Lifting Learning Engagement Through

Interactive Technologies

An Action Research Project at Open High School

2008

Stephen Murray

Principal, Open High School

Background - Curriculum

Open High School is a specialist languages school providing 11 languages (Stage 5 & Stage 6) through distance learning

- 90% Stage 6 - 10% Stage 5

- Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean

- Spanish, Italian, Mod Greek

- French, German, Russian

- Latin

Background - Students

• 85% Stage 6 and 15% Stage 5

• 70% govt schools - 30% non govt

• Reaching into over 500 schools across NSW, ACT & overseas

• 65% Sydney Metro Area - 35% rural/regional

Background - Staff

• 120 staff (87 FTE teaching/11 SASS)

• Deputy Principal + 9 Head Teachers

• 85% of staff are native speakers

• 65% of staff are fluent in 2 or more languages

• 55% of teachers are casual, part time or temporary

Open High School’s Pedagogical Foundations • Relationship building through collaborative learning

• Accessible & achievable curriculum

• Immediacy of feedback & response

• Supportive & proactive learning support structures

• Expectations that are high and shared by all stakeholders - a no excuses school

Internet TelephonyTeleconferencingMessage capture

Interactive Whiteboard ConferencingSynchronous/AsynchronousText & audio captureScreen capture

Email/ Chat & bulletin board (SIBE)Synchronous/AsynchronousModerated Archived

Student administration Database (FMPro)

Learning Management System (MOODLE)

CD/DVDAudio - mp3Video – mpegText – pdfPlayers, readers, drivers etc

PodcastingAudioVideoText

SMS Text MessagingAutomated broadcastDay to Day needs

School WebsiteInformation updatesContent downloadLMS Gateway

INTERACTIVITY/ENGAGEMENT TOOLS

CURRICULUM/INFO DELIVERY PLATFORMS

Online LessonsAsynchronousMonitored

Learning Engagement & Technology

Open High School Digital Futures Project 2006

Digital Assets Library

Background

Low retention rates in Stage 5

70% loss of students from Stage 5 into Stage 6

Predominantly boys

Learning materials with strong emphasis on text

Strong emphasis on repetitive learning eg drill & repeat glossary work with low cognitive reach

Large component of oral/aural learning in Stage 5 languages syllabi

Identified Needs – The Learner

Immediacy of student feedback

Students with greater control over the learning experience

Students with greater choice in their learning

Lifting learner engagement through use of visual learning resources

Embedded interactivity

The Project

Development of a ‘library’ of re-useable digital assets for Stage 5 Indonesian

Collection of comic style frames or ‘stills’ that an be assembled in a variety of sequences to generate a ‘storyboard’ of a contextualised conversation in the target language.

Library of comic frames stored in a Learning Resource Repository and able to be accessed remotely

Stills Library

Stills Library Features and Functionality

Managed Access

Standardised file naming protocol eg

OPHS_S5_In_T1_Curry1

OPHS_S5_In_T1_Curry2

Web based meta tagged searching tool

Linked to Student Administration database

Files downloadable to CD/DVD burn palette with details recorded in Student Administration Database

The Pedagogy of the Online Comic Strip

Visually engaging.

Use of contemporary settings or context.

Uses authentic language.

Individual frames enable students to construct their own ‘storyboard’ and authentic scripts in the target language.

Facilitates sequencing in storytelling – essential in learning another language.

The Pedagogy of the Online Comic Strip

Use of humor to elicit and develop conversation and vocabulary skills

Enables high level interactivity

Modifiable to meet individual learner needs

Blank frames enable ‘branching’ and ‘prediction’ in storytelling

Choice of sequence reinforces learning

Immediacy of feedback

ICT RequirementsSequence of comic frames to be published in

Flash™ format and be a self executing file.

Integrated with mp3 audio

Individual comic frames to be Interactive Whiteboard friendly ie able to be independently arranged in a variety of sequences on IWB

Cross platform enabled

Moodle™ compliant

Multi application eg useable in podcasts and vodcasts

Our progress so far….

Resourcing the Project

Teacher as subject matter expert.

Artwork and production expertise sourced through an external Production Team on a $ cost per frame.

Production Team consisted of a professional Illustrator, Animator and Project Manager

Design brief, content and associated scripting generated by subject matter expert.

Copyright belongs to the school.

Project Outcomes

Benefits

Better ‘fizz’ for our $. Project flow rate much greater than school could achieve

Tapping into high order industry standard skills and expertise

Creation of professional quality graphics that can be adapted to a wide variety of uses

Teachers’ repertoire expanded

Student interest & learning engagement high & sustained

Unpacking The Process

Always expect the unexpected!

Existing content is usually harder to adapt to a comic format than building new content from ground up.

Outcomes of project need to be clearly articulated and published before the design brief stage is commenced.

Design brief needs to be fully detailed with high level of specificity and published.

Collaboration model needs to be negotiated in conjunction with the design brief and published.

END