My own personal use of digital technology has enabled me to maintain and improve my knowledge of current technology as I am a big user of twitter, Facebook, eBay, Instagram, YouTube etc. I have an interesting perspective on this article as I approach it as an educator and parent. I have three real motivations for keeping up with the advances.
1. For my own personal networking, entertainment and as a tool for everyday life.
2. As a parent I need to be aware of what my kids are up to and using, and need to be able to connect with their schools.
3. As a teacher I am now trying to advance my skills and knowledge for my own purposes such as assessment, planning and communication. But more importantly, being part of a school that is introducing a 1:1 ipad program.
As a parent I am comfortable with technologies and use them all day, everyday and see the transfer of these into my kids lives as essential. I know as digital natives, they seem them as a tool and they would naturally expect to have the part of their learning. It highly engages them.
My son has just started high school at Footscray City College and he now has a laptop with books for learning. I am highly aware of the widespread introduction of digital learning into curriculum and know that the expense of purchasing a laptop was unavoidable if he is to have the same opportunities as others. They use the compass portal to communicate with parents and it is fantastic as I will see these messages rather than ones on paper left in my kids' bags.
More over, having discussed purchasing iPads with parents at SAHPS I can relate to how they are struggling with the idea and expense of leasing or purchasing iPads for their kids. But I have had many conversations with parents about how their kids deserve the same opportunities as others and that this is about providing them with the same skills and opportunities as kids from all over Melbourne. This has been a conversation to negotiate carefully as we work with some of the lowest soci-economic family groups in the state. I have found that those who are most receptive are big users of technology themselves or those who want their kids to have the best opportunities.
The article discusses BYOD programs and it has been a big subject of debate about whether to accept families using iPads they already have versus making it compulsory to access one through the program at school. A number of parents for economic reasons have resisted purchasing new iPads and haven't grasped the concept that these iPads are to be a specific learning tool. I am still wondering if this was the right way to go or if we are only early in the process of setting up a new culture for learning and families will find the money for the iPads as they see how they are being used throughout the school.
The issues of teacher training about implementation are pertinent to our staff as well as broader issues such as infrastructure, wifi and bandwidth.
Hi bec, what a great first blog entry! Thanks so much for your detailed thinking. This will hold you in good stead over the life of this course (and even beyond). can I ask a favour though? It would be great if you could rename your blog with your name in the title - as I like to read everyone's blogs (and track them), this would make my life a lot easier. Do you Mind? Now, in response to your reflections:
ReplyDeleteI was interested about your 3 motivations for "keeping up with the advances" which included being a parent; for your own personal use and development and because your school has a 1:1 iPad program. I was wondering whether or not we could take one step further back and look at the rationale for why any consideration of using digital technologies in learning is worthwhile...and how this impacts on us as educators, our pedagogy etc? Do we explore the introduction of digital technologies because we like them, or because we want to use certain tools (like software or a tablet or whatever) or because we want to develop, nurture, promote and extend a culture of learning that is forward looking, innovative, flexible, receptive, proactive, exciting, challenging and connects authentically with the needs, interests and preferences of the students we teach?
Sometimes I think we can get caught up in the NOUN (the tool, the device, the software, the app, the 3D printer, the IWB); when the VERB is more profound (we want our students to build awareness, collaborate, communicate, critique, discriminate, negotiate, problem solve, explore, create.....?
Thanks Nikki,
DeleteYou are right, the point of this course is to lead teachers to think more deeply
and consider that when planning curriculum we want students to engage in deep learning and to be developing broader thinking skills that will create students who know how to learn not just what to learn. this is a very relevant challenge.
To pick up on the BYOD point Bec. Which ever way you have decided to go with the devices (school supplied, BYOD, leased options, other) one of the biggest keys to the success of the program will often lie with how well the tools (iPads in your case) are being used to affect the learning in the classrooms. Are the iPads just replacing paper work sheets or do you now have iBooks instead of real books? Or are your teachers truly redefining the boundaries of what is now possible due to the tech? Are new and exciting ways of teaching getting innovated to harness the best of the tech? You may very well be changing the culture of how education is seen by your parent community and well as staff. Isn't it funny that the ones that don't need any convincing are the children, they get it, they're SOLD! :-) We could do well by listening to them in this case.
ReplyDelete