Never mind the technology, where’s the learning?

During World War II, strawberry jam was mostly made of carrot, so my mother tells me. Carrots provided the right sort of texture she used to say and of course the pectin to solidify the mixture. I have no idea whether this was true, but reducing the fruit content and replacing it with something that is palatable and an acceptable substitute is a common practice in many areas of life.

The news that BBC Jam is to be suspended by the BBC Trust following complaints to the European Commission by BESA that the service has not, “complied with its conditions of consent” has led to a barrage of blog posts for and against, some accusing others of bias, some disputing the effects that BBC Jam might or might not have had on the UK educational software industry, or the motives of the commercial sector.

To me, neither BBC Jam nor UK educational software suppliers have grasped or realised the potential of what has been happening over the last five, and in particular, the last three years. Both have been stuck in the past, with web 2.0 technologies creating new and dynamic opportunities to engage learners. Neither have been reactive enough to these changes. Unlike pectin, the BBC Jam / eLC compromise has done nothing to solidify the decline of the UK educational software industry. There has, of course, been some excellent learning materials produced in the last five years, but only one or two are beginning to think about the implications of these changes and consider commercial models of delivery that will work in education. Neither extremes of ‘free’ (at the point of delivery) or ‘paid for’ is presently, nor the way of the future. Quality comes from competitive challenge, value from a competitive market, it’s wise not to confuse the two.

Image credit: Wayne McManus

technorati tags:BBC, Jam

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