I’ve been travelling a bit as November comes to a close – visiting schools in Christchurch and Auckland, talking with teachers at the Digital Technologies Symposium, and meeting with e-learning advisers at the departments of education at the universities. The focus of these discussions has been on shifts in practice, transformation in schools and the implementation of the curriculum.
Some trends have emerged for me, and I’ve listed them below as a pick ‘n’ mix of reflections and observations (in no particular order). I’d be keen to get your thoughts – the things you’d ditch, add or tick on this list.
5 highlights
- The New Zealand Curriculum has provided guidance on and reinforced the significance of e-learning by positioning it as part of effective pedagogy. (I do wonder if the paragraphs on e-learning could have referred to all six teacher actions that promote student learning, rather than just four of the six …).
- The document has also provided a common language and approach to ‘teaching as inquiry’. An evidence-based approach is increasingly underpinning the use of ICT in the classroom.
- The shift in focus from ICT to e-learning continues. ICT is most successful when embedded in the context of a learning area (… the definition of e-learning). Although disciplines drive e-learning practices (particularly in secondary school, where generic e-learning practices can be especially difficult to identify), technologies introduce their own requirements which teachers can address through deliberate teaching and scaffolding of learners.
- The ways in which we as educators work and learn and live online are intimately connected with our capability to use e-learning effectively in the classroom. For teachers new to e-learning, adopting ICT as part of their own professional learning and practice can be a valuable starting point.
- Social software (web 2.0) remains a focus. Innovative teachers are exploring the distinctions between socialising and collaborating, sharing and reflecting, and publishing and contributing constructively.
5 issues
- There is an increasing divide between schools with and without high-speed broadband. This is impacting on the teaching and learning opportunities in the schools without. A frame of reference for e-learning ‘maturity’ in schools might assist with long-term planning for infrastructure and systems to support school-based curriculum.
- Filtering versus cybersafety – schools are located across the spectrum. Most teachers I know prefer to teach cybersafety than to filter and block access to websites and web applications, seeing it as a key skill for lifelong learning. (Is developing learners’ key competencies – managing self, relating to others – helpful here?) Evidence suggests that school IT policy is not always set with teaching and learning needs in mind.
- There’s uncertainty about the value of big ticket items such as learning management systems and interactive whiteboards. Are they a priority given cost? Do these products need to evolve to better serve our educational needs? Or is it a case that we don’t yet understand how best to leverage the benefits?
- There is still a number of teachers and schools taking their first steps; there are still pockets of exemplary practice that are hidden.
- Potential challenges for current pedagogical approaches: depth in subject area learning (disciplinary knowledge is an essential step to creating new knowledge) at primary level; exploration of disciplinary boundaries (the places where new knowledge emerges) at secondary level.
image cc by coutorture
apologies if this is a little off topic, but i got captured by the graph :-)
followed the link and was interested in the nine factors which influence adoption of new technologies/products
the list looks like a possibly useful way to think about what is going on for us and our colleagues as we engage (or not) with new opportunities
Sounds like you have had a very busy but worthwhile time. I really like your 2 lists. You have articulated some of the things I have been thinking so well :) Point 4 in highlights is particularly food for thought – where do school leaders go with that? How much can you challenge what teachers do in their time outside of the classroom? I am sure you are right, but what to do with it?
Dorothy
Good questions, Dorothy! Yesterday I was talking with the e-fellows, who are contemplating next year back in the classroom. One e-fellow is putting his schools’ schedule into Google calendars so that timetabling can be easily shared and accessed by all staff. That’s all he’s doing at this stage – starting with one thing seems like a good idea.
He’s hoping that his colleagues’ experience of the benefits in their professional lives (I’m not sure that we have the mandate to influence teachers’ personal lives!) will encourage them to see the benefits for learners and to transfer their new knowledge to the classroom.
Which makes me wonder whether I should be taking up all the opportunities that I can to encourage my colleagues in the Ministry to build their capability in order that their work in schools increasingly reflects and reinforces the role of e-learning in 21st century learning?
Responding to educEd – I’ve just found the link you mention that’s related to the image I’ve used in the this post – http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/product/diffusion/
Yes! The list of 9 factors affecting the rate of adoption is interesting (and not unrelated to Dorothy’s comment above). I can see how all 9 factors apply in education:
* perceived benefits over alternative products
* communicability of the product benefits
* price and ongoing costs
* ease of use
* promotional effort
* distribution intensity
* perceived risk
* compatability with existing standards and values
* divisibility (the extent to which a new product can be tested on a limited basis).
I also like this statement, which follows the list: ‘Even if a product offers high value to the customer, the firm nonetheless faces the challenge of convincing potential customers to try the product and eventually to adopt it’.
Hmm makes me feel like a used car salesperson!
But seriously … I find that teachers (as well as my colleagues) are often enthused and energised by examples of student work (which is why I set up the Delicious page http://www.delicious.com/StudentDigitalWork).
A colleague has asked me a question about the first item in the list of issues – are there still schools without access to broadband?
The answer depends on one’s definition of broadband. The telcos talk about a 512KB per second connection to the web as a kind of ‘standard’, and most schools have this.
At one end of the spectrum, a few schools have 256KB and 128KB connections; at the other end, a few schools are connected to ‘loops’ hooked up to KAREN, and they share 100MB connections.
There’s around 20-30 schools using dial up – some of these schools are in places where it’s difficult to get broadband (eg parts of the East Cape), for sure.
Interestingly, the ‘standard’ for broadband in Europe is more like 2MB.
Douglas Harre in the e-Learning Team at the Ministry gave me a hand with these figures.
I especially agree with the focus on web 2.0. Unless we understand the power of this as educators we will not be able to meet the needs of students in their world. As educational leaders I think we need to be aware, use and encourage use of these tools. Schools that filter and block do not help build skills and key competencies.
This powerful blog post explores the filtering vs. cybersafety issue or perhaps the control vs. empowerment issue.
http://blog.futureofed.org/index.php/2008/12/04/teenage-suicide-dont-do-it/
[...] few treats for the Christmas stocking, then. I’ve written on trends in education recently, so here’s some thoughts from the periphery [...]