Harnessing Technology: Next Generation Learning 2008-14
On 3rd July at the ICT in Education Conference in Birmingham Jim Knight - you can read exactly what he said here - ( on behalf of the DCSF, DIUS and Becta ) announced Harnessing Technology: Next Generation Learning 2008-14.
This update has the potential to ensure ensure that requirements of today's learners are met. The Government says technology in learning is no longer optional.
This document came out of a Becta stable and is promoted by the Government of the UK but as far as I can see it only applies to England, as Scotland - their early Years Strategy here - has its own and Northern Ireland's is up for review as the EmPowering Schools Strategy was dated to 2008. The Welsh Assembly produced their document Transforming Schools with ICT:The Report to the Welsh Assembly Government of the Schools ICT Strategy Working Group back in April.
I feel sure someone will tell me quickly if I am wrong about this as I am just not sure how this works as the UK Government and Becta who both have responsibilities across all of the countries that from the UK. (Haven't they?)This is, of course, a concern to those of us who work across a number of countries.
On the whole the revised strategy is just that - revised - to meet the changes that have happened since the last version. And it leaves openings for continued revision, though I must say, I am mildly perturbed by the 2008 - 2014 tag. 6 years ... it is a brave person who will predict that far ahead in ICT never mind anything else (see my last post concerning the search for the Higgs boson).
For me one of the highlights is the section on Priorities in managing the change: equity, quality and efficiency. The five priorities listed here:
• Learner entitlement
• Family and informal learning
• Professional tools for teaching
• Mobilising leadership
• Fit-for-purpose sustainable technology.
... address some of the key 'back-at-the-ranch' questions. Of particular interest to me is that of 'personal ownership' and integration and I feel that item 87 will present many challenges and opportunities:
87. This means that increasingly leaders will need to ensure effective
management of a ‘mixed economy’ of publicly funded and personally owned
technologies, and ensure that no learner or family is disadvantaged due to
lack of access to technology. This raises significant issues, including those
relating to licensing and liabilities, data protection, and health and safety.
Becta and its partners will provide advice and guidance on each of these
areas. Industry partners including internet service providers, hardware
and educational service providers, will be fully involved.
To conclude - this strategy has been conceived and developed over time by people who have a group, vast working knowledge of the current state of the ICT game. But, it is institutional and organisational. Clay Shirky has much to say on such things in his book 'Here Comes Everybody'.
Labels: Becta, Government, learning, strategy, teaching
posted by Doug @ 08:40
5 Comments
5 Comments:
Speaking as a Primary teacher I like this one
Digital resources to support learning and teaching are now increasingly
available across sectors and borders. In this next phase we will explore
how the best resources can be made available to support all learners.
We also need to pool effort in the way such resources are procured, and will
therefore promote national arrangements for the collaborative development
of content and services, to enhance front-line value for money and reduce
duplication of effort.
Could we have some kind of national teaching materials development group that has access to the archives of the BBC, National Gallery, British Museum, Natural History Museum etc that could easily access their materials and create quality web based, differentiated resources at no cost to schools.
Could we have county level creators feeding into this so the local dimension does not get lost.
Just to take one example. Have you ever tried to find good quality pictures of Greek inspired architecture in this country when teaching Yr5 History. It's actually quite difficult unless you go out and do it yourself. But the National Trust, the V&A etc must have hundreds of quality photographs.
These archives should be open to mining by educators.
The revised Literacy Strategy should have people beavering away creating a website
of differentiated relevant materials for children to access.
Any Education Portal that schools buy into should have automatic home access for children.
To name but a few, high on my wish list.
A National Teaching Materials site (sort of) is on the way ...Have a look at the National Digital Resource Bank and see if that fits the bill http://www.nen.gov.uk/news/25/the-national-digital-resource-bank.html
The current 'feeders' are people in the BoardBand Consortia
Scotland, through GLOW, have SCRAN - http://www.scran.ac.uk/
The 'people beavering away creating a website
of differentiated relevant materials for children to access' I suspect is a commercially sensitive political thing.
Totally agree that all portals should be available everywhere, single sign on.
The NEN is just not specific enough. We need much more focussed resources than this I would say.
Notice the lack of differentiation.
How many practicing teacher's are on the Board Consortia?
Scotland seem to way ahead of England, but they are more enlightened anyway.
If the strategy is to succeed big questions need to be asked and acted upon about the commercial politically sensitive thing surely.
If the BBC had a site like You Tube where only teachers could upload 10mins videos of various bits of BBC programming we could mash up all sorts of wonderful resources.
It's so easy to digitally record and edit the bits you want.
I was only watching this wonderful CBBC programme about the waggle dance of bees yesterday.
Great to make a clip and put it onto the website
for research about pollination.
Did you also notice the new 'basics' in Jim Knights speech.
'We need to ensure that all children are trained in the basics: using a word processor, managing a database, editing a website.'
Seems pretty limited. No art, illustration, design, photography, video, music, 3D, animation, control to name but a few.
I've often wondered why graphics tablets aren't an automatic purchase with a computer.
There was a great project called BBC Jam which was pulled by BBC in face of stout opposition from many of the current purveyors of on-line content.
Fortunately it was pulled very quickly before uk education could really make a fuss.
"The 'people beavering away creating a website
of differentiated relevant materials for children to access' I suspect is a commercially sensitive political thing "
Still a great opportunity here.
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