Monday, 12 February 2007

Terena Schools Workshop, Paris 10/11 February 2007






I am impressed and heartened that the technical side of the networking issues across communities and countries is in the hands of such thoughtful people.

I am aware that there is a sense of educational purpose behind the thoughts and deliberations and can feel the passion for developing sustainable systems to support teaching and learning across a wide variety of circumstances.

I am also aware that, for me, these are 'givens'.

It is what I would expect ... away from the world of educational ICT I have high expectations of services and I, and all of us, pay for these heavily ... think about 'food miles' and 'global warming' etc.

Teacher expectation is that the systems should be in place to allow for the concentration on the key things ... using the technology for purpose.

The technology in this regard should be transparent.It should never get in the way of and must facilitate learning.

We have to consider how children/students/schools/institutions can provide a functional specification of needs in a constantly changing situation.

Projects which take years to ramp up are not acceptable. All the while time is ticking away. Children's lives are passing by ...

On the matter of filtering ... this is not a blocking issue it is one of education.

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2 Comments:

At 12 February 2007 15:57 , Blogger Prof John said...

Thanks for your comments Doug, it was great to share such diverse views over a wide agenda and thanks to Andrew and Jim for the opportunity.

I think that Terena's Earnest project might usefully

i) lead to some economic modelling around realistic costs and options for ICT services for school systems. This would give decision-makers some usful guidance.

ii) encourage technologists to resolve issues of connecting young people on school networks across Europe (an issue we did not touch on)

Finally, on Internet Safety - for me it is not a choice - BOTH filtering and education are required!

And what can I say about Ireland and France! We were robbed!

John Anderson

 
At 12 February 2007 16:53 , Blogger Doug said...

On the blocking/filtering/education issue ... I can easily agree that both are important

But what about the cricket !!! Trinidad here we come !

 

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