Never mind the technology, where’s the learning?

Bill Thompson, the technology critic and essayist has been rapped over the knuckles. According to his latest BBC News item, he was invited to speak at an invitation-only event organised by the Judge Business School in Cambridge on blogging, and ‘blogged’ it. Unfortunately the organisers had forgotten to tell him that their meeting was held under the ‘Chatham House Rule’. This is a convention, named after the London headquarters of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, that means everything said is non-attributable.

In his article he says:

“I think I have been forgiven, and being the token blogger meant that I could use it to make a useful point to the assembled experts, because my indiscretion made it very clear that in a blogged world just calling something private is no longer enough. …

“Those who would like to control the free flow of information, whether they are organising invitation-only events or running the government in a closed society, need to realise the significance of this change.

“The blogosphere has shifted the boundary between private and public, and made it much, much easier for anyone who desires it to engage in the public sphere.”

It’s not only those that organise such events that perhaps need to take note. In the fast changing world of Information and Communications Technology, those that influence and direct the curriculum should as well. The environment in which learning takes place, ie. the National Curriculum supported by non-statutory ’schemes of work’, means that methods and practice can become stagnant. Blogging is presently one of the casualties. How can it become a star and then common place?

The recently published Content Advisory Board Report 3 (mentioned in my previous post and the subject of future posts) illustrates this in the light of digital learning resources available under eLearning Credits:

“… our judgement is that, although eLCs may have had a significant impact on promoting awareness and use of digital content in the classroom, they have probably not led to a step change in the level of innovation embodied in digital content used in the classroom.”

… We take the view that innovation is most likely to be fostered (both in practice and product) in a curricular and pedagogic environment which encourages and expects innovative practice and product to be a significant element.”

If the purpose of education is to prepare young people for the future, we need to provide an environment in which teachers are ‘teachers’ and not ‘deliverers’ or ‘trainers’. In which the culture is one of celebrating experimentation in the classroom within the confines of a pedagogical framework which rigorously challenges learners to build on their talents and explore new areas of experience. Many teachers do not know that their pupils blog and have little knowledge and experience of the context in which the world is being changed by technologies such as blogging. There was an expectation that the provision of eLCs would lead to a step change in the use of digital resources in the classroom. This has yet to happen, indeed the CAB’s conclusion is:

” … the availability of funding alone will not create the conditions for the development of more innovative practice and products. … this is … recognition of the need for the private sector to make a return on commercial investment, which constrains the extent to which the private sector can invest ahead of the market (that is, what most teachers are able and willing to use).”

We don’t need blogging or computer animation, or digital video to appear in official or semi-official documents before teachers will adopt them - we need professionally informed educators. It’s not true to say that this is not being addressed, for example the NCSL SLICT programme and the ICT Mark are excellent steps towards raising the expectations of teachers and leaders in our schools. Let’s see the pace stepped up!