They are too far to take a taxi, but I anticipated an easy hour commute by train. The train station was easy to navigate with helpful staff. The train was multilevel, comfortable, and very clean.
The first school is Evans High School in Blacktown. My airport transportation driver, a former teacher at Blacktown Boys High School, referred to Blacktown as the "Wild Wild West." That conjures up a visual of gun fights in the street for me! That did leave me a bit concerned, but I had a commitment to go there. On the Uber ride from the train station to Evans High School I observed neighborhoods that were distinctly different from the high-rises of the city or the prosperous suburbs of Melbourne. I spotted Blacktown Boys High School one block from the main road, behind an auto body shop. The businesses seemed to spring up haphazardly, with rundown store fronts and a poor, or perhaps nonexistent, development plan. There was clearly a different socio-economic vibe. Evans High School was a gated property. I moved onward with an open mind.
One unique feature of this school is that it has a separate program that is an Intensive English Center. International and aboriginal (8%) students may attend this program of study for 6 months and then they transition to the main curriculum. 60 percent of the students attend this intensive language module and represent over 120 different languages. Technology integration in the language program is separate from the main school as they have access to more devices and the budget and funding is independent.
I met with Tamara Rodgers. Evans High School received an eleven thousand dollar grant to purchase technology resources to implement coding into the curriculum. They have five computer labs and the students do not bring their own devices. They have not yet begun to integrate coding into their classes. They are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the following: Spheros, Ozobots, Lego Robotics, Raspberry Pi, Little Bits, and Makey Makey supplies as a means of introducing computational thinking and coding. These seem to be the popular coding integration resources highlighted at the conference and used in many schools in Australia. I will follow up with Tamara to learn how these products are facilitating the assimilation of coding in the curriculum.
I met with Tamara Rodgers. Evans High School received an eleven thousand dollar grant to purchase technology resources to implement coding into the curriculum. They have five computer labs and the students do not bring their own devices. They have not yet begun to integrate coding into their classes. They are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the following: Spheros, Ozobots, Lego Robotics, Raspberry Pi, Little Bits, and Makey Makey supplies as a means of introducing computational thinking and coding. These seem to be the popular coding integration resources highlighted at the conference and used in many schools in Australia. I will follow up with Tamara to learn how these products are facilitating the assimilation of coding in the curriculum.
I cannot speak of Blacktown Boys High School, but my impression of Evans High School is a school struggling with fiscal issues that provides the best learning experiences for their students within their means. Thankfully my visit was safe and insightful. This is a picture from the Evans High School website.
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| http://www.evans-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/our-school |
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