Here is the PPT from our presentation The Little Green Learning Machine ver 9.3.pptx  in a running version and a page of XO support sites XO Support Sites.pdf   

Happy to answer any questions or entertain comments.

 

 

This is a pretty comprehensive and current look (Oct 2008) at where some people think we are "going" and where we have been.(Sorry but the link system does not seem to be working for me - Firefox 3 problem?) http://www.enquiringminds.org.uk/pdfs/Enquiring_Minds_year3_report.pdf

This guide seeks to present a vision of how learning might be, and at the same time provide ideas about how that vision might be realised in practice.

I should say upfront it is from the UK out of the FutureLab and Microsoft was involved.

Or simply the future?

Pupils at a school in Italy are replacing all their text books with computers for a year - in what is being described as a unique experiment.

More than 60 children - aged between eight and 10 - at Turin's Don Milani di Rivoli school will be using mini laptops with the full curriculum.

Full article 

It will be certainly interesting I think, but I can hear those who will be CRINGING at the very thought!

I read this with a few questions popping into my head; not because some group is finally realizing that something should REALLY be done about the integration of digital technologies into education, but some of the description seems somewhat narrow.  The devil will be, as usual, in the details. It will be interesting to see how "academia" reacts.

See what you think. I will try to be optimistic!

Found an interesting way of involving anyone and everyone in forging the future of education. Just thought - funny that the word forging has two almost opposite meanings?

Take a poke around HERE and see how the thoughts are going.

Some interesting statements about ICT - here is an excerpt from Findings > Survey:

• All the groups felt the least important areas for further investigation were: How might technologies help the education system respond to significant society changing events, eg pandemics, climate change, cyberterrorism, economic failure? How might the balance between state and commercial delivery of education change in the context of technological development?
• Over half of all adults from all backgrounds felt that the role of technology was to make learning fun and motivate students.

I couldn't resist adding a comment about McLuhan that might get shown later!

 

 

Just got this so spreading the request:

Hi Geoff
My name is Steve Massiah and I asked Barbara Bodkin to forward me your contact information. I am a retired principal out of Toronto and as you can see below I am currently an elementary school principal at an international school in Thailand. We have a last minute vacancy for a computer teacher or possibly Elementary School IT Coordinator (depending upon the person’s experience).

I taught in the OISE AQ program for fourteen years and remembered at times coming across teachers without positions who were upgrading their credentials. If you are aware of any computer teachers who might be interested in such a posting I would greatly appreciate you forwarding them this email.

The computer teacher is expected to :

• In consultation with the teachers create learning opportunities that allow the students to use technology in an authentic way by integrating activities into the units of inquiry.
• Assist teachers in finding ways that will enhance their teaching by integrating technology
• Model for teachers the use of technology in their classrooms
• Find sites that will help them with a particular topic
• Team-teach units that integrate technology
• Conduct workshops to further develop teacher’s knowledge
• Have input into the software and hardware purchases
• Be a liaison with the technical department
• Teach IT classes to students depending upon grade assignment
• (grade 3 – 5)

Ruamrudee is one of the top international schools in Thailand and offers a very competitive package. Air fare, housing stipend, health insurance etc. are all part of the package.
 
Geoff thank you in advance for any connections you will be able to provide.

Sincerely

Stephen W. Massiah
Elementary School Principal
Email: smassiah@rism.ac.th

Ruamrudee International School
6 Ramkhamhaeng, 184, Minburi
Bangkok, Thailand
(overseas phone) 66 2518 0320 9 ext. 255
(local phone) 02518 0320 9 ext. 255
(overseas fax) 66 2518 0844
(local fax) 02518 0844

Here is a paragraph from a July Report from Futurelab that those who are interested in Open Source may like:

Cottenham Village College in Cambridge now runs its entire online teaching, learning and home community – 1,500-1,600 users - on an open source system currently costing just £6 a month for server space. Yes, the technology will have to be ramped up as demand increases, but in the course of just one year, it has saved around £40,000 on hardware, software licences and other e-mail costs alone by using Google Apps for communications and collaborative work.

Couple this with the Formal/Informal ideas being tossed around then add the ways some people are creatively incorporating new technologies in learning and I think we live in very interesting times!

I have often noticed that all subjects have been growing so much in the last 10 yrs that someone might even imagine that if each was the only subject in the curriculum all students could still learn everything about life.

Has any subject actually REMOVED anything? Can each keep growing in a finite day? 

Here is a different perspective being tried.

 

Although some of this report is Euro-centric the majority is from everywhere and anywhere in the world. It brings together things that are happening in a wide range of fields but with a focus on education which is why I find it useful.

It may be of interest if you want to try and keep up (catch up?) - do I hear "to dream the impossible dream . . . "?

Here is the May edition of the BECTA report.

A short version of the contents:

    Networking and wireless
    Multimedia (including Analysis: Handheld games consoles in education)
    Hardware (including robots in education)
    Software and internet (including ICT to improve parental engagement: towards online reporting

Help for evidence-based decision makers! 

Students using a virtual (and safe) world to help them learn.

Web worlds 'useful' for children