Coorparoo teacher goes digital

As soon as she arrived at Coorparoo State School earlier this year, Anne-Maree Mircic threw herself and her students into the digital deep-end.

The Year 5 teacher's expertise in harnessing the educational power of information and communications technologies (ICT) means that computers, the Internet, digital cameras and interactive whiteboards are as natural as pencils, paper and textbooks in her classroom.

Since embracing digital forms of teaching and learning, Ms Mircic's students have strapped themselves into the driver's seat of their own learning journeys.

'The big thing that has changed is that I now have a wider variety of teaching and learning strategies to use and find that I use more student-directed strategies,' she said.

While she sets parameters, Ms Mircic gives her students the freedom to explore the concepts they learn in class, using ICT such as educational websites.

'I have found that ICT is an extremely good motivator and tool for the students,' she said.

'That's because the students of today are surrounded by ICT in everyday life.'

Ms Mircic was looking for a guide to help her navigate the countless number of educational opportunities brought about by the ever-increasing pace of technological change and found it in the department's ICT Pedagogical Licence.

Teachers throughout the state are using the licence to develop the professional values, relationships, knowledge and practices they need to truly embrace digital forms of teaching and learning.

Many are finding the licence is encouraging them to rethink their approach to teaching and learning and nurture quality learning experiences for today's 21st Century learners.

Ms Mircic was accredited with the licence earlier this year.

Through the accreditation process, she rethought her own approach to teaching.

'I now structure my lessons differently and I plan activities at all levels, local and Australia-wide. I consider the global aspect as well,' Ms Mircic said.

'Going through the process makes you think about the ways you use ICT within your teaching.'

It's also provided Ms Mircic with a springboard to experiment using ICT that she hadn't previously motivated herself to try, but now uses with enthusiasm.

The ICT Pedagogical Licence is the intermediate level of the Smart Classrooms Professional Development Framework. The framework also consists of the ICT Certificate and ICT Pedagogical Licence Advanced.