Juliette Heppell: Technology's last stand in learning: cell phones, consoles & Facebook

In a four-part video series for GETideas I travelled the world in 24 hours and asked four educators I admire what their "two stars and a wish" for learning would be for 2011. I'll blog the films here over the next week.

Juliette Heppell, a high school teacher from the West End of London, UK, is seeing so much that is right with learning and technology, but the last crucial step is taking technology to where our students already hang out - to cell phones and social networks:

"Social networking in our school has been vital in engaging students in seeing the connection between learning in school and learning at home.

"Persuading teachers to use Skype in the classroom has resulted in some interesting projects, although the first stage involved teaching them how to use it at home as a form of professional development.

"We need to use what the students have already much more: it might be skills, or it might be equipment that they can bring into the classroom. Handhelds, consoles, mobile phones, research skills, enquiry skills… We're getting there, but we're not quite there yet."

Juliette's site features in this popular post from last month: "Please, Miss, Can I Friend You On Facebook?".

Comments

[Sue Kuzu]

Hi Juliette, we are connected to Boston, MA from Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire by Skype sessions and have staff and students working together on an Engineering and cultural diversity pilot project through the newly formed GTEC (Global Technology and Engineering Consortium)

[monika hardy]

spot on Juliette.
thank you.

[Get Ged Online]

So nice and interesting article, i really enjoyed to read it.

[Natalie Cole]

Teaching is a very difficult profession for strong-willed men when you are to deliver knowledge and communicate with children every day. Sometimes it may be ungrateful work. Reading your site I remember my first skill in teaching.

Best regards,
Natalie, www.englishlearningstory.com