Do we need to keep photocopiers at school?

With the increased influence of PC's and ipads within schools - I ask the question: do we still need to use the humble photocopier anymore??

Trust and rapport.

I'm not a qualified teacher yet, this much is fact.  In my short experience with teaching teenagers however, the only time that I have ever had any form of teaching 'success' has come from classes or moments that stem from trust.  The student trusts me and what I am trying to do, and I trust them to be human with all that that involves.  Basic human rapport - right? 
 No trust
It's clips like this one that I found on You tube that makes me mad.  The principle in this clip is 'spying' on his students while they use their school issued lap top.  "It's to make sure that they are doing the work they are supposed to be doing!", then he starts "messing with them" by taking pictures of them from the computer photo booth application.  What a jerk!
All he's doing is widening the gap between students and teachers.  He is basically assuming guilt.  'You are a student and therefore can not be trusted to do the right thing'.  
I was reading the introduction to the Victorian Essential Learning Standard and in it, it states that the goals are intended to support students "to build a future based on sustainability, innovation and 
building strong communities." Strong communities should promote mutual responsibility and trust in a diverse socio-cultural community.  Where's the trust from Mr Peeping-tom Principle?


No matter what form ICT takes in the school that I end up at, I know that I need to keep up to date as much as possible.  I need to NOT get frustrated at the things that I can not change (including computer issues), do as much professional development as I can and trust the students to experiment, be human, probably push some boundaries, but allow a forum that gives them room to learn.  Isn't that why we have had Vygotsky and Piaget shoved at us from day one doing this course?  Engage them, build rapport and let them take their current knowledge to the next stage.  If taking their knowledge requires the assistance of ICT then its my job to make that happen.

Time Vortex!

Here is something that drives me nuts about computers - the amount of time that seems to get miraculously sucked up in them!  I am a big believer in computers, and the revolution of our generation that is "information technology", but the one thing that gives me pause, is the incredible amount of time that seems to simply vanish when sitting in front of a screen.  I had planned to spend an hour this afternoon looking at other students online presentations.  When I tried to log onto the LMS site, it was having issues due to the volume that it experiences this time of year.  I then decided to access students online presentations through the Blog sites that I am a member of - this worked for 2 of them, but the others weren't available on their blog but through the group Wiki (can't get to group Wiki as this can only be accessed through LMS).  I then re-tried accessing the LMS site.  It's still having issues.  I can now access the student portal, but not the link that takes me to the LMS.....aaargh!  I've now clocked up nearly 2.5 hours sitting in front of a computer and I have only managed to watch two 5 minute preso's.  I didn't want to totally waste the time I had committed to ICT, so I decided to post a few things on my blog instead.  I am the mother of 2 small children, with a job, a full time study load and an online business and my time is VERY carefully allocated.  It constantly amazes me how much time computers suck up precious time!

Just finished our Presentation

This is clip from the Series "Modern Families" that I think is very appropriate to what we have been looking at in our tutorials
Modern Families

ICT and VELS

Ok, I'm not going to lie, I found this concept difficult to image in practice.  I am 36 years of age, when I was at school we were still taught how to type on typewriters!  We had a computers at school, but they were locked away in a single room and you had to elect to take "Computing"as a separate subject in years 10 - 12.  So I don't have any reference point from my my own background.  Similarly, the school that I have been placed at all year (reduced mode) is an inner Western suburbs senior (10 -12) public school that has a lot of computers (situated in at least half the classrooms) but hardly any of the teachers seem to use them.
I teach Drama and there certainly aren't any computers in our teaching space.  We have a TV with a DVD player attached that can be rolled out from time to time, we have 2 white boards and a wall of mirrors.
The mentor teacher I worked with was delightful, but had been teaching at the school for over 35 years and was still struggling to grasp the concept of emails as a tool for teachers, let alone use computers or digital equipment as a vehicle to engage and teach students.
Having said all this, I can see the potential of how ICT could be used in the Drama classroom.
Most schools require drama students to complete a journal after each class as a means of reflecting on the days activities.  Hand written journals seem to be a burden to most teachers as they are cumbersome and heavy to lugg around.  From students perspectives, journals are also cumbersome, easy to misplace and are often forgotten to be brought to class.  I could easily see the use of internet structured journal platforms being used as a replacement to hand written diaries.
Online journals would "assist in developing interpersonal skills as well as building knowledge about a topic/theme and ICT. For example, a student who drafts a message and edits it before sending it in an email or posting it on a website learns to reflect about message content, purpose, and impact on the known and unknown audience".
I know that online journals are merely scratching the surface of ICT possibilities within Drama.  VELS states that by years 9 and 10 that ICT should be used to better develop communication skills by using "online forums to exchange ideas and critical comment. They also communicate online with peers, experts and others. They are careful to respect cultural differences."
As detailed in my last post I personally think that the use of cameras and the editing of student filmed footage is a tool that would deepen students understanding of Drama from a performance and communication perspective.  This detailed specifically in VELS level 2.5 - 2.75 under creating:
with teacher guidance, transfer and saving to a computer of still and/or moving images captured with a digital camera.
Combine this with the students editing footage to create a specified Dramatic style, this would certainly resonate with some students to better understand theatre conventions.

Mime on film

I found this Mime workshop on You Tube - it was made in a Japanese secondary school and it is a good look at what can be done with students mime exercises combined with some basic film editing. I think these concept could actually be taken a bit further - Film the students mime routines and allow THEM to edit, add sound effects and sound track to make a very short clip. FUN!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpCtSiNi1ns

How do I include ICT in secondary Drama?

OK, I'll admit it, I was shocked when I took a year 11 drama class to the library (in order for the students to do some research for an upcoming assessment) and half of them (6 out of 12 students) needed help on how to use Google search!  As a 'mature aged student' (I hate that term, there really does have to be a better phrase) I was arrogantly assuming that most kids of this generation were more savvy on computer skills than me.  I mean these students come from a generation where the terms "VCR" or a "Comador 64" are completely foreign to their vernacular - how could they not know how to search for information on the internet???  Well, now I know.  Not all students have access to a computer at home.  I really think it comes down to something that simple.
The school that I am currently working at is a lower socio-economic school in the Western suburbs of Melbourne.  3/4 of the students have ESL issues and most of their families are 'new Australians'.  Having a computer at home is not a priority for most of these families.

Lesson one when it comes to ICT in education - schools need to provide access to computers for students OUTSIDE of class time to allow and hopefully encourage students to explore the WWW without an agenda.