FORMULATING A DIGITAL STRATEGY

FORMULATING A DIGITAL STRATEGY 

When setting out to formulate our digital strategy, we returned to our vision and formulated three general objectives that we thought would help us to achieve this vision:

      Goal 1: Provide technology accessibility for all learners

      Goal 2: Facilitate professional development (PD) workshops and the creation of professional learning communities to assist with the effective and suitable integration and application of student-centred digital technologies.

      Goal 3: Increase student engagement by encouraging educators to apply pedagogy that facilitates the 4Cs of intrinsic motivation: choice, challenge, collaboration and control

We then considered the numerous ways that these general objectives may be realised as many of these would become the impetus for our digital strategy. We came up with the following:

Students

      Use digital technology to open up new ways of learning and collaboration to support different styles of learning.

      Experience joy, satisfaction, passion and success in their learning.

      Actively engage in learning

      Become digitally literate students

      Use digital technologies critically, ethically and responsibly.

      Accept ownership of their learning – involving the ability to be self-directed and a decision maker

Teachers

      Take a more facilitative role, providing student-centred guidance and feedback

      Use digital technologies to “to solve real-world problems” by engaging in “collaborative project-based learning activities that go beyond the classroom”

      Apply the principles of UDL and TPACK to guide technologically enhanced lessons

      Accept ownership of their own professional learning and, where appropriate, participating in learning communities that make extensive use of technology.

School Leaders

      Take a lead role in planning how the institution will effectively embed digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment practices.

      Develop policies and practices for the safe and ethical use of digital technologies by all members of the school community.

      Strengthen their existing relationships with the wider community and with parents/guardians through the use of digital technology.

Parents/Guardians

      Engage with their children’s learning through the use of digital technologies.

      Collaborate with and participate in school activities and programmes using digital technologies.