This document summarizes the journey of Botany Downs School in New Zealand from having very limited ICT resources and inquiry learning four years ago to their current capabilities. It began with joining an ICT/inquiry learning cluster and working to improve infrastructure by installing wireless, upgrading servers, and providing devices like laptops, projectors, cameras and interactive whiteboards to each classroom. Teachers learned to integrate technologies like blogging, Google Docs, and video creation tools to support inquiry learning. Younger students now use technologies like digital microscopes, Skype and stop-motion movies. The presentation shows how ICT has transformed the school from "e-zero" to "e-heroes" through incremental improvements over time.

1. From E- Zero to E- Hero
Presented by
Lyndal Lowans and Marie Highley
Integrating new technologies to empower learning and transform leadership

2. • Welcome to our presentation from e zero to e
hero. The Botany Downs journey from
practically no ICT and inquiry learning to
where we are now. This is our journey for the
past 3 years while we have been on the
contract.
• My name is Lyndal Lowans and I teach a
year 5 and 6 class
• My name is Marie Highley and I teach a Year
2 class.

3. Our journey

4. • If you had walked into Botany Downs School
four years ago you would see a much
different school from today. Being part of an
ICT/Inquiry cluster has been a large part of
this. We have not had a lot of money to do
things with which is why we wanted to share
how we have achieved going from e-zero to
e-hero. Our journey began with an approach
to see if we would be interested in joining an
ICT cluster. When joining up with the other
schools, we knew we had to do some things
fast.

6. • What did we have? 4 years ago we had, 3 digital cameras, 1
video camera and 1 mimio locked in the cupboard, ( a mimio is
a removable device which makes your whiteboard interactive)
and one computer in each classroom and no teacher laptops.
• So our first hurdle was infrastructure, so we decided to go all out
and re-cable the school to remove the daisy chaining. If you
don’t know what that means, the computers would load your
request to each computer down the line until it got to you. This
was slow and laborious with frustration for all. Our cabling had
been done by parents and board members on a volunteer day a
few years before and there as a maze of cables everywhere.
Our next step was when the teachers all received a Tela laptop.
This meant that all teachers could make resources on the
computers and do their planning rather than using the
classroom computer. It also gave the teachers the freedom to
do planning at home.

7. We have over time been able to
purchase...
• two pods of 4 laptops
• data projectors for each
class
• a mimio for each class
• a camera for each class
• upgraded the server
• end of lease Tela laptops
• 3 Flip cameras

8. • Over time with the help of our PTA we have been
able to now have a mimio, a camera, a data projector
in each class. We now have 3 computers in each
class as we purchased the first Tela laptops as they
came off lease this year and put them back in the
class. We have some teachers who let their students
on their laptop, and others who do not. In the first
year, we leased 8 laptops after Learning @ School
and these have been in 2 mobile pods for students to
use. Learning to plan to use the pods is still ongoing.
The same classes tend to have them. We chose
mimios rather than interactive whiteboard due to cost.
(Waterman’s stand?)
• Along the way we have installed wireless
connectivity, and last year a new server was
installed.

9. Class Blogs

10. • Blogging was a starter point for integration in the
classroom and has gradually become popular with
staff and students. The children enjoy having their
work put on their class blog page and being able to
share it with their families especially their
grandparent who live overseas. Many of them are
beginning to comment on each others work and on
work of children in other classes and schools. Keen
teachers have supported others to begin blog pages
for their classes. This is still a work in progress as
we still have to get more parents and world wide
viewers commenting.

12. • We also updated and improved the school website. This now
carries a lot of information for parents including the weekly
newsletter and photos of events happening in the school.
Parents are also able to fill in enrolment forms for their children.
• Another online resource we have started in the last 3 years has
been the school wiki page. This is in three levels to cater for
juniors (year 0, 1, and 2) the middle area (Years 3 and 4) and
the seniors (years 5 and 6). On each areas home page it has
been broken down to curriculum areas. The children are able to
use the wiki pages to find sites that have been found and
approved by the teaching staff. You may see that the junior
page has been done with pictures to click on. This enables the
new or non reader to access their favourite sites.

14. • In the beginning, how to get started,
which road to take ----------Inquiry or
Topic?

15. To promote models of good practice framed with
an inquiry approach
To increase the range of professional
competence of e-Learning and inquiry
learning among our teachers.

16. • Why inquiry? Two of our goals for the
cluster with the Ministry were: To
promote models of good practice
framed with an inquiry approach, and to
increase the range of professional
competence of e-Learning and inquiry
learning among our teachers

17. HOOK
CREATING

18. • Our inquiry journey is still a work in
progress. I have not shown this in a line
as we recognize that thinking through
inquiry is not linear. More recently, we
have added the stage of connecting.
This has come from recent PD on Solo
Taxonomy which we are hoping will lift
our inquiry learning and then we can
further develop Solo to other areas of
the curriculum.

19. Good ICT’s for inquiry

20. • Good ict’s for inquiry: One of the first
things we did was set up trusted search
engines on our wiki for our students to
go to.

21. MINDMEISTER

22. • Students enjoy joint projects, and
seeing the mapping group on the
screen.

23. WALLWISHER

24. • Wall wisher is another way to map ideas

25. Google Docs

26. • Last year our Year 5 and 6 had a very
successful inquiry unit on Making
something for our School fair. We used
google docs to construct surveys.
These were put on our wikispace and
the results used to determine what each
class made. (dream catchers, reuseable
shopping bags, decorated bottles,
painted pots, snow globes)

27. Demonstrating our Learning
Go Animate

28. • This year I am proud my students have
become creators of content, not just
consumers. Across our school, there is still
more shift in this area to be done as most
classes are consumers on sites like
Mathletics.
• Here is an example of the creation stage that
demonstrates our learning from our first
inquiry topic – Where are we in space?

29. • Go animate?

30. • Here is another example using the flip
recorder. We still have some learning
around keeping the camera still, and
finding a quiet place to record.

31. Recipe for Success

32. • Last year, one of our teachers
described inquiry as this in her
classroom.
• So that is our inquiry journey so far

33. Junior school

34. • In the following slides I will show you
some of the work that has developed in
the junior school over the last 3 years.

35. Cameras

36. • As I mentioned before - 4 years ago, we had 3
cameras to share between classes within the school.
Over time the PTA have generously raise funds to
enable all classes to now have a digital camera in
their class. These cameras have all been fitted with
lanyards and all children using a camera must have
the lanyard around their necks. For some children,
using a camera to record happenings in the school
has been a very new experience and have needed a
buddy for support. For others they have enjoyed
being “in charge” of the photography of a certain
happening, or event. It can be difficult to give this
responsibility to the a 5 or 6 year old.

38. • One use of the camera which my children have
particularly enjoyed has bee the making of stop/go
animated movies. This has been really effective in
showing the children how filming small movements of
objects and then playing the photos back quickly can
make a “movie” My boys thought they were very
clever. You may notice that the camera tripod is a
block of wood which has a small bolt through it to
attach the camera to. This makes a really steady
tripod which is less likely to move during the taking of
photos. I have found that putting the photos onto
moviemaker and making the timing fairly fast has had
good results for a finished product

39. Using a “Flip” to record stories

40. • This year we purchased 3 flip mino cameras.
I am lucky enough to have one of these in my
classroom. Other teachers in the junior
school are able to come to get it from me
when they want to take a movie in their class.
The children in my class have become keen
users of this new equipment and will readily
want to be filmed while they read their stories.
I choose a “cameraman/woman” and they are
able to set up, film. They also playback the
movie on the camera to check it is OK.
These movies are quick and easy to load
onto blog pages. The young man above has
his story on our class blog.

41. Computers

42. • We have three computers for use in the
classroom. On occasions we are able
to book a laptop pod. I usually book this
when I want to do a teaching session on
a particular programme. The children
work 2 to a computer taking turns.

43. Programmes
• Kidpix
• Word
• Mathletics
• Fun4thebrain
• Utube
• Starfall
• Crickweb
• Ict games
• Count me in too

44. • Here are some of the programmes that
are used frequently in the junior
classrooms

46. • Children get a chance to publish their
work on the computer using word.
These children also learn how to make
a picture on Kidpix and then insert it
onto their page to illustrate their work.

48. • Children get a chance to publish their
work on the computer using word.
These children also learn how to make
a picture on Kidpix and then insert it
onto their page to illustrate their work.

49. Mimio

50. • All classes now have a mimio. The mimio
has been a great success in my class. I use
it as a tool in all areas of the curriculum.
Children respond well to working on activities
either alone or as a group. We use it to be
able to store brainstorms, word walls, and
maths class activities. The children delight in
being able to find their photo and “decorate it.
I have found that when you work on kidpix
with the mimio pen, the children have more
success in getting the pictures they want. The
Maui and the sun animation was done on
Kidpix, on the mimio.

51. Extras

52. • From time to time I bring my digital
microscope in the classroom. It is set up
for the children to have a closer look at
their “finds.” One of the other junior
classes has a Dino Lite USB Digital
Microscope.
• In the other picture the children are
trying out a mimio pad. We have only
had this for a couple of weeks so I am in
the learning stages with it.

53. Digikids

54. • Little kids can be digikids too. I have
around six very able 6/7 year olds who
are the first port of call for children who
need help on the computers. They have
a badge and their names are put on the
board each day

55. Skype

56. • A Year 1 class has become keen users of Skype. Each Friday morning
the children skype with the local kindergarten. In the picture above you
can see Mia set up with headphones and microphone
• Mia's little sister had just started Morning Kindergarten - so this picture
is the first sibling conversation we have done on skype - Her sister
asked lots of questions about what she was going to do at school that
day!
• This teacher has a 'check sheet' so that she can keep track of who has
shared on skype.
• She says “We often read a published story, show a picture, or share a
piece of news. We also have done singing and dancing together over
skype. One Friday it was the Kindy disco and so we practised the
chicken dance together! Before our dance evening we performed E
rere taku poi for them. We also rehearsed for our assembly with Room
14 Room 9 and the kindergarten all on skype.
• It has been a great way for me to get to know the children before they
have even stepped foot inside our grounds!”

57. Digital learning centres

58. • Many of the junior classrooms have set up
digital learning centres for both reading and
maths activities. The pictures are hyperlinked
to web pages where activities have been
chosen for that groups. These can be on the
classroom computer for one or two children to
work on, or on the mimio for a group. These
work well as you are able to target learning
needs of a certain group.

59. Integrating ICT in Years 4-6

60. • As an ICT lead teacher in the school, I have found
that my learning is often in advance of the rest of the
staff. By no means, do I call myself an expert and my
personal journey with ICT and integration is still
continuing. There are things I do well, and things I do
not do well. As part of my role, I have had release
time to go into classrooms. Last year I went in and
would run one off sessions, often on kidpix or getting
classes started with blogging. Within my own
classroom I would trial programs and this year, I have
had the goal of integrating with the students and
using my mimio better as my modelling book. With
having to share computers across the school, when
we have the laptops we have to make the best use of
time.

61. Mimio – making my whiteboard interactive

62. • Using the Mimio. Mostly I use it for
whole class teaching as my modelling
book. This is an example of a
brainstorm for writing and working with
students to improve their writing As
my handwriting is not the best, I have
begun using the laptop and typing
rather than the pen.

64. • Here we are working on describing
characters. I find that being able to
highlight with different colours helps the
students. They have a copy of the text
we are using as an exemplar and
highlight and write too.
• The timer is set to the amount of writing
time. This puts a bit of impetus in to be
thinking quickly and to complete.

66. • Sometimes I use the mimio to model maths.
The program itself has more useful things for
juniors at this point in time. I now have to
work on using the mimio to model for small
group work. Because our ICT equipment is
still seen as a treat at times within the class, I
tend to use the good old fashioned group
book on the mat to avoid distractions. Also I
may have a couple of children using my
laptop so the mimio is not available. The
mimio is a huge programme and I only use a
small portion of it.

67. Reading:

68. • For Reading I go to the website Cool Tools for
Schools which is where I found Go animate. We are
currently attempting to learn how to use zooburst(pop
up books) and we have used kidpix and moviemaker
for retelling stories. When finished we load to the
class blog. They also have times where their task for
the day is to publish some written work, or blog about
some happening in the school. My philosophy for a
class blog for my year level is that the blog needs to
be student driven rather than teacher driven.
Sometimes we can do blogs as a class. This example
is a co-operative task for a whole groups rather than
an individual. I have found that individuals never get
it completed with only a few computers.

70. Writing

71. • This year I have been trying to lift my
reluctant writers writing by giving them
turns on the computers to write. This is
an example from the beginning of the
year. You can see reluctance from poor
motor skills and lack of information.

72. In The Basement
“Hi I am Tom I am 13 years
old. I have black hair, blue
eyes and I am very tall.”
“I am going Skydiving with
my friend Jack because it
is my birthday.”
Today it is very cold .Jack
is 10 years old he has
brown hair, green eyes and
he isn’t very smart. We are
flying over the forest and
we jump and we are
having a great time until
the wind picks up. We

73. • The mapping has been done in
publisher as the text boxes are more
movable than when in word. This
particular student actually went home
and did his mapping and emailed it to
school.
• Now you can see writing skills more of
a level 3 student

74. Tried and True

75. • Tried and true programs. My students
have a love of the Microsoft Publisher
program and will use instead of word.
Publishing a report, their poetry into a
card for Father’s day, and class treaty

76. • Good infrastructure to start with
• Don’t fret
• Little steps and going slow is ok
• Do one thing well, then build on that skill
• Support each other with in-house PD
• Share ideas
• Let your students become independent with ICT
• Use co-operative tasks
• Use the equipment you have well
• Be proud of the progress you do make.

77. • So that is continuing journey with ICT. The key ideas we would
like you to take away are:
• Infrastructure – you have to spend some money, wireless came
off (good backbone)
• Equipment: you can have all the equipment and can sit unused
or not used well.
• I have found that using your students knowledge is a great way
to learn things yourself. Many children come to school with a
good knowledge of some programmes and of using the internet
to find information. Children become very enthusiastic about
their learning when they are able to use the ICT tools that you
do have. Thank you for coming to our presentation. Are there
any questions about what we have spoken about.

78. Websites
• http://www.botanydowns.school.nz
• http://botanydowns.wikispaces.com/
• www.fun4thebrain.com/addition.html
• http://www.starfall.com/
• http://www.ictgames.com/resources.html
• http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks1literacy.html
• http://www.mathletics.co.nz/
• http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/countmein/children.html
• http://goanimate.com/
• http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/
• http://www.zooburst.com/
• http://eastnet.wikispaces.com/
• http://www.mindmeister.com/
• http://www.wallwisher.com/
• http://room2bds2010.blogspot.com/
• http://room21bds2010.blogspot.com/

79. Acknowledgements:
Photos: