Background

Having thoroughly enjoyed the Education Revolution talk at the American Chamber of Commerce last month, I invited the speaker, Noel Thomas, co-principal at Yew Chung International School in Beijing, for an informal video interview. From Apple 2E’s to BBC micro-computers to 1-2-1 laptop computing and the internet, Noel has been at the heart of technological change throughout his 40 years in the teaching service.

PART TWO

Interactive Whiteboards

“I always reflect on why did the electronic whiteboard take off so quickly and have so much spent on it? And I think the answer is that it’s still teacher-centred. This is a piece of technology with which teachers are extremely comfortable, because they can stay located at the front of the room. It’s the converse of individualised instruction. Instead its all eyes funnelled at the centrepiece. It almost did not challenge the centrality of the teacher in front of the class, in front of the room. Teachers lapped it up, and said this is good, we can integrate the technology and not have to change.”

My thoughts

I do agree with Noel that, no matter what tool you use, it should be used selectively. According to Prensky (2009), “…the digitally wise look for the cases where technology enhances thinking and understanding.” As a digital newbie, I’ve ‘only’ used my iPod for it’s audio and video capacity, but take solace in the fact I, “…make careful judgements about what digital enhancements are appropriate and when.” (Prensky, 2009). In fact, as early as 2001, Prensky cautioned us, “…if Digital Immigrant educators really want to reach Digital Natives – i.e. all their students – they will have to change”.  IWBs, it seems, if not adequately handled, does not justify it’s existence if the dynamic between the teacher and student is not fundamentally changed.

The future of Digital Technology for Education

“The growing use of visual images, I see that changing a lot. The thing I would get into now most, if I was still teaching, I would be recognising that these students live in a visual world. What is it about the selfie? That sort of fascinates me, in a way. Why would I take photographs of what I am eating? Why would I share it around? We know that the brain, where-ever you can attach emotional responses to learning, you get really powerful outcomes. And we are all social beings. What we are seeing is a new kind of social order. How do we piggy back on that visually-based sense of social engagement, and use it to power understanding? It’s around photographs. It’s around video. It’s around capturing understanding and showing understanding through a visual world. The book is dead, but reading is not dead.”

My thoughts

It seems that the use of touch technology is more and more prevalent, not only in our personal lives, but also in education. This is no more apparent, than in early childhood education, where instruments such as Interactive Whiteboards and ActivTables are being used to stimulate interaction between online objects and learners. Indeed, my school has acquired a number of ActivTables, and they are very popular amongst our youngest students. Incorporating visuals, sound and touch, contributes to a more immersive, “real” environment, in turn makes the learning, deeper or more “real”.

References

Prensky, M (2009). H. Sapiens digital: From digital immigrants and digital natives to digital wisdom. Innovate, 5(3). Retrieved December 18, 2014, from www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=705