[Advisory] After #Naace2010
Brian Smith
brian@briansmithonline.com
Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:35:27 +0000
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Following this year's conference, I'm struggling to find solutions.
Clearly Ofsted is still counting that which can be counted and =
nit-picking over whether data-logging is being 'delivered' or not. In =
the meantime the world's children are disengaging from education en =
masse. (If they need datalogging they can pick it up in an hour - and =
probably most do when they buy some technical Lego or a similar toy).
The pressure to break the mould and throw out the Victorian curriculum =
with its deliver-and-test regime is building towards bursting point. Too =
many bright people are saying it: Ken Robinson, Don Tapscott, David =
Puttnam; their numbers are growing and their voices getting louder =
almost daily.=20
And finally, Lord Puttnam's film showed that increasing global problems =
mean that if we don't create a 21st century curriculum - and quickly - =
there may be no need for five A*- Cs because there'll be no world to =
live in.
See what he showed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DVRi8_fXz1D8
So what's the solution?
Needless to say I haven't a clue.
But I do find that Web 2.0 technologies open the ability to =
problem-solve and debate.
Twitterfall at conference added a dimension and a global audience to our =
sessions.
You do realise, don't you, that Chris Smith was participating in =
Thailand and many comments were being retweeted to a global network of =
people by an educator in Ecuador. That's just two examples.
TeachMeet was real chalk-face practitioners turning their back on =
Government and Ofsted and getting together to share innovative ideas - =
and their sessions were streamed on Ustream to a global audience.
This global dimension is almost totally lacking in the average =
classroom. In its place we have locked-down systems which wouldn't allow =
my photos from BETT to be viewed by Pete Rafferty (@raff31) an =
innovative Year 4 teacher on Merseyside. No, he didn't have 8-year-olds =
accessing Twitter - this was his own account on his own laptop which he =
was using to receive news from professional educators attending the BETT =
Show. Nothing reached his children without being filtered by him - yet =
even he, as a teacher, wasn't given this freedom because Twitpic is =
blocked.
How can children become the "people we need" when even their teachers =
can't show them the benefits technology can bring?
Unlock the Web
My instinct is to unlock the web and let teachers use Web 2.0 with their =
classes but that ignores Internet safety issues.
The more I think about it the more I know that it depends on age. But =
the starting point should be open access and then lock down only as much =
as necessary.
Consider nursery and reception children for example. Open access would =
be so wrong for them. Yet a primary teacher who can't put Twitterfall on =
the whiteboard is surely damaging the children's prospects.
So how about this.=20
Consider the roads analogy.=20
We wouldn't let five year olds roam freely on the roads so we keep them =
shut indoors or safe in the garden with the gate shut.=20
But we also go out onto the roads with them so they learn road safety.=20=
We do it by constantly explaining and demonstrating.=20
Not incessantly, just every time a road needs to be crossed.=20
In between we are talking about everything else.
A suggestion:
On the net, then, I think we should direct young children to safe sites =
for specific activities and have filters in place so they can't go =
ANYWHERE else.
But not a county filter or even a school filter. It needs to be a class =
filter because the seven year olds will need a bit more flexibility and =
the 11 years old a lot more.
AND, the class filter should be only on the children's access points. =
The teacher should have unfettered access so if she wants to use Twitter =
or any other social networking site - or MSN - or Skype - or Ustream - =
she can. Because she won't let the children on that computer and she'll =
only ever access these sites as part of a lesson. So she might have =
Twitterfall on the big screen for a particular purpose during a =
particular lesson, perhaps with a TA monitoring content in the seconds =
between receipt and display.
Thus the children are safe but they also learn to communicate and =
collaborate as the teacher holds their hand.
Just like on the road.
As they grow older the filters come off but only with adequate internet =
safety training.
And on that subject, see these two articles::
A school that's praised for less filtered access with good safety =
training:
=
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Use-online-tool-nets-school-E-Safety-=
mark/article-1812042-detail/article.html
Managed rather than locked down:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8505914.stm
So those are my fairly random thoughts so far, two days after =
conference.
What do you think?
Brian Smith
---------------------------------------
Disclaimers about how this is intended for you and if you aren't you, =
let me know.
Oh and by the way, the content *is* my opinion.=
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<html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Following this year's =
conference, I'm struggling to find solutions.<div><br></div><div>Clearly =
Ofsted is still counting that which can be counted and nit-picking over =
whether data-logging is being 'delivered' or not. In the meantime the =
world's children are disengaging from education en masse. (If they need =
datalogging they can pick it up in an hour - and probably most do when =
they buy some technical Lego or a similar =
toy).</div><div><br></div><div>The pressure to break the mould and throw =
out the Victorian curriculum with its deliver-and-test regime is =
building towards bursting point. Too many bright people are saying it: =
Ken Robinson, Don Tapscott, David Puttnam; their numbers are growing and =
their voices getting louder almost =
daily. </div><div><br></div><div>And finally, Lord Puttnam's film =
showed that increasing global problems mean that if we don't create a =
21st century curriculum - and quickly - there may be no need for five =
A*- Cs because there'll be no world to live in.</div><div>See what he =
showed at: <a =
href=3D"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DVRi8_fXz1D8">http://www.youtube.c=
om/watch?v=3DVRi8_fXz1D8</a></div><div><br></div><div><b>So what's the =
solution?</b></div><div>Needless to say I haven't a clue.</div><div>But =
I do find that Web 2.0 technologies open the ability to problem-solve =
and debate.</div><div>Twitterfall at conference added a dimension and a =
global audience to our sessions.</div><div>You do realise, don't you, =
that Chris Smith was participating in Thailand and many comments were =
being retweeted to a global network of people by an educator in Ecuador. =
That's just two examples.</div><div><br></div><div>TeachMeet was real =
chalk-face practitioners turning their back on Government and Ofsted and =
getting together to share innovative ideas - and their sessions were =
streamed on Ustream to a global audience.</div><div><br></div><div>This =
global dimension is almost totally lacking in the average classroom. In =
its place we have locked-down systems which wouldn't allow my photos =
from BETT to be viewed by Pete Rafferty (@raff31) an innovative Year 4 =
teacher on Merseyside. No, he didn't have 8-year-olds accessing Twitter =
- this was his own account on his own laptop which he was using to =
receive news from professional educators attending the BETT Show. =
Nothing reached his children without being filtered by him - yet even =
he, as a teacher, wasn't given this freedom because Twitpic is =
blocked.</div><div><br></div><div>How can children become the "people we =
need" when even their teachers can't show them the benefits technology =
can bring?</div><div><br></div><div><b>Unlock the Web</b></div><div>My =
instinct is to unlock the web and let teachers use Web 2.0 with their =
classes but that ignores Internet safety =
issues.</div><div><br></div><div>The more I think about it the more I =
know that it depends on age. But the starting point should be open =
access and then lock down only as much as necessary.<br><br>Consider =
nursery and reception children for example. Open access would be so =
wrong for them. Yet a primary teacher who can't put Twitterfall on =
the whiteboard is surely damaging the children's =
prospects.</div><div><br></div><div>So how about =
this. </div><div>Consider the roads analogy. <br>We wouldn't =
let five year olds roam freely on the roads so we keep them shut indoors =
or safe in the garden with the gate shut. <br>But we also go out =
onto the roads with them so they learn road safety. <br>We do it by =
constantly explaining and demonstrating. </div><div>Not =
incessantly, just every time a road needs to be =
crossed. </div><div>In between we are talking about everything =
else.<br><br><b>A suggestion:</b></div><div>On the net, then, I think we =
should direct young children to safe sites for specific activities and =
have filters in place so they can't go ANYWHERE else.<br><br>But not a =
county filter or even a school filter. It needs to be a class filter =
because the seven year olds will need a bit more flexibility and the 11 =
years old a lot more.<br><br>AND, the class filter should be only on the =
children's access points. The teacher should have unfettered access so =
if she wants to use Twitter or any other social networking site - or MSN =
- or Skype - or Ustream - she can. Because she won't let the children on =
that computer and she'll only ever access these sites as part of a =
lesson. So she might have Twitterfall on the big screen for a particular =
purpose during a particular lesson, perhaps with a TA monitoring content =
in the seconds between receipt and display.<br><br>Thus the children are =
safe but they also learn to communicate and collaborate as the teacher =
holds their hand.<br>Just like on the road.<br><br>As they grow older =
the filters come off but only with adequate internet safety =
training.<br><br>And on that subject, see these two articles::<br><br>A =
school that's praised for less filtered access with good safety =
training:<br><a =
href=3D"http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Use-online-tool-nets-school-E=
-Safety-mark/article-1812042-detail/article.html">http://www.thisisplymout=
h.co.uk/news/Use-online-tool-nets-school-E-Safety-mark/article-1812042-det=
ail/article.html</a><br><br>Managed rather than locked down:<br><a =
href=3D"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8505914.stm">http://news.bbc.=
co.uk/1/hi/education/8505914.stm</a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><d=
iv>So those are my fairly random thoughts so far, two days after =
conference.</div><div><br></div><div>What do you =
think?</div><div><br></div><div>Brian =
Smith</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>----------------------------=
-----------</div><div>Disclaimers about how this is intended for you and =
if you aren't you, let me know.</div><div>Oh and by the way, the content =
*is* my opinion.</div></body></html>=
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