Sliced Bread

When my boss said find an IWB of your choice and start using it, I firstly said thank you, I’m no expert and thats not really what I expected. Our campus already has one, and IWB’s have been around for years. What’s wrong with ME for NOT using IWB’s sooner? Just not keeping up I guess.

All these “web2.0digitalkidsCCPwirelesslaptopsIWBs” changes will converge into the most significant shift in education in my career. I want to be on board and use what is helpful for QTL and discard the rest.

I can see how my own kids are responding positively to the digital age in their own lives, so why should school education be immune?

I know stage 4/5 students ARE very different learners to those I taught just a few years ago. Their brains seem different, what motivates them is certainly different, how they use technology is becoming more foreign to me and most importantly how they best learn or get motivated in my classroom is VERY different. How influential is their digital life becoming?

Good teachers are good teachers in any era so that won’t change. Its just that good teachers may need to change more rapidly to remain the good teachers they have been for the last 20 years.

So next I ask, “What is so different now?”

• Is this NSW Connected Classroom Project REALLY going to change classrooms in the next 5 years?
• Will students be more motivated to learn in a connected classroom?
• What engages my own children’s learning at home?
• Is this digital connected age the big deal we are lead to believe?

I’m saying yes, but I don’t really know why, yet.

Having seen many “next big things” turn out to be fizzers over the last 20 years in education I must admit I remain sceptical. I’m concerned especially about real ongoing government funding, not just empty promises as political sweeteners prior to the next election. Public Education deserves more, all the time.

Is all this CCP and IWB etal just another flavour of the month ICT innovation that will not shift education or prepare kids or motivate learners or worse,  leave us where we have been with over 20 years of computer ICT already behind us?

I remember the first PC in my school, the first internet use, the first computer co-ordinator job, the first network and yet QTL didn’t change that much because ICT is still not integrated as much as it should be. Literacy is EVERY teacher’s responsibility, just as ICT should be EVERY teacher’s responsibilty.

Maybe with a fully funded fair dinkum 3 to 5 year ICT plan of having all classrooms connected in all schools we will see a more fundamental shift, and more importantly improved learning outcomes.

Sure today’s learners (thats kids and teachers) have sound “functional computer skills”, but digital web2.0 is so much different to what we have had. Web2.0 should be integrated far wider, into all aspects of learning, across all subjects, than previous ICT rollouts.

GLC has an IWB, whats wrong with it?

Lots I think. It’s hard to set up, it requires room changes to use it, the software is hidden, it’s not used very often, we have had NO staff training in its use and no TIME was given for any of this to take place, or none that I’m aware of. No wonder I see white elephant not white board.

It got me thinking then “How is the NSW CCP supposed to be a major step foward, and not just a white elephant of state wide dimensions? A few major differences I see in the early days.

The CCP uses the same uniform hardware and software in all DET schools, it is only installed into NON ICT spaces, it is “fixed permanently” in the classroom, easy to boot up and use (I hope), it connects learners directly in a collaborative learning atmosphere, NOT an individual one like PC’s, it achieves critical mass because all DET schools will be on the same page and my main HOPE is it will be properly funded, especially for teacher training.

Combine this with the 4 year DELL fleet contract, Kevin07’s laptop promise, bandwidth speed increases to 10mb, tools for use with the IWB’s and other associated state wide ICT changes (even the uniform DET Schools Homepages will help) and fundamental learning change in NSW could be an outcome. 

Notice there is NO mention made by ANYONE about ongoing staff training or time to ensure these changes are implemented as well as they should be. I’m getting the kids to learn with me, let go and have some fun learning together.

I like the fact some big picture thinking is behind this latest ICT incarnation, so maybe the adhocracy of the past 20years of ICT is behind DET.

So yes, I believe the 3 parts of the NSW DET CCP will be a major change, and yes all three sections are critical to its success.

Will it change public school education fundamentally?

I think it has to or DET schools will fall behind those school systems that do go digital and connected by 2011.

Rant over, you may now resume normal breathing patterns.

I found Rupert Russell’s IWB resource page to be very helpful. Maybe other new IWB users will as well.

Conference Information available, bur early bird registration closes today. For NSW Connected Classroom IWB’s this should be very useful conference for teachers. Hopefully my cheque is in the mail.