Before I start this blog there are probably a few
things I should qualify. Firstly, technology and I don’t get along particularly
well. Secondly, my preferred teaching method is discussion. Thirdly, due to
lack of ‘powerpoint’ skills I tend to stick clear of digital lessons. With
those in mind it should come as no surprise that this blog will be a rant about
the federal government’s digital revolution. The Daily Telegraph has an article
‘Education Revolution Hits Hi-Tech Low Point’ (27th September 2012)
which discusses the failure of laptops within the classroom. The article points
out that ‘families are being hit with upto $400 for repairs’ and due to the
apparent failure of the laptop scheme ‘neither the federal nor NSW governments
appear willing to commit to $100 million required to maintain the 1:1 computer
to student ratio.’ The article is obviously a bit bipolar because firstly it
comes across criticising the scheme but then backtracks to lamenting that the
scheme will end and ‘kids will miss out’. However I’ll put it out there and say
it is actually a good thing. Leonardo writes about power in the classroom. He
writes that ‘educators are... an authority insofar as they possess critical
amounts of training, knowledge and skills’ (Leonardo, 6) whilst along with this
chatter in the classroom ‘becomes the ontological property of educators and
students who enter communication as incomplete subjects in search of freedom.’
Where do laptops come in to this dynamic one might ask? Well they sacrifice the
power of the teacher. Kids are easily manipulated by the programs on the
computer rather than listening to the lesson. A real life example is from my
recent alternative professional engagement where I sat in a class and observed
one student playing Grand Theft Auto instead of listening to the lesson. The
laptops have the potential to get in the way of the teachers role of ‘purveyor
of knowledge in schools.’ (Leonardo, 9) and unlike the Laptop the teacher can
take a role as an ‘organic intellectual [with] a socio-political... function’
(Leonardo, 9). Really, those of you who are reading this managed to get by
school without having a laptop in the classroom. I’m not denying computers have
a role in the school; I’m using one right now, but at a cost of ‘$2.4 billion’
is it really necessary for technology to suck the life out of education?
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| Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/education-revolution-hits-hi-tech-low-point/story-e6frg6n6-1226482124955 |
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/education-revolution-hits-hi-tech-low-point/story-e6frg6n6-1226482124955
(27th September 2012)
Leonardo, Z. (2009) Affirming Ambivalence:
Introduction to Cultural Politics and Education. In Z. Leonardo (Ed.), Handbook of Cultural Politics and Education
(pp1-48), Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Hey Lucas, I really liked your blog and I think you raised some really good points that emphasised how bad technology is starting to get inside schools. I agree with you that it has gone perhaps a bit too far, it has become quite costly, and it isn't really doing the job that was expected of it.
ReplyDeleteI think that the aim for more technology being placed in schools is so that students can be down and aware with all the new technology, because this is seen as assisting them for future employment opportunities. However, I think that one of the main issues here is that they are missing out on their childhoods because they're abusing time sitting in front of computer screens playing Grand Theft Auto (Awesome game btw). This idea can be supported from an article that I read called 'Is Technology Harmful or Helpful to Children?' which plays with the idea that children are becoming too absorbed into technology:
"Today's children are far less likely to play in the street with their neighbours, far less likely to be physically active or socially skilled. They are exposed to loads of inappropriate material that, academics argue, increases their levels of aggression, lowers their capacity for empathy and, for girls in particular, leaves them with a poor self-image based on their appearance. Researchers believe violent video games are damaging but the media gives little space for such findings, which threaten businesses".
Hmmm,
ReplyDeleteMy concern with all educational factors, especially technology, is the role of the home and the parents. If a child does not have access to computer at home because of their parents chosen stance on technology, then is the laptop program making education more accessible for them, or excluding them further?
If a child is not allowed to use a computer at home, then the laptop program is a necessary step for the education system to take in order to create an equitable education, but, does that then overrule the right of the parents in their choice of technology use for their child? I don't have answers, so it will not be an informative comment in that sense.
'Diversity, Differentiation, and Hierarchy' is an article that discusses the concept of specialised schools focusing on technology. The creation of schools such as St Andrews Cathedral School in Sydney, where all students are required to get tablets as the school mainstreams technology use. While this may be a good idea for those schools, does it alienate students at normal public schools who are then a step behind?