Microsoft in Education Virtual Forum Latin America Caribbean

Microsoft in Education Virtual Forum. Latin America & Caribbean October 30 th, 2014

Project Name: Educator(s): Araceli Marchan School or Educational Institution: Bishop Anstey High School East is an all-girls secondary school located on 1 st College Avenue, Trincity, Trinidad and Tobago. It was established in September of 2001 and currently there is an enrolment of 875 students every year. This private school is managed by a Board of management appointed by the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese in Trinidad and Tobago, through the Bishop Anstey Association, the Organisation for the management of Anglican secondary schools. The curriculum is designed to develop all round individuals, academic excellence, leadership skills and good morals and values. There is wifi access throughout most of the school and a smart lab as Bishop Anstey High School East seeks to become a leader in the integration of information and communication technology in education. Specify the Website: http: //www. ba-tc. org/ Content / Subjects or Curriculum: Mathematics, Language Arts, Information Technology, Technology Education, Social Studies, Science Age / Educational Level or Grade: Form 1 to 3 - Age level 11 -14 Project Objectives: -To Explore the Seven Developmental Areas of Learning- e. g. Communication Skills, Social Skills, Literacy Skills and Mathematics Skills etc. -To Encourage the Creative use of Microsoft Touch. Develop and other Web based platforms for App Creation -To improve Language Skills used in both writing and reading. -To develop Mathematical skills in Ratio and Proportion, Angles, Estimation, Multiplication, Addition and Problem Solving to enhance understanding and decision making -To encourage the creative use of ICT in learning -To encourage cross curricular education -To encourage 21 st century skills through Project Based Learning

Description of the project Brief description of the project and its educational context. What are the objectives and learned outcomes achieved to date? Is it a long-term learning activity? Does the project appeal to students and direct to plan and evaluate their work in time? Please add files with background information, if necessary. See the notes section on how to add files. Planning and Design of the learning environment Show examples of planning (for example, the pedagogical approach, or links to the resources used). Please highlight creative aspects and innovative teaching practices. Emphasize to what extent planning facilitates learning and the development of different skills for the 21 st Century, such as the construction of knowledge, the use of ICT for learning, problem solving and innovation, self-regulation of collaboration and communication skills. Note: These directions can be erased - this space can be used Traditional classroom knowledge was combined with real-world expertise and skills to better prepare the students for success. Parameters were set for the project and students had the freedom to propose their own ideas, and the selected choice was made with the teacher’s approval. Students felt more invested and responsible for their work. Critical thinking, communication, teamwork, time management, decision-making, public speaking, proper organization and responsible social behaviour was necessary to complete a successful project. Using available technology, students had more one-on-one time with the teacher to ask questions and share ideas. This gave them a higher level of stimulation and a greater role in their education process. Accommodation was made for differently abled students and students with learning disabilities. Independence in goal setting and decision making was encouraged and student reflection was done at each phase of the project. A more holistic approach to education was provided by drawing on multiple disciplines/subjects. This project, encouraged students to write and to work at becoming better writers. They retain the material they learnt longer because it accommodates all learning styles. It has given them a voice, to express themselves. They learnt Technology skills, Math kills, Science skills, Social Studies skills and Language skills that surpass the classroom. Test scores on these topics were higher and their selfconfidence has improved as they are able to share the results of their hard work with their schoolmates and people in their community. It encouraged parental and family involvement which impacted students a lot. They are motivated to come to school and be invested in their learning.

Evidence of Learning Show examples of the products and results created by students throughout the project including the use of ICT. What type of ICT are used and how have they been used in the project? To what extent do students use ICT to support the construction of knowledge, collaboration or learning outside the classroom? Does the use of ICT permit the construction of new knowledge/collaborations/learning beyond the opportunities in the classroom that would not be possible without the use of ICT? Have digital tools been used in an imaginative and innovative manner to aid learning processes? Indicate how. Please include files, videos, etc. that clearly document the learning process and evidence of student learning. Note: These directions can be erased - this space can be used Link to Touchdevelop App created by students: ICLP Colour Bounce http: //tdev. ly/dhswaroy

During the process of developing an app with the student's the ICT concentration was Collaboration Show examples of how students work with others, share decision-making responsibilities in developing a product set, a design or a response to a complex question. Students can collaborate with their classmates or with students or adults outside the classroom. Note: These directions can be erased this space can be used not only on the app but on intergrating as many ICT applications into the project to help the students develop their skills in ICT and lifeskills through applications. For instance we began our app creation with developing a time line for information retrieval and goal setting using Microsoft Project. It was through this software students were exposed to the idea of time trails and developing a plan of work into a Gannt chart idea. It was during this application we showed the students practical ways of using Microsoft Project to setup their own study plan for school. They are then able to schedule, organise their study load and begin setting goals for themselves, thereby improving their own schoole xperience. Through developing the project the students developed practical skills to manage any size of task through the use of an interactive calender in a timeline format. They were given experience with using and creating Gantt charts. Students used Skype and Social Networking including Facebook and Whatsapp to collaborate outside of the classroom. They also used email to communicate with the teacher.

Knowledge Construction and critical thinking Please provide examples of how the learning activities require students to go beyond repeating what they have learned to develop knowledge through interpretation, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. This app development project was a combination of stages that helped students develop through research, exploration, interpretation of information, construction and development of new information and strategic thiniking. They were able to develop an initial concept/idea into a useful product. Once students had their gannt chart they were then asked to research information on the way children think and learn, through the seven development areas of a child. In doing this the students had to learn to analyse and intrepret the information and at the same time evaluate what was needed to help a child develop their response time. Together with international students in Botswana they were able to synthesis a combination of ideas into an idea to develop how a person receives information and reacts to information that is not in its proper classification. So the idea for the app was created. The idea was only the begining of the collaborating effors of the students, they then had to learn about developing backgrounds, graphics and information to put the app together. For this the students were allowed to find free art on the internet and then edit it using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Imageready to have the images clear and viewable in the game. In doing this students were exposed to decision making, and learning concepts of perception in relation to size of image and display of image. Once all information for the game was compiled in terms of graphics the students had to then begin the task of developing the game. They had to edit text and rewrite script within Touchdevelop to make the functionality of the game exist. This took alot of brainstorming and trial and error to strategically setup the game that the students had in mind. The students had to then develop a point system and understand the template that they had developed so they used the concept sample of the multiplier in which your points are increased by a multiplier so for every correct attempt the multiplier goes up by one point, and if the multiplier reaches 10, the player gains a life however if at anytime hits the incorrect answer the multiplier is reset to one. This added an additional challege to the game’s idea since to gain a new life you had to respond to 10 correct responses thus developing a sequence of positives which will then develop responding to information in an ordered learning manner. Extending Learning beyond the classroom. If the learning experience is not limited by the classroom walls, the calender of regular classes, and the set parameters, please provide examples of this. If the project addresses real-world issues (that is, authentic situations and information outside the classroom) or has a significant impact on communities at a local or international level, please show examples of this. Note: These directions can be erased - this space can be used The students in Trinidad were exposed to the thinking of students in Botswana and one of their main discoveries was the quantity of information they each had to learn and the differing styles they have of learning. Trinidad students found it easy to understand the design process of a ‘word-monster’ without seeing one, whereas students from Botswana needed to see and almost ‘feel’ the idea. So graphics needed to be complied for Botswana students before they understood the idea of the concept. Working through Skype helped students collaborate information outside of the box of their country's style of learning and explore information from Teachers in another country. The app thus helped theses students find a way to communicate their style of information and make a combined project that displayed a synthesis of Trinidad and Botswana design and structure. This had a significant impact as individual students as well as their team effort to represent what they were able to intergrate together across countries.