Team: Science

Prof Lee Hubbard
9:32am 16 September 2010

Hi there everyone

I will start the discussion with a question

Is technology being used for technologies sake in the class room.?..

Prof Lee Hubbard

Rebecca Galley
3:17pm 16 September 2010 (Edited 3:27pm 16 September 2010)

Or...are technological tools being installed in the classroom for 'technology''s sake but not really used?

Prof Lee Hubbard
12:37pm 18 September 2010

thats an interesting observation and something I have seen supported in my own observations in schools.  From what I have observed the technology is there and being used but a such a minimal level that it is basically an illuminated blackboard.

The problem that I can see for teaching staff is the vast array of functions that modern technology makes available. To take advantage of this new functionality you have to be a professional programmer or have access to the sort of IT support and development which frankly cannot be found at the average school.  When observing I ahve thought of a number of wyas in which a presentation could be made more interactive with a little macro here or bit of code there...but how can you ask an already busy teacher to sit down and learn modern programming techniques.

I think the answer is much better IT support in schools with staff capable of taking on development jobs and building new intereactive solutions within the school. Too often I see technology installed and underused or as a recently mismanaged but inadequately trained IT staff.

My answer is thus better support for teachers from an IT view point and stronger encouragement to pass on development of new presentations to professional IT staff or hight experienced IT / Teaching staff.

Prof Lee Hubbard

Chris Kirkland
7:48pm 18 September 2010

I am lucky enough to have a dry wipe board as well as an interactive whiteboard and internet access. I tend to find the PhET website phet.colorado.edu gets used most lessons. Also Southampton Universities "Waves" resource is excellent for moving diagrams. The advantage over other interactive resources is there is nothing to program or install. Students can also use the applets to try things out. The applets and moving diagrams show extra information that you cannot see in real life but help in the learning process. It is also nice to be able to record information from class/group work in text documents or spreadsheets to make it available for later analysis or review. With so the variety of students to accomodate the technology has to be easy to use and reliable. Some technology is amazing if you can afford to give it your full attention but that is not what we want to do. Having someone show you how easy something is helps to overcome the initial reluctance. I would be lost without my technology toys.

Rebecca Galley
10:52am 20 September 2010

Hi Chris - good to see you in this discussion! And thanks for sharing a few subject specific tools (any chance of the links...:-) ) I agree that having someone showing us that creative use of technology doesn't have to be an all or nothing element in our learning designs is really important, and also hearing about the experiences of experienced teachers who can now not think about teaching in any other way.

Prof, I come (like Chris) from FE and my experience of schools education is limited but I'd say that FE does have techie people about the place but that in itself is not enough. My experience is that few IT support folk have the pedagogical understanding to support the teaching part of teaching with technology. I think there is a real need for a defined learning technologist role in schools, as there is is most HE institutions and some FE. Someone who's job it is to keep on top of new ideas and uses of technology for learning and teaching and share best practice.

Rebecca Galley
3:48pm 20 September 2010

Hope you don't mind but I've pulled this discussion out as a seperate Cloud because I think it's really interesting.  I've put it here

R