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Purposeful education generates readiness. Acting and thriving in converging, yet broadening, environments gives rise to the idea that readiness requires imagination and improvisation. This raises the question, are we ready to create open-ended and adaptable environments with our technological impedimenta? And if not, why are we building environments where only that which is assumed -  [...]

Growing up digital – buffed for success

Regardless of your teaching philosophy, one of the biggest concerns among society is the erosion of declarative knowledge, brought about by the Internet. Recently, the New York times published a report called “Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction”, typical of this social debate and thought I’d discuss it (slam it)  in relation to why I [...]

Oil-dipping your culture in 60 seconds

Most teachers use technology — they have to, email, marking sheets, accessing resources is part and parcel of the job. So arguably, there is no such thing in societies affluent enough to have computers as non-digital teacher, more degrees of motivation toward the constellation of variables that people offer up to exemplify new media literacy. [...]

Why ask pre-teachers to think critically about virtual worlds?

Why bother? – After all, virtual worlds – in education are almost invisible in the media (who favor more negative conceptions or sex, violence and sociopathic stalkers) and require more cognitive effort than swapping Word for a Wiki. Because it’s good for them! de Freitas (2008) attempts to begin the process of mapping how virtual [...]

Make up on a train

It struck me, as i was watched some woman attempt to affix make-up on the train journey this morning that almost everyone one I know involved in teacher education has arrived here rather inadvertently. I wondered, as I watched her juggle compacts and eyeliner, if indeed the classroom has become the very place not to [...]

Games are lessons, just less fun.

The basic question, the basic mental hurdle in thinking about class as a game is simply – what is a game? A game is an activity that – requires at least one player, has rules and has a victory condition. If we then compare this to a ‘lesson’ it’s hard to argue that lessons are [...]