an active contributor to most lists to which I subscribe. An example of this is the it-teachers list. I initiated and collated responses to a thread considering and comparing blogs and WebEd. I created a blog called blogalogue which also helped others explore the logistics and use of blogs in education. I enjoyed participating, observing and collating this online publication with a selection of our secondary educators. I belong to a few forums and regularly participate in a variety of collaborations eg Game Maker forum, ASISTM teleconferencing, some experience with CENTRA, various Edna groups.

Publications, including online

•  All my contributions to the many lists to which I subscribe could be called publications. These are often time-consuming, hopefully useful (and at times lengthy) documents addressing a variety of issues.

•  Many pages on my blog are; a sharing of my thoughts, research, explanation of my online resources, responses to pedagogical issues and initiatives to invigorate discussion.

Much of what I have written here is the subject of my recent article in the final 2005 RAMpage magazine (quarterly CEGSA publication) "Creating a Collaborative Classroom - miniLegends and Emerging Technologies". As it hasn't been released at the time of writing I'll quote Russell Phillipson, the editor's, email response - "Thanks Al...this is fantastic!!!"