Last class we discussed to some extent, the relevance of attempting to introduce new technologies in an environment covered in red tape. For years schools have struggled with unnecessary mandates regarding the use and maintenance of computers. At present many of the computer labs in the schools (especially Primary schools) are controlled from outside the physical environment of the school. The computers cannot be fixed, programmes cannot be added nor information stored, by anyone not assigned or given permission to do the job. This may appear to be a wise decision had it not been for the fact that the whole process sometimes takes more than six (6) months each time.
To add insult to injury, many times only a small percentage of the students’ computers present in the lab actually have internet access. How then can we be expected to leverage literacy 2.0 practices in the classroom. As Dana Wilbur puts it ‘ Literacy 2.0 is not about using Microsoft Word for processing, using PowerPoint for a presentation or projecting a computer screen on the wall of a room. It’s about making the most of online resources and staying true to the ‘ethos of the web 2.0’; a challenge facing not only the senior teacher but every graduate of this M Ed in Reading.
Wilbur,D. (2007). My literacies: Understanding the Net generation through Live Journals and literacy practices. Innovate Journal of Online Education.
I love the title of your post--however i must humbly disagree with your content as it relates to the idea of overcoming red tape. I feel that many teachers are stuck in a quagmire because they have a defeatist approach when it comes to technology on the whole.
ReplyDeleteYes, web 2.0 technology involves using the internet and the benefits to students are linked to the wider online audience and the opportunity to share and collaborate with each other and the internet community.
Despite this fact we can still harness word, paint, windows moviemaker, powerpoint,excel and photostory to name a few tools in creative ways to engage students in literacy activities that build their reading and writing skills.
Also don't discount the impact that one laptop with an internet connection and a multimedia projector can accomplish.
You can check my blog for a post on this topic My blog Literacy Warrior