TEACHING AND ICT

OVER THE PAST MONTH I HAVE HAD THE OPPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS ICT RELATED ISSUES WITH SEVERAL GROUPS OF SCHOOL LEADERS. THIS BLOG IS AN ATTEMPT AT PULLING TOGETHER MY THINKING ON THE SUBJECT.

1. THE EVIDENCE (2008 education.au NATIONAL SURVEY

• ONLY A QUARTER OF OUR TEACHER FORCE IMPLEMENT SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES THAT UTILISE ICT TO ENHANCE TEACHING AND LEARNING
• MOST ARE ABLE TO USE THE INTERNET FOR RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION BUT LITTLE ELSE.

2. WHY IS IT SO?
• INEFFECTIVE PD
• POOR INFRASTRUCTURE
• LACK OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT
• LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF SUCCESSFUL PEDAGOGIES
• LACK OF TIME
• LACK OF MOTIVATION AND OR CONFIDENCE INCLUDING UNDERSTANDING THAT THE STUDENTS ARE WAY AHEAD

WHATEVER STRATEGIES ARE IMPLEMENTED ALL OF THESE ISSUES NEED TO BE ADDRESSED


3. SOME STRATEGIES AROUND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

YOU NEED TO LEAD FROM THE FRONT SO JUMP IN AND TRY SOME TECHNOLOGIES. YOU COULD UTILISE TOOLS SUCH AS TWITTER AND BLOGS AND HAVE AN ON-LINE IDENTITY SUCH AS THROUGH ME.EDU.AU
• EXPOSE YOUR STAFF TO SOME OF THE TRENDS OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
• SUPPORT YOUR ICT CHAMPIONS AND GIVE THEM TIME TO DEVELOP THEIR HOBBY HORSES
• ASSIST YOUR CHAMPIONS TO SHARE THEIR WORK WITH OTHER STAFF AND DEVELOP THEIR MENTORING SKILLS
• PROVIDE ENCOURAGEMENT AND TIME FOR TEACHERS TO PLAY WITH VARIOUS TECHNOLOGIES
• DEVELOP A MENTORING PROGRAMME
• IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE PARENTS
• ESTABLISH AN ON-LINE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER AND PROJECT PUBLISHING SITE
• FIT YOUR SCHOOLS ACHIEVEMENTS INTO THE NATIONAL COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK
• CONTINUE THE CONVERSATIONS AND ENCOURAGE ON-LINE COLLABORATION WITH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN OTHER SCHOOLS SUCH AS THROUGH OZPROJECTS

I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE OTHERS THOUGHTS.
I INTEND DOING MORE WORK ON HOW TO FREE UP TEACHERS TIME TO FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR ICT PEDAGOGIES.
GREG