Marlborough Girls’ College ICT Proposal

A Technology Rich Future

Lewis Perelman, author of School's Out (1992). Perelman argues that schools are out of sync with technological change: ...the technological gap between the school environment and the ‘real world’ is growing so wide, so fast that the classroom experience is on the way to becoming not merely unproductive but increasingly irrelevant to normal human existence (p.215).

Seymour Papert (1993) “In the wake of the startling growth of science and technology in our recent past, some areas of human activity have undergone megachange. Telecommunications, entertainment and transportation, as well as medicine, are among them. School is a notable example of an area that has not”(p.2).

1. The Proposed Plan2. The Future of Education and ICT in New

Zealand Schools3. The Current Situation at MGC

The Proposal

A major upgrade in the ICT capabilities of the school. This means:• the replacement all existing computers in B3, B5, B6, the library and the staff area with new computers. • These computers will be capable of running sophisticated, high end software. • It also means the filtering in of data projectors over a period of time

The specifics of this will be given once the board has approved (Friday this week)

The Plan

The next few years are a watershed time in secondary education and that ICT will play a major part in this. Students will be the centre of the learning process and access to adequate technology will be vital.

The Future of ICT and Education in New Zealand

Personalised Learning

The Ministry have released their vision for the future of education – Personalised Learning

But what is it?

Student centred learning Learning tailored to meet the needs of

each individual student Active Learning Learning to learn

Technology will play a major part in facilitating this type of learning

The New Draft Curriculum

ICT plays a key role in the new draft curriculum. Technology has the potential to transform classrooms:

It can overcome barriers of distance and time

Create communities of learners that extend beyond the classroom

Can customize learning to suit the needs of the individual

In summary technology opens up new and innovative ways of learning.

The ICT cluster is about building these ways of learning into teachers pedagogy

The current situation in MGC allows for little true innovation in ICT, from either teachers or students. If we want our students to be the thinkers and doers, the creators and innovators then we must give them the necessary tools. The 21st century and 21st century learning will be all about connectivity.

The Current Situation at MGC

What are students able to do?

Microsoft Office Applications Word PowerPoint Excel Create and use databases Frontpage (website design) Publisher Inspiration

What do we want them to be able to? Film, create and edit movies using sound and video

software such as Moviemaker A class to be able to access and watch multiple movie /

video footage Use software of a graphical nature Video Conference Use digital imaging and photography software Use music editing software Use publishing software

We want students to be able to access high end software that enables them to think, create and do.

Characteristics of the 21st Century Teenager Media Driven – television, movies, DVD Uses technology for communication

Cellphone is a vital part of everyday life Used to call, text, access email, listen to and

watch music

Music driven – has an ipod, MP3 / MP4 player

Has a computer at home with access to the internet

Uses the web 2.0 internet technology Chatrooms Blogs Wikis Mypace Bebo Youtube

Rae is hardly alone. Technology is so integrated into teens' lives that it's difficult to measure where their offline life begins and their online life ends.

Their daily routines buzz with cell phones ringing with the latest tunes, pings from their IM accounts and daily computer runs to see if they've been "friended" on MySpace or "Facebooked." On average, teens say they spend almost three hours a day on the Internet on a typical day, according to a CBSNews.com poll.

For many teens, checking MySpace or Facebook is the first and last thing they do each day. In our poll, nearly half of teens said they post something on these Web sites at least occasionally. "MySpace allows you to talk to your friends at any time; it's never too late," Rae says.. (CBS News June 17th 2006)

The Loop

The future of ICT The Loop is a vibre optic cable that runs from

Nelson to Marlborough. It provides high speed broadband, but more importantly it provides connectivity

between schools and other communities. Through the Loop we will be able to access

resources such as KAREN (Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network)

What's this "iGeneration" thing all about? That whole song is a commentary on how brands have

become such a part of our lives that this generation can name itself after a brand. I think what's interesting about these kids is that the internet to them is nothing new: they've grown up with it and it's completely normal to them to be able to download the entire works of Shakespeare onto their cellphone. But to our parents that's a completely alien, ridiculous thing. The iGeneration has this huge potential for so much. There's more access to information now than in the whole history of mankind. But they've also got these big, ridiculous problems; global warming being an obvious threat, social security drying up, etc. I just want to try and wake people up and say ‘Look, technology's cool and it's cool you have all of this stuff, but don't get distracted and spend your whole weekend on MySpace...' There's so much power, but there's so much responsibility in that, like in Spider-Man, y'know