We live in interesting times. This is the old Chinese curse. Technology adaptation by education systems is piecemeal and inconsistent. Older teachers are threatened, but not the new ones (in general). Budgets are very strained. Most schools will increase the use of technology but it will be very slow and measured. We might be entering a new paradigm of instruction where the teacher really is more of a coach and facilitator. Administrators and parents will find this hard to understand. They are used to the teacher at the board addressing all the students at once. That is comfortable for most principals; they expect people to listen to them.

I certainly hope that the pace-setting schools allow more diverse roles for teachers. However, students do need to give 100% attention to teachers to learn content and skills. And teachers as subject matter specialists is still essential. Technology, especially the Internet, allow students to find incomprehensible huge amounts of knowledge and to collaborate in ways totally new to everyone.

Those one wrong side are the “educators + schools + educational systems” who wants to remain on other-confort-zone-side – i.e. to “avoid” ICT in the classroom and in their way of teaching – not facilitating.

Why SOME in the “educational system” as a whole (from top to bottom and bottom to top) avoids the technological component, I don’t understand.

I can remember when I started teaching, there was only ONE colour of chalk available – white – thats it with a black filt duster to clean the board for ever and to rewrite the lesson for the next class. No chalk in colour were available. When I moved on in edcuational system from school to school I found that some schools have colour chalk !! I was so glad and “grasp” the opportunity to use the colourful chalk even with my shirt and grey pants being covered with colourful chalk dust, but it came natural – the whole “new” process to my Geography lessons – I can draw a river in BLUE, a mountain in BROWN and the orchards and vinyards in GREEN !!

What has changed today in 2009 ? Nothing !! Only “substance” that came into the classroom is the “electrical component”.

Educators et al must move away from the “another brick in the 4 walls song” to the cyberspace dimension – nothing super spectacular – just a new era !! Grasp it and give colour to your teaching styles !! From ws >> software >> EIAWB >> SLATE >> laptops >> flash drives >> mouse and keyboards >> to….

Albie – white chalk on a green board.

One of the most basic things that Education can do for technology is to ensure that when learners leave the school education system they are Computer Literate. There are three types of being literate today that are essential for everyone in order to participate meaningfully in society: normal Literacy, Mathematical Literacy and Computer Literacy. Any educational system that cannot ensure these basic types of literacy, has failed. Learners that have left school and are not yet computer literate are severely disadvantaged.
Any school worth its salt would try and do something to give their learners exposure to computers. Today one can get relatively powerful computers at a very low cost – even if you have to buy them second hand. For many years I had to get by with such computers – fixing and using computers that others had discarded, however with them we were able to provide learners with skills that they would otherwise not have had. Where there is a will there is a way!

Consistent theme that came up today in much of my global technology “alerts”. Even in the states we struggle with this issue constantly. I did some work in the education sector and couldn’t get over the lack of strategic understanding of technology in the “business” of education. Even programs such as the International Computer Driving License have a way to go to make a significant impact globally. I’m surprised that education in generally hasn’t embraced the ability to continually educate through technology outside of the classroom. Good article.

Ian

The sad fact of the matter is that everyone is “busy”. From educators to directors of education people find that they have “too much on their plate”. Those who find the time to investigate innovative developments in technology are the ones eager to make sure of the more important things – the ones who see that, while perhaps technology does not improve effective curriculum delivery in every case, there is ample evidence to show that it has to be integrated into the process if those we educate are to cope with the world they are entering. Educators as a group are generally conservative (and I speak as an educator myself!)and people, in general, are often fearful of change. However there is a need to actively engage with technology at all levels if we are not to have to wait for the next generation in order to achieve full integration in the classroom and in education as a whole.

[...] standards of living”.  The very next link I clicked on was an article from South Africa titled “Is the education system on the wrong side of the digital divide?” which described the current situation of technology education in South Africa.  These articles [...]