Talk:Main Page
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More Questions
Below are some questions which emerged from the learning day and during the writing of the output document. Comments welcome - the wiki will remain online as an active discussion and an archive of the learning day.
1 The Government's role
What should the government role be in helping overcome the challenges identified during the learning day and in this document?
Should there be a department whose sole duty is to raise awareness of the opportunities and benefits offered by technology-based learning, address the identified challenges and act as a catalyst for innovative educational activity?
Is this BECTA’s job, and if so, do we feel that they are effective?
2 Buy in from schools
How can schools be alerted to the potential benefits of these technologies and persuaded to build them into their activities? How can they be convinced that technology can be an enabler rather than yet another drain on their already packed timetables?
Will responds: I think word of mouth and a good write up in the TES still dominate the choices made by ICT lead staff in schools, plus recommendations from their teacher training college (if new) or LEA advisory team (if they have been in post for a while). Maybe Teachers TV might change this. And then there is BETT. I would hazard a guess that a hard pressed ICT subject leader would make all his/her purchasing decisions for 12 months from an annual BETT visit. To do the convincing bit, I think that you have to have local, regional champions- taking new technology to school for teacher INSET. NOT delivered NOF style by over-paid and under-enthused consultants though.
3 Platform owners
Can platform owners be involved in the integration of technologies into schools?
Hi all
thinking it might be interesting if we all post our formal educational history - ie what A levels and degrees did we take and are we still using that learned knowledge in our current day to day?? I took physics, chemistry and biology at A level, studied Biology and Chimistry at degree level, then after a year, unable to take the formality of science teaching at university level, moved onto a TV and Theatre studies degree.. bit of a mixed bag but prepared me for the convergent world ;-)
cheers
Katzx
Formal education...
Hi Katz, and everyone else
I did a degree in linguistics and critical theory at Huddersfield Poly, and loved being part of a course that took a dim view of modern political life, and exposed me to critical French feminism and postmodernism, at the same time insisting I understand morphemes and phonemes... It gave me a lifetime love for the Italian writer Italo Calvino, the best legacy from my three years there. I did a PGCE to become an early years teacher and then specialised further with a PG Diploma in Special Education (VI) as I had been working and supporting pupils with a visual impairment for some years. I got all technical in my early thirties and did some web courses and specialist technology courses, and now doing a PhD at the London Knowledge Lab, where I a going to finally sink my teeth into bringing it all together: linguistics, using all the senses, new media resources. But this will be it, no more after that- except maybe a pottery evening class.
Will
what about school days?? what choices did you make
Kxx
School days not fondly remembered, just an 'O' Level in English Language from school... went on to get English and Sociology at 'A' Level by keeping under the 18 hour study rule, so could sign on and get income support..
Will
My formal education echos Katz's rather spookily! 'A'level Biology, Chemistry & Physics. Started an MSc in Applied Biology, dropped out after 6 months to do Art Foundation, BA in Sculpture and a MA in Digital Arts many years later. I still love Science (read New Scientist(which my old scientist friends scorn me for!)on a weekly basis) and of course art. I had a fantastic Biology teacher at school who was responsible for me getting an A grade with far to little real work and my studying Biology at university.
Fidd
Hi all,
I did the usual Maths/Physics/Chemistry 'A' levels, although that meant dropping English and Art, which were two of my favourite subjects. Went to do Mechanical Engineering (Sussex), but found it incredibly dull, and transferred into Computing and Artificial Intelligence. This was a BA rather than BSc, and had a lot of content in Psychology, and Philosophy of Mind (taught by Aaron Sloman and Andy Clark, two intellectual giants). I loved this course, and the intellectual atmosphere that it lived in. Then went to Stirling to do a Ph.D. in neural networks and biological models of motion control - soon found that my lack of maths/physics/engineering was a serious barrier, so had a bit of a mountain to climb! Looking back, I suppose I've always been more interested in ideas than solutions, which is why engineering was not for me. In all this talk of providing students with real-world skills, we have to remember that courses also have to be interesting in their own right..... /[rant mode off]
paul m
Yup, sounds familiar. I too had to drop my beloved art A level a few months into my course. My teachers were adamant that it was worthless at best and destructive at worst to develop an interest and skills in both the sciences and the arts. What rot ;-)
kkx
