The classroom rests in a doze. The efficiency of the learning is close to zero. All students have their own computer, but in front of the master’s desk the teacher presenting the subject with old fashion methodology. However, the computer should still be on after the headmaster’s and his superior’s decree. Since the school has bought computers to all students they have to be used, of course? This is an obvious distraction in the classroom; of course the students will turn towards the screen with a whole world resting at their fingertips instead of the teacher’s subject-directed and limited often angled presentation.
Somebody use twitter feverishly, another checking a facebook-profile and the third checking clothes in a Fashion-store and of course, they will involve those who sit close to them. And in case they happen to be in different parts of the classroom, then the sms-traffic is a functioning channel. The school’s duty to attend class is thereby fulfilled even if most students are in another world and the others are bothered by their activities.
Perhaps some sees this as a parodist description; unfortunately this is a new reality in too many classrooms today. As a matter of fact this description is built on several witness-information from inside the Swedish school.
Ok! Then all descriptions and analyses here on eLearningworld and from plenty of other sources about the computer’s extraordinary ability as a pedagogical tool is only a trend that in the end does not include any advantages? Unfortunately, for them who favouring the 2000th Century classroom this article is in line with the recent result of pedagogical research as well as brain research. The computer used in the right way is revolutionising for learning at the same time as it transform pedagogy. But let us for a while go back to the school that was described above.
The teacher is of course aware that the teaching does not reach its target and that the computers have become a wall against learning instead of the bridge that it can be. But when the teacher point out this problem with the facebooking during class for the school board they answer, everybody has computers, great that they are of any use! In case the students not using them in their education it is their problem. This also is a description from inside witnesses of the Swedish school.
50% of the students in the Swedish secondary school have received their own computer from their school, much fewer in primary school. Totally there are 65% laptops, 25% desktops and 10% tablets according the Swedish National Agency for Education. And the amount of computers in school increase rapidly. At the same time The Swedish National Agency for Education reports that the use of IT is very low in many subjects. This depend to a large extent on an enormous demand for further training of teachers e.g. to create interactive exercises and material as well as buy professionally developed eLearning modules to use in the education, besides a profound update of the IT-pedagogical skills. Unfortunately, the Swedish school has landed in a vacuum between the 2000th Century School that worked after that century’s prerequisites and the 2100th Century School that still waiting for its breakthrough. The second part of this story will be published later this week.