"Kids are so lucky!" read the tweet. This was in response to a video link I reposted on Twitter today. The title was 'Next Generation Learning' and in the short video, an 11 year-old boy called Harry takes us on a tour of his school. In year 6, he and his classmates use interactive white boards, Wii technology, voting systems and a whole range of ICTs to support and enhance their learning. There are also links so that he and his parents can participate in the life of their school wherever they are, using Internet links and handheld technology. Here's the video:
It's not so far from the truth, and some schools in the UK are already tapping into these tools. I know. I've seen them using them. How long before all schools in the UK and elsewhere in the industrialised world adopt these tools wholesale? What is stopping them? Political issues? Teachers or headteachers reluctant to use them because they are problematic? Economic constraints? Simple fear of the unknown? All of these are reasons some schools stumble in the march forward to new ideas. But I think the most trenchant barrier to grand adoption of emerging technologies is time. Teachers quite simply don't have enough time to do anything other than survive during the working academic year. And then the holidays are spent recovering from the relentless onslaught of planning, teaching and assessment cycles. When the governments of this world stop testing and measuring everything to destruction and start seeing learning as a means to an end rather than as an outcome, then we may see some changes. Then it won't be next generation learning - it will be 'this generation learning'.
OK. End of rant. (Steps down off his soapbox).
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