Our Changing World John McCarney Head of Education Services,
Our Changing World
John McCarney
Head of Education Services, RM
Today's Presentation
• The times they are a changin’ (again)• Impact of technology:
–What it is and why should you care?
• Glowing Potential
• Questions for discussion
The conditions thattypified training…
• Information was scarce
• Key sources of information were controlled by an ‘elite’
• Teachers were seen as the fonts of knowledge
• The economy demanded mass-production of learning
• The curriculum was centrally determined
• Pedagogy meant ‘knowledge transfer’
“The crux of success or failure is to know which core values to hold on to, and which to discard and replace
when times change.”
Do you know…
What does the average Scottish child spend most time on, after sleeping and
school?
The average Scottish child spends 164 minutes online every day
That’s 41 days a year…
There are over 300 million
registered users of MySpace
There are over 2.7 billion searches performed on
Google every calendar month
To whom were those questions addressed B.G?(Before Google)
The number of text messages sent and received every day
exceeds the population of the planet
The amount of technical information is doubling every two
years which means…
For a student starting a four year technical degree…
50% of what they learned in year one would be outdated by their
third year of study
According to Richard Riley, the former US Secretary of Education…
The top ten “in-demand” jobs in 2014 will not have existed in 2004
We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist…
that will use technologies that haven’t yet been invented
In order to solve problems that don’t exist yet.
How does this impact on you and me?
When the ‘younger’ generation learn differently…
When students leave school with a variety of new and advanced skills
As educators how do we ensure that our approach to learning, teaching and
development is relevant and meaningful for the 21st
century?
In Finland the government has engaged 5,000 students to teach
their teachers how to use computers and information technology.
Here’s what some commentators say...
Do you agree?
One of the only places operating largely as it did more than 50 years ago would be the
local school.
Nummela and Caine; Making Connections
The world our kids are going to live in is changing four times faster than our
schools.
Dr Willard DaggertDirector of International Centre for Leadership and Education
You can expect to have on your wrist tomorrow, what you had on your desk
today, what filled a room yesterday.
N. Negroponte; Being Digital
Existing systems produce existing results. If something different is required the system
must be changed.
Sir Christopher Ball; More Means Different(from a report on widening access to Higher Education)
Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to
teach.
Marc Prensky: Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants
The real power of the computer will be as a student-controlled learning tool.
P Nolan; Massey University
Everyone is now a teacher as well as a learner.
And for the first time ever, children are taking over critical elements of a
communications revolution.
Growing up Digital: Tapscott, D.
In the future learning will come from doing. You abolish lectures, you don’t just
read about history you participate in a simulation of it.
The chief role of technology is to help end boredom.
Professor Raj Reddy, Carnegie Mellon University
Perhaps schools won’t look like schools.
Perhaps we will be using the total community as a learning environment.
Anne Taylor; Creating the Future
Learning is the greatest game in life and the most fun.
All children are born believing this and will continue to believe it until we convince
them that learning is very hard work and unpleasant.
Some kids never really learn this lesson, and go through life believing
that learning is fun and the only game worth playing.
We have a name for such people...
We call them geniuses.
G Doman; Teach your Baby Maths
It’s time to ensure that how we learn with technology…
agrees with the way we live with technology
Our New Learners
•Kid on a Dance Mat here
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqnNinH8Kz8
Homo ZappiensLearning Strategies of the Digital Generation
Professor Wim Veen, Deft University: Homo Zappiens: Growing Up in a Digital Age
Homo ZappiensBeing in control of information flows
Homo Zappiens learns differently...
Homo Zappiens
twitch speed <multi tasking <
non linear approaches <iconic skills first <
connected <collaborative <
active <learning by playing <
instant payoff <fantasy <
Homo Sapiens
> conventional speed> mono tasking> linear approaches> reading skills first> stand alone> competitive> passive> separating learning and playing> patience> reality
Homo Sapiens
> conventional speed> mono tasking> linear approaches> reading skills first> stand alone> competitive> passive> separating learning and playing> patience> reality
What do they want?
• Straw Poll – write your answer and fold it over
What do they want – survey results
• Take Me Seriously• Challenge me to
think• Nurture my self-
respect• Show me I can make
a difference• Let me do it my way
• Point me towards my goals
• Make me feel important
• Build on my interests• Tap my creativity• Bring out my best
selfEducational Leadership: Giving Students Ownership of Learning 2008
Role of technology
• Common misconceptions; e.g.– Kit is panacea– Children learn by osmosis
• Didactic learning?• Constructivist & creative?• Classroom of future? Where are we?• Victorian classroom? Where are we?
Classroom of the future?
Victorian Classroom
Our New Learners
•Edutopia simulation
•http://www.edutopia.org/no-gamer-left-behind
Our New Learners
•Edutopia simulation
•http://www.edutopia.org/no-gamer-left-behind
The power of technology
• Serious learning meets interactive entertainment
• Interactive pretending- edutopia• Simulations• Technology at point needed (minibeasts hunt/
camera/microscope/ )• Collaborative environments for students &
staff
What is Glow?
A digital network, connecting every individual involved in Scottish education, in a secure online environment.
News feeds Glow Learn
CPD portal Targeted news
Secure File Transfer Video Conferencing
Mailing lists Audio Conferencing
Threaded Discussions Virtual Whiteboard
Glow Groups Application Sharing
Chat rooms Web Hosting
Video Streaming Instant Messaging
Email Importing Web Parts
What does Glow help us do?
Connect – Collaborate - Create
Sharing Nationally
Communicate Internationally
Web conferenceGlow Meet
Access to Resources
Include websites
Customized learning spacesGlow Groups
Use Flash and web 2.0
Share your own spaceMy Glow
Glow is not simply a ‘conduit for content’ but a powerful tool for thinking and personalisation
of learning.
Can your school do this (1) ?
• Collaborative science, electricity lessons with another school
• Webquests on Tropical Rainforest topic • General Knowledge homework; using vokis to ask
questions and using VLE• Dictionary words and maths homework on VLE• Collaborative reading group with another school
using web video conference 3 times a week
Can your school do this (2) ?
• Open Classroom with another school; 2 Teachers, 40 children
• Regular web video-conference with remote school
• Web video-conference to train staff• Peer assessment within & outwith school• Private discussion board for consultation with
external tutor
Disruptive Innovation?
• Few reforms have addressed the root cause of students’ inability to learn
• School reformers have repeatedly tried to “bash” the system & confront it head-on
• If all children learn differently, then current schooling won’t allow customised learning
• User networks democratise developments & allow “end-users” to be enabled
• School leaders to use tools of power and “separation”
Disrupting Class; Christensen, Horn & Johnson, 2008
portal.glowscotland.org.uk
http://www.rm.com [email protected]
1.Is your school set up to align learning & teaching to the rapid changes in technology & the outside world?
2.What do your students expect from your school in 2014?
3.How can I, and my school, share with others and move forward together?