Molenet - National Star College

Year 3: Mobilising teachers (equipping staff with the skills for using mobile technology to develop their teaching and learning to promote autonomy with learners with learning difficulties and or disabilities) 2009/2010

Project Description

This project will develop a bespoke training module for teachers working with Learners with Learning Difficulties and Disability. A ‘mobile technology’ module integrated into teacher and staff development programmes will focus on technological pedagogy, functions of devices, and competencies in using learning objects.
Learners are enthusiastic mobile technology users; it is teacher resistance to using new technology, as experienced in our MoLeNET2 study, which constitutes a barrier which can impact negatively on students’ ability to communicate and develop autonomy. This project will utilise mobile technologies to support learning by focussing on the development of skills to create innovative teaching, learning and assessment methods.

Aims

This project aims to:
• Up-skill teachers, through teacher training programmes and continuous professional development (CPD), in the use of mobile devices specifically for teaching learners with learning difficulties and or disabilities (LDD).
• Demonstrate teacher competence in using mobile technology in context with learners with LDD thus accelerating the process of transformational change.
• Enable the development of innovative and creative uses of mobile technologies by teachers for promoting autonomous learning.
• Develop learning objects for use in work-related and independent living contexts

Objectives

The key objective for Mobilising Teachers is to equip teachers with the skills to use mobile technologies with learners with LDD to:

• Understand the technological pedagogy surrounding mobile learning and relate this to their own teaching through the development of a training module incorporated into current QTLS course materials and/or staff development programmes.

• Use pre existing functions of the device in the context of their scheme of work
• Be able to explain the functions of the device to a class group to undertake a specific learning activity.
• Be able to use a pre –existing learning package on the device with a group of learners
• Develop and use bespoke learning object with a learner group in a specific learning context
• Understand and use specific access requirements with their mobile device such as audio or large print for visually impaired learners, visual and graphic images for those with hearing impairments, physical access for those without fine motor control i.e. cradles, switch access etc...
• Identify and use functions of the mobile device to support reflective professional practice

Target audience:

Main target audience:
Teachers, specifically working with LLDD, who are undertaking QTLS/staff training and development programmes. The emphasis will be on up skilling teachers to integrate the use of mobile technology into their teaching practice.
Secondary target audience: Learners with learning difficulties and or disabilities (physical disabilities, sensory impairments and learning and behavioural difficulties) aged between 16 -25 in specialist further education. Learning will take place in work-related settings and as part of the curriculum (academic and vocational/transition to independence

Partners:

Hereward College, Doncaster College for the Deaf and Lufton College