Royal Geographical Society

Innovative Teaching Grant 2011

The whole world (wide web) in my hands'
James Mutton Geography Teacher Featherstone High School 11 Montague Waye Southall Middlesex UB2 5HF Tel: 0208 843 0984 jmutton@featherstonehigh.ealing.sch.uk

Abstract The project used mobile technology to enhance the delivery of Geography education in a media-rich learning environment. The grant money, couple with investment from the school enabled the purchase of 20 iPods and the associated peripherals. The three aims of the project were to personalise provision to individuals, increase the numbers of students who were choosing Geography at GSCE and A-Level and develop exciting ways of teaching. All three aims of the project were met and whilst still in the early stages, there has been significant interest in the devices from staff and students alike. This project has informed the schools planning on mobile devices and has highlighted the benefit of them to students learning. The next step at Featherstone High School will be to get iPads into classrooms for students to use and to enable students to bring their own devices to connect to the wireless network. Introduction Featherstone High School is an 11-19 Academy in Southall, West London. 35% of students are on Free School Meals and over 80% speak English as a second language. Results are good for the ability profile of the students, most recently achieving 53% 5A* - C including English and Maths. It is a technology-rich school where there are laptops in almost every classroom and each classroom is fitted with an IWB. There is a 1:1 roll-out of netbooks to students the sixth form and staff members have a tablet PC. In addition, 15 staff have an iPad2 following a small scale pilot, with a view to connecting to projectors wirelessly with AppleTV. Finally, the school has a strong online presence with Facebook and Twitter alongside subject specific websites that have taken the place of the more formal and, perhaps, outdated VLE.
Students using iPods in class to research

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This projects fits into this environment by piloting technology with the learners as the primary user as a tool for learning rather than an aid to teaching as some of the other technology in the school could be described. Outcomes The aims of the project were threefold; to improve the personalisation of learning for students; to increase uptake at GCSE and 6th Form; and to develop exciting ways to teach in technology-rich environments. Personalisation Students have been able to work with the internet in the palm of their hands and use the iPod as a tool to access a huge number of resources. Apps like dictionaries and translators have made it easier for students to access content at a speed that would otherwise be impossible. Both quantity and quality, particularly of hand written research task, has increased. Uptake Early indications show that the number of students choosing Geography in Year 9 is higher than in previous years; four classes to start Year 10 in September 2012 as opposed to two in the current Year 11. Whilst it cannot be attributed solely to the iPods in Geography, as there are other factors at play like the EBacc, the general feeling amongst students is that Geography is a modern, innovative and exciting subject and that undoubtedly reflects well on the subject. Exciting teaching The iPods have encouraged Geography teachers to think of new ways to deliver content and have included incorporating apps, QR Codes, photos and iBooks into the lessons. They sheer novelty value in the first instance also makes them exciting which has raised student engagement and excitement. Finances 20* iPod Touch (151 each) 1* Parasync docking station Apps Cases and screen protectors Total: 3020 800 40 25 3885 (inc VAT) [3108 ex VAT as schools do not pay VAT]

Some of the Apps we use on a regular basis

*It is important to note that as well as funding from the RGS Innovative Teaching Grant, this project has benefitted from funding from the schools ICT budget. This was not anticipated in the initial project proposal but goes to show the high level of support from the Senior Management Team. The initial bid was for 800 to cover 5 iPods, cases, covers and apps, and did not include the docking station. Issues Students were keen to explore the iPods, especially during the first couple of lessons they had using them. This did provide a challenge to make sure they were all on task, but one of the best ways is to ask the students to put them down! Students also seemed to like the camera function on the iPod to take photos
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of others in class. It was important to discourage them from doing so and to ensure that camera rolls were regularly cleared. The largest problem with them was that the students were so keen to use the iPods that they used them when they should have been doing something else; some (students) might argue they were too engaged! Once they are more used to using them in class and have learned how to use them appropriately, this is likely to become less of an issue. Further areas of study We have not yet had the opportunity to take the iPods out of the classroom on a fieldtrip. They will be used on the Year 10 trip to Swanage in the summer. In order to keep them safe, the devices will be signed in and out by students who agree to look after them properly. Students without their own device can be prioritised to allow all students the opportunity to take photos and make notes in the field. Implications and further developments as a result of the iPod project The project has been highly successful in the 6 months or so that we have had the iPods. The Geography Department have been at the forefront of the innovation in ICT in the school, with 3 out of 5 teachers using iPads to enhance the teaching and learning in their classrooms. Other teachers, lead by student demand, have expressed interest in using the iPods for their classroom to see for how they could use them in their own subject area. A programme of loaning the iPods to others has been devised and the next phase will be to allow other teachers to use them with the view to getting more devices in school. Through the development of iOS and wireless syncing, it is now no longer necessary to plug the iPods into a computer via USB cables or docking stations to sync data. This means that the docking station, whilst useful for charging the devices, is not vital thus reducing overall cost of having a class set of devices.

The 20 iPods in their docking station

The wireless network in school is being set up to allow students to being their own devices into school and get online. This will allow students with their own iPods and other mobile devices to use them in the classroom in a similar way to the iPods, meaning that the schools resources can be spread more widely across the school. Through the success of the iPods, we have begun to plan an iPad-based KS5 course to begin next year. Support from the schools ICT budget for 3 iPads plus a commitment from the Geography Department for a further 2 would allow a 1:1 deployment of the devices in class. As with the iPods, we would be able to share the devices with the other departments in the school when they were not being used in the Geography department. The release of the iPad3 and the subsequent reduction in price on the iPad2 to 263.20 ex VAT makes this an affordable and exciting possibility and one that, without the expertise gained from the project funded by the RGS Innovative Teaching Grant, would not be possible at this time. Any questions, comments or thoughts on this project are more than welcome as are suggestions and ideas about expanding our iPad provision in school; please use the contact details at the top.
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