Editorial

Editorial ramblings

'May you live in interesting times' curse or blessing, you decide. But we certainly live in interesting times in education and particularly in ICT. There is a feeling that a tipping point may be approaching when education finally ceases its usual glacial rate of change and catches up with the real world of the 21st century accepting that children cannot be educated for one's personal (and mythical) golden age but the one that is yet to come.

There has been rapid change in infrastructure and resource recently. Looking back over the last ten years, we have moved from single Acorns or PCs in the corner of a classroom to ICT suites, IWBs, broadband internet connectivity and now learning platforms. Yet still ICT is embedded in the work of only some 20% of schools.

BETT'08 showed resources that promise even more, especially personal devices at affordable prices (as postulated by Heppell in 1997). A situation of every child with a device is now feasible within a couple of years. Yet on suggesting this at recent teachers meeting the response of one secondary head was along the lines of, 'They cannot even bring pens and pencils and we are not supplying them with computers.' And this a school in line for BSF refurbishment! Is school leadership the real problem?

With diverse devices available, often using Open Source operating systems and software the delivery of core applications will need to change. Ready access to core software online will be necessary, probably embedded in a learning platform finally enabling learners to work anywhere and anytime. And what will happen to software houses that ignore this trend?

Potential for transformational change is now here as all pieces of the jigsaw come together. Infrastructure, devices, online tools are almost in place. Learners themselves are frequent users of ICTs in their non-school lives, often using skills far removed from those 'taught' through a dreary and dated curriculum. Schools must also acknowledge that the world beyond education develops and changes far more rapidly than schools can cope with.

But can the necessary transformation actually happen. Consider the issues:

• Embedded and outdated views of politicians based on antiquated notions of a public/grammar school academic education as being the only one of value;
• Pressure from sections of the media to conform to s stereotype of a "good education";
• League tables and other false indicators of 'quality' that stifle innovation;
• A traditional subject based curriculum rather than one based on areas of learning (which could of course include subject specialism for those wanting it);
• Conservative (small c) attitudes, especially amongst secondary schools and teachers;
• The dead hand of BSF that builds 19th century classrooms with a nod to 21st century technology which will have changed beyond recognition by the time most of these schools are built.

BSF could be the engine of transformation but will it? In planning meetings headteachers moan and complain, seeing ICT in the context of the past and referring only to costs not benefits. 'We cannot afford a managed service' when they have no idea of the actual costs of their present provision. 'ICT is only one subject on the curriculum' failing to see that it is integral to everyone's lives. We need a road to Damascus moment amongst school leaders.

Think back thirty or forty years to Star Trek in the late 60's and Kirk's communicator; for which read mobile phone. Think of Blake's 7 automatic computer control of the ship, voice commands/responses, a trust in and almost symbiotic relationship between crew and computer. And for a later take on this read Iain M Banks 'Culture' novels.

We are nearly there . . . ! Much of this technology is already flying military missions and some aspects will come to a classroom near you very soon. Meanwhile learners can, if they choose, learn anything they want from the web. Why come to school to have some out of touch teacher in their 50's waste your time demanding shirts be tucked in or the anachronistic blazer worn to meet some antiquated requirement. And then make you copy notes onto paper.

Some 30 years ago trainee teachers learned of the 'sabre tooth curriculum' that might have existed in the Stone Age folloing glacial retreat; basically train youth to deal with creatures that have already been rendered extinct not how to survive in a new and warmer climate with very different challenges. We have learned little since. Harking back to a golden age ignores the changing world around us: global warming, migrations, probable water and energy shortages, let alone the impact of technological change.

Yet in too many school ICTs (deliberately in the plural) are still seen as an expensive distraction even by ICT teachers. Recently in the TES teachers were welcoming a return to ICT as skills based. We thus have an uphill battle! Are these really teachers or trainers for certain major software houses? Or are they soon to be unemployed as the students vote with their feet?

Twenty years ago I had the good fortune to work with Graham Bevis, the Hampshire IT Adviser of the time. We were told that our role then was to ensure that ICT was used across the curriculum and that we would have failed if we did not do ourselves out of a job in the process. We are still have not achieved that objective. Why?

It's partly a political and media issue, partly an attitude of mind in schools and partly a result of outdated school management structures and especially the omnipotent role of headteachers in the system.

To move schools forward may require a fundamental change in management structures: federations for a start, run by a board of directors with proper business qualified CEOs, but above all good teachers whose role is purely learning and teaching, who deal with pedagogy not budgets or managing computer networks. Yes, there will be 'headteachers' or 'Executive Directors of Learning' on this board but they are just that, the leading teacher with the vision for leading, directing, supporting and enhancing learning.

Free teachers to teach and pupils to learn and let properly qualified managers manage the school, which should, in any case be a part of a much wider community facility.

In 1968 my generation was going to change the world. Some of us still want to and we are not giving up yet!