Who coined the term ‘e-maturity’ – Professor Pegg? Very clever.

At an ITC professional development day recently, staff who are proficient in the use of various computer technologies teamed up to mentor the ‘e-mature’. A great day was had by all and confidence levels and use of computers in the classroom (as teaching tools rather than just to teach computer skills) at our place are on the rise.

Still patchy but progress is progress nonetheless, no matter how small. I still think there’s a lot to be said for networked learning communities.

http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23882849-15306,00.html

Thanks also for the link to Podcast Lane. I will take advantage of the great information you have there on setting up a class blog etc.

I’ve been networking recently with some wonderful teachers in the public system here in Sydney, and also in Scotland, and am hopefully going to work with them in the future around using new technologies more effectively in the classroom. They’ve already got school/class blogs, podcasts and flickr albums happening and have offered to get me started when the time comes.

Firstly, the system – I’m referring to public education in NSW here. Teacher leaves university, gets a permanent job in a school. They’re all excited and wanting to do great and wonderful things and the Board of Studies gives them the (ICT-free) syllabus. Then they realise, for the next SEVEN years, they don’t have to do anything to get a payrise – they just have to show up. If after those seven years, they want to take the next step, they have to take on administrative duties and responsibilities often in addition to teaching. Where’s the motivation? Teachers that do put in their own effort as “professionals” to teach themselves about the new tools of their trade are often frowned upon by the rest of the pack because they make them look bad. “Then, when governments and departments want to introduce technologies such as teacher email and now interactive whiteboards, threats of union bans are raised further holding the profession back.

Personally, I’m in IT. I *have* to keep up with my industry myself if I want to survive. I can’t remember the last professional development course I was sent to. Upskilling is a personal responsibility for me and for many other professions. But somehow the teaching profession believes that upskilling existing teachers is the responsibility of the employer. You can’t be upskilled if you don’t want to be upskilled. And therein lies the problem.

I would like to start blogging with my class but am not sure of what is/not allowed in my system. I’m not with the Department of Education so can’t comment on the measures in place there. Excuse my ignorance, if you have gone through all of this in your class blogging series…I’ll catch up with you soon.

I did read your comments in reply to someone who was expressing doubt about the need to showcase student work outside of the classroom/school environment in the public arena. I’ll probably use your response (with acknowledgement to you, of course) to help put across a more persuasive argument to my supervisors as to why it’s a good idea.

What really resonated with me was your comment that blogging is more than an electronic journal. It’s a means of connecting with others and especially of tapping into people (experts in their fields even) you would otherwise never have the chance to engage with your students.

I’m glad you don’t dispute that the teachers themselves are good people. There are plenty of teacher-knockers out there and I don’t think it does anything for teacher morale or for the profession, which is in bad enough shape. Even old dogs can learn new tricks…as a mature teacher I think I’m a pretty fair example of that. You yourself said that you’re “jumping into the blogging scene relatively late. Things change”.

Your comment on the education system and the teacher’s union not motivating and encouraging teachers to increase their skills is interesting. In the education system in which I work, every teacher is required to participate in a certain number of hours professional development in school time and in their own time – part-time teachers pro rata.

There is a fair degree of scope for choosing your own focus areas, too, and switched on school executives have the chance to give people a nudge in the right direction if necessary. The Independent Teacher’s Union is available should teachers need their support if they think they’re being unfairly treated but otherwise supportive of teachers increasing their skills.

Thanks for your comments. Not sure if you saw my Class blogging series (parts 1,2 &3 here: http://paralleldivergence.com/2008/04/22/still-interested-in-a-class-blog/ )

I don’t dispute the teachers themselves are good people with the best interests of students at heart – it’s the combination of the education system and the teacher’s union that does not motivate and encourage them to increase their skills. The problem is becoming critical and will soon push many of our aging educators into retirement, leaving a staffing shortage unlike any we’ve ever seen before.

I agree wholeheartedly with your comments. The Digital Education Revolution is NOT an ICT project.

I’ve been reading a lot of inspirational material lately (courtesy of Judy O’Connell’s site, which is incidentally, where I picked up your blog at http://heyjude.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/digital-education-revolution) about Web 2.0 technologies in education and the critical need to rethink pedagogy and the whole curriculum framework.

I’m coming from a primary educator’s perspective but I don’t feel it’s any different really to what the high school teachers are experiencing – perhaps, a little more lee-way on the scope of the curriculum and teacher innovation in the area of ICT.

The new learning competencies which are evolving for our ‘digital natives’ using the Read-Write Web, will cause those 70% or so of teachers, who are not using technology at all with their classes, or who are using it simply as an add-on, to feel even further removed from it all.

Time and money needs to be invested in significant teacher professional development in this area in order for networked learning communities to grow. The majority, of these 70% of teachers that we talk about, are good people who have the very best interests of the kids at heart. For whatever reason, they have not reached the same point as others in their knowledge or use of ICT – it doesn’t mean that without the right guidance or input that they won’t or can’t change. I agree with Russell, who left the comment that teachers are learners too, just like the kids.

As for the question of syllabus change and the rigidity of the curriculum, I don’t know what the answer is there…especially with politicians buying into such areas as assessment (A-E reporting, for example) and refusing to listen to the voice of educators; and with education authorities sticking to a comfortable and outdated system of education, which arose from an industrial revolution age. Teacher Advisory committees seem like a good starting point.

Your statement about even new teachers being “reluctant” to take on the new technologies is completely indicative of the rigidness of the curriculum and its inability to move with the changing environment. New teachers want to “toe the line” – they don’t want to rattle the cage. Sticking to old ways is not helping the profession change. The thing is, teacher’s feel safe where they are now. If things were to change, then there could be major upheval to overcome.

And parents don’t help either – they expect of school what they got out of it – they way it worked for them. They want grades and class rankings in reports because that’s how they were scored. But everything’s changed.

The longer things stay the same in schools, the more irrelevant schools will become.

The thing thing which I find most disturbing is that the reluctance of inabilty of teachers to take up new technologies does not seem to be peculiar to older teachers but is prevalent across the profession both young and old .
Assessment methods, curiculum, the organistation of teaching and learning enviroments and teachers/student dynamics all need to be rethought .
Thanks for your great website

@Russell – Congratulations on your early success. It’s quite clear that many students go off to jobs that bear NO resemblance to anything they learned at school. As for high schools preparing students for the workforce? It’s just not happening.

@Jennifer – I’ve seen some of the things happening in Victoria. I think you’re very lucky down there with so many schools in such a small state. You don’t have the tyrannies of distance that most of the other states have to worry about. Positive change in Victoria and Tasmania SHOULD be achievable, but it still sounds like you’re not there yet.

@Paul – The teacher laptop program in Victoria has been the envy of other states. But until EVERY teacher has a laptop AND uses it for education purposes, we’re really going to struggle with this Digital Education Revolution.

Thanks all for the comments. Keep them coming!

I droped out of school at the beginning of year 11, I believe that if i had a computer, and classes that were in computer engineering i might of stayed at school.

I dont believe that computers should in the math classes or English classes or any language. But I do believe that this is a great idea from a new government.

Thanks
Russell Harrower
CEO/Founder – Twitoosearch.com & Shoutoo.com