Week One - May 14
Exploring A Provincial Curriculum and the "Net Generation"
Norton & Wiburg (1998). Chapter 1: Today's Technological Challenges
Alberta Learning. (2000). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Program of Studies, Kindergarten to Grade 12. [On-line}. Available: http://ednet.edc.gov.ab.ca/technology/
“It
does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.”
Confucius
The ICT Program of Studies is an exciting initiative to
bring about change over the next three years in Alberta schools.
“Foundations for the Atlantic Canada Technology Education
Curriculum”, a similar document, still in draft form, will set the stage for
schools in the Atlantic Provinces. Although these programs provide a framework for
technology integration and outcome attainment in the school curriculum, I would
like to address their lack of awareness over the characteristics in implementing
change in a system.
These programs were designed to initiate changes in the way
the provinces schools address technology. They
do not, however, attend to how they will help reluctant teachers to adapt to and
use this new program of studies.
According to Caine and Caine (1997), “With all the action
and calls for reform, schools and the education system are notoriety resistant
to change. Although theorists and
educators have collectively amassed an enormous amount of research on good
teaching and on learning, our schools remain largely the same”.
As educators, we need to consider this dynamic, the resistance to change.
Accommodations must be built into such programs to ensure that
transitions are made smoother and will, in fact, occur.
As our discussion Monday night reflected, a lack of teacher
training with such programs often result in a lack of implementation.
The fear of the unknown and a reluctance to adapt to new skills may lead
to the failure of such a programs.
“There is enormous teacher burnout, and yet much more is being demanded of teachers."
Caine & Caine
I would also like to address the question of why Alberta,
and other provinces have taken such a strong stance with new programs such as
these. Just last week at a staff
meeting, we were given a quiz about topics we had all learned in school.
These were questions we could all remember studying and felt sure we
know. The results were dismal!
This activity was meant to demonstrate that the attainment
of facts rarely affects long-term learning.
Considering the immense amount of information available today, it would
be impossible and fruitless to attempt to present numerous facts to students as
part of the curriculum of the future. We
must provide students with the skills to manipulate and manage the overload of
information for themselves. We must
help them to become life-long learners.
Sources
Caine, R.N. & Caine, G. (1997). Education on the edge of possibility. Alexandria, VA: ASCD