No white elephants allowed
Saturday, January 24th, 2009 | Computer Usage
In times past white elephants were regarded as sacred in Thailand. They could not be used for work purposes but owners had to feed them special food and provide access to those who wanted to come and worship the animals. It might have been fashionable to own a white elephant, but it brought no material gain and could be a nuisance at times.
The expression white elephant is used today to indicate a nice but useless possession, one that could even be a burden owing to the cost of maintenance.
Sometimes we buy an item which seems like a good idea at the time; perhaps we are overawed by its potential. This is frequently the case with gadgets. However, as time goes on we discover that the gizmo is not fully utilized and so it becomes a white elephant.
Could that happen to computers and Interactive Electronic Whiteboards (IEWBs) we install in schools? It may seem so attractive to have technology in the classroom that teachers may grab the opportunity when it comes along.
Yet, when a classroom is visited some months after installation, we often find that the equipment is not used regularly. Has technology become an idle idol kept as a status symbol?
There are various possible reasons for this.
Did the education department not allocate enough training opportunities to ensure that teachers understand the value of technology in their classrooms?
Did the principal fail to make time available for teachers to receive necessary training?
Did the trainer not train at the appropriate level?
Did the teachers not avail themselves of training opportunities?
It is important to identify the reason(s) for the presence of white elephants. Not all classrooms have them – grey elephants are found in many classrooms where technology is used to great effect.
In the spirit of political correctness and equity, let us not discriminate against white elephants – their colour is not the problem.
The first step towards making technology work in our classrooms would be to look beyond the whiteness of the elephant – put on lenses to change its colour to see the true potential of technology in education. Then take steps to ensure that all teachers are empowered to use this magnificent tool.
3 Comments to No white elephants allowed
I have deliberately waited to read and view comments on the E-IAWB before I got “white or is it red” in the face.
ONE WORD – TRAININGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG !!!
Kathy with her microwave oven and many buttons (bells and whistles) – what more can I say !!! You / We had all this morning mum (some advert on TV) – well done !! I would like to quote Kathy and then replace / add some words :….”Somebody needs to visit me and not just teach me how the microwave functions (E-IAWB Toolbars) work, but how to use most of it everytime to cook an interesting lesson. They need to show me, step by step, how a more effective use of my microwave (E-IAWB Toolkit) can make my regular meals (curriculum integration) easier to produce (compile) and tastier (visualize) to eat (effective own produced interactive lessons). I need to be convinced enough to try for myself (and the learners too)- you (they)can, just do it.”
MY ADVICE:
1. Allocate enough (?) training opportunities and time as well as FOLLOW-UP training and enhancement skills to ensure that educators understand the value of the E-IAWB in their classrooms;
2. NOT enough and thorough training has been done to the appropriate level / phase of competency – step-by-step training with a build-up to the tip of the iceberg should be done – then keep educators on top of the tip so that they can keep a clear vision of the surrounding E-IAWB environment;
3. The principal and SMT should ensure to make enough time available for educators to receive constant training and support DAILY – but even more so use it or lose it! (Take the white elephant to another National Park);
4.There are so many exciting and fun activities an educator can do with the E-IAWB and its Toolkit 1.0 content folders to engage his/her learners and enrich their learning experience…
5.Don’t just training / show educators how the IWB toolbars are functioning. They need to get a “sixth sense” of the possibilities of the E-IAWB toolkit and ALL the “spanners” in the box – how to use no 12 but also no 19, not just number 13, 13, 13, 13, 13….. (facilitators must expose ALL the bricks in the wheelbarrow over time to build the E-IAWB wall)!!
6. As Mark said: “When more examples (my examples: TOOLS / CURRICULUM INTEGRATION / LESSON PLANS / ACTIVITIES / SOUND / MOTION / GRAPHICS / CLIPS / FUNCTIONS / INTEGRATION OF OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICE ETC) on the E-IAWB aspects are introduced, I think more educators and learners will bite. Once hook, you are caught !
7. When the E-IAWB malfunction, do some troubleshooting ….by hook or by crook you will fix the hick-up yourself …. and what an achievement would you have accomplished SOLVING IT – 10/10!!
8. I would like to compliment Sharon on her contribution: projection screens….lack of TRAINING….lack of (continious) support….old habits….comfort zones…..four walls safety….etc
Come on…turn the dial / use your finger and and join the technological era !! It is just a microchip away !
Mr and Mrs Smith
(alias: Albie & E-IAWB Smith and happily married for some time now)
Kobus,
You’re so right that there are too many white elephants lurking in the classrooms, tools that would engage students and add a powerful, progressive reach to the quality of instruction. I see it too often here in America: computer labs sitting unused, IWB boards being used as simple projection screens, and software applications never opened, to name a few of the tech orphans.
Lack of training, lack of administrative encouragement and support, and lack of pedagogical knowledge are three of the reasons I believe those tools sit idle, but perhaps the more likely reason is because people are entrenched in old habits. New techniques and approaches require stepping outside of one’s comfort zone, and many teachers (and administrators) hug the walls to avoid venturing where they feel vulnerable.
Regardless of the reasons, letting the tools sit unused is such an expensive waste! And if school systems decide not to spend money in the first place on these tools, they save financially but waste educational progress and effectiveness.
I think your analogy in a previous post about the citizens washing clothes in the river vs. using a new washing machine can fit here, too. I remember my grandmother still washing her dishes in the sink in spite of having a new dishwasher. When asked why she didn’t use the dishwasher, Grammy said she didn’t understand all the dials and settings, and it was easier to just wash & dry by hand. While the rest of us gathered to play cards and enjoy each other’s company, she was still scrubbing pots and pans, when she could have simply turned a dial and come join us. (Yes, of course we helped teach her how to load & start the dishwasher, and we helped her dry the dishes! But you get my point!)
Monday, 2 February, 2009
[...] describes the travesty of allowing technology in the schools to be relegated to the disgrace of white elephant status. Consider this: We have hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars invested in [...]
Tuesday, 27 January, 2009