Module Two

Go to Skills Checklist

What Do Really Need to Know?

Computers as Tools for Teaching and Learning Tasmania

The critical issue in education is software as it determines what people can do with the computer hardware

I believe this.

It seems that we need to have the hardware, that the hardware works reliably; that the software is compatible, that it does what it's supposed to reliably, that it's easy to use, but the software has to be able to do something that you can't do otherwise, or can't do as well any other way. If what you do takes longer, doesn't do it as well etc then it's not much use.

Student learning is the primary purpose for educational computing in classrooms. Computer-based technologies are of little value in themselves and therefore should not be allowed to gain a ¹life of their own' detached from student learning.

If the computer becomes "flavour of the month", something e do because it's fashionable or seen to be modern but doesn't improve student learning in some way, then it's not worth doing. It's too expensive in time and money for that.

The skills/outcomes/best practice checklist of the Tasmanian Department of Education seems very extensive for each category. As a teacher librarian, I am most interested in the list that mentions school and teacher librarians. The checklist is very comprehensive and indicates what we could/should be doing in the best of all possible worlds. While I could not say I disagree or think there's anything wrong with the check list, my concern would be the issue of time. If a teacher librarian had no other duties the development of these skills might be possible, but in most schools there would not be the time to achieve all of these skills in one lifetime of teaching. In my present position, I am lucky enough to have a supportive administration, great library assistants and an efficient IT staff so I have managed to carry out many of these practices. In less favourable circumstances most would definitely not be possible at all.