Jane’s Blog

Dr Geoff Romeo talks, like Papert, about using technology as the tool or scaffold. He thinks that the teachers who originally encountered technology in the classroom did a great job. However, today and tomorrow’s teachers need to do a lot of work to get it right.

I think one thing that is vital is that schools. like business, need an IT strategy. This should be at State Government level. This should not drive the core business of teaching & learning but should support it. School equipment is often out-dated and poorly maintained. If teachers want to use a particular technology tool they should have IT support to ensure it is available and working for all students and not have to waste valuable time sorting out start-up issues. There has to be a planned yet flexible approach. In many state schools, IT support is a secondary responsibility of a full-time teacher. When they can’t fix the problem sometimes schools must wait for days or a week before a Department IT person attends.

If we want technology use to be seemless, productive and enjoyable then teachers need support. They also need ongoing training (not just pre-teacher training). They have daily planning for up to 5 lessons a day and this must be combined with keeping up-to-date with new technology. It must be made easier and more accessible for teachers.