Should we even bother asking teachers? by ZDNet's Christopher Dawson -- I posted the first part of my evaluation of an Apple MacBook for an educational deployment Wednesday morning (MacBooks - to deploy or not to deploy, part 1). While of course sparking the usual Mac vs. PC talk, one reader made an interesting point: Are teachers asked what they think of their desk? The kids’ [...]
Its an interesting point of view.
What do you think?
3 comments:
Well no one has ever asked me;-)
Maybe we should be asking the children too. Or maybe LAs should be thinking of opening their networks to teachers and pupils own machines. I've been reading Clarence Fisher whose class can bring there own machines in and link to wifi. He has some of those wee pcs too.
A whole can of worms I am sure, but it would be interesting idea. There must be good arguments for not limiting the platform in schools? Would mix of wee pcs, xp, vista, macs, linux, psp, etc fill a lot of needs?
I love the idea of opening the system up to other machines: this makes the system dynamic and responsive to new opportunities. I wonder if the additional support costs, especially in schools without "residential" technical help, would be prohibitive.
As to the main point, informed teacher representatives should be consulted, perhaps via LTS or (!) a teachmeet forum. Your hoi-polloi can't tell their R's from their elbows when it comes to ICT and will need dragging: Linux, Mac or Vista.
I think the tension between giving pupils as wide an experience of different OS's (After all they will look completely different when they do start using them in the world of work and they they need to be able to adapt)and the standardisation requirements to allow effective (No sniggering Hood!)support.
I am wary of pupils bringing their own machine. Not because of an technical reasons but fear of a run away arms race of who has the latest and best. (Plus Mac Vs. PC civil wars)
The question of who is 'knowedgable' is a huge one. The number of supposed experts who still rave on about IWB's being the be all and end all of teaching technology is really worrying and people with a different view, ie me,would be drowned out.
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