At school today, we were informed that all students
would be given tablets by a date to be announced. We were further informed that
teachers were to purchase their own tablets and were given a list of brands to
choose from. Immediately the staff burst out with a number of concerns and
questions.
I immediately remembered the exercise in this lesson
where we were asked to investigate the current state of ICT at Boca Secondary
School with regards to problems and reasons for current state and outline
principles of ICT staff development and recommendations for proceeding with
staff ICT development.
Based on all the readings in this course so far, it
seems to me that the greatest harm was done today with that announcement.
Firstly, the teachers viewed the purchasing of the
tablets for themselves to be a waste of time and money. Even teachers that were
already in possession of their own tablets claimed that they would never use their
personal resources to teach.
Secondly, teachers were told that they were to get
familiar with the device as they would need to be able to use them when the
students received them. Asking teachers to learn to use a device on their own,
for the purpose of using them with students provides no motivation for teachers
at all.
If teachers are not aware as to the benefits of
integrating ICT in the curriculum then what results are expected in terms of
both learning and teaching?
If teachers are left to fend for themselves in implementing
ICT, some of which they are totally unacquainted with, what meaningful change
is ICT supposed to bring about?
It is with great disdain I view the manner in which
ICT is being introduced into secondary schools, it would have been excellent if the powers that be were perhaps exposed to the some of the same literature that we have been
reading.
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