Education...

I found a link via twitter to a school in AKL called Willow Park School, I was in email contact with the principal about a tweet when he sent me to http://my-learning.me/ - A website and pedagogy being developed by a young teacher at his school. It has sent me on a continual train of thought about the current state of education and its government led direction. The website is well worth checking out - I have browsed several times and am always left thinking.
I also rewatched a Ken Robinson talk which calls for a paradigm shift in education.


I am not entirely sure that I have my thinking sorted on what I think I think I think about any of this - so in the interim I will complete a small task that I have been asking my own students to do lately - See, Think, Wonder.

I see an educator who has a completely different perspective on education than most educators. I see an educator who has a strong vision and understanding for what education should be about.

I think that most educators would agree with at least 80% of what is being said by Sir Ken. I think that most educators lose sight of what is important in the day to day busyness of the job. I think that is quite sad.

I wonder how parents and communities would respond if a drastically different education was given to their children (I am not wondering about charter schools!). I wonder how teachers could reignite passions that would be required to create and deliver a different educational experience for their children. I wonder how it would be possible for this little country in the south pacific to take a step into the unknown and lead, instead of follow global trends for a change...

Writing this brief post has forced me to think about education from a higher perspective - It has convinced me that i need to find out more about pedagogies such as My Learning and create something new for my tamariki...

ma te wa!

Technology and Teachnology

I recently read an article that stated technology in education is useless without up-to-date and evolving pedagogy that suits the current century. 

I agree with about 60% of this statement. Ideally, technology will open doors within classrooms to ensure that teachers have new ways of teaching and collaborating with students in innovative and creative ways. Ideally, teachers will have the skills in using technology and the confidence in their own knowledge (and self) to adapt to current pedagogies. Ideally, technology will evolve every classroom in overnight. (Ideally technology will work first time, every time!!)

Technology in education has the capacity to transform the way in which we teach and subsequently the way in which learners (teachers and students) learn.

For technology to be helpful to the curriculum and to teachers in general, firstly teachers must have an awareness of how to use technology and secondly, see the benefits of pushing the boundaries and trying new things.

The awareness  of how to use technology only comes about through use. This is where I depart from agreeing with the other 40% of the original statement. Teachers need to be encouraged to use technology. This will have two positive outcomes

1. Student engagement in the short term will increase
2. Teacher knowledge and confidence in using technology will increase 

These two benefits will happen regardless of pedagogy model. I do not believe that we can shift to current pedagogies without having the teachers on board and competent in using technology first.

So while I agree that technology enables an open and expansive curriculum and style of pedagogy - teachers are still the ones in charge of the class programme to varying degrees. teachers themselves need to see the value and options created by using technology.

My revised statement:

Curricular and pedagogy can be greatly enhanced using modern technology, teachers must lead this change through developing their own knowledge of and confidence with using such technology.