Roger Neilson's Blog (5)

Do we even call it a classroom? Maybe we call it an environment?



Here are suggestions - but they are speculative suggestions only.





1. Flexible

The traditional schoolroom was a place that was designed for all to follow the same thing at the same time and the technology that was in use was so specific as to be easily accommodated within a static set up. Now we need the utmost flexibility. Flexibility on terms of desking, or power, of ICT connectivity, of computers… Continue

The village school at that time provided all the instruction we were likely to ask for. It was a small stone barn divided by a wooden partition into two rooms - The Infants and The Big Ones. There was one dame teacher, and perhaps a young girl assistant. Every child in the valley crowding there, remained till he was fourteen years old, then was presented to the working field or factory, with nothing in his head more burdensome than a few mnemonics, a jumbled list of wars, and a dreamy image… Continue

Unusual, there is a deathly hush as Smithers enters the staffroom. Its full, but there is no hubbub, no chatter, no goss... everyone sits silently.



Smithers goes and sits in his usual, well worn and comfortably moulded armchair.... he looks left and right, somewhat disconcerted by the total lack of sound....



To his left, Marley scrawls a note on a 'post it' (these are suddenly all over the coffee tables. It is passed to him.



It reads, 'Don't speak, we are banned… Continue

It seems a long time ago now, but way back then I was in charge of equipping all our staff with Laptops - we are talking about a decade ago, so back then it was pretty revolutionary. I was convinced, still am, that giving staff access would be the best way of moving everyone up in terms of their ICT use. This, of course, meant they had access to 'THE INTERNET' (shocked horror gasps in soundtrack), suspense builds......



I got asked the question, what can we do, how can we use this,… Continue

Every day the amount of 'things' I discover I could do grows and grows. Just as the store of human knowledge is exploding, so too is anyone's potential to do 'things'.The ability to network that Twitter has brought me in the last few weeks has not helped this dilemma. I could, just about, use all my time watching the hyperverse develop and grow.....



The line I am thinking about is similar to a group going for a walk in the countryside, but… Continue