Two Otago teachers have won Ministry of Education fellowships
to explore ways of using e-learning to deliver literacy to a
tech-savvy generation of pupils.
Pine Hill School teacher Esmay Sutherland, and Oamaru
Intermediate deputy principal and teacher Deidre Senior, were
among 10 teachers nationwide awarded fellowships for 2009.
Each has their own inquiry project designed to deliver new
ways of engaging pupils for whom the latest technology is
simply a way of life.
Ministry curriculum implementation manager Colin McGregor
said the standard of entries was high, and the successful
recipients would be making an exciting contribution to the
teaching profession.
"This year, each teacher will create a professional
e-portfolio demonstrating the shifts in their thinking and
practice as a result of their e-learning innovation.
They will also contribute to research into common themes
across their projects."
The present generation of school pupils already took
technology for granted, Mr McGregor said.
"By bringing together tea- chers who are demonstrating
leadership in e-learning, and providing them with the
opportunity to explore what engages and works for our young
people, I believe this year's e-fellows can make a big
difference to the way literacy is delivered in the classroom
in future."
Fellowship winners receive free broadband in their homes for
three school terms and 15 days funded release time from
school to work on their projects, and all are sent to a
national conference related to e-learning.
Miss Sutherland said her project would foster pupils as
authors by using animation to re-tell movie narratives.
"I can't wait to explore the opportunities of movie-making to
enhance authorship in my literacy programme.
It's exciting to think that my work could be incorporated
into the school curriculum in the future."
Mrs Senior said she felt honoured to be one of three fellows
selected from the South Island.
She hoped to use the award to create a programme in which
"more-able readers support less-able readers through blogging
about texts to enhance comprehension".
"This gives me an opportunity to do something that I was
looking at doing in the school next year. But with the
fellowship, it allows me to have extra support to implement
it and measure the success of it. It's getting the ball
rolling a bit quicker."
The fellowships are supported by CORE Education, in
partnership with the New Zealand Council for Educational
Research.
Since 2003, more than 40 New Zealand teachers have been
e-fellows.
