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

[Cameron Bell]

I agree Roland, to borrow from Bill Clinton - "It's the curriculum, stupid."
It's not about the app or the platform or the delivery vector, it's about utilising them to deliver a curriculum that today's students see as relevant.
YMMV but I have found that the single biggest blocker is still "Is this going to be on the exam?" or "When are we ever going to need this?"
Kids no longer simply accept why they have to learn what we shove down their throats.
I use ICT to deliver, access and process content, but I find my biggest challenge is putting the curriculum into context and relevance for kids.
Cheers
Cameron



On 15/11/2010, at 12:09 AM, Roland Gesthuizen wrote:

> 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?
> 
> 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 )
> 
> 
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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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