Realising our broadband future – Digital Education – Next steps
Digital Education stream, session 3 at Realising our broadband future summit
(Ideas and thoughts, not full blogging)
Recapping: We have already had two sessions on digital education which have focused on the blue-sky possibilities for education because of the coming NBN, and then the reality check – what might get in the way. My general conclusion about these sessions was that there were no big ideas, really, because a lot of what the NBN brings is not NEW, but just scalable and increased reach, enabling everyone to get it. The reality check also indicated that the problem might be the overemphasis on technology, whereas policy and structure and systems are the issue. So what will be the next steps?
Access and equality are very important issues for education in the imagined future of high-speed connectivity. Education is deeply about social advantage, building opportunity for all. One of the important opportunity factors: teachers are not given the opportunities in the classroom to utilise technologies well. Technologies used outside the classroom (flickr, messenger, etc) work, they work for her, and they are centred on her. Technologies like this used in the classroom are not available, not easily available, or have different kinds of access requirements. (This supports some of my ideas in the LINK project – bring education into the world of the Internet, not bring Internet into classroom).
The next steps appear to emphasise the professional development of, and support for, teachers to become sophisticated users (in part by bringing to the classroom their own tech skills); but, without the reliable excellent access of broadband, this cannot be done scalable and efficiently – training would not work for all, and many would be frustrated.
Some lessons to be learned from ICT and learning in higher education (thanks Tom Cochrane from QUT!):
- Unis made mistakes – they thought ICTs would deinstitutionalise them and change them; and they thought they could monetise content – both wrong
- what worked was the use of technologies to solve existing curricular problems in ways not able to be done without technology – eg simulations
- what also worked was the development of e-research (but bringing with it new problems of lack of literacy for high-quality researchers).
. What are the next steps, based on Cochrane’s reading of the development of ICTs and universities?
- reformation of curriculum to match changes in other sectors
- improvement of capability development among academics
- definition and refinement of new pedagogical applications and tools
- importance of connectedness with international communities of students
- tackle the legal and regulatory blockages to education
Wilson, NSW CIO of Education – demonstrates that many important steps are already being taken in terms of systems and technology. He would identify the challenge of “shared vision” parents, admin, teachers etc. He identifies political and moral conflicts of “acceptable use” as a major hurdle. He points to the challenges of media scar reporting and the impact that it has on politicians.
I would, therefore, conclude that one of the infrastructures to be built, along with the pipes, wires, and so on, is the cultural infrastructure of acceptance and curiousity and enthusiasm about the exploration and use of the online environment. Such cultural infrastructure would involve empowerment of students, and the adoption of a more robust libertarian approach which is, indeed, the culture of the net.
The next steps, listening to the speakers, sound quite a lot like jumps over complex hurdles and through difficult obstacle courses.
