It’s been four years since Newington College rolled out the Bring Your Own Device program and Learning Management System – Canvas, and this year, the good guys in ICT are doing a comprehensive review of the program to see what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to be done to make it better. We sat down with one of the newest members of the ICT E-Learning team, Mr Michael Ha to talk about the review and what we can expect to see over the next couple of months.

Can you tell me a little bit about the ICT review? 

The review aims to investigate how ICT is impacting learning and teaching at Newington College, and in particular, how it is facilitating our College’s Learning Framework. This review will look at how these programs are encouraging our teachers and students to be self-directed, inquisitive and reflective learners.

What things are reviewed and how will it be done?

The five areas the review will focus on include teaching and learning, leadership, evidence of success, professional learning and the learning environment. A range of data will be collected including surveys, one-on-one interviews, small group discussions and classroom observations. It is hoped that all stakeholders i.e. students, teachers, general staff and parents will be involved in the process. It is anticipated that the review will be completed mid-Term 4 2015.

Some of the essential questions around this review include:

• Where are we at?
• How well is technology being used for teaching and learning?
• Is the BYOD and iPad program working?
• How well is Canvas being used?
• Where to next?

Where were you before you started up in the ICT department at Newington?

I started with Newington College at the beginning of Term 3 this year, having moved up from Melbourne with my young family in the June holidays. I’m a PDHPE teacher with a passion for understanding and implementing technologies that teachers and students require in the 21st century to enhance learning outcomes. I also teach Mathematics and Information Technology. Being a sport and technology enthusiast has meant that I’ve been proactively looking at ways to incorporate these passions into my life and work. Most recently this has included using a remote controlled drone to analyse PE classes and incorporating smart watches in education!