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.

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!

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.