edna, digital education and me

 
Monday Aug 18, 2008

Forum 11: South Australia, August 8

Map of South Australia from Wikimedia CommonsWide ranging dialogue with representatives e-learning administrators and practitioners from DECS (schooling), DFEEST / TAFE SA, eworks and private RTO

Issues and challenges
  • One-size-fits-all content filtering in schools significantly limits potential of the internet for learning
  • Critical nature of quality professional development to realise learning and productivity benefits, recognising that ICT capability is a shared responsibility of both the employer and the educator taking charge of their own career development
  • Limitations of current learning spaces - classrooms off a corridor may not represent 21C learning
  • Digital Education Revolution - immediate need for practical information in computer roll-out, eg cost-benefits of laptops, desktops, thin clients
  • More sophisticated debate required on use of mobile devices with focus on education possibilities not just the risks 
Advice and recommendations
  • Provide data and lessons learned on collaborative spaces for educators - eg cost-benefits, facilitation strategies, productivity improvements
  • Explore wider access to Scootle - the PDF learning plan is particularly useful
  • Explore 'federated identity' provision using open standards such as OpenID
  • Provide visibility of colleagues 'following me' in me.edu.au
  • Investigate pre-service needs of VET practitioners when conducting the upcoming pre-service teacher review
  • Explore models of career recognition and reward for contributions to professional networks
  • Advocate the business case for investment in professional development (leaders, practitioners, support staff) fully integrated with teaching and learning