2012

PLANE USER GUIDE

For Professional Learning Leaders in schools

PLANE Pathways for Learning – Anywhere, anytime. A Network for Educators

NSW INSTITUTE OF TEACHERS

PLANE is a NSW Institute of Teachers’ endorsed provider of Institute Registered professional development for the maintenance of accreditation at Professional Accomplishment.

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CONTENTS

What is PLANE?.................................................. 2

The PLANE Experience…………………………………… 3

PLANE rewards……………………………………………… 6

PLANE activities…………………………………………….. 7

Recording a learner’s progress……………………… 8

User Case Studies in PLANE…………………………… 9

Leading a cohort through PLANE…………………….

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What is PLANE? . . . . and what can it do for you?

What is PLANE? PLANE is an acronym for Pathways for Learning, Anywhere, anytime – a Network for Educators. PLANE is an innovative and fun educator community, networking space, and virtual world; providing accredited professional learning, courses, multi-media resources, ICT skills development, e-portfolio, collaborative tools, games-based-learning, and peer coaching.

More detail about PLANE's suite of features is available on our PLANE Activities page (p5). Our Mission: To utilise cutting edge technology and best practice methodology to ubiquitously empower all educators to learn, create, collaborate, innovate, and transform their teaching practices to, in turn, inspire and enable their own 21st Century students.

Who can join PLANE? PLANE is for ALL NSW school educators:

K-12;

cross-sectoral (from the public school system to Catholic and Independents);

every career stage (pre-service educators, in-service educators, school leaders, and teacher educators – whether working full-time, part-time or casually);

across curriculum and speciality areas;

accessed from anywhere (metropolitan, regional, and rural – whether at school or in-home);

anytime.

PLANE will initially be piloted in NSW Australia, launching May 30th 2012. We hope further states and territories will be added in late 2012/2013.

Contact Us: support@plane.edu.au

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The PLANE Experience PLANE offers experiences in line with the needs of 21st Century educators and students.

Our features include:

Self-Assessment and Learning Pathways

Educators can tailor professional learning to meet their own individual needs utilising a Self-

Assessment Tool, short Skill Snacks lessons, and extended Learning Pathways courses

Peer Coaching

PLANE is utilising a proven peer coaching technique (that has an 80-90% success rate of

knowledge being applied back into the classroom), and pioneering it’s use in the online and

virtual space to interconnect geographically and socially isolated educators who would not

otherwise have access to such peer support.

Share Club

Educators search for and share knowledge and resources with one another.

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Immersive Virtual World

Educators experiment & collaborate within a 3D simulated environment.

Gamification & Game Based Learning

Embedded game mechanics engage participants, giving them recognition for their

contributions to the PLANE community and encouraging them to continue to contribute. A

specially designed 3D game exemplifies how to learn through game-based-learning (a

game-based-learning experience about game-based-learning!).

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21st Century Learning Design Framework

PLANE has been developed from the beginning with the end user (educators) and their

needs in mind. In-depth consultation with educators, stakeholder focus groups, student

and teacher surveys, advisory panels, trials, and academic research has highlighted exactly

what educators want, need, and the best ways to deliver it to them.

One result of this cross-sectoral collaborative consultative approach is the informed

development of a Learning Design Framework, which underpins all activities in PLANE, to

empower educators to learn, create, collaborate, innovate, and transform their

professional development experience into one of self-directed continuous life-long learning

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PLANE Rewards PLANE recognises the effort and achievements that educators put into their learning. Points & Badges

PLANE will utilise the thinking behind Badgeville to award points to PLANE users.

Badgeville's acclaimed Behaviour Platform brings together the best of gamification,

reputation programs, highly sophisticated technology, social context, and powerful

behaviour analytics.

Certificates PLANE users will earn certificates as credentials for completing part or whole courses.

These certificates are intended to reflect indicative hours of engagement with the

professional learning that PLANE offers.

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PLANE Activities PLANE offers a variety of activities to suit individuals or groups in a variety of learning

settings

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Recording a learner’s progress

Digital Portfolio

As part of their accreditation, educators are required to record their time spent on learning

and development. PLANE’s interactive online Portfolio streamlines the process: when a

teacher completes a course in PLANE the evidence of that learning is auto-populated into

their portfolio, providing the necessary evidence of learning, which can then be shared with

others for accreditation verification. Educators additionally create and track their own

Professional Learning Plan, and gain a career long record that educators maintain even as

they move across schools or sectors.

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What the New South Wales Institute of Teachers (NSWIT) says about educators like Jose’: Graduate educators are beginning their teaching career in NSW. They have undertaken an approved program of teacher preparation and possess the requisite knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to plan for and manage successful learning. These educators are equipped to engage in and negotiate a process of ongoing professional learning. They identify their development needs and seek advice and support from colleagues. They have high expectations both of themselves as professional learners and for the learning of their students. Their commitment to students and student learning is reflected in their desire to support students' achievement of the highest possible education outcomes. They have the commitment, enthusiasm and interpersonal skills to assume a professional role within schools and their broader communities and to contribute to the operations of a school as a whole.

User Case Studies

Meet Jose’:

Pre Service / New Scheme Teacher

Jose is a first year out teacher in the city. He needs to develop his skills as well as

accumulate accreditation hours for his NST qualification. He would also like to connect with

like-minded people

Jose’ needs Jose’s PLANE journey Jose would like to know how to use ICT for designing activities in a more student centred, collaborative and interesting way. He would like to see examples of how to implement specific software in subject areas and hear stories form those who have used these.

Jose has found the Shareclub resources to be very useful and the conversation around how people have used each of these. He was very excited to find the Digital Storytelling Gateway and joined the group using this so that he could hear more stories from those more conversant in this area.

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What the NSWIT says about educators like Rodica: Professionally accomplished educators have demonstrated successful teaching experience. They have successfully undertaken an induction program and have met the standards for professional accomplishment. They effectively monitor, evaluate and plan for learning. They are able to tailor teaching programs to meet the needs of individuals and groups within the class.

These educators have a record of effective and ongoing professional learning. They work collegially and in teams to further enhance their professional practice. They take responsibility for collaboration with others to identify and address their own learning needs.

They are effective members of a school and its broader community and interact effectively with stakeholders.

Meet Rodica:

Professionally Accomplished Teacher

Rodica is an experienced teacher looking to change the instructional climate

of her classes. She is keen to help others on their learning journey too. Up to

now, Rodica hasn’t found professional learning to suit her change mission…yet

Rodica needs Rodica’s PLANE journey Rodica thinks progress is limited by a lack of access to relevant and appropriate Professional Learning that will enable staff to maximise use of available technology. Staff have varying levels of interest and expertise with computers but most are keen to learn and develop their skills, they just do not know where to do this and Rodica herself cannot support all their diverse learning needs.

Rodica decides to view options for Professional Learning in PLANE. She decides to explore the learn area to make recommendations for staff to engage in Professional Learning online and have opportunities to share within stages. Her colleagues will link up with other schools through PLANE groups where educators are utilising these programs and strategies to share stories and do problem solving. They will have an opportunity to add these people to their friends list for personal follow up activities

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What the NSWIT says about educators like Irfan: These educators have a record of outstanding teaching and are committed to enhancing the quality of teaching and learning. They are committed educators who can articulate a vision of education to their students, peers, the profession and the wider community.

They may be employed in formal leadership positions within schools.

They are knowledgeable about the latest developments in pedagogy and can apply those developments to unique student contexts. They have outstanding interpersonal and leadership skills. These skills are underpinned by principles of fairness, compassion and integrity.

They recognise the talents of others and promote and encourage those people to achieve their potential. They apply critical analysis and problem-solving skills to educational matters.

They engage in professional learning and facilitate and support the professional learning needs of others, particularly induction programs for beginning educators. They communicate effectively with the community to support the development of the school and promote student learning.

Meet Irfan:

Professional LeadershipIrfan is looking for ways to lead his school into a new phase of ICT use. He wants to

move beyond “tools” and introduce strategies that reflect 21st Century skills and

learning.

Irfan needs Irfan’s PLANE journey Irfan is keen to create opportunities that engage and enhance the needs of staff members in ICT and empower them to take risks that will engage their students as well as their own learning. Supporting educators using appropriate technologies within the classroom such as IWBs, software, mobiles and virtual worlds are examples of where Irfan wants to move his staff.

Irfan searches through PLANE to find the relevant ICT experiences. The Skill Snacks catch his eye as a fun place for educators to start acquiring new skills. He also wants to use PLANE as a collaborative environment where he can facilitate and support staff engagement in, and reflection about, PLANE learning activities. But he is also very pleased to see the Ask an Expert Forum where educators can get specific help and the Share Club space for resource sharing and discussion

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Lead a cohort through a learning experience on PLANE

School leaders are invited to lead a group of colleagues through a learning experience on

PLANE. You may wish to design your own learning experiences on PLANE or, to make this

easier for you, we’ve designed some learning pathways that are easily implemented at your

school or program office. Educators who lead a cohort through the learning pathways below

will be eligible for 7 hours registered Professional Learning at Professional Accomplishment

level.

The 321 Learning Pathway

The 222 Learning Pathway

3 hours learning

Facilitate 3 hours of learning on PLANE (e.g using a PLANE ICT course to scaffold learning about a particular ICT tool or application of ICT in the classroom). This facilitation may be via a webinar or a planned learning event, or providing online support whilst the cohort works through an ICT course on PLANE

2 weeks to implement

Provide 2 weeks (intermittent) support and advice through various PLANE forums to support the implementation of the ICT tool into classrooms

1 hour reflection

Facilitate 1 hour of sharing and reflecting about the successes or issues in teacher’s Professional Learning Portfolios, on Share Club or in forums on PLANE.

2 hours learning

2 weeks to implement

2 hours reflection

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Notes: