Creativity and E-Learning in the Classroom Conference
Key-note Speaker: Professor Stephen Heppell
‘For the times they are a-changin’
With so many new education websites springing up through the concrete vastness of the web, you could spend your life sorting through the rubble. Cue Professor Stephen Heppell: the superhero of e-learning. Acclaimed by The Guardian as ‘Europe’s leading online education guru’ and heralded by Microsoft as ‘Europe’s leading online education expert.’
Young people embrace technology and creativity, and have been hungry for change, so as Professor Heppell puts it: “We are pushing against an open door.”
“Creativities’ time has come”
All over the world Schools are moving from generic education, to personalized, unique, individual learning, in which staff and students can thrive. We are moving away from factory-like schools, corridor-like learning, to wide open multi-functional spaces. What space is more open? More diversified? More democratic and international than the internet? None.
Professor Heppell says: “When you look at something, you stop seeing it: it’s like that with schools.” It is also like that with education in general. This change and shift that we are just easing ourselves into is not “a change for changes sake”. It is essential. Our place in the world as a country that is regarded highly for its education standards is slowly slipping. If we use an analogy form the talk: think of which countries are world leaders in terms of the film industry. Now what about the car industry? Or fashion? Each time you are probably thinking of fewer countries than you have fingers, a handful for each industry. The race to be a world leader in education will produce a few countries: India, China, Turkey. Now, is a crucial shift in education which will help us decide if we will be one of those world leaders. This depends on our attitudes to learning, and willingness to adapt to these changes.
Trying New Ideas
Here are some examples of what other learning educators are doing around the world:
• Leasowes School in Dudley, studies one GCSE per month.
• An Australian School has students from 11 years old sit in on 4 hours of lectures per week at a nearby University.
• Bilston Academy has quiet cafes and the staffroom if for both staff and students.
• At a school in Yorkshire, they have introduced “The Praise Pod”: this works in a similar way to Heads’ commendations, when a student(s) has done well they get interviewed and it becomes a podcast and/or video, which they can then take home that day.
• A school in the Caribbean has students sit on both interview panels and lesson observations.
• Most local businesses will showcase students work if possible: for example, cinemas can show videos of students work before the main film, TV shops can broadcast them, even simply turning a projector onto a window at the end of the school day is a great way of broadcasting to the local community the activities and achievements of the students.
• Some schools have also introduced a Board of Good Work to celebrate and look into how to encourage students to celebrate their achievements.
Comments rss
Trackback
Due to a major purchasing error (too many zero’s on the end of the order!) we have several thousand more QX5 Microscopes than we need for the immediate future. We have therefore decided to offer a fantastic saving on the list price to help us reduce stocks. Until the end of July 2008 we would like to offer you the QX5 microscope at the prices below:
