Having been professionally involved in this area for many years, I offer the following observations.
1. There is little evidence that computer-based learning is more effective than other types.
2. It makes teaching much easier, because you can write and upload materials in your own time, and ensure that students get your best ideas.
3. Likewise, a computer suite is a godsend when dealing with disaffected adolescents, as you can set them tasks and put more energy into quashing rebellion.
4. Managers love spending money, and nothing looks better on a CV than a successfully completed expensive IT project.
5. Because other colleges got swishy IT, we had to have it. And then we were visited by working parties from those colleges behind the curve, who marvelled... Any questioning the educational value had you labelled as a luddite, so I quickly learned to play the game. You might say I had been trained by the computers...
Elder Daught finished up teaching the IT Master how to make an Amstrad 464 work at her school! We'd bitten the bullet one Christmas, and bought one for the family.
She persevered with newer PCs all through her secondary education, but surprisingly didn't do IT at College, preferring music.
Sam - interesting. Our grandkids occasionally mention school IT but they don't say much, probably because they see it as an unremarkable aspect of school life. Yet theirs is a world where any sensible question can be given some kind of answer almost immediately. Over time this seems likely to change our attitude to knowledge.
Scrobs - career choices must be difficult for young people these days. Grandson currently thinks electronic engineering is the way to go but he's young and his ideas could change.
James - I only see it from the outside, but it is easy enough to imagine radical changes to education.
4 comments:
Having been professionally involved in this area for many years, I offer the following observations.
1. There is little evidence that computer-based learning is more effective than other types.
2. It makes teaching much easier, because you can write and upload materials in your own time, and ensure that students get your best ideas.
3. Likewise, a computer suite is a godsend when dealing with disaffected adolescents, as you can set them tasks and put more energy into quashing rebellion.
4. Managers love spending money, and nothing looks better on a CV than a successfully completed expensive IT project.
5. Because other colleges got swishy IT, we had to have it. And then we were visited by working parties from those colleges behind the curve, who marvelled... Any questioning the educational value had you labelled as a luddite, so I quickly learned to play the game. You might say I had been trained by the computers...
Elder Daught finished up teaching the IT Master how to make an Amstrad 464 work at her school! We'd bitten the bullet one Christmas, and bought one for the family.
She persevered with newer PCs all through her secondary education, but surprisingly didn't do IT at College, preferring music.
But now?
Head of IT and Training at a nice big firm...
(Music = YouTube etc)!
And 67 years from now?
Sam - interesting. Our grandkids occasionally mention school IT but they don't say much, probably because they see it as an unremarkable aspect of school life. Yet theirs is a world where any sensible question can be given some kind of answer almost immediately. Over time this seems likely to change our attitude to knowledge.
Scrobs - career choices must be difficult for young people these days. Grandson currently thinks electronic engineering is the way to go but he's young and his ideas could change.
James - I only see it from the outside, but it is easy enough to imagine radical changes to education.
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