After our successful Fair on Sunday and a very positive 2 years financially for our school I am taking some time at the moment reading about the potential for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in our classrooms. The use of a range of ICTs within classes at all levels has the potential to significantly change the way our classrooms operate and increase the level of engagement of our students and also their achievement levels. If done without thought and strategic planning it also has the potential to be an expensive exercise with few results.
Our school vision which is based around the statement, "Swannanoa Achievers will be well equipped to thrive in an ever-changing world" reflects a strong belief from our community that technology will be a big part of our students future.
The face of technology in classrooms is constantly changing so it is vital that we create a clear pathway for incorporating ICTs into our classrooms that is strongly connected to what we believe makes a difference to learning outcomes and will help us achieve our vision.
After reading articles relating to ICTs in school a couple of key points have already emerged for me:
1. The introduction of new technology and software should always facilitate the key purpose of higher levels of thinking. That is, it shouldn't be about the technology, it should be about the cognitive processes that the technology can ignite in students.
2. For successful integration of ICTs there has to be a significant shift in the ways teachers view their roles (especially as the children get older). Most students have a natural curiosity and understanding of technologies and teachers are going to have to come to realise that there will be situations when their role is not one of the expert but more the role of the coach-setting the purpose for learning and encouraging a cycle of reflection or inquiry by the students.
Just a couple of thoughts for now.
What do you think about the introduction of new technologies in our classrooms? What would you like us to consider when putting together our action plan?
