Netbook Adventures in the classroom

As ICT coordinator, a constant challenge is to inspire many of the other teachers (particularly those with techno-fear) to embrace, experiment and enjoy new technology day-to-day in the classroom. The aim of this blog is to describe my weekly experiences of netbooks and other technologies in the hope to share and inspire others. How much can these technologies truely enhance teaching and learning in the classroom?

"It is our professional responsibility to learn and be up to date on everything we teach - this includes ICT."  

Sharing technology in the classroom is essential for allowing the children to develop the skills they will need for the future. You do not have to be an expert - simply an awareness and willingness to have a go. The key reason children learn technology so quickly is because they just have a go and experiment. They have this wonderfully innocent see-something-and-click-it-to-see-what-it-does mentality. This is key to ICT and supports independent thinking and learning skills - we must encourage this at every stage in our teaching.

The following video captures the essence of this - albeit a little worrying for the future role of us 'teachers' - how will this influence your approach to the teaching and use of ICT in the classroom? (17 minutes long and worth every second)

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html