The initial thought of having a computer in the school for every child and teacher in a classroom must have caused an overwhelming excitement in these Australian schools. Bringing computing capabilities to students and allowing them to integrate media in different ways has been a common standard using computer lab PCs and home computers. However, the introduction of Classmate PCs has failed to comply with the demands of today's information and communications technology standards in schools.
One of the reasons why these pilot initiatives have failed is related to the lack of planning for the hardware and software requirements for the tasks in the school's curriculum. The choice of computer for the Australian schools study was not the right one because of a lack of information of it's real capacities. These computers were tested in one of the most advanced educational systems in the world. These students are used to powerful computers and expect to have the same power in the computers found in school. If this program had started in a remote rural area in a developing country, the story would have been different.
For instance, I have used an OLPC XO computer myself and I still struggle with the limited capacity that these limited computers offer. In addition, there are programs that offer really basic tools for applications like word processing and spreadsheets. Consequently, it is unthinkable to use high-end graphics or even simple clipart drawings in documents. The applications that you see installed are not like the ones that you find in a commercial laptop or desktop computer.
Teacher have also been left out in the planning phase. They should have received training in understanding the capabilities of these small computers. As one of the reports states, there is very little support offered in the use of these tools in the classroom. Even if the manufacturers intend to put these computers in the hands of young children, I still believe that teachers need to be trained in using them.
There has to be a serious commitment from all stakeholders. The introduction of new technologies has to be accompanied by a solid platform and network that will support the traffic and communications capabilities that these little machines have to offer. If the main reason for the introduction is to have students collaborate with others, then they should be able to do that with ease. If the idea is to have them use a digital camera and record video or use them in documents, then the computers need to be provided with enough main memory and secondary storage.
The lack of careful planning has definitely resulted in a failure for these school. It is really a pity to see this happening since this causes great discomfort in teachers and students who begin to see technology with negative eyes.
1 comment:
I agree with your points about the poor planning. I thought it was such a shame that so much effort was put into this study, and nobody tested the technology capabilities of the schools first! And again, there was an issue with teacher training. They got good data from the study, but you can only imagine how well it would have gone if the planning had been better.
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