My presentation and script for the #Rethinking ICT event on the 25th of June.
Thanks to Chris Leach for organising and inviting me to talk, and for making this debate essential to all of us who care about EdTech.
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ICT is dead
Long live ICT
There are those who still believe ICT is a great subject, full of opportunities to teach children important things like how to code or make effective use of packages needed in the adult world, and provide them with basis for building knowledge in this important aspect of our hi tech economy.
Bullshit
You are great teachers. If we were hit by a solar storm and the electro magnetic pulse wiped out our tech, you’d all pick up books, grab blocks and tools,
maybe even chalk and be able to gather young people round a valuable learning experience.
The empty ICT Suite – See Ken Robinsons talk
We have been in the shade of the white heat of our ICT revolution.
Get over yourselves ICT teachers!
Of course ICT is ‘important’
So is geography, art, intergenerational learning…
In fact, every subject has a claim to the timetable and resources.
All can release that alchemy between teacher and learner where high quality and a broad education can happen.
Also, given Moores Law, almost everything you teach will be out of date within a few years.
You know the kit is a distraction.
You know even the best VLE can host nothing more than a load of static docs
You know that the companies who decide what school can access rarely put education first or user interests, as the priority they should.
You know that initiatives come and go,…
So why do we all get hung on these things
So, in RethinkingICT my challenge to you is to ask, beyond the day-to-day implementation of your planning (however creative and exciting)
What is at the essence of what works in Edtech.
Why is ICT worthwhile?
I think that ICT teachers have had a unique role in schools.
Because the kit breaks
Updates run when you are not expecting it and change everything – normally back to defaults!
Kids bring new uses, hack code
You have had to be adaptive, effective (quick) learners, agile in delivery and look for innovative solutions.
It is these behaviours and approaches that the best ICT models to children and teaches children to be ready for the technology that will
evolve through their lives.
The best ICT teachers model this to their classes.
Whatever you put into a new ICT curriculum, make sure that you allow this to happen.
Today I want to announce the birth of a new project – code name <hack>school
To harness the power of all you smart and effective practitioners into a hub for edtech. crowd sourced services, making best practice accessible to all.
More to come on <hack>school soon – but if you’ d like to talk to me about ONSchool or <hack>school – come to chat to me in the break.
Thank you
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