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<font face="Calibri">I believe that what is desperately needed
(certainly in my school and the one I taught at for a year in 2006) is
teacher PD - not just on how to USE technologies, but ideas on how to
integrate them into classroom setting to improve learning outcomes. We
are surrounded by laptop trolleys (compliments of the Ruddy money) but
unfortunately they are really only used as glorified typewriters, for
the occasional websearch, and basic linear powerpoint presentations. I
walked into a year 7 class yesterday and more than half did not even
know how to log on to the network . They were given passwords at the
beginning of the year and most have lost the paper, or they never
received it. Where I taught in 2006 there were electronic whiteboards
which were really white elephants, they were rarely used as intended as
most teachers were in awe of them, so they were simply used as a normal
whiteboard with markers and eraser.<br>
<br>
I find student skills in ICT very lacking, with most having only the
very basics, and since ICT is only an elective, and not even available
in year 7, many students can go for 6 years never having a specialist
ICT teacher. Yet staff seem to think that the kids are ICT gurus, and
give them ICT PP's way beyond their actual level of performance.<br>
<br>
Personally my dream would be to give every staff member at least a
whole day on using ICT in the classroom, and at least every year 7 and
8 student a netbook to take home, for every one laptop we purchased for
$1500 we could have had 3 netbooks! <br>
<br>
I have had moodle installed and running since November last year, so
far I am the only person using it. There is no time given for teacher
PD on how to use it, even though I have been asking since Nov 2008. Yet
we have no other Learning, Content or Document Management System in the
school. No wonder there is always such a queue at the photocopiers and
there are mountains of student assignments threatening to take over the
staff areas! I have not used the photocopier or printer at all this
year, and neither have the students in my classes. <br>
<br>
Frustrating - yes!<br>
And I continue to be the Lone Moodler!<br>
Ros Meadows<br>
</font><br>
Dr Paul Chandler wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:3434.202.63.38.7.1236713934.squirrel@mail.une.edu.au"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Folks,
In contributing my 2c worth, I'll probably come away with a case of
foot-in-mouth, but there's a couple of points which I think are worth
picking up on. I'm writing from the perspective of a classroom teacher
(which I was until the end of last year), not from my present position of
being a researcher.
. to me, IWBs are glorified data projectors. To accompany a
data-projection, the operator (teacher or student) can do their
song-and-dance act 'at' the point of projection rather than at the
keyboard
. in an effort to be 'converted' to the benefit of this, I have attend
several conference presentations and workshops by teachers on IWBs. I
have been disappointed.
. nevertheless, there are a few functions of some of the IWB software (not
the board itself) which do allow for greater interactivity which is
otherwise hard to replicate; a _few_ that I remember being impressed with,
but can't remember the detail now.
. there is _serious_ research into IWBs in the classroom (not by any team
that I am involved with), and I know that there are documented cases where
the teacher's interactive teaching has improved because of the technology
In all, I think its a mixed bag of outcomes; just unfortunate that it's an
expensive mixed bag.
What I have a passion for, though, is being able to genuinely increase the
interactivity in a classroom which might otherwise consist of students
operating 'in their own space with their own PC/laptop'. What I think is
worth discussing is the software (and maybe hardware) and the
teacher-tactics which can help vitalise teaching/learning from this
perspective. If tablet PCs or IWBs are on the list, so be it. For
myself, I would nominate:
- vnc or other 'throw the student's screen onto the projector from where
they are' technologies
- moodle workshop
- coword and copowerpoint (<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://cooffice.ntu.edu.sg/coword/">http://cooffice.ntu.edu.sg/coword/</a>)
- blogging (and related technologies)
- creation of wikis
Other suggested inclusions? Or comments?
</pre>
</blockquote>
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