Time to Debunk Those PBL Myths

Time to Debunk Those PBL Myths.

Do my Skills become REDUNDANT every 5 Years?

So its seems that some new research studies reveal that 50% of what I have learnt how to communicate with / use in a technical environment will become totally useless.

The main reason? Technological Advances.

I read a post recently on FB that Britpop and the 1990’s will never be experienced again.  The mobile was still a futuristic device that was only good for burning money and battery life to use up the capacity of 5 texts.  Or that music will never again be communicated again through the medium of Vinyl or tapes.  Instead, people find themselves evolving and having to repurchase the same music on different formats.    This then is ‘Technology Driving Demand’ in action surely?

Furthermore, as I find myself working in the IT sector in Education, People like to think of me as a ‘techie’ or someone call ‘tech support’.  However I think that a deeper level of understanding is in motion here.  For example, someone could ask me a question on a technical issue that currently doesn’t exist, as the software hasn’t yet been invented.  The beauty about this though, is the fact that I feel the confidence to take on new technologies and make them work for me.   If I don’t know the answer, I’ll go away and work out a solution.

Instead of people constantly learning new technologies every 5 years to keep up to date, maybe we should look more at developing our in-depth understanding of how to solve problems. Lets dive more into the cognitive processes that one goes through to achieve an end result – in this case a new tool.

Maybe I should teach in the problem solving industry and leave the IT industry to the ‘Techies’ and ‘Tech support’ people!

And that although this is a thought provoking point, how will they communicate with us?

Teacher Planner v Information System

So, its September 2012, first week back.  Already dreading it!  One of the first tasks I always used to do was get my hands on the current teacher planner for the year.  I’d spend time filling it in religiously, vigorously, colorfully – happily. Every class, spec details, student details, tracking, grades etc etc. Then its onto the weekly planer, every lesson planned, by hand…

However 2 years ago I was asked a very strange question, “What are you doing with those old things? They belong in a museum!”  I remember thinking to myself – you cheeky bugger! As a teacher this is my proof, my planner, my life!  Whatever do you mean?

I then got into a conversation about how redundant the planner was, it was so old, bulky, and could be misplaced. The principle is still the same, but the technique, well it certainly has changed!

Gone are the days of trying to record all information on student tracking data.  Gone are the days of carrying around the teacher planner, full of notes, scraps of paper that will never see the light of day again that you’ve forgotten why they are even in there and the weight of lugging around a tone of bricks that is falling apart at the seams as the year goes on.

Instead then, we are offered with new technologies.  New ways of recording, saving, tracking assessing and communicating with students and parents have all sprung up recently.  All claim to make the teachers life easier.  Now, at this point you might be thinking, “What is this guy on about, this is not new innovation, we’ve been doing this for years…” and you’d be right! I’m in my 10th year in Education and have always been using this type of system, however, and this is the pivotal point for writing this particular post today and the reason that there are so many start up companies offering the same service – 1000’s of schools still done use them!

There are many services and packages available; Simms, PowerSchool and iSams are to name a few of the big players.  The classroom then  is not only a place for teachers and students to enjoy the fruits of the programmers hardwork, but it is also a battlefield for a vast array of businesses vying for the easy money of different school authorities around the world who are only too happy to splash out on software that will make the classroom / school an easier place to work.

If your not using a similar system, or if you are Id love to hear from you…