[Yr7-10it] Tools for Interactivity (Was: Missed the boat?)

Wed Mar 11 14:46:01 EST 2009

I couldn't agree more, Ros.  For years I have been banging on about the fact that its not more equipment that we need its some TRAINING to go with it.  I don't know about you, but its frustrating to have to "teach yourself" new software and hardware, for that matter.  I need someone to SHOW me and to be there when it doesn't work.  I will have a go at most things, but as I don't want to look like a complete wally in front of the kids, there is a big difference between "knowing the basics" and actually teaching it!   

I often think I should have been a maths teacher - algebra and trigonometry probably haven't changed much in the past few decades (sorry to any maths teacher if I have offended you), but if you think of the giant strides made in the field of computers and ICT, its no wonder schools can't keep pace.  

Also, I think that adequate training of staff is not as tangible as say a room full of computers.  The principal doesn't point to a room full of skilled up teachers when she is showing prospective parents around, she shows them the latest gadetry in the computer room (my whiteboard is a classic example).  

My question is this - when will the education department (or the powers that be) start to value training?  I don't mean the VIT stuff which we are mandated to do, I mean days and days of taking people off classes, sending them to a reputable training organisation or supporting them to do extra study in their own time. I am lucky as my school is paying me to do a  short  course at Holmesglen TAFE so I can learn Indesign software (properly, not just "ad hoc").  I can then use my skills (hopefully) in the future to benefit the school in terms of desktop publishing, yearbook etc.  

I think if schools realised just how much they could benefit by having the majority of staff who were adequately trained in ICT skills, they might take it more seriously.  At the moment, the "if it aint broke, don't fix it"  mentality prevails.  If there's no one agitating about this stuff, then it aint going to happen.  

regards 

Janet Bane
Patterson River SC

________________________________

From: yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of Ros Meadows
Sent: Wed 11-Mar-09 11:33 AM
To: Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Yr7-10it] Tools for Interactivity (Was: Missed the boat?)

I believe that what is desperately needed (certainly in my school and the one I taught at for a year in 2006) is teacher PD - not just on how to USE technologies, but ideas on how to integrate them into classroom setting to improve learning outcomes. We are surrounded by laptop trolleys (compliments of the Ruddy money) but unfortunately they are really only used as glorified typewriters, for the occasional websearch, and basic linear powerpoint presentations. I walked into a year 7 class yesterday and more than half did not even know how to log on to the network . They were given passwords at the beginning of the year and most have lost the paper, or they never received it. Where I taught in 2006 there were electronic whiteboards which were really white elephants, they were rarely used as intended as most teachers were in awe of them, so they were simply used as a normal whiteboard with markers and eraser.

I find student skills in ICT very lacking, with most having only the very basics, and since ICT is only an elective, and not even available in year 7, many students can go for 6 years never having a specialist ICT teacher. Yet staff seem to think that the kids are ICT gurus, and give them ICT PP's way beyond their actual level of performance.

Personally my dream would be to give every staff member at least a whole day on using ICT in the classroom, and at least every year 7 and 8 student a netbook to take home, for every one laptop we purchased for $1500 we could have had 3 netbooks! 

I have had moodle installed and running since November last year, so far I am the only person using it. There is no time given for teacher PD on how to use it, even though I have been asking since Nov 2008. Yet we have no other Learning, Content or Document Management System in the school. No wonder there is always such a queue at the photocopiers and there are mountains of student assignments threatening to take over the staff areas! I have not used the photocopier or printer at all this year, and neither have the students in my classes. 

Frustrating - yes!
And I continue to be the Lone Moodler!
Ros Meadows

Dr Paul Chandler wrote: 

	Folks,

	In contributing my 2c worth, I'll probably come away with a case of
	foot-in-mouth, but there's a couple of points which I think are worth
	picking up on.  I'm writing from the perspective of a classroom teacher
	(which I was until the end of last year), not from my present position of
	being a researcher.

	. to me, IWBs are glorified data projectors.  To accompany a
	data-projection, the operator (teacher or student) can do their
	song-and-dance act 'at' the point of projection rather than at the
	keyboard
	. in an effort to be 'converted' to the benefit of this, I have attend
	several conference presentations and workshops by teachers on IWBs.  I
	have been disappointed.
	. nevertheless, there are a few functions of some of the IWB software (not
	the board itself) which do allow for greater interactivity which is
	otherwise hard to replicate; a _few_ that I remember being impressed with,
	but can't remember the detail now.
	. there is _serious_ research into IWBs in the classroom (not by any team
	that I am involved with), and I know that there are documented cases where
	the teacher's interactive teaching has improved because of the technology

	In all, I think its a mixed bag of outcomes; just unfortunate that it's an
	expensive mixed bag.

	What I have a passion for, though, is being able to genuinely increase the
	interactivity in a classroom which might otherwise consist of students
	operating 'in their own space with their own PC/laptop'.  What I think is
	worth discussing is the software (and maybe hardware) and the
	teacher-tactics which can help vitalise teaching/learning from this
	perspective.  If tablet PCs or IWBs are on the list, so be it.  For
	myself, I would nominate:
	- vnc or other 'throw the student's screen onto the projector from where
	they are' technologies
	- moodle workshop
	- coword and copowerpoint (http://cooffice.ntu.edu.sg/coword/)
	- blogging (and related technologies)
	- creation of wikis

	Other suggested inclusions?  Or comments?

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