Tablets, laptops and mobiles aren't there to replace traditional teaching tools, but designed to complement them. Our panel of education experts share advice on using one to one devices in schools .
This week we've been exploring how technology is being used to educate and engage in the classroom and our piece on using mobile phones in the classroom caused quite the stir, attracting comments from enthusiasts, skeptics and those teachers in between.
It's obvious that while many remain to be convinced of the potential, others are really excited about using one to one devices in their lessons. We brought together teachers and education experts on the topic, to share their thoughts, tips and advice in a live discussion. Here are some of the highlights.
Think of how much you have just learnt sharing this social medium with other like-minded educators. A very powerful tool that, yes, we do not allow students to use within secondary schools.
The main pitfall is spending loads of money with no plan, no objectives and no idea what they are buying them or how they will use them. Before schools implement their 1:1 program it must be very well planned. There needs to be solid infrastructure, training needs to be addressed, consideration on how the classroom/teaching could change and it is so important to decide on a vision, aims and objectives. All this before the launch.
Get hands on with reluctant colleagues: One way to show members of staff the benefits of 1:1 devices is to show them examples of how they can benefit the learner as well as the teacher. Give them a demonstration and don't just tell them.
It's horses for courses: I have a friend who says 'he snacks on his smartphone, he dines on his tablet but he cooks with his laptop'. I think this says it all. There is a place for all devices in a school.
Accept you're a learner too: The key piece of advice I would give here is use your young people to help. Our digital leaders plan lessons with teachers who are not confident about using devices and then go along to the lessons to help out. It's a cliche and a little over played, but most of our classes have 20-30 IT experts sat in it.
It's not about one approach (1:1) but many: It's about keeping young people and learning central to any change. This week has seen many, negative throw away comments condemning 1:1 approaches without any real substance being them. I would argue that you're not really a professional unless you are exploring all new ways of teaching and learning. Teachers should be modelling the life long learning that we expect to instil in our students and at least explore every possibility and remain open minded even if we don't embrace it.
Inclusion can instil confidence: 1:1 devices are a great resources to enable students to feel included in difficult lessons. I add QR codes to help students with remembering formula or a worked example. This way everyone gets the same sheets so the student doesn't feel like the only one who doesn't understand.
Co-ordination, not control: Self directed learning has a very long way to go in the UK. It requires a fundamental shift from the current way the role of the teacher is considered. The fact is, whether teachers begin to embrace it or not, young people have for the past ten years already anyway. A teacher that recognizes that a majority of learning can now happen outside the classroom, in the young person's own time and under the want of their own curiosity and interest, is a teacher who can connect on a level that is liberating for his or herself and for the class. But the teacher becomes more a coordinator of a plethora of learning that is generating itself, rather than the controller of one defined stream of learning that is class room bound and purely teacher defined.
It's obvious that while many remain to be convinced of the potential, others are really excited about using one to one devices in their lessons. We brought together teachers and education experts on the topic, to share their thoughts, tips and advice in a live discussion. Here are some of the highlights.
Donna Comerford (@DonnaComerford) is deputy director of learning at Cavendish School in Eastbourne and on a mission to bring creativity, enthusiasm and fun back into ICT lessons.
Don't be afraid if you don't know it all: I do not know everything there is to know about ICT, couldn't hope to and I'm happy to tell kids that. I think our job is now facilitating, allowing students and young people the space and time to experiment and try things out. My experience is that teachers feel that they need to be all knowing in all areas and that it might be viewed as a sign of weakness which they do not understand everything that is happening within their classroom.Think of how much you have just learnt sharing this social medium with other like-minded educators. A very powerful tool that, yes, we do not allow students to use within secondary schools.
Matt Britland (@mattbritland) is head of ICT at Kingston Grammar School. He has been teaching for six years and taught in both state and independent schools. Matt blogs here and is also a teacher adviser to the Guardian Teacher Network.
Choose the right tool for the job: The device in my opinion should very much depend on what you would like to achieve.The main pitfall is spending loads of money with no plan, no objectives and no idea what they are buying them or how they will use them. Before schools implement their 1:1 program it must be very well planned. There needs to be solid infrastructure, training needs to be addressed, consideration on how the classroom/teaching could change and it is so important to decide on a vision, aims and objectives. All this before the launch.
Get hands on with reluctant colleagues: One way to show members of staff the benefits of 1:1 devices is to show them examples of how they can benefit the learner as well as the teacher. Give them a demonstration and don't just tell them.
Steve Beswick is senior director of education at Microsoft. Within this role, Steve works to demonstrate the value of technology in transforming the education process.
The impact of technology on education: Use of 1:1 devices require a wholesale change in school culture, teachers, students and parents. Changes to teaching methods and assessment. I agree that assessment needs to be potentially reviewed. In the context of gaming in education, gaming allows for failure. Within gaming, you initially fail often until you master the game. Academic assessment arguably needs to evolve in the same way.It's horses for courses: I have a friend who says 'he snacks on his smartphone, he dines on his tablet but he cooks with his laptop'. I think this says it all. There is a place for all devices in a school.
David Rogers (@daviderogers) is a teacher at Priory School in Portsmouth. He is a geographer and leads the geography department (which is a Geographical Association Centre of Excellence). He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and blogs here.
Work with what you've got: At our school I don't see us ever buying shiny kit for students. Instead, we have researched what they already have and then ask how those devices can help learning. In our classes we have work handed in on everything from paper, slate (really), PPT, blogs, animations, videos, photographs, flip books, poems and paper mache models all for the same piece of work and learning objectives.Accept you're a learner too: The key piece of advice I would give here is use your young people to help. Our digital leaders plan lessons with teachers who are not confident about using devices and then go along to the lessons to help out. It's a cliche and a little over played, but most of our classes have 20-30 IT experts sat in it.
It's not about one approach (1:1) but many: It's about keeping young people and learning central to any change. This week has seen many, negative throw away comments condemning 1:1 approaches without any real substance being them. I would argue that you're not really a professional unless you are exploring all new ways of teaching and learning. Teachers should be modelling the life long learning that we expect to instil in our students and at least explore every possibility and remain open minded even if we don't embrace it.
Genevieve Smith-Nunes (@pegleggen) teaches IT, computing and business at Dorothy Stringer School in Sussex. She is hub leader for Sussex CAS and she blogs at Pegleggen.wordpress.com
Shared learning is vitally important: This is the case for all phases of education. Group work with or without devices goes beyond just the subject knowledge. Being able to work and communicate effectively with others is a key life skill. Having access to technology means (if possible) working with people from other schools, countries or organisationsInclusion can instil confidence: 1:1 devices are a great resources to enable students to feel included in difficult lessons. I add QR codes to help students with remembering formula or a worked example. This way everyone gets the same sheets so the student doesn't feel like the only one who doesn't understand.
Alan O'Donohoe (@teknoteacher) is the principal teacher of ICT at Our Lady's High School, Preston. Through Computing At School, Alan has worked with others to raise the profile of computing in the curriculum. Find his blog here.
Encourage sharing: I think it's worth trying to ensure that learning remains a social experience. It's great having resources online like Udacity, Codecademy, and Code Avengers. However, if learners are using these resources independently and not sharing what they have learnt with others, it can be a shallow experience. If we are encouraging more use of 1:1 devices, we should also be encouraging more sharing of learning experiences.Raxian, a reader and participant in the live chat
Listen to those who know and save money: I think one major thing that is overlooked is very close and consistent consultation with young people from the beginning. They know what will work and what will not. Listening to young people could save you a fortune and save you a lot of time being wasted.Co-ordination, not control: Self directed learning has a very long way to go in the UK. It requires a fundamental shift from the current way the role of the teacher is considered. The fact is, whether teachers begin to embrace it or not, young people have for the past ten years already anyway. A teacher that recognizes that a majority of learning can now happen outside the classroom, in the young person's own time and under the want of their own curiosity and interest, is a teacher who can connect on a level that is liberating for his or herself and for the class. But the teacher becomes more a coordinator of a plethora of learning that is generating itself, rather than the controller of one defined stream of learning that is class room bound and purely teacher defined.
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