Technology4Learning

I agree Graham. Unless schools, administrators and teachers radically change current practice, then I believe we will see a mass exodus of students to home schooling and distance ed. We have already lost 2 students this year for that reason who are now being taught at home.
Mandie Gardiner
Teacher Librarian

Hi Graham I agree with what you’re saying about the need for teachers to think about the future & I emphasis the fact that this needs to be a radical pedagogical change.This is why I think we need to measure our next steps into Web 2.0 learning so that we’re not just providing more toys for the kids to play with and more angst for those teachers still struggling with the whole notion of ICT in education!As always, it is the teacher’s role to teach – how to use these tools to achieve educational outcomes & to do this we need to move beyond the current scaremongering tactics of those who would have our community believe that our kids are in grave peril (yes I acknowledge the very real concerns we have) whenever they connect to the internet.Forward thinking teachers can plan for teaching/learning that optimises the use of technology – and I am really keen to consider the burgeoning social networking & its educational applications – and develop a skills set that equips our students for a connected future. (stepping down off the soap box now for someone else to have their turn!)

I don’t necessarily agree Lisa. I say bring on the angst and anything else that is going to work. I am only talking from personal experience, but how much more hand holding and cajoling do these so called professionals need to be given to improve current practice? I know in my school I have spent the last 5 years providing ICT inservice opportunities related to a variety of skill levels in a variety of ways to suit different learning styles with limited success. I still have 2 teachers who don’t know the difference between a PC and a monitor! I call this pathetic professional conduct and they really should be told to wise up or get out. I know these are strong words but I am so sick of seeing my students being dumbed down and held back by people who should know better. As for the whole notion of ICT in Education, what planet have some of these teachers been living on? We have been dealing with this for a number of years and they have avoided the opportunities. Reminds me of a great quote I read a while back.
Computers will not replace teachers, but teachers who use ICT will replace those who don’t. I say bring it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fighting words indeed…and I echo them. Unfortunately School “Leaders” don’t seem to have caught on to the urgecy of the matter and seem very complacent about the issue of damaging the student’s chances of surviving out in there real world. School imperatives are still centred on the exit exam/assessments as though this is the end of our responsibilities. I think it is about time we began to focus on the skillsets needed in a 21st century workforce and I an damned sure that no future employer would be interested in looking at exam results and assessment tests. We have to relegate exams and tests to the lowest level of student activity and start getting real.

Even in schools that are spending a small fortune on technology, teachers are allowed to ignore it if it doesn’t “suit their teaching style”! Why is it that our principals and school boards are not livid at such unprofessional attitudes?

However, I am currently working on a project with an enlightened member of staff and its envigorating and refreshing. I am afraid the rest of them can just get on with their worksheets…….

Yes Graham I too have an enlightened staff member who because of this course
I have taken under my wing in a peer coaching exercise. He is going from
strength to strength. Incorporates ICT in almost everything, has created his
own blog so children can access their work from home, has the school pod of
10 laptops in his room permanently (nobody else wants to use them) has
access to a Lab next to his room and is really giving the kids some real
hands on experience. He is my year 7 teacher so at least I know the kids are
exiting primary school with a really good base and some great skills. Almost makes up for the lack of response from some others..well almost. Being in a
single stream school it is so frustrating seeing kids getting great ICT
skills for 3 years then nothing for 3 more. It really bothers me but hey
what can we do??????

Hello.
After having some major technical difficulties the past couple of weeks i am playing catch up, and came across this interesting line of converstation.I agree with what you are all saying about pedagogical overhall so that we are teaching for the society that exists now and in the future. Their is no denying that technolgy is part of our lives form the time we wake until the time we go to bed. The artilce Jenni supplied was interesting as it promotes this notion too:
“Learning needs and theories that describe learning principles and processes, should be reflective of underlying social environments. Vaill emphasizes that “learning must be a way of being – an ongoing set of attitudes and actions by individuals and groups that they employ to try to keep abreast o the surprising, novel, messy, obtrusive, recurring events…” (1996, p.42). “I am one of the many that are still learning about ICT and its implications and applications for the classroom, but I see the value of ICT and the necessity of technoligies in the classroom. I really enjoy reading everyone’s comments as you all seem so passionate and knowledgable about ICT and it is very inspiring.Something that concerns me, and may interest those implimenting ICT practices in your classroom, It is regarding the school my children go to here in the USA. They only went back to school a couple of weeks ago and on thursday night i had the parent info night. The “specialised computer teacher” got up and gave his speal about what he teaches in his computor room, and I nearly fell of the bleachers! Firstly he spoke to all of us in that tone that means we don’t really understand what he is talking about because we are parents and he is a teacher…..but anyway…. he said he teaches the students “programming skills only” as it will turn them into “creative and logical thinkers”. There apparently isn’t any need to use other applications as they are learning all the necesary skills of computers by creating square houses and things with circles. When I asked a question about the internet and email, he told me they were unnecessary for the school environment.I feel completly frustrated as my children are gaining the necessary technology skills here at home, but don’t get the opportunity to combine their academic skill and technological practices, and learn skills that apply outside the school walls – isn’t that the point of teaching?. I pay $12,000 to this private school and feel they should be offerning what the children need not what some ex-computor programmer thinks children should learn (he actullay isn’t a trained teacher as you don’have to be to work in the private system here). It is a very academic school which is one reason why I am sticking with it as my children will be 2 years behind the Australian curriulum if i move them inot the public system. I just need to come home to Australia i think!I am excited about what the future holds for education and ICT, we just all need to enbrace change and open our minds to knowledge – just like we ask our students to do everyday

Kim, it sounds like your children’s school is about 5 years behind the way they should be thinking. Sure the kids will learn some thinking skills with programming, as they did with Logo, but its a very narrow use of such a big and worthwhile area that will impact your children all their lives. I’d be fronting the principal pretty quick …..and we’d all love to hear the outcome!!!

Presumably this school does not provide regular computer access for daily class use, and when you say its a very academic school, what do you really mean? The “academics” will be of little use later in life, but the skills that they are currently ignoring are what will sustain them throught their lives.

Hey, why not give us the computer teacher’s email address and we can all attempt to put him straight!!! Now that would create a great thread.

Graham, I have to say that I would realy like to come and work with you. You seem very knowledgeable and I imagine you are a great teacher based on your forum responses. You are right about the schools being behind where they should be, but after 6 months of researching schools before we moved here, and then 2 months of visiting schools, this was the best of the bunch (sickening, i know).It is rather interesting how this school is set up actually. I have had several “conferences” with the principle and she is a moron. She has no idea what goes on in the classrooms (she told me this) and when I asked her about my 6 year old getting 100 lines from a teacher for calling out an answer, she told me that “it is not her problem” and to “try and contact the teacher by leaving a message”. You actualy have no real line of comunication with the school. You cannot volunteer at the school, you have to watch through a 2-way mirror. The prinicple has no control over the curriculum at this school as it is run by a central office, the staff just do what they are told and deal with us cranky parents. My children’s class teachers have been great actually, and i make sure they know me. They would like to have more control over what they do, but can’t. The school has its own curriculum and they write lesson plans based upon this.In regards to computor access, it is for one hour, twice a week. The computor teacher is a grumpy old man with an ego i would like to kick out of him. Last year i requested a “conference” as my son didn’t want to go to school the days that he had computor class, and he told me i had no right to question him. This then got a little heated as i took it upon myself to put him in his place (in the nicest possibe way of course!).The school is regarded as an academic school as it offers an “advanced ” curriculum in compariosn to the public schools and the other private schools. They are one of only a few that offers a program for children from 3 – 6 years where they are taught litercy and math skills. They also only take students that maintain an 80% or above test score in all curriulum areas. Their curriculum is similar to NSW grade-level expectations, but not the same. Most children here in the public system, if they go to kindergaten (it isn’t compulsary here and most schools only offer a half day) don’t know letters, numbers, colours or shapes and can’t write their name. They learn all the basics in Kindergaten and first grade.I know you all must think I’m crazy for sticking with this school, but if i didn’t, when we come back to Australia my children would have to move to at least one grade level below where they should be if i move them to a public school. My children are actually gifted and this would be a bad thing. I have actually thought about home schooling them, but my husband is against this. Like i said, their class teachers have been great the past couple of years and my children like going to school. I do alot of work with them at home to keep them up to meet their academic needs, and in regards to ICT, I make sure they are getting what they need at home as best I can.Thanks for listening guys, I didn’t mean to rave on about this, but the I thought you just might be interested in the “technologies” offered here.

Kim, thanks for your comments and I really do sympathise with
you……..however, I would forego the academic quality that you seem to
have signed up for, in favour of a more realistic curriculum. I wonder what
this school thinks they are training the children for. Certainly not life as
a 21st Century citizen. I think some places have just gone overboard with
the NCLB policy and the focus on testing, testing and more testing. Where in
the US are you? I’m sure we can locate a school that would provide a more
suitable curriculum. I have some US contacts who may be of help in finding
somewhere better.
I would not wait long to make a change…….because every day matters when
you are a child. Two hours/week computer access is laughable and equivalent
at best to some of our  poorest equipped schools in Oz…….they should be
ashamed of themselves.

I would forego the academic quality that you seem to
have signed up for, in favour of a more realistic curriculum. I wonder what this school thinks they are training the children for. Certainly not life as a 21st Century citizen. I think some places have just gone overboard with the NCLB policy and the focus on testing, testing and more testing.Since the NCLB act was passed, schools are rather paniced about meeting the standards set as funding becomes an issue (in the public system)- but my theory is that if they actually focussed more on early childhood education and put more funding into the system, they wouldn’t need this Act. The entire system here angers me alot – they are big on segregating students for being “outside the box”, and a”teacher” even told me once that “children under 5 are too young to learn anything”.I understand what you are saying Graham about moving schools, and I have lost a lot of sleep over this, and feel very guilty. There are 2 other schools we did consider when we first moved here (near Salt Lake City, Utah), but there were no places avaliable. They also cost around $25,000 dollars a year. I will not even consider public school for way too many reasons to go into here. Changing schools is rather complicated due to the fact that we move a lot and my children don’t cope well with change. We want their next move to be their last one, and there is potentially a move in the future, so here’s hoping it is back home to Australia. Actually I would move back to England for their education system too. I know quite a few Australians here as they are with the same company my husband works for (with 5 of us being teachers), and they feel worried as well. One family moved back a few months ago, and the children have to get tutoring to catch up. It is all such a worry.

And so, as a parent and a teacher, I ask – what are you going to do about it ?
What did other parents think ?
Is there scope for you to say, to the school board, that “programming skills only” is not adequate?
What language/s do they program in ?
Let me at him…..

Lyn …. this is a good conversation….we should keep it going……..
Have you read any of chapter 8? Judi Harris, who is mentioned in the
chapter, is my special interest for the leaning contract. More examples
of her stuff here
http://faculty.mwsu.edu/west/maryann.coe/coe/structures/structures.htm She
also did some work with Mishra & Koehler and the development of their TPCK
principles. I have surveyed the teachers in my school regarding their use of
activity structures and intend to attempt PD for the ones that have the most
support. …..seems quite interesting to me, do you have any thoughts

 JH’s website – will look at it this week
(I have surveyed the teachers in my school regarding their use of activity structures) again can I come work at your school?
I surveyed my school – we have teachers who needed training in learning to use the school markbook and report system. One of our head teachers has his wife come in after hours to enter his reports for him – twice now he has been furious that people have interfered with the computer that was turned on for him – the concept of a screen saver is lost on him. Is there a term to describe someone who is PRE-luddite?
For me the million dollar question is – how do you MAKE staff start incorporating technology into their programs ?
They are offered professional development, they are offered release from face-to-face and yet they still dont take up the offer.
So part of my Learning Contract is the school Moodle website – if I can get one person from each faculty involved, some others may follow and the rest will be conspicious by their absence. I hope.
What PD do you need to do with yr teachers? And how will you get them to do it ?