Keynote: Harnessing The Leading Edge Of Technology

Thanks to the kind people at Core-Ed the video and slides of my last 'season' of talks on how all of us can lead education and technology change in our schools, Local Authorities and organisations have been put online for all to view. There's also a Google Video without the slides.

Every time I do a talk or seminar it's different; in the age of podcasts, vodcasts and conference blogging it's only a fool or a lazy researcher who says the same thing day in, day out. The main lines of this talk have been popular but two points were raised afterwards which are worth tackling. They are both related, one about the substance of what I showed in the talk and the other on the 'entertainment only' value of new technologies. I disagree (of course) with both, because I believe they're just wrong.

In this version of the talk I have unashamedly concentrated on the final products of learning, giving passing mention to the importance of the changes in process that leads to them. I was, if you like, appealing to the professionalism and attitudes of teachers to think about what the processes might have been, rather than just listing what changes took place.

The second relates as much to the way I present stuff as to the depth of change and transformation these new technologies offer. Yes, they are entertaining, and what's wrong with that? Yes they increase motivation for being rather fun to use. But they also transform the way we do things because they open collaborative and time-shifting opportunities in learning that have never, until now, been on offer.

I hope these points come through for most people, but any other ideas or feedback you have that hasn't already been mentioned would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

[mystro2b]

Hi Ewan-

Great post! Thank you for sharing your incredible insight- unfortunately, I am unable to get the video of your keynote from google...this error message shows up when I click on the link:
We're sorry, but the provider of this video has not authorized Google to display this video in your location. Any reason why this is so?
-Ken in Seattle WA

[Ewan McIntosh]

Hmm. Works for me and for others. I wonder what that could be?

[cuckee]

Making the use of technology to add value to the lives of all people around you is something that the technologists strive for. The difference in life between ages is technology.

[Sean Law]

Great post and great keynote! I'm one of those 1991 babies... and thankful for it.