The joy of the Journey!

In previous blog posts I have discussed the creation of material by pupils within lessons. I am still, however, unconvinced that this demonstrates a change in teaching and learning methods. Mark Prensky states:

“When a new technology appears, our first instinct is always to continue doing things within the technology the way we've always done it.”

Change is something that educators are not used to and even with the advent of this technology we are in danger of doing the same old thing in a different way.Teachers may be able to easily access materials to show students concepts such as Jim Doane  “I used to tell my students about phenomena, or have them read now I can show them” but haven’t all teachers been doing this for years? Whether through video, field trips or practical experimentation teachers have always tried to show concepts instead of just explaining them. Technology has definitely made this easier as teachers no longer have to create or physically find their resources but is it innovation?It could be argued the problem lies in the fact that most educators are presently “digital immigrants”, they use their own education and own experiences as the basis of their teaching. The current generation of teachers can remember when there weren’t devices you could carry around in your pocket and they are trying to teach the “digital natives”, young people who can’t remember a time before the IPod. Maybe we should be asking “How can teaching and learning change with the introduction of new tools? With the development of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) environment at my school there is the potential for this change. As each pupil has access to technology that they can use and customise to their needs. But is this enough? There is evidence of experiences that technology has made possible that can’t be done any other way for example allowing students to “take on the persona of a peasant farmer in Bangladesh” (Edutopia) and the girl in Will Richardson’s report who used a blog to gain information on a voluntary project, from her global followers. However, these experiences are not the norm and the mere presence of a BYOD environment would not be enough to instigate this.Teachers would need to have the confidence that taking a risk would not be punished (would the grades fall? would parents and administration have concerns?) and students would need to understand that experimentation can lead to great products and shocking products - but that is all part of learning. Therefore, if we truly want to change, we must have an open dialogue with all of the stakeholders, especially the students. We should let students take the lead in activities, experiment, develop, create, teach us and be the expert.I have had the pleasure to perform student voice discussions with students from different schools, on the topic of technology in the classroom, throughout my career. I have often found the results surprising. I expected them to want to see more technology in lessons and more dynamic approaches to creation(as discussed in the YouTube clip below) but this has never been the case.[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ5Vy9BgSeY[/youtube]Their main motivation has been to develop methods to “do well” pass the test, ace the exam, complete the assignment. The strategy used to get them there was irrelevant, it was all about the destination. In some ways this is the key. Who is setting the educational agenda? Wouldn’t it be amazing if this was set through open discussions between students, teachers and examination bodies. Maybe we could develop a system where the journey was as important as the destination.  Presnsky.M (Dec 2005) Shaping Tech for the Classroom: 21st-century schools needs 21st-century technology. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/adopt-and-adapt-shaping-tech-for-classroomRichardson. W (Dec 2008) World without Walls: Learning Well with Others. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/collaboration-age-technology-will-richardsonThe voice of the Active Learner - Education From a Digital Native's perspective. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ5Vy9BgSeY