[elearning] 2010 October - feature: do schools need ICT?

[Roland Gesthuizen]

Thanks Ken ... kind of related to another thread on this list about flash
and iPads. I reckon we are going to see more and more of these cracks
appearing in school ICT infrastructures that cannot be papered over by
mandating a particular OS, platform or policy.

I know that it isnt going to be easy for us IT managers as we have manged to
take things this far scrabbling for funds, spilt, polish and fair measure of
central control. Students are already leaving of us behind whilst they run
smart apps and smart interfaces on their smart phones. Change is happening
and it isnt going to stop because we built a faraday cage around the school,
a padded playground, mandated more old hardware, or spread new layers of
control to fill in the cracks. That just wastes more money and puts off the
inevitable.

When I farewelled my year 12 students after their ITA exam, they pointed to
the study group that I recommended that they set up. Ironically it was on
facebook and kept each other on task and on track using their phones. Of
course I wasnt a part of this group, and probably didnt need to be (or
should be). What is interesting is that it happened, in spite of everything
we have done to disuade, ban, condemn and prevent it from happening. What
does that say about us and what have I done to really prepare them for this
parallel universe?

Don't get me wrong ... this is not a debate about filter failure or
censorship. I am just pointing out that replacing one factory model for
learning with another techno-coated flavour does nothing to move schools out
of the dark ages.

It is time for us to grow up and move onto the real challenges, adapting and
adopting what can give real traction to learning.

Regards Roland

On Sun, Nov 14, 2010 at 1:01 PM, ken price <kenjprice at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks Roland - I really despair when I hear people ask "we've just bought
> a heap of interactive whiteboards/iPads/digital video software/wireless
> netbooks/whatever , can someone please tell me what we can use them for?"
>  It's not just teachers who ask either...
>
>
> Ken
> On Sun, Nov 14, 2010 at 12:15 PM, Roland Gesthuizen <rgesthuizen at gmail.com
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>  Here is an important article with some serious stabs at our heavy
>> investment in expensive virtual learning environments, costly electronic
>> whiteboards, expensive commercial software upgrades and opressive IT
>> departments that work so hard to cripple what can really be done by the end
>> user. Interesting to consider the way forward hinted by mLearning, open
>> source and student ownership of the hardware. Regards Roland
>>
>> *Quotes:*
>>
>> 2010 October - feature: do schools need ICT? <http://diigo.com/0do0e>
>>
>>    - Ian Yorston explains why the current investment in ICT doesn't pay
>>    "If you had to spend a million pounds, you'd really hope to have something
>>    to show for it. Yet most schools have spent at least that on ICT and get
>>    nothing obvious in return — aside from a few hundred PCs running Windows XP
>>    and a handful of smart gadgets."
>>
>>
>>    - If you had to spend a million pounds, you'd really hope to have
>>    something to show for it. Yet most schools have spent at least that on ICT
>>    and get nothing obvious in return — aside from a few hundred PCs running
>>    Windows XP and a handful of smart ! gadgets.
>>       - Schools are different. They're different because they have
>>    invested millions of pounds in ICT for no obvious cost saving whatsoever.
>>       - Valuable contact time has been offered up to teach ICT while
>>    staff training opportunities have been squandered on yet another integration
>>    of Microsoft Office or the introduction of an even newer, smarter, brighter
>>    VLE
>>       - The real curiosity is that, even when the newest, fastest,
>>    coolest computers have been purchased, heads promptly sit down to draw up
>>    policy statements that effectively cripple the machines before they have
>>    even been booted up.
>>       - Our schools are now a desert swept with the winds of yesterday's
>>    technology; meanwhile our students can be found drinking from an oasis of
>>    smartphones, smart apps and smart interfaces.
>>       - Schools don't need ICT. It's coming through our doors every day.
>>    We just need to adopt and adapt a little bit.
>>
>> Read more »<http://message.diigo.com/message/2010-october-feature-do-schools-need-ict-972983>
>>
>> (
>> http://message.diigo.com/message/2010-october-feature-do-schools-need-ict-972983)
>>
>
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-- 
Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College
http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead
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