Skoolz Out!

Eratosthenes, the ancient Greek mathematician, created an algorithm for finding all of the prime numbers up to a given integer. Today, this algorithm is still taught in school Mathematics classes, and utilised in computer programming. The process was given the name ‘The Sieve of Eratosthenes.’

But why discuss this in a blog looking at trends in educational technology? Over the past few weeks I have been fortunate to attend and present at a number of conferences focusing on incorporating new technology into the classroom. Anyone who has attended a similar conference, a Twitter account, social bookmarking account such as Diigo or is a member of a social networking account such as Ning, will have a number of things in common;

1. Access to an overwhelming myriad of resources
2. Access to new ideas being shared
3. Access to new experiences from classrooms all over the globe

This advance in technology and its implication for the everyday classroom is astounding. But in the race to always be trying something new and innovative all the time, are we losing sight of the real goal in education – providing a quality curriculum? Are we underrating the importance of maintaining, developing and improving these exciting programs that we implement?

In my school, I have run a number of programs throughout the years that have incorporated the use of technology in a number of exciting ways. ‘Movie Magic’ is an inquiry based learning program that is now in its 5th year that sees 130+ students studying and developing their own short films.The school podcast site, www.ischool.net.au has also been in development since 2007, and continues to go from strength to strength.

But these programs have not been one-hit wonders. It has taken a huge amount of work to maintain and develop them. They have become part of the school culture, they are now programs that students look forward to becoming a part of, and a reason why many parents enroll their students. Each year the programs change and evolve to suit student and community needs, as well as improve the programs. This is in itself a major reason that we should spend time refining and developing these programs that we start off in schools but sometimes do not always maintain.

So when I speak to teachers attending conferences, or taking the plunge into the social networking scene, I can understand their feelings of being overwhelmed and intimidated. It is not that they are not interested or do not want to try new things, but the same question always arises – ‘Where do I start?’ This is where leadership come in.

School leaders, whether they are the ICT co-ordinator or leadership team, need to prioritise and plot a clear course of action for their staff. This is not to say an enthusiastic classroom teacher with a flair for ICT is not to be encouraged, but teachers need to be somewhat ‘insulated’ from the growing mass of emerging technologies so as not to be overwhelmed.

Now don’t get me wrong. All teachers need to be aware of the various technologies, their strengths and how they can be incorporated into the classroom to provide engaging programs for the adults of the future. This is our job, and there is going to be some hard work for the teacher – reading, exploring and testing of new ideas before they hit the classroom. We do however, need to provide support and guidance.

I see my role as a Leading Teacher in charge of ICT as a person who ’sifts’ through the mass of new approaches and technologies, and figures out ways to implement relevant tools that suit our school’s goals. We can still shape these goals, but we need to have a clear understanding of the steps involved, the ‘Beginning, Middle & End’ – what is the lifespan of this product? Where could we wnd up in a year or two with it? Do we need to take this approach because everyone else is?

These are the tough questions yet the important ones that demonstrate leadership. Lets start refocusing on developing quality programs with depth and scope that will continue to evolve over years, not just initiatives that are the latest fad. It is time more of us took out our ‘technology sieve’ and start sifting, for the benefit of our staff and students. Eratosthenes figured it out thousands of years ago.

It can’t be that hard… can it?