Portfolio assignment 4
Panel discussion concerning technology and education in four different countries gave a really wide perspective in challenges and opportunities on the field globally. The panel held four master students from different countries: Finland, Spain, Russia and Romania. Not only we got a really good presentations on each countries history, future state in ICT use in education told by native student of these countries, but we also were able to see how this kind of panel discussion works.
Question of differences and similarities in different countries
I really got the idea that all these countries face same kind of reality in use of ICT in education. Same kind of problems and same kind of future hopes. Of course first thing for using ICT is having electricity, equipments and internet connection. Some of the countries had really big difficulties on these themes especially in school outside the city area. The gap between ICT use was deeper in these other countries than Finland. The same reality was faced in every countries. Some schools didn’t use ICT at all for few reasons to mention – equipments were held safely in the closets and teachers really had no idea how to implement technology in the classroom.My classmate Suvi wrote in more details of these countries in her blog post.
The countries had much more in similar than different. Same with people all over. I think that people have much more in similarities that differences. I think people have much more in common than things why they are different. So I disagree with one of the summaries of people being different from each other in the end of the panel discussion.
Also the differences and similarities seemed more the same than different. Question of using ITC in education basis on political, economical, school system, skills and knowledge of teachers and the understanding of learning and especially on effective learning. Common will when facing this new global question is to find answers for all themes. Answers should be searched to find solutions wich survive for decades when we talk about educational questions so that we always concentrate on learning that is (only) supported by technology. In different countries the ITC using seemed to face more same kind of challenges. Especially the challenge of benefits from teachers view.
Question of connecting technology and education
Educational question in all four countries is still in the knowing how to use technology as a part of the education and showing and seeing the benefits of using the technology. A teacher who doesn’t use technology at all in the classroom you need to show and tell the benefits of using technology to motive him/her to this road of using technology. Some panel students mentioned that teachers don’t know how to open a computer but can you ask from the kinds how to do it? I have learned on this introduction course’s workshops that you never all the buttons, all the roads, all the software but you end up in many really good learning situations when trying to find the answers. Gap of using technology between schools and kids free time is huge especially in city’s and in countries wich have unequal school systems. To answer to questions Why to use ICT? This picture is taken from Facebook by Mika Kähkönen
In my opinion teachers shouldn’t be blamed for not using ITS. We need educational technologist should answer to educational questions to motive teachers to use technology. The theory of learning is one key point in ITC benefits and challenges. All these countries had also technology orientated teachers who did use technology as a part of the education. Are we really ready to replace teachers not using ICT?
Laru told one of his opinion during the workshop lessons on this course. We should really think about those skills and knowledges that holds on for decades. Technology is a tool not a learning outcome. In difficult learning situations were problem solving is needed with conversation, questions are asked, discussion is made. Together with other people we hit to the heart of learning.
In education we concentrate on learning processes.
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