It's not about technology!

In 2007 I received the Microsoft Scholars Award as part of the DET and the Minister's Award for Excellence in the Intergration of Information Technology into classroom practice.

Although very humbled by the award it allowed me to conduct a study tour of the US and Canada. As part of the tour I visited many schools, universities and departments of education.

The trip allowed me to visit MIT's famous media lab from where LegoMindstorms were conceived as well as the OLPC initiative. It allowed me to visit the Alameda Community Learning centre where student centred learning has taken new meaning. The trip allowed me to visit Maine where a forward thinking governor has put laptops in the hands of every middle school student. And that is just the tip of the iceburg.

The focus question started out as 'improving learning outcomes for students from disadvantaged communities using ICTs' as the tour progressed it became apparent that to remain at this level of questioning was too simplistic. There was a bigger question out there!!

The report of my findings can be found by clicking on the links below. This is a culmination of the learning done whilst on the tour but also a lot of the learning done online with educator colleagues around the globe - living proof that the world is definitely flat.

Click on the links below to view the report.

Report part 1

Report part 2

Report part 3

The Adventure Begins

At the end of last year I was awarded the Microsoft Scholarship. With this I was able to organise a study tour of the US and Canada to have a look at how the various schools and districts use ICT in to improve learning outcomes for students.

During the tour I will visit a range of both universities and school and school district offices.

And after a 13 hour trip I will keep this blog up to date with details of the visit.

Off Topic ... or is it: The War Tapes

Another TED talk, this one is by Carolyn Porco (filmmaker
of The War Tapes) .… http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/171
. The project involved giving soldiers in the national guard a camera and
filming from the front line for a year. Powerful stuff.

Liberation I guess is a matter of perspective!

Is this off topic? The blog name after all is 'ICT integration in the classroom'. Well I would argue that it isn't off topic. The War Tapes film is just one example that the actual ICT tools have moved into insignificance. I didn't watch this film thinking I wonder what camera they used? I wonder how they edited the film? What font did they use? All of that faded into insignificance as I was moved by the content and the emotions that this film evoked. It was substance not the technicalities of construction that mattered.

Bringing it back to classroom ... it's the thinking and the literacy that count. Consider the skills you used when watching this film, whether you are pro the war in Iraq or against it.

The development of ICTs has made the dissemination of a message no longer bound by the 'media' but has placed the power into the hands of the people. The Net has provided the platform for discussion and debate. Allowing us to question truth and perspectives.

What do you think?

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Fly me to the moons of Saturn ... let's get over IT

I've recently been listening to TED. From their website ...

"TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It
started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from
those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader."

They hold an annual conference that brings together some of the most inspiring thinkers and doers of the world. They are asked to give 18minute talks about their lives and passions.

Their most recently released talk is by Carolyn Porco. The title of her talk "Fly me to the moons of Saturn" . This the ultimate result of what our teaching and learning is all about.

The talk is inspiring in itself ... but it made me think. It made me think about the careers and jobs of the future. What are we preparing our students for. If we don't embrace ICTs as tools are we really giving our students the best chances of succeeding ... allowing them to reach for their moons, exploring worlds not yet detected.

This sort of science didn't happen because of conformist thinking, I suggest it happened because of divergent thinking. Thinking outside the norms. Taking chances and being creative. I really believe our focus should shift from integrating ICTs to pedagogy.

Let's get over it ... the tools are there ... lets just get on with the job and use them. Let's focus on the teaching. Let's focus on getting our students up the ladder of higher order thinking. They already know the technology and if they don't they'll get it quicker than the immigrants!! Let's give them access and let them loose with solid pedagogy.

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