The newspaper article below is in Greek and comes from a  Cypriot newspaper. I don’t usually see educational technology news from the homeland (yes, indeed, dear blog reader, I was born and raised in Cyprus :)), but this one came through today and I was really excited about it. And then I read it… and my excitement plummeted… and I needed 2 dirty martinis to come to my senses.

The article basically says that Microsoft signed an agreement with the Ministry of Education and Culture for helping develop the conditions for integrating new technologies in primary education (there’s also some other big words in there like innovative schools, innovate teachers, and innovative students – indeed innovation all around!). The article ends by noting that Cyprus holds the second place with regards to computer:student ratio (I am assuming they mean worldwide, or at least EU-wide, though there’s no reference to the source), and that over 95% of teachers have attended basic computer skills training. It sounds like this is a great accomplishment, but, worldwide research shows that it’s not, and here’s why:

  • Adding technology (computers, access to the web, laptops, ipods, whatever-the-next-thing-is) will do little to change the nature of education. The tool may allow efficiency gains (e.g. making grading easier), but just by giving tools to teachers, innovation isn’t the natural outcome, partly because…
  • Teachers will simply use the tool to accommodate the dominant teaching style. And my experience in Cypriot schools, and my discussions with current students, tell me that the dominant teaching style is lecture and regurgitation. Critical thinking skills and a love for learning are not cultivated and are completely disregarded (there might be pockets of innovation here and there, but by and large, these aren’t the norm). One should also remember that…
  • Basic training in computer skills does not enhance practice. Read some literature. What teachers need goes WAY beyond learning how to move the mouse or how to create a powerpoint presentation. You can also read an interview I gave to ednews.org last year, but the important point is captured in this quote: “We can work with teachers to mold technological solutions that target real issues and problems. We can start thinking of learning as something that is inherently enjoyable and fun, as an aesthetic experience that (as Patrick Parrish puts it) has a beginning, middle, and end. We can design for engagement rather than for strict notions of learning as demonstrated behavior change. Rather than training teachers to use generic tools and software, we can aim at enhancing their understanding of how technology can provide added value for particular topics and learners in specific contexts.”
  • Finally, I also wonder if these people have ever been to a basic skills training and have ever observed the learners’ reaction. Below is an image that I took that captures (most) student feelings about basic skills training. The students are on facebook while attending a class intending to teach them basic skills bemoaning the training they are in. Oh, the irony! (…and before anyone jumps in to say that facebook is to blame, let me remind you that when classes were boring you used to do the same thing, by scribbling on your notebook and desk).  [P.S half of the image is in greek, but it basically says “this person is thinking that s/he is teaching us how to use the computer” and the reply says “yes, that’s what s/he thinks.”]

boring_lesson

Inviting a for-profit company to enhance education is a recipe for failure. If you are an official in Cyprus and really want to change education for the better, I suggest inviting a group of caring teachers, a bunch of students, some Cypriot ed-tech professors, a few Cypriot ed-tech professors who live abroad (hint, hint),  some foreign ed-tech professors, a couple of education non-profits, and a couple of plain ed professors, to draft real plans for improving education (with technology) grounded on the local reality. Key words to think about: social. authentic, creative, critical, community, authentic, relevant, fun.

The newspaper article follows:

Σε υπογραφή συμφωνίας για υλοποίηση του Προγράμματος «Συνεργάτες στη μάθηση» προχώρησαν χθες το Υπουργείο Παιδείας και Πολιτισμού και η εταιρεία Microsoft, σύμφωνα με ανακοίνωση.

Στόχος της συμφωνίας, προστίθεται, είναι η περαιτέρω προώθηση της χρήσης της Τεχνολογίας Πληροφορίας και Επικοινωνίας στα δημόσια σχολεία της Κύπρου.

Η συμφωνία αφορά μόνο σε εκπαιδευτικές δραστηριότητες, για να δημιουργηθούν οι συνθήκες για την ενσωμάτωση των τελευταίων τεχνολογικών επιτευγμάτων στη διαδικασία της μάθησης, σε ένα πλαίσιο λειτουργίας ενός σύγχρονου καινοτόμου σχολείου, στο οποίο θα διδάσκουν καινοτόμοι εκπαιδευτικοί σε πρωτοπόρους μαθητές.

Στην ανακοίνωση αναφέρεται ακόμα ότι μέσα από το πρόγραμμα θα εξευρεθούν πρακτικοί τρόποι, για να εισαχθούν και να αξιοποιηθούν οι διάφορες εξεζητημένες τεχνολογίες στα δημόσια σχολεία και να καθοδηγηθούν οι εκπαιδευτικοί για το πώς και με ποιο επιθυμητό αποτέλεσμα θα χρησιμοποιήσουν τις μεθόδους και τα συγκεκριμένα μέσα.

O Υπουργός Παιδείας τόνισε ότι καταβάλλονται επίμονες προσπάθειες, για να παρέχει στους εκπαιδευτικούς τα τεχνολογικά μέσα που θα τους βοηθήσουν να αναβαθμίσουν τη διδασκαλία τους στην τάξη και να προσφέρουν στους μαθητές τις δεξιότητες που απαιτούνται ως εφόδια στη σημερινή Κοινωνία της Τεχνολογίας και της Πληροφορίας. Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι η Κύπρος κατέχει τη δεύτερη θέση σε αναλογία η/υ ανά μαθητή, ενώ πέραν του 95% των εκπαιδευτικών παρακολούθησαν προγράμματα βασικής χρήσης η/υ.

ΑΝΔΡΕΑΣ ΡΙΡΗΣ
Κωδικός άρθρου: 906786
ΠΟΛΙΤΗΣ – 04/11/2009, Σελίδα: 22