[Yr7-10it] RE: Year 7-10 IT structures
Dr Paul Chandler
paul.chandler at YVG.vic.edu.au
Thu Oct 25 08:46:37 EST 2007
Some nice questions, Roland.
The discussion has a familiar ring to it ... some unfinished work which
Peter Macinnes put together some years ago:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~macinnis/scifun/whatif.htm
________________________________
From: yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au
[mailto:yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Roland Gesthuizen
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 10:30 PM
To: Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Yr7-10it] RE: Year 7-10 IT structures
Thank you young Cameron, some good questions but it isn't my place to
spoon out the answers.
Here are some more. Can you tell me about your planet and your place in
it? If you came back to school in 20 years time, what would changes
would you see? Can you still open your homework files? If you had a
penfriend in Africa, what changes could you expect? Imagine a school
surrounded by mine fields, no electricity and a hand cranked laptop.
What would you learn? What do you think about introducing new technology
to the native people of the pacific islands, what will they think of us?
Should we throw your old computer into landfill so we can have some
better ones? Golly, has the bell gone yet? Now run outside, kick a ball
and soak up some sunlight, we can tackle world peace tomorrow.
Thanks everybody .. today 24 October is the official United Nations day
and as the official school flag coordinator, we fly the UN flag. BTW,
the UN is taking charge of distribution for the OLPC project.
Regards Roland
On 24/10/2007, Cameron Bell <bell.cameron.p at edumail.vic.gov.au> wrote:
Dear Mr Gesthuizen,
Regarding the homework you set us - "What can we do to really
help our
students make this world a better place for us all to live in?"
Did you want that as a PowerPoint or Word Document? Also, I have
read
all through the text book and can't seem to find the answer. Can
you
give us a clue as to what chapter it is in? Also, when is it
due?
Could you at least make it multiple choice?
Regards
A. Typical
PS - Will it be on the exam?
Roland Gesthuizen wrote:
> I am really excited to read all these posts and all the right
> questions that we seem to be asking each other.
>
> I agree with Bill. The OLPC is a fascinating invention. Like
the
> student that freely dips into the wireless access spilling
over the
> school fence from his neighboring home, the mesh technology
has even
> enough range to bridge between the different islands in the
Solomons.
> Whilst the original vision for the telephone was that it could
be used
> to pipe music directly to homes, we would be equally narrow
minded to
> think that the Internet was for edumail and piping music to
pockets
> filled with iPhones.
>
> I have some Sudanese lads who are struggling with renaming
files yet
> can happily play computer games and chat online. Is it
appropriate to
> measuring their learning from their understanding of a
computer
> desktop, a metaphor based upon the workings of a small
business
> office? The different ethnic groups at our school have vastly
> different traditions and ideas of what it means to 'be working
> together'. I am now not sure if the collaborative, learning
model that
> I carry about in my head is best and only way forward.
>
> I have had some indirect contact with of the huge technology
issues
> faced by countries on our doorstep. From young computer
technicians
> trained in Melbourne to set up Ubuntu Linux networks for East
Timor,
> the KhmerOS group that has managed to retain a Cambodian
keyboard and
> recover their language using Open Office and the network
manager on
> Naru who is experimenting recycling old hardware using Kbuntu.
>
> I would like us to engage with what it really means to
transform ICT
> education, beyond rubbing the latest shiny new toy or unboxing
the
> latest bit of commercial software. I like asking the big
questions in
> my IT classrooms so here is one. What can we do to really help
our
> students make this world a better place for us all to live in?
>
> Regards Roland
>
> On 23/10/2007, *Bill Kerr* <billkerr at gmail.com
> <mailto: billkerr at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> hi Cameron,
>
> The OLPC has wireless mesh networking and a new user
interface
> (sugar) based on a community metaphor, which invites
extensive
> collaboration with each child having their own laptop. In
that
> respect (and some others) OLPC is superior to its new low
price
> rivals from Intel etc.
>
http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/05/community-user-interface.html
>
<http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/05/community-user-interface.html >
>
> If each child owns the laptop then that open up potential
for home
> use - as well as the clearly important "sense of personal
ownership"
>
> I agree with you that if the laptops are introduced and
teachers
> keep to their old techniques and lesson plans then its not
going
> to work very well at all
>
> That is sort of the point of this discussion - where would
/
> should it lead?
>
> Papert has argued for years that maths could be
transformed with
> one laptop per child but that it doesn't work with other
ratios.
> The pencil argument, it would be poor education to chain
up
> pencils in a lab or to insist on sharing of pencils
>
> As you say:
> The laptop struggles to break out from being a glorified
> word-processor, file storage and email client to the off
the shelf
> tool that gets used as needed, to develop a solution for
the
> problem at hand.
>
> With OLPC the laptop does or should develop or appear to
develop
> some sort of agency of its own, it demands to be used in
new and
> different ways - are the teachers up to it?
>
> btw I attended a conference at Methodist Ladies College
> (Melbourne) in circa 1980 when every child had a laptop
and they
> were using logo extensively (David Loader was the
Principal).
>
> Your points about forcing collaboration are interesting
and I'd
> like to hear more about the tool you mention that
facilitates a
> process whereby students "produce work that reflects their
own
> knowledge, not the groups knowledge"
>
> I'm wary of formalising collaboration in an institutional
sense. I
> think learners have the right to choose their time and
place for
> collaboration. When setting up groups I often do permit a
group of
> one. I'm aware of one very good educational blogger who
has been
> arguing this for some time:
> blog of proximal development
> http://www.teachandlearn.ca/blog/
> (I will dig up some of his posts about this particular
topic if
> you want)
>
> cheers,
> --
> Bill Kerr
> http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/
>
>
> On 10/23/07, *Cameron Bell* <
bell.cameron.p at edumail.vic.gov.au
> <mailto:bell.cameron.p at edumail.vic.gov.au>> wrote:
>
> But Bill, lots and lots of schools have implemented
laptop
> programs - some for many years now. We have found that
you
> don't need one laptop per child - in fact, I believe
that
> insisting each child having their own laptop can
stifle
> pedagogical progress. When each child has their own
laptop or
> they are working in a lab, the teacher is generally
just using
> the same teaching techniques and lesson plans they
always
> have, insisting on personal work, students working in
> isolation (communicating, but in isolation) with the
whole
> class doing the same activity at the same time. The
laptop
> struggles to break out from being a glorified
word-processor,
> file storage and email client to the off the shelf
tool that
> gets used as needed, to develop a solution for the
problem at
> hand.
> We have run with a one-between-two program here for
the past
> couple of years (I was skeptical as I had just come
from a 1-1
> school) and apart from a couple of dedicated labs, we
now
> deliberately aim for one-between-two for all our
technology
> infrastructure. It means students _must_ collaborate
as teams
> on producing work and we are being forced to develop
methods
> for students to be able to collaborate- but then
produce work
> that reflects their own knowledge, not the groups
knowledge.
> It's tricky but I have found a very useful little tool
that
> enables that to happen in my classes and the rest of
the staff
> have adapted too! Some of us are creating digital
portfolios,
> this requires group prac work, but individual
reflections. How
> do you do this with one-between-two? You are forced to
examine
> individual learning plans, multiple lesson plans
within a
> lesson, rather than the one-size-fits-all approach
that we
> have always done. (Primaries have done this for
years!) While
> 1/2 the class use the laptops for part of an activity,
the
> other 1/2 are doing another part. For us, this is also
> essential to break up a 72 min period and help keep
the
> students focussed.
> One between two is cheaper too! ;-)
> Cheers
> Cameron
>
> Bill Kerr wrote:
>> There is a large elephant in the room that no one has
>> referred to so far: the OLPC
>>
>> The one laptop per child non profit project not only
plans to
>> deliver millions of laptops to third world children
but has
>> also become a hand grenade in the commercial world -
and has
>> succeeded in forcing down the price of other laptops
now on
>> offer
>>
>> "... the whole global mind-think around technology
has changed.
>>
>> No longer is low cost computing in education a
fantasy, no
>> longer are big technology companies secondary, and
everyone
>> wants to sell technology into classrooms. Intel
introduced
>> Classmate PC
>> <
http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/brazil/olpc_classmate_mobilis.html
<http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/brazil/olpc_classmate_mobilis.html> >
>> to Brazil, Asustek is selling Eee PC's
>> <
http://www.olpcnews.com/sales_talk/intel/negroponte_100_laptop_asus.html
<http://www.olpcnews.com/sales_talk/intel/negroponte_100_laptop_asus.htm
l> >
>> in the USA, and even thin-client manufactures compare
>> themselves to OLPC
>> <
http://www.olpcnews.com/sales_talk/competition/stephen_dukker_anti_olpc_
campaign.html
<http://www.olpcnews.com/sales_talk/competition/stephen_dukker_anti_olpc
_campaign.html> >."
>>
http://www.olpcnews.com/sales_talk/countries/sales_inhibiting_xo_distrib
ution.html
>>
<http://www.olpcnews.com/sales_talk/countries/sales_inhibiting_xo_distri
bution.html>
>>
>> How will schools and education departments in the
wealthy
>> west react to the fact that in a few years we will
have the
>> capability for every child to have their own laptop?
>>
>> Will we treat them like mobile phones and ban them or
try to
>> figure out a way to utilise them for optimal
educational
>> development?
>>
>> The use and misuse of computers in schools has up
until now
>> been based around the idea that computers mainly
belong in
>> labs and / or that access is limited. The fact of
limited
>> access has acted as a powerful brake for many
teachers not to
>> extend their knowledge much beyond the basics.
>>
>> Most (all?) of the maths curriculum could be taught
using
>> laptops. In fact MIT produced a series of books in
the 80s
>> for teaching much of maths and aspects of language
and art
>> using logo.
>>
>> Shouldn't we factor this potential into the
discussion? If we
>> are talking about the future it might be incorrect to
assume
>> that the pattern of distribution of computers in
schools will
>> remain similar to the present.
>>
>> --
>> Bill Kerr
>> http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/
>>
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> Year 7 - 10 IT Mailing List kindly supported by
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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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> Year 7 - 10 IT Mailing List kindly supported by
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Important - This email and any attachments may be confidential.
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Year 7 - 10 IT Mailing List kindly supported by
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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
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