There will soon be a bulk wireless arrival at a school near you, coming, ready or not! 

Thanks to Stu Hasic for alerting me to today’s DET newstand. In part it says;

The roll-out will begin this year (2009) with all public high school teachers having a laptop by 2012. The roll-out to teachers complements the laptop program for the state’s 197,000 senior high school students…

… $28 million of Australian Government funding will be used to provide teachers with professional development in the use of the new technology.

Has edutopia been unveiled? Has the world really turned flat? Has the gatekeeper left the building? Somehow I think not, but it is another significant educational step for 1 million DET NSW users.

No more messy computer room bookings, no more connectivity issues, no more ‘not enough working reliable’ computers, no more work in pairs (or groups of 6 or more) no more equity and access issues at home, no more no more no more, excuses why we never use ICT even?

In no way will this happen rapidly but new questions are being asked of us and the stakes are raised considerably higher because of this roll out. Who is ready? Who actually wants to change pedagogy now the basic toolbox is provided? Or is it all sounding too much like hard work?

The news is also somewhat bitter sweet and raises more questions than it answers. That to me is a positive development for it will, no should, challenge all teachers to consciously engage and ask, what will I do with these devices in my classroom to enhance learning?

Three options I can see;

1. Dust catching paper weights or 
2. expensive electronic pencils or 
3. one embodiment of a connected 21st century learner.

Which will you pick folks for the ball is now in our courts. We have some TPL time, some budget allocated, the tools are coming soon but is the neccessary human wherewithal also present? I wonder.

Or do you see these laptops as the 2009 version of stealth pedagogical bombers? Have they snuck in under misaligned teacher radars and will they drop a few clangers before we get a handle on their correct deployment? You betcha, its all part of the steep learning curve. Providing we don’t indiscriminantly shoot them down as they fly in overhead and land. These are not mysterious WMD, hiding under a Dubya Bush, I believe they are here to help and I’d hate to think enfilading friendly fire will slow their arrival.

Deep down I am an optimist, an educational idealist, some say dreamer and ”it will all work out well in the end kinda guy”. Always have been, but on this one I am still tentative, raw even, concerned but concurrently excited. It’s a weird feeling really.

I have a fantastic new toy I want to share with my playmates, but I am not so sure we are playing the same game or even reading the same rule book. Daily examples of antiquated thinking are really starting to test my patience with overt blockers who don’t want to get it. I am getting testy with expert web1.0ers who still think ICT is about MS, IE7, proprietary software, email and a screen, a simple non human interactive device for geeks.

The human connectivism of PLN’s is real. It is through these human connections we have access to empowered learners taking responsibilty, not passively waiting to be told what to do next or worse TTWADI, read the script, thanks for your work as usual Tomaz. 

That is one major shift in attitude needed if, specifically these laptops, and more widely the read/write web are to ultimately make even minor dents in the pedagogical fortresses some are entrenched behind.

But the “lets give it a go, make mistakes together and I am prepared to change if you teach me crew” are the ones coming along for the bumpy learning ride. Luckily in our place I feel that’s the majority. Let go and relax a bit folks, don’t say can’t or won’t and realise no one has all the answers. There will be stuff ups, clangers and disruptions to traditional learning roles, but I am excited by that not afraid.

Is our place ready? Will these be used well? I am saying a resounding YES! but it will take time, trust and support.

For those unfamiliar with DET NSW here is their (very old school website1.0) summary of ICT. (my red highlight warns of the political rhetoric and glib spiel contained in such releases. DET NSW your website1.0 IS broken, badly, fix it and align it to something like smart classrooms from the QLD DETs)

Computers in NSW public schools

The NSW Government will spend more than $1.2 billion on IT in public schools over the next four years.

The program will make NSW public schools one of the largest and fastest school IT networks in the world, e.g.:

1. be kept up to date
2. save time whilst looking for quality resources
3. learn from a whole world of educators, literally
4. have fun
5. be challenged in your thoughts
6. ask for help, guidance or suggestions
7. vent, rant and argue (140 limit! yee ha)
8. have interesting links delivered to you
9. break free from the educational echo chamber AND
10. find out how others teach and learn

then twitter is the application for you.

After a tentative tweeting start, I am now seeing the enormous quality and professional value of twitter.

Thanks tweetees, you know who you are, so does everyone else now!

credit Ben Hasic & Happy Devil Cartoons

Ok, I’ll admit it, I have more than a passing interest in what the 200,000 compact learning devices (CLDs)our schools will receive in April may look like. Most DET teachers reading this will too.

Australian IT reported yesterday that “the department’s proposed learning device, which can be likened to a ruggedised netbook, is the first of its kind in Australia and one of the more unusual hardware specifications globally“.

Observations from DETs Chief Information Officer Stephen Wilson also caught my eye.

We intend to make the devices available to other schools for other purposes, so watch that space. Any vendor looking at this is going to be looking at a very large market because other states are very interested in what’s going on in NSW“.

More questions than answers are raised and It will be interesting to see;

1. what a “ruggedised $500 CLD” actually looks like, considering it may be a hybrid design blending netbook, laptop and notebook features. We trust the tech boffins, doing the top secret cull this week from 21 tender submissions to 5, will have their hands on it.
2. if the tight tender to implementation timeline can be met efficiently, for all stakeholders, not just political expediency of being seen to ’rush the shiny baubles out’. and
3. will other markets & DETs, global and local, really want them too? We trust our leaders that the CLD’s will be that good, so other’s should flock to order.

Educational innovation is measured by effectiveness of the changes in learning. Measures are in place to rigourously assess the transformative 21st century learning these devices will bring, aren’t they? Well we trust they are.

This simple nuts and bolts phase, despite political chest beating to the contrary, is the easy phase, its only a box of wires, the “21st century toolbox” as Deputy PM Gillard and PM Rudd muttered on DER launch.

What really matters for learners are the 571 state wide school plans to ensure teachers of year 9 to 12 students use the CLD’s as transformative learning devices, far better than the last 20 years of school PC use, that is. We trust these plans are in place and deeply understood before April.

The jury is still out on this last point but we do trust ourselves to deliver the expected learning changes, this time, don’t we?

The governments have provided the tools, again, now it’s up to us, again, or else, again! Dripping with it, yes, again. I’m worried, again. Simplistic motherhood statements and boxes of wires do not a revolution make.

Those who have taught in schools on a full time basis for an extended period of time have seen much of this hype before, in fact since the first PC lobbed into our schools in the mid 1980’s. It’s still NOT new learning, CLD’s are just the latest embodiment. Wireless flexible connectivity and 4 year CLD student ‘ownership’ have more potential, for those facets reflect 21st century more than the device themselves.

I hope CLD’s don’t become more expensive portable pencils, more technology sprinkled on top.

We all want better outcomes for learners, how we best achieve that is far from decided. But I certainly trust this latest DET NSW roll out of CLD’s will help deliver them, whatever it is we end up deciding on and believing to be the 21st century direction we need to have. You can’t choose the best mode of transport when you don’t yet know the destination.

After last weekends Federal COAG ICT largesse, its reassuring embattled Premier Rees has wasted no time in calling for new DET NSW technology supply tenders.

As part of the Federal edrev, DET NSW have on their wish list the lure of a sub $500 “compact learning devices (CLD’s)” for all 197,000 Year 9 to 12 students and more importantly wireless connectivity for 571 DET schools to be installed by February 2010. Tick, good. Very.

Guess the other 1500 DET sites, mainly primary schools, with students K to 8 don’t yet qualify for CLD’s or wireless connectivity and will fall further behind other systems, for a while longer. Cross, very. Maybe DET Primary Schools should just apply for an XO ala OLPC. Seems about how valued they are by DET NSW, currently.

The $1245 per student increase is also welcome news and may indicate Rudd is genuine in his bid for transparency in his new style of federalism. Lets hope so because Australians were promised a new approach to the passe blame game during the last election campaign.

Hopefully this rapid tender announcement reflects a state government committed to delivering the long promised technology improvements for Public Education students in NSW. I agree with Simon Job who also hopes Netbook specs don’t fill the tender, but Alex Serpo over at ZDNet believes the new CLD’s will be linux OS on netbooks to meet the $500 tender. (edit 12/12/08 or have a look here for yet more opinions)

Maybe we’d just be better off with these, or similiar. 

Celebratory restraint me thinks, until we see the actual laptop specs and roll out begin, the wireless functionality and most importantly the vital TPL to support teachers. Will teachers as learners receive one? I wonder?

Almost makes me want to celebrate and yell “Yippee-kay-yea”, almost. But Hans has still not left the building. John McClane has work to do yet.

picture credit: DoctorWho’s at flickr

Poppy Masselos of Courier Mail Education summarises the Joel Klein story with comprehensive links highlighting his opacity. Klein is the controversial NY Schools Chancellor who has already angered countless Big Apple “education consumers” and Rudd/Gillard seem fixated on emulating his errors. Catch Klein’s National Press Club talk today on ABC TV and make up your own mind.

Chris Bonner’s, author of The Stupid Country  and Future Education Forum, discusses these issues further and with far greater clarity than I am able to elicit whilst I guffaw at Gillard’s naive pandering to failing OS eduexperiments (and ex Australians, which, when he’s finished Boyering us to tears, I’ll comment further)

Australians can and should be leading the educational world and learning from the countries that are setting the pace. In no way are Australian schools in dire straights, as some schools of our two closest allies, Septopia and MC, are. So why import when we should be exporting? Why pander when we can lead? Why be colonial when we could be unique?

Why is Gillard strongly advocating the NYC model without fully considering others ? Easy to see why Klein’s domestic opponents ask reasonable questions that so far remain unanswered. Locally SOS continues the theme by asking “where is the verified, independent, educational improvement evidence, other than Klein’s questionable and abundant own?”

Easy, cheap and lazy springs to mind, all great qualities of those who fundamentally just don’t get it, 21st century education that is. Play catch up if you must Julia, but the NY model is last centuries solution for this centuries learners. The world has moved on, rapidly, and governments just don’t seem to want to know if it costs more than the cheapest solution. (edit5/12: NMC ANZ Horizon Report just released, 198 dowloads as of 5th Dec, get amongst it, good future stuff here, will post more later)

Little boxes, raw stats and testing to the test are so passe, not to mention damaging to learning, I hope the coal facers stop laughing long enough to get to work today.

picture: Rubenstein at flickr

Well ’scuse my newbieness, but these Eddies are now half a decade old and no one told me …. ppiff I say.

Anyway here are my 2 bobs worth for the 2008 edublog awards

Best class blog 2MGems To Mrs M and her 2M Gems, you guys rock. Love your site, love to see kids learning and loving it while they do. As Al Upton requested (16/11/08) and edublogs obliged, THIS category is THE most important Eddie. Well said Al. Mrs M must be behind their website quote, “nearly all classes in the school are blogging” How good is that? Don’t worry about the current traffic jam kids, Uncle Kevin has promised to fix it.

Best individual blog  Watershed  John Larkins work is inspirational. Generous in his shared resources, deep thinking in his eclectic well travelled narratives and my students have deserted my rough and ready wiki to flock to his student friendly links. Top site, easily. Plus he’s a history nut like me.

Most influential blog post My f*#!%ing goosebump story Tomaz Lasic’s honesty is to be applauded, loudly. I just loved this post and need to meet the said Perth beermeister to confirm my suspicians. Hope he’s not a Corona and lemon sucker. 70:20:10 is another TL gem, he dug up for me. Ta WA Moodle Boy.

Best educational tech support blog Tim’s Blog de Blog  Tim and his team work wonders at TaLe and here he shares his personal insights from the other side of the fence. Thought provoking, topical, stops the echo chamber somewhat and adds perspective when I get cheesed off. Like it, lots.

Best teacher blog  Darcy’s Blog is what DET NSW needs installed in every school. If we did, we would have no issue with vaulting the yawning digital chasm that is rapidly emerging. Darcy “gets it”, big time. Thanks for your wonderful insights Darcy, even if you don’t imbide the smell of burning methanol in the morning, it takes all comers to make the nuthouse crackle.

Well thats my bit, drum roll please…… and the winners are …. learners, lets hope.

picture credit: Creating Passionate Users

The hand out/in area is especially beneficial as student work can be reviewed prior to final submission and the ability to either ask and respond to individual questions or private group questions is great. In this way we can either see what the whole class are thinking or contributing or we can send specific messages to selected recipients.

The fact it is also password protected when you invite participants means it is just your group who access the relevant information so student security is not an issue.

The students believe edmodo will be of considerable benefit to them as they prepare for the 2009 HSC, so we have classified edmodo as “keeper app with merit”, not a “chuck it outer”.

The only drawback so far is DET NSW have classified edmodo as “evil”, so access is blocked at school. The students all use it at home, or in their breaks using mlearning, so this is luckily not an issue. (except in DET blocking it at school and the message this conveys about some attitudes towards useful 21st century learning applications)

Darcy suggested sharing ideas on Year 7 teaming. Troy and Tony replied, “Yep, why not?”

What other action research would schools like to collaborate on via VC?

DET schools already connected have a data base of other DET VC contacts, but lets broaden the base of potential learning via VC sharing, to lets say, the rest of the world. Now that sounds web two oh 21st century to me.

Stephen Heppell presented the trend chart below over 2 years ago and it still raises many reflective questions on how learning is rapidly changing. His RSA speech is also equally valid for those yet to hear his 2016 vision.

What are the trends that we can see around the world in learning as we move further into the 21st century?

The changes below are all easily observed, but for different schools, communities, countries and cultures the movement may be more or less pronounced and the rate of progress slight or may be rather greater.

I recently asked “What did you learn at work today?”. I’m curious as to how we can better reflect on current QTL practices so they become more meaningful, not because there are dire problems. Learners should strive to integrate improvements lest we get left behind in our exponential times.

I’m up for sharing, not only through static blog pages, tweets and skypes, but via our newest toys the CCP’s.

Heppell states

Today teachers want, and seek, a place to exchange their insights as to what constitutes effective practice. As they move to become more reflective they also need a place to archive their action research.

The video conference component of DET NSW CCP will assist in the archiving and transference of such collective knowledge beyond the traditional school districts we work within. Modelling VC PD collaboration, that should also involve the student voice, can now happen.

Which NSW DET schools with CCP are up for it? I know Darcy and Troy will, why not join us?

The proposal has outraged long standing e-business consultant and civil rights advocate, Roger Clarke. 

“What credibility can a government organisation and educational bureaucracy have with the people they’re trying to communicate with when the students, through all of their own devices and through friend’s devices, have access to the world,”

Stephen Wilson DET CIO, rightly argues for theft minimisation, but isn’t DET NSW’s solution enforcing a crushing sledgehammer approach when a gently persuasive ball peen would do? Overkill? absolutely.

It’s very noble that DET NSW doesn’t want to flood the pub black market with Rudd’s edrev hand me downs, but to nobble poor old pricepoint laptop so it is useless to all who may desire it, borders on learning terrorism. Big Brother is still alive and well in DET land.

This issue highlights another reason why explicitly teaching digital citizenship is far more important than externally imposed filters, which only ”protect” DET, not the student anyway. They’ll resume unrestricted browsing on their personal mdevices in their own time anyway.

If the political squabbling ceases and the laptop promise is eventually delivered, my concern is what will NSW’s 21st century connected learners actually be able to achieve with them? Looks like notepad is safe.

Is this weeks NSW DET announcement regarding the configuration of Rudd’s laptops an example of censorship, filtering, common sense or prudency? I dare say we’ll be mlearning like this or this before students even receive the Ruddy laptops anyway. What do you think?

All students reflect as part of our college Reflection, Organisation And Reading programs. ROAR not only involves using a learning log (diary) to plan, record homework and organise assessments, it also encourages students to consciously record how they best learn. With fine tuning and more realistic goals, I think ROAR, a 4 year old program, will improve further in 2009.

My question however is, how do staff reflect on their profession? I assume they do, I’m just not sure how. Maybe we could introduce a staff learning log and model this reflective practice?                                                           

Jeff Cobb’s thought provoking question What have I learned at work? on Mission to Learn keeps resonating. I especially like these questions

Does what I am doing right now (i.e., having a conversation, participating in a meeting, completing a routine task, etc.) increase my knowledge or skill level in any significant way? How?

What might turn this activity into more of a learning experience? What do I need to do to make that happen? What could my employer do?

What could I add into my activities for today that would provide for a learning experience?

What could I take out of my activities that does not contribute to learning and would not really be missed?

An interesting set of questions which I have answered sporadically since April. Some answers alarmed me. Talk about “stuck on the wheel” and in the massive “same old same old rut.” I needed to change, hence the toe dipping web2.0 experiment before me.

I see future positives, but still question the change rate of the massive edubureaucracy I sometimes feel stuck in. It is responsive, but at a glacial pace. DET NSW really needs a dose of Usain’s speed, to gain  momentum for the hurdles ahead. 

In“Leading A Digital School” , Mal Lee, said,

Only when the vast majority of Australia’s teachers are using the appropriate digital tools as a normal part of their everyday teaching, and are provided all the requisite development and support from the school and system leaders can Australian education begin to assist enhanced national productivity

The key words, in red, need to have bipartisan, enequivical political support across all tiers of government if Australia as a nation is to be fair dinkum about advancing 21st century learning in schools.

In amongst the questionable tangents of the blogeratti there is a growing alignment of dedicated learning professionals striving to  deblinker administrators, policy makers and governments. Those that do not listen, change and innovate do so at their systems, and learners, peril and decline. 

I’ll leave the last word for Jeff as he says it so well;

I’d go so far as to suggest that:

1. Individuals who become conscious of their learning at work and take charge of their learning at work will be by far the most successful in today’s economy.
2. The primary focus of learning professionals should be helping individuals become conscious of their learning and take charge of it.

…if you undertake the exercise above and discover that you really are not learning much on the job, it may be time to look for a better job. The second is that, if you are counting on your employer to understand the new dynamics of workplace learning and help you out, you may be waiting quite a while.