What Can I Do With Technology?

This is not the right question people!  After reading Amy Heavin's blog, "Technology is NOT an Add-on", I now have the right words to use to convey how I feel.

Yes, my school has gone 1:1 with iPads.  It was very much about the device when we started in year one.  The selecting of the device was a huge decision, and not everyone was thrilled with the outcome of that decision.  Like any good solider, you march forward with what you have and do the best you can.  That first year didn't just contain a learning curve, it was a learning circle.  We had to figure out how to teach without books, how to teach with students having access to the outside world at their fingertips, and there were actually limitation to the ipads - "flash" is a dirty word.

Year two has been better, like I said it was a learning circle.  We are back at the start of a new year, but with some fundamentals under our belt. So, it is now time to say, we know we are doing this, we know we can do this,  how can we do this well? This is where Heavin's blog comes in.  It can't be a device mentality.  Yes we are lucky enough to have a device, but we need to use it to better our curriculum, not dictate it.

So starts the journey of the paradigm shift to not just having the 21st Century Skills as "Add-ons" to the curriculum, but at the center of the curriculum.  We cannot allow ourselves to be stuck on any one tool or any one device, because it is certain that technology is ever evolving and so must we.