Someone once wisely observed that the secret of education is to be found in respecting the student.

In all our necessary discussions of accountabilities and organisational arrangements, it is important to stop every now and again and focus on the core of our work which is the student and the ways in which his or her learning outcomes can be improved.

As the focus sharpens, we become more acutely aware of the context, characteristics, values, learning styles, interests and personal experiences of those we are called to teach.  When this happens, we are in a position to raise the bar and genuinely improve the quality of service we offer.

Introducing Generation Z

The students who are presently in our schools have been called Generation Z to distinguish them from their older brothers and sisters in Generation Y, their parents in Generation X and their Baby Boomer grandparents.

This school-age generation has much in common with the present generation of young adults in that both have been growing to maturity in the digital age.  Both have embraced the opportunities provided by an explosion of technology which has given them a significant context for learning and growing.

New social technologies, such as iPod and cellular phones, Myspace and Facebook, are now taken for granted by these generations which are adept at strengthening friendships and expanding relationships in ways that are both real and virtual.  Instant messaging is just one strategy which draws them into virtual communities in real time, no matter where they are.  These are not just items of technology; they constitute an environment for living and learning.

Generation Z is highly interactive: their social life, served by technologies they have made their own, is busy and expansive.  They have greater access to the adult world than was available to their parents’ generation, so much so that some observers gloomily predict the ‘death of childhood’ as young people of this generation are hurried through life’s most formation stages.

Certainly, the life of many in this school-age generation is accelerated and strictly scheduled to encompass a wide variety of out-of-school and away-from-home activities: sports, shared hobbies and being ‘cared for’ in different child-care and after-school agencies.

Unusual status

Because of the technological competence they have acquired as a normal part of growing up in today’s world, the members of Generation Z are often given an unusual status in their own homes, advising parents on the operation of the latest items of technology and even influencing family purchases of such items.

Yet they are still children and adolescents with ever-present needs to be loved, to be guided and to belong, the express themselves, to play, to learn values, to make sense of experiences and to grow in wonder – all essential requirements of human beings on the road to maturity.

What kind of education?

Our school-age Generation Z students live and learn in a context of massive information-overload.  Rather than more information, they desperately need an education in how to manage and make sense of it, in how to filter it with discernment, in how to integrate it in meaningful and cohesive ways.

This avalanche of information and the technologies which disseminate it are part of the much broader context within which schools operate. The world is not as it was when teachers themselves were students.

What kind of education will best serve these students?  How do we match the world of the school with the wider world in which the students live?  These must surely be amongst the most important questions facing educators today.

An environment serving educational goals

The real issues around technology are not essentially about hardware and software.  We are challenged to create a particular kind of environment in most purposeful ways. The new technologies are not ends in themselves.  They serve the educational goals of developing the whole person, of serving the common good, of preparing students for future employment, of developing a social conscience and a global consciousness, of producing discerning thinkers, astute decision-makers, appreciators of our cultural heritage and, above all, lifelong learners.

Such goals must be pursued wisely, in ways that are relevant to the learner and that enable the best kind of learning to occur.

In considering the ways of pursuing our educational goals which involve improving the learning outcomes of every student, I will confine myself, in this instance, to three areas.

Relationships

More important in the educational process that organisational arrangements, syllabuses or strategies are the relationships which link students with their teachers and with other students.

Effective schooling is, essentially, a relational process.  Teachers and students learn from each other in the context of a rich and robust relationships.  Students need teachers who have the ability to explain and instruct with clarity and precision.  But, more importantly, they need teachers who are effective models and mentors, co-constructors of knowledge, fellow learners and companions on the journey to becoming lifelong learners.

The learning environment

School facilities and the various learning spaces that are created, both indoor and outdoor, enable the emergence of new models of learning appropriate to Generation Z.

Bold examples of new school architecture stimulate flexible approaches and creative adaptations.  Arrangements for various uses of information and communication technologies facilitate networking both within and beyond the school as well as provide a powerful medium for personalised learning.

Even in the most traditional buildings, innovative principals and teachers seize opportunities to modify and adapt learning spaces so that fresh and innovative approaches to learning and teaching can be implemented.

This may be something as simple as arranging classroom furniture in ways which maximise interaction when that is appropriate, whilst providing for more intense personal study when that is necessary.

An openness to new opportunities and a general flexibility can extend beyond the use of physical resources.  The structure of the timetable, the composition of the program, and the ways of organising learning opportunities can all be approached with a mindset open to appropriate innovation in the light of the needs, interests, capabilities and experiences of students.

Pedagogies

Pedagogies which are informed by the nature and experiences of the new generation of learners will weave learning into the ways we all live, and prepare students for lifelong learning.  These pedagogies will enhance the autonomy of individual learners while, at the same time, induct them into a community of learners.

Because learning will be relevant and personalised, expectations will be high and the bar will be progressively raised.  A culture of learning will see the processes of learning and teaching reflected upon and continually improved, and the outcomes of learning carefully monitored and achievement celebrated.

This generation’s claims

I began this reflection with the question, Who are our students?

The answer is as challenging as it is simple.  They are Generation Z, the second generation of the digital age.  Their life experiences, ways of dealing with their environment, approaches to building friendships and community, methods of learning and ways in which they have come to approach schooling, all create an exciting set of challenges for their teachers.

In fact, the whole community is challenged by the claims of this generation of students for education that is engaging, meaningful, truly developmental and, above all, relevant.

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You can learn more about Greg Whitby by visiting his blog; Bluyonder. I originally found Greg on YouTube.

We’d like to express a big thankyou to Greg for sharing this article with the Beyond Chalk community.

When I’m working from home, I’m often listening to podcasts in the background. Rather than my worn out music collection or some trashy radio station, I’ve subscribed to a range of podcasts. Examples include: Guitar Music Theory, Stuff You Should Know (from the guys at howstuffworks.com), Dr Karls Great Moments in Science, TedTalks (of course) and Triple J – Hack Highlights to name but a few. By subscribing, iTunes ensures I have access to the latest podcast from each of these sources, ready for me to listen to whenever I want to hit Play.

The range of content available is endless.

Just download iTunes for free and click on iTunes Store on the left. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll find.

Beyond text

We know that there are now endless options available when you’re looking for quality broadcasts but considering how simple it has become to create our own, a favourite proverb of mine comes to mind.

Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I’ll remember. Involve me and I’ll understand.
- Confucius.

By creating a podcast the student can’t simply copy, paste and edit. Nor can they copy it verbatim from a book. They have to actually speak about it, and it has to sound good! They can then collect some visual references to accompany the audio. Music can be added to create a mood. The students should be encouraged to credit their source material. They should be encouraged to question their sources and to cross reference.

I recently heard a comment from a teacher who was concerned that by allowing the students to use the internet for research they would be exposed to the wrong answer. The problem is that by simply ‘not using the internet’ we’re not teaching them how to discern the difference between what may be right or wrong. Like it or not the internet is here to stay and is playing an ever increasing role in our lives. One major advantage is that we now have access to experts and wanting to share their knowledge with the world. Why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of that?!

UK – University College London lectures in iTunes

Speaking of quality broadcasts, here’s yet another world class university sharing their content. Do we really want to hide this from our students?

On the track -”What’s on athletes iPods?”

Do you think any one is going to take the iPods away from these guys?

Heading down the track for a training session? Make sure you’ve got your tiger balm, sneakers, stop watch and… iPod. Here you’ll find a video clip where every athlete interviewed identifies their iPod as a key motivator to hurling themselves down the track.

Click on the following links below to go to our blog post about podcasting in your learning area:

English, ESL, Maths, Science, History, Geography, Legal Studies, Business Studies, Psychology Economics, Art, Drama, Music, Food Technology, Woodwork, Metal Work, IT PE, Outdoor Education, LOTE and Administration.

The ideas can be used by teachers and students, for learning and assessment purposes. Please add your ideas by commenting on our posts, and if you have any work samples that you or your students have created, we would love for you to provide links or a website address where we can access them.

There’s no denying, the amount of money currently being spent by schools around the country on technology is astronomical. Desktop’s, laptops, software and even mobile devices are being considered by most schools as the new learning platform.

You may say it’s all happened too fast. It’s a good point, it certainly seemed to come from out of nowhere. Some teachers, principals included, have expressed they’re just not ready. Well it’s here, but there’s no reason why you can’t explore your options thoroughly before taking this enormous plunge to enable your school to make a well informed choice. Your purchasing decision will affect teachers, students and the school as a whole.

After being a teacher of IT applications in both creative and business environments, from novice to advanced, I’ve developed a solid understanding of what makes for good usability, both for the experienced and not so experienced user. I can tell you one thing for certain, it’s not very often the cheaper option proves to be the best long term, nor short term solution for that matter.

As somebody who is passionately aware of a world full of throw away disposable products and the inevitable environmental impact, not to mention the financial impact to the consumer, I genuinely want to see people make an informed decision when it comes to purchasing hardware that will last, particularly if the purchase fills the back of a truck.

I’m sure you’ve had some level of frustration with technology in the past. Am I right? I’m referring specifically to desktop and laptop computers. I know I did, so much so that I became an expert in keeping my system clean just so it would keep running as it should. Look up ‘registry cleaner’ on google and you’ll see just how many people are making money from selling registry cleaning software. I’m referring to the software that flushes out all those nasty cookies, data miners, trojans and adware that fills our hard drives and over time drastically slows performance of your pc.

For what reason are you buying computers? What will you be doing with them?

This is the big one.

What are students doing with them outside the classroom? I can tell you they’ve moved far past simply surfing the net or throwing together a word document with some pictures. Spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations are so yesterday.

You may have heard the buzzword, ‘Web 2.0’. It’s hard to define what that means exactly but one unanimous explanation is that it encapsulates ‘User Generated Content’. Nowadays, that means a whole lot more than text. Audio, video and animation are now common place for the youth of today. They expect to be able to create, collaborate and distribute to express themselves in the digital realm. So I ask you; will the tools you’re about to purchase and hand to your students enable them to immediately begin creating multimedia rich content or will it become the start of a stream of software downloading, compatibility issues and further hardware purchases?

“Will you be exploiting 21st century technologies in the classroom?”

Recently I attended a talk where an Education Queensland representative was demystifying the model of 1:1, the implications and the funding. The most popular issue raised was that of the cost of maintenance. If the longevity of a product is such a major issue, why would you settle for the cheaper option? What if spending a small amount more for a more robust, reliable, more fully equipped machine meant a less stressful future with technology?

Weighing up your purchasing options

When it comes down to the final decision please oh please consider the following:

• Is it susceptible to viruses, trojans, data miner’s and internet nasties? If so, how much will you need to spend on anti-virus software and how much will you have to pay someone to install it, upgrade it and maintain it? How well will it be running in 2 years from now?
• What operating system will it run on and does that operating system have a good track record?
• What office software is available? How much will it cost, how much do upgrades cost? Is there an alternative? Perhaps that alternative can run the office software you’ve become dependent on.
• Does is integrate seamlessly with a mobile device?
• Does it come with a microphone, webcam and/or speakers? Or is that another cost you will need to factor into the equation?
• WHAT exactly do you want to do with these computers? Does the computer come with all the applications you need to create engaging 21st century multimedia rich content the students can get excited about? Podcasting or Movie making for example; what applications are available to do that? What kind of quality can that application produce? How easy is it to learn?
• This is a huge expense on behalf of current and future students and teachers involved with your school, have you explored all the options? Is this a thoroughly researched purchasing decision?

So if you’re about to take the plunge, if you haven’t already, please consider the above. Review the decision you’re making and make sure it is based on the long term cost to all concerned, not the short term expenditure.