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Case Study 3: Using LAMS with Young Learners (K-6), Glenorie Primary School

A discussion with Debbie Evans, Principal Glenorie Primary School NSW.

Prepared by Karen Baskett

Glenorie is a small Primary School situated on the rural outskirts of Sydney. There are currently 203 students enrolled, 8 classroom teachers and 5 support teachers. The school community strongly supports the school's efforts to be equipped with the most modern resources and technology plays a strong role in this direction.

Debbie has been using LAMS at Glenorie Primary School since the beginning of 2004. Debbie saw a demonstration of LAMS towards the end of 2003 at Macquarie University and ran her first class the following year. Debbie and another teacher, Karen May then participated in a micro trial run by The Centre for Learning Innovation in the first half of 2005. By the end of this trial, all of their stage 3 learners and 1 Kindergarten class were using LAMS. In second semester 2005 Debbie trialled homework sequences using LAMS. This year (2006) Glenorie's use of LAMS has expanded to well over half the school using LAMS.

The Glenorie teachers have been using LAMS in a variety of interesting ways which include;

When commenting on the use of LAMS for completing the annual Department of Education school report, Debbie remarked that each school is required to choose an area to report on and then survey students, parents and all teachers. They chose technology and school life. The surveys are normally paper-based and Debbie noted that usually there is a very low return rate of completed surveys. Debbie converted the paper-based surveys into a LAMS sequence and received a 95% response rate from parents, which previously would have been 'unheard of'. There was a 100% response rate from students and teachers as the LAMS sequences were conducted at the school. Additionally Debbie was impressed with the amount of time saved during the process as there was no need to tally up the responses, LAMS does this automatically, and she was able to copy and paste the charts that LAMS produces straight into the final report.

As Glenorie Primary School is situated in a rural area, many of the parents drive over an hour each way to drop their children off at school. The parental online discussion communities were created through a need for parents to communicate effectively without having to be physically present at the school. For example, parents were able to successfully organise the Year 6 farewell and the community fete through using the Forum tool in LAMS.

The use of LAMS in general, but particularly to complete homework sequences, has had a big impact on the school community at Glenorie. Every Monday a LAMS homework sequence is run. Students are also given a paper-based copy of the homework sequence incase there are technical difficulties or they don't have access to a computer. Debbie estimates that at present 80% of their children have a home computer and access to the Internet. For those students that don't have access at home, extra class time is made available and access to a computer given at lunchtime to complete the homework sequence. Several students have succeeded in getting their parents to buy a home computer because they want to be able to complete their LAMS sequences like other students. Parents have also upgraded old software when necessary.

The students are highly motivated to complete their homework sequences using LAMS. They are often finished by Tuesday and students that are away from school through illness are still eager to complete their homework. When students no longer had to be pushed to do their homework but were begging to get on the computer, parents began asking what LAMS was all about. Debbie invited all parents to a Parent and Teacher information session at the school and explained how LAMS worked. For the most part, parents fully support the use of technology for their children and a lot of the pressure to expand the use of LAMS now comes from the parents themselves. For example parents with two children at the school who have one child using LAMS, want to know why the other child (in a different class) isn't also using LAMS. In essence parents are excited that their children are excited about learning. The homework sequences have been instrumental in initiating this excitement. Once students are using LAMS at home, there is a bigger parental interest level. One example of a sequence that both parents and students found really valuable was regarding an upcoming excursion to Canberra. Debbie included information and pictures on the venue where the students would be staying and parents and students found this not only reassuring but also stimulating.

Debbie does admit that there are some families that want to monitor their children's homework and they feel that they can do this better through the traditional homework book. Debbie attempts to address these issues at the Parent and Teacher information sessions and also by maintaining open classrooms, where parents are welcomes to come and see how LAMS works.

I asked Debbie what the teacher perspective on using LAMS was and if it created more work for teachers using LAMS and technology in general. She answered that yes, it definitely takes more time but that the rewards are worth it. Debbie also admits that some teachers are uncomfortable using not only LAMS, but technology in general and she feels that gradually this won't be a problem as teacher turnover happens and younger 'digital natives' take over teaching roles. I also asked Debbie about the 'sustainability' of using LAMS and that if she left Glenorie, whether she felt the use of LAMS would continue. She answered that despite training being provided that some teachers can't use technology (LAMS, Word, Excel and so on). She feels that as parent pressure is getting so strong now that soon, not using LAMS won't be an option and that teachers will be forced to learn how. Debbie felt confident that there are now enough innovative teachers using LAMS at the school for its use to continue even if she left.

Finally, I asked Debbie what had been the main benefits that she perceived using LAMS. She answered, the ability to get in anytime to check the progress of the students and if necessary to get in early and find out why there were problems and try to help resolve these. She also loves the opportunities for collaboration that LAMS has provided. For example, she has created 'help' sequences for homework which mainly take advantage of the Forum tool. Students can post questions about their homework and expect answers anytime of the day or night from parents, other students and their teacher. Debbie also created a 'Reading' forum where students post on what they are currently reading. Using a traditional homework book, this would be a two way interaction between teacher and student, but with LAMS, other students and the teacher learn about different reading from each other. As Debbie says 'That's collaboration!'

If you would like to see examples of The Glenorie teacher's sequences, there are lots to download on the LAMS Community site in the K-12 sector.

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