From: SMTP%"web66@tc.umn.edu"
Ricki Peto said
"If student's want to create a page on "Zen and the Art of YoYo
Maintenance" then it should be done in conjunction with an English class
assignment or placed on their own private web site. Many teachers have
not kept up with the Internet and find it easier to turn it over to
students. A couple things happen here. Inappropriate material/poor
material often is placed on a school district's server and/or one
student takes over and other students who may have no knowledge but
would love to be involved and learn have little say, are intimidated,
and decide not to particpate..."
I just want to say how much I agree. It's essential that information and
communications technologies are seen as tools to support and enhance
existing teaching practice, rather than as a separate subject taught in a
separate class by "other" people. Such an attitude is very common in Europe
where ICT is put in a mental box with "I.T.". This means that most teachers
don't feel that it is relevant to them, only to specialists, and as a
result only a few teachers and a few pupils develop expertise.
Some time ago we initiated a learning network in the south part of Bristol,
hence our name. This became a major action research project called BEON
(Bristol Education Online Network) backed by International Computers Ltd
and British Telecom. They linked 11 schools (1 secondary, 9 primary and 1
special school [for kids with behavioural and educational problems]). All
had ISDN connectivity, video-conference kit, access to an educational
online service (BT's Campusworld), a suite of online learning resources
("Open Integrated Integrated Learning Systems") and support from the
Education Faculty at Exeter University. The whole initiative was provided
with a central technical and education helpdesk. Computers went into the
schools at a ratio of about 1 per 10 pupils. Training was provided.
A year later 95% of teachers were using ICT as part of their normal class
activities (teachers of games found that they were losing pupils from their
options classes, to subjects like physics. So they had to find ways of
using the technologies); Exeter provide continuous professional development
by v-c, allowing the teachers as sense of immediacy in addressing their CPD
needs; pupils carry out, for example, art classes with a commercial artist
at a distance, by v-c link; non-attendance rates in one primary school fell
from 20% to 2%; in the special school they found that pupils were waiting
for the gates to be opened in the morning and staying in class through
their breaks (these were kids who wouldn't normally stay in school at all).
All this came about because the project enabled the majority of teachers to
use ICT as part of normal class activities.
We've started running CyberSkills awareness raising workshops for teachers,
here in Bristol. We hang these around a simple model that we've developed
to try to help teachers understand the ways in which Net technologies can
underpin and enhance existing practice. This is not a complex academic
model. If anyone wants to have a look it's at
http://www.sbln.org.uk/education (you'll be asked to contact us for a
password) and I'd be very_grateful for feedback. __________________________________________________
Dick Willis South Bristol Learning Network
To: Multiple recipients of list WEB66
CC:
Subj: Re: School Web Sites by Students
Dick
Project Coordinator http://www.sbln.org.uk
Tel: +44 117 9279995 x 2210 Mobile: +44 976 288312
email: dick.willis@sbln.org.uk
enquiries@sbln.org.uk