Duration: 2:22
e-Learning teacher Mervyn Cook and student Connor Fitzgerald-Mansell, from Hillcrest High School, discuss the benefits of being able to connect via ICTs during outside of scheduled class time.
Mervyn Cook:
I have 18 students in my class so it was very difficult for me at times to be able to get round all of my different students and say this is how this programme works. So what I’ve been able to do is give students the opportunity to either email me at home or to be able to send different work projects that they’ve been engaged on, and I’ve been able to comment on them when I’m outside of the classroom. A recent example of this has been one of my senior students that has been moving forward with his own projects.
Connor Fitzgerald-Mansell:
I’ve been able to communicate with my teachers, several of my teachers, through email and Facebook to get help with certain projects that I’m doing, if I’m not quite sure what I’m doing I can, you know, send drafts to my teachers and they can give me comments and I can work on it more at home, and that’s been really helpful.
Mervyn Cook:
I’ve been able to direct him to other workshops and projects online that other people are doing along a similar line, and he’s been able to get advice on blogs and so on. So he’s been able to use me as a bit of a conduit to find that information that he needs, and I don’t necessarily have to spend a whole lot of time with that student, but I’ve been able to facilitate his learning.
I think that what technology has done for us is that we’re able to go "Here’s a problem, and let’s go and find the solution," and generally, within the space of the period we've found what we’ve needed – the resources that we’ve needed, (and) the expertise online to be able to make that situation work.
I think that’s very valuable from my point of view.
Connor Fitzgerald-Mansell:
I’m able to give my teacher my projects and he can you know look through them all at school or in his own time and be able to give me better, more in-depth advice.
Mervyn Cook:
And I think that’s really important for especially the senior students because I mean every exam is important but for the senior students there’s that extra edge and they’ve been able to come to school quite satisfied, or prepared is probably a better word, to be able to go forward and I think that’s really important.