MORE DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN BETTER
“Over the past 10 years, ninety nine percent of our schools have been connected to the internet with a 5:1 student to computer ratio. Yet, we have not realized the promise of technology in education.” – US Department of Education, National Educational Technology Plan 2004
A very painful lesson to learn for the US and one that all other countries should always consider. Having more computers is always good but it cannot automatically translate to more learning. It is ECAT, or Effective Computer Access Time and not the ratio that will make a great bearing on learning. The amount of time students have access to technology must be monitored and increased. His advocacy for laptops, where one can be assigned to a student will contribute much to harnessing technology's potential for learning. Rather than having desktops in the laboratories, and having a limited amount of time per student, he argues that the school will be better off assigning a laptop for a term, a month or a period of time. If a learner can bring it hime with him, the ECAT greatly increases. And so will learning.
With the $100 dollar laptop, his view had great merit.
TECHNOLOGY OFFERS LITTLE ON ITS OWN
He quotes Chris Dede, Timothy E. Wirth, Professors in Learning Technologies, Harvard Graduate School of Education:
“Classroom computers that are acquired as panaceas end up as doorstops. Information technology is a cost-effective investment only in the context of systemic reform. Unless other simultaneous innovations in pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, and school organization are coupled to the usage of instructional technology, the time and effort expended on implementing these devices produces few improvements in educational outcomes—and reinforces many educators’ cynicism about fads based on magical machines.”
It is not how fancy your graphics or software are. It's not how powerful your computer is. Will it help in the learning process?
BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ON THE WHY
Some institutions join the eLearning and technology bandwagon without a clear vision why. A clueless management team decides to embark on using technology because it is the in thing, or the competition has one-is bound to fail because of lack of vision.
A clear answer to the question “Why are we doing this?” should be clear to all.
BE CLEAR ON WHAT YOU MEAN BY DIGITAL LITERACY
“On Digital Fluency and the fluency gap:
To be truly fluent in a foreign language, you must be able to articulate a complex idea or tell an engaging story; in other words, you must be able to “make things” with language.
Analogously, being digitally fluent involves not only knowing how to use technological tools, but also knowing how to construct things of significance with those tools “
- Papert and Resnick 1995
THE LATEST IS NOT ALWAYS THE GREATEST
True. Even if upgrades and innovations come at a rapid pace, it does not mean they should be used, at least not until you evaluate and deem them necessary. Take for example the MS Word. While there have been a lot changes from Version 6 to 2003 and XP, the basics remain the same. If you know how to use the old version, it would be easy to use the latest version. If your curriculum concentrates more on the basic skill of typing and wordprocessing rather than the bells and whistles of the product, upgrading may not be necessary.
While there is merit in learning the new releases, the added costs that these upgrades entail should be taken into consideration versus the skills needed by the learner.
Regarding hardware, there can be such a thing as overkill. Though more RAM, more hard disk space, faster processor and a nicer sound and video card may seem better in general, it may not be needed. Again, the standard should be the learning needs of the students, not the fad or flavor of the season.
PRIORITY MUST ALWAYS BE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
These are notes from the slides:
The more powerful technology becomes the more indispensable good teachers are.
Technology generates a glut of information but is not pedagogically wise.
Learners must construct own meaning for deep understanding to occur.
To do this … teachers must become pedagogical design experts, (leveraging) the power of technology. •Fullan, 1998
Don’t dumb teachers down with point-and-click!!
Decision makers must recognize that before technology can be utilized properly, teacher development must be a priority. Especially in less developed nations, it is not proper to acquire computers when obviously these tools will not be used to their full capacity.
There is no substitute for a good teacher, whether she teaches with a computer or designs courses. In the end, it's just the delivery that changes.
DON’T LOWER THE BAR
- by viewing computing through school-colored glasses
AFFORDABILITY, ATTITUDE AND COMMITMENT
- building uquity not inequality
The $100 laptop
- Why go to all this trouble? "I am doing it," replied Negroponte, "because I have seen connected laptops work in schools, in villages without electricity, TV, telephone, water and, in one case, not even a road."
Why is it important for each child to have a computer? What's wrong with community-access centers?
“One does not think of community pencils—kids have their own. They are tools to think with, sufficiently inexpensive to be used for work and play, drawing, writing, and mathematics. A computer can be the same, but far more powerful. Furthermore, there are many reasons it is important for a child to "own" something—like a football, doll, or book—not the least of which being that these belongings will be well-maintained through love and care.” Nicholas Negroponte 2005
CONTENT IS NOT KING, PEDAGOGY IS; AND WE DO HAVE TO DO MORE THAN JUST DELIVER IT!
SIMPLE IS USUALLY GOOD. REALLY GOOD.
IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP
eLearning programs should have a champion. Advocates and good eLearning managers should lead the way. Implementing an eLearning program without anybody guiding it will surely result in failure.
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