Virtual Learning Network

Here's a great thread that has been running this week in the ICTs in English forum, started by Hamish Chalmers.

>>> It's for the learning

He asked, in his opening post,:

"....Ideally, we should be able to communicate with students about whether their use of a device, piece of software, social media etc. is learning-focused and then whether this learning is relevant to their current priorities. At this point, we might need to put in place various structures to ensure the technology is used well in the future. I’ve worked with a few students in the past who have agreed that use of their mobile device is an ongoing issue and in some cases these students have accepted that they shouldn’t have their device out in class while others may continue to. In other cases, they’re been told this will be the case. In both these situations, the consistency comes in whatever is the best for their learning. Consistency in learning doesn’t always mean everyone follows exactly the same processes.

If we’re serious about BYOD and the advantages it offers (both budgetary and learning-specific) we need to be ready for more of these issues and conversations - both with students and colleagues. Present and future technologies are likely to continue to challenge the models and structures we have for our subject and the way we run classes. As teachers and students continue to discover technologies that can be used in classes, how are we able to make sure their use is learning-focused? And that when discussing the present and future uses, we’re always asking: how could it be used for learning and how can we make this happen rather than should or shouldn't it be banned?"

Some interesting responses have come back. How do you / would you manage these conversations in school?

Cheers

Karen MS