Which device?

There has been a bit about type of devices students prefer. Interestingly there seems to be a lot coming through that the iPad is great for students with learning difficulties. Another interesting phenomena is the is growing comments in online circles About giving students the opportunity to bring their own devices. One student said that he bought laptop, iPad and iPhone. He said that each had a different function and would be used at different stages throughout the day. Byod… Bring your Own devices obviously has big implications for networks and monitoring but it is an interesting notion especially when one considers that if we move away from a one size fits all..to me the ideal 1:1 learning environment is one where the student chooses what technology they want to use to work with and create. at times that would be a pen, a laptop, perhaps the whiteboard in a collaborative space… maybe the same needs to be said for which device they decide to use.

Do we need a Typhoon Katrina to go online?

A few years ago I was lucky enough to go to a conference in Spain and there was a presentation from one of the conference participants speaking about how the unversity was closed down by Typhoon Katrina – their solution was to put all their courses online – they were up and running within two weeks – classes continued, students learned and interacted online.  At the time I wrote an article titled “do we need a Typhoon Katrina to go online?’. here at Joeys I want to commend the many teachers who have embraced iLearn and testing the waters, some have put up a great deL of learniNG material and developed interactive learning experiences such as using  the wiki and blog, while others are just dipping their toes in. There is a great deal of evidence coming out that if students have access to learning materials (including audio recordings of classes) their scores will improve and it suits the anywhere , anytime approach that they love (see connected student post)  but that aside for many of our students they are having their own Katrina moments it may be that they are ill (as is the case with several students at Joeys) maybe their family situation is making it difficult for them to concentrate in class or it may be just that they have had an off day – wouldn’t it be nice that they could revisit the learning material, rehear a teacher presentation, follow up on class notes even access notes taken by other students so that they can catch up when they are ready adn stay engaged with what is happening in the class. Blended learning is such a wonderful opportunity!

the connected student

There is talk by presenters here at the conference that if we do not change our approaches to pedgagoy and learning envrionment then schools will become irrelevant. a report from Denmark found  that students are continuously connected epsecially during the hours of 11- 11.30 am, 1-1.45 and after 3.30 ie whenever they are NOT in class. We assume that they are wasting time and spending time playling mindless games. But in fact that is THEIR way of communicating. Don’t get me wrong as adults we have a duty to say  – look guys stop now it is time to chill out or go throw a ball etc but I do computer duty in the Year 7 rooms. The boys are sitting in groups, discussing game strategy, laughing about what others are putting on facebook (yes I check it is nothing too nasty etc) – they ARE communicating. I spent a bit of time on the weekend encouraging Luca to take up a book and read and he promptly pointed out (in the most cohesive argument I have ever heard him present – knew going to debating every week would do him well) that when he played games he was thinking, he WAS porblem solving, he WAS reading about online cheats and game strategy etc.  Okay he still was told to go and read for a change but he did have a point. Wouldn’t it be great if we could capture this eagerness for communicating, problem solving and reading in all our classes. In the recent Student survey about the 1:1 one of the students said in class I go to site that my teacher tells me to go when I am at home I go to sites where I think I can learn best. The question is are we teaching enough digital literacy and deep understanding so that when I student self selects the sites they go to – they are in fact sites that will help their learning.

Schools in 2025

Stephen Harris from Northern Beaches Christian School challenged us to think about schools in 2045. The oft used analogy of thinking about who you would want to treat you in a hospital if you had a life threatening disease…the small country hospital with one doctor who has been there for years, never really changing his skill set or a facility that is based in current research with a team of surgeons working collaboratively to find a cure and help you heal.  Most would choose the current collaborative environment yet many schools are not making the paradigm shifts to become the “new empowered environment”. Teachers are time poor, yet globally  there are many teachers doing great things. This conference has many aha moments that are making me think…we ask (or should be asking our students) to work collaboratively (and they are time poor too when you consider that in study they cannot work collaborative most of the time), take risks, create and be creative and hopefully to reflect on their learning – through blogging or at least some kind of reflection . Yet most schools do not expect this from  teachers… Aren’t we also about modelling good practice to students… mmmn makes you think!! Yes I cannot think of any teachers at Joeys who are not life long learners (in their area of passion) but we need to make it explicit and show students that Life Long Learning is good, exciting and a necessary skill as a 21st Century Learner.

Boys and Tech conference

Down in Melbourne conference buzzing about lots of innovation and ideas. iPads,ebooks and learning spaces have been the big ticket items of today. A student forum truly bout home that student do not want to carry heavy books when they can have a tablet pc with all their books on the one device. Think book sellers have a big task over the next few years check out Al Gore’s new iPad app Our Choice totally interactive and engaging. The way ahead seems to be “mashup” of textbooks. This is where teachers and students can collaboratively construct using visual resources such as YouTube, online links, teaching chapters and apps.

Changing times

So many great ideas coming out of the conference. All the research says that if we can just collaborate we will not only encourage deeper learning in the subject matter but get deeper understanding. Collaboration also means that the workload is shared.  A great product called ATLAS will take all our programs and find the overlap to pave the way for teachers and students to collaborate in learning. Will need to continue investigating this possibility.

You mentioned Digital Portfolios – we should be doing this as part of our own learning. I have done one in the past and found that it was a great experience putting it together and I learnt a lot about myself as an educator while I was developing it. Funnily enough there has been some discussions about teacher reviews from time to time and yet it is not seen that Professional Portfolios can be an essential and very beneficial part of it all .  It can be reflective, affirming and challenging but what real growth isn’t?

Finally Sport and other activities. Like you Cas I admire the sporting achievements – I have been brought to tears at many assemblies when we celebrate the achievements of these fine young men, but what about robotics clubs, science clubs, book clubs ( which there are a few) ,  get the kids writing APPS, creating a Virtual Tour of the school..what missed opportunities!! Sport is essential, a joyous part of  the community building process and such a wonderful way for the boys and teachers to bond – so not at all suggesting we do away with it…but it makes you think…