About SPARK Schools
SPARK Schools is a social impact disruptor and is leading change in the education space through its network of affordable private schools. The SPARK Schools network provides transformational education innovation through Africa’s first blended learning model, which elevates student achievement and provides the tools teachers need to serve their students effectively.
The blended learning model, which combines classroom teaching and online instruction, allows teachers to anticipate student needs and equips schools to provide personalized education at an affordable cost. SPARK Schools is pioneering this transformative education model to ensure the accessibility of university and careers for all.
SPARK Schools is a high growth, mission and values-driven entrepreneurial organisation, operating 19 primary schools, 1 high school and serving over 15,200 families in 20223. We are looking for dynamic people to join our team.
High School Educational Technologist
Reports To: High School Product Lead
Purpose of Role:
The Educational Technologist drives student achievement in the SPARK Schools network by being the custodian of the SPARK Schools’ blended learning education model. The Educational Technologist supports SPARK Schools by developing, designing and implementing instructional systems that are aligned and integrated into the classroom curriculum and online learning for the improvement of the learning process. The Educational Technologist will monitor and evaluate the functionality and effectiveness of the Blended Learning Models and technologies used to support the model and improve on those identified gaps, where
required. This includes computer hardware and software, developing e-Learning courses and projects, creating instruction videos, and sometimes setting up Learning Management Systems. Identifying the best technology for each individual classroom application is key.
The High School Educational Technologist is the custodian of the SPARK Schools’ blended learning education model and the curriculum custodian for Technology subjects (e.g. CAT/IT/EGD).
Responsibilities:
- Primary Subjects: Computer application studies, Information technology 8 to 12
- Secondary Subjects/Areas: Will be added as the product develops; the subject will be in the technology
field of study.
Design
- Research, design, or supplement the academic curriculum for all subjects and grades based on successful models and approaches.
- Research new and innovative curriculum practices.
- Participate in the design and implementation of systems to assess student achievement.
- Lead the refinement and articulation of long-term sustainability, scalability, and operating principles of the SPARK Schools’ blended learning models.
- Select and evaluate blended learning programs and ensure that the schools have research-based programs that are likely to accelerate performance.
- Align the academic curriculum with government standards, SPARK’s best practices, and international expectations and benchmarks.
- Document and communicate the scope and sequence for each grade level and subject, in conjunction with internal assessments.
- Actively seek innovative practices and new technologies to improve instructional systems and practices.
- Synthesise research around the effectiveness of blended learning models, internal best practices, and challenges to design and pilot a hybrid learning model that aligns with SPARK’s instructional practices, beliefs and values and delivers strong student achievement results.
- Spearhead future blended learning pilots to test and inform models for wide-scale implementation to provide students with a high-quality, personalised education program.
- Develop content and assessments that meet local government standards, SPARK’s best practices, and international expectations and benchmarks. ● Responsible for the design and procurement of Learning Lab and Flex space collateral and/or input to any changes or requirements
- Responsible for identifying quality content providers.
- Responsible for actively engaging with content providers and releases.
- Responsible for budget planning and supplier payments and/or input to any changes or requirements.
Implementation
- Lead the implementation of blended learning models that support technology integration using research-based strategies.
- Provide regular input and updates to the School Achievement Managers on scholar accessibility to online resources.
- Collaborate with the leadership team on the professional development of Blended Learning Facilitators; develop and lead professional development as appropriate.
- Support system integrations
- Maintain tickets and requests through help portals
- Integrate curricular support with strategies for student social-emotional development.
- Manual update of staff designation in Clever
- Manual Policy update to override SSO for new users
- Contract status verification for Online suspensions
- Chromebook Organisational Unit updates
- Responsible for de-provisioning of stolen Chromebooks
- Generate and manage internal assessment schedules, logistics, and reporting.
- Training and Development
- Maintenance of the Learning Management System content, training and use cases.
- Train, coach, and support blended learning facilitators, educators and instructional coaches responsible for blended learning instructional strategies.
- Train and orient SPARK staff members in curriculum and instructional best practices.
- Coordinate the SPARK pre-service training and curriculum professional development with the Director of Leadership Development and the Director of School Design.
- Support and assist teachers in developing instructional strategies and intervention programs that elevate achievement among struggling students.
- Compliance
- POPIA representative and data custodian for Learning Model Team
- Clearly communicate network-wide and school data to school leaders to ensure accurate student progress interpretation.
- Develop, monitor, refine, and implement the curriculum and assessment model at SPARK Schools.
- Design and/or supplement a rigorous network-wide curriculum for the allocated subjects that aligns to and extends the South African national curriculum, including comprehensive assessments for all grades and all subjects.
- Plan and support pre-service and in-service professional development for school leaders andeducators on curriculum, culture, and community-building.
- Helps instructional coaches and educators to develop instructional strategies and intervention programmes
- Source and recommend for implementation of appropriate curriculum resources
- Document and communicate the scope and sequence of curriculum for each grade level and subject in conjunction with internal assessments.
- Monitors, refines and implements the curriculum and assessment model at SPARK Schools.
- Designs and/or supplements a rigorous network-wide curriculum that complies with and extends the South African national curriculum, including comprehensive assessments for all grades and subjects.
- Plans and supports pre-service and in-service professional development for school leaders and educators on curriculum, culture, and community-building.
- Helps instructional coaches and educators to develop instructional strategies and intervention programs that elevate achievement among struggling students.
- Integrates curricular support with strategies for scholar social-emotional development.
- Aligns the academic curriculum with government standards, SPARK’s best practices, and international expectations and benchmarks.
- Documents and communicates the scope and sequence of curriculum for each grade level and subject in conjunction with internal assessments.
Demonstrate a relentless commitment to student achievement.
- Facilitate a network-wide assessment and data analysis cycle that allows school leaders.
- To analyse student performance and identify areas for school-wide targeted instruction.
- Seek opportunities to integrate online data with classroom assessment data to create a richer understanding of student progress through blended learning.
- Generate and manage internal assessment schedules, logistics, and reporting.
- Using data analysis, monitor grade-level and phase-specific progress against scope and sequence maps and assessments.
- Clearly communicate network-wide and school data to school leaders to ensure accurate student progress interpretation.
- Research new and innovative curriculum practices.
- Participate, where relevant, in staff recruitment.
- Meet professional obligations through efficient work habits, such as meeting deadlines, honouring schedules, coordinating resources and meetings effectively and on time, and demonstrating respect for others.
- Participates in and drives own professional development.
- Promote the vision and mission of SPARK Schools Support to SPARK Schools Support staff and SPARK Schools staff, scholars, families, and the greater community.
Reporting
- Audit and report on scholar online activity
- Audit and report on Staff online activity
- Audit and report on Device Activity
- Collect and report on Student Experience data for student voice
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Identify, measure, and monitor progress toward online programmes goals and performance targets as established by internal and external stakeholders
- Monitor student performance data and effectiveness of instructional responses and interventions in blended learning programmes.
- Monitor grade-level progress against scope and sequence maps and assessments, using data analysis.
- Evaluate new use cases for Online software for the improvement of processes, data collection, user experience and student achievement.
- Evaluate financial implications of blended learning models for feasibility and short and long-term cost-effectiveness.
Qualifications and Criteria:
The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required.
Competencies:
- Ability to lead – Assertively leading Blended Learning in the day-to-day functions and operations with the result of a collaborative, cohesive and efficacy-based system that instills a climate and culture of SERVICE
- Ability to collaborate – Proactively works in partnership with others to achieve a common goal or necessary objective; builds rapport and cooperative relationship with others; establishes and maintains strong relations with employees and teams.
- Ability to communicate effectively – Effectively conveys reliable accurate information so that the recipients clearly understand its intent.
- Ability to be agile – Remain flexible and drive results in a fast paced environment. In combination with strategic thinking, allow for a detail-oriented approach, while maintaining a “big picture” view in order to translate plans into action, and exhibit excellent judgment.
- Ability to navigate – Navigate efficiently through complex information systems and handle large complex data.
- Ability and willingness to take initiative – in order to drive one’s own development and team leadership in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to consolidate feedback – in order to clearly communicate highest leverage action steps.
- Ability to self-direct and prioritise among competing goals
https://apply.workable.com/sparkschools/j/24229500F9/
Values: Service, Persistence, Achievement, Responsibility, Kindness