As a teacher of Modern Foreign Languages at Surbiton High School, Kingston Upon Thames, Assistant Principal José Picardo is an important part of the teaching community. As head of Digital Strategy at the school, he’s very keen to make sure that technology is implemented correctly in the classroom. He gives his thoughts on the latest Network.Ed piece.

Last September I started a new role as Assistant Principal at Surbiton High School. My brief is the school’s digital strategy. Now, I’m not the first to be appointed to lead a school’s digital strategy – there have been Directors of E-Learning or Directors of ICT elsewhere for some years, but I am one of the first to be appointed directly to the Senior Leadership Team with the specific purpose of devising and implementing a digital strategy to support teaching and learning. And I won’t be the last. Here’s why…

Technology supports teaching

Research shows that lessons are most effective when they are structured thus:

• An initial review of prior knowledge
• A formal presentation
• Guided practice
• Initial feedback
• Independent practice
• A follow-up review

Finding new ways for schools to save money seems to be the ‘hot potato’ at the moment, and quite understandably so. There is another option though: find new ways to make money. With all that intellectual property, skills and knowledge floating through the corridors, are there any opportunities for new business ventures to emerge from your school?

There has always been a contribution culture amongst teachers: 'We can get hold of lesson plans at the click of a button and reuse someone else’s work', or, as the saying goes: ‘There’s no point reinventing the wheel’. However, should we be more business-minded about giving our hard work away?