Entries from October 2009 ↓

Too many schools move too slowly when implementing technological updates.  Subsequently they become like The House of Ultimate Technology Products. 

I’ve come across two online articles today that explain in simple terms the changes that have occurred around the globe that are mandating change within the education system.

Over on the NZ-based Interface Magazine site, we hear from David Warlick who explains that the big changes have not been about technology but about information. 

Technology has done a lot but what’s really impacting on teachers is how information is changing.   The nature of information has changed and, as a result, so has what it means to be literate.

So with the nature, location and speed of information delivery all changing, so too must teachers and their teaching practices.  And for those who aren’t willing to change?  Warlick says:

 My honest belief is ‘get over it or get out of the profession’. If someone’s not willing to teach in a contemporary information landscape, one that’s meaningful to the students then they need to find something else to do.

Marc Prensky coined the expressions digital natives and digital immigrants – it’s a useful distinction but I worry that some teachers are actually using this as an excuse.

Elsewhere, the OECD has released a summary of the International Conference on the New Millennium Learners.  OECD has demanded that schools and teachers provide students with 21st Century  skills and competencies:

which allow them to benefit from the emerging new forms of socialisation and to contribute  actively  to  economic  development  under  a  system where  the main  asset  is  knowledge. These skills and competencies are often referred to as the 21st Century skills and competencies, as to indicate  that  they  are more  related  to  the  needs  of  the  emerging models  of  economic  and  social development  than  with  those  of  the  past  Century,  far  more  suited  to  an  industrial  mode  of production.

I have added the bold text as a way of highlighting the fact that teachers prepare students for the future – not the present or the past.  Subsequently, if we educate students using  assumptions based on the dominant models of the past or the present we will hinder their ability to engage with the dominant social and economic models of tomorrow.

The DEECD is running an Innovative Learning Environments Design Conference for educators and architects at Docklands on Monday 19 October. Six of the face-to-face presentations will be streamed online simultaneously via Elluminate.

The conference features educators who have successfully incorporated innovative practice into new learning environments. Architectural experts team up with educators to present a program featuring innovative learning environments, successful change stories and new approaches to teaching and learning.

The online sessions are outlined below. There is no cost to attend the online sessions, however you need to sign up first. Registered participants will be sent the link to the Elluminate room for their session(s). To register, visit:
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/researchinnovation/lpd/forum.htm

Keynotes
9.05am – 10.05am Futurevation: Looking to the future
2.25pm – 3.25pm Designing for purpose – but which purpose? OECD 21C innovative learning environments

Session 1: Panel - Successful change stories: what worked and why?
11.05am – 11.50am Dandenong High School
11.05am – 11.50am Bentleigh West Primary School

Session 2  Innovative Learning - adopting a student centred approach
12.00pm – 12.45pm Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College
12.00pm – 12.45pm Point Lonsdale Primary School

Session 3  Learning Environment Designs
1.30pm – 2.15pm Internal learning spaces
1.30pm – 2.15pm Creating effective age and stage appropriate external learning environments

Three Australian education networks are now publishing on iTunesU.  Catholic schools in Australia, WA Dept. of Education and Scotch College/PLC (Perth) are all now publishing content accessible to all the world’s iTunes users.

Greg Whitby summarises the benefits like this:

As with everything on iTunes U, the new audio,­­ video and text files from Catholic schools are free to anyone visiting the iTunes Store.  Students, teachers and lifelong learners can download items of interest including tutorials, demonstrations, lectures and learning objects on range of subjects and educational issues.

As well as providing a platform for teachers to publish learning materials for their students, iTunes U will automatically publish the content worldwide.

Obviously I’m delighted with this development.  Apple has up to 80% market share in the portable media device market and their hold on the smart phone market is growing, so this will be incredibly useful for a raft of students and teachers already connected to the iTunes market. 

I understand that Victoria’s DEECD was also offered this opportunity but has this stage declined.  However with Ultranet to be rolled in 2010 I am confident that it will succeed iTunes as the portal of choice for students accessing podcasts, online content and e-learning resources.