I wonder if they were expecting technology to be a ‘magic pill’.

Source: EducationHQ – Technology ‘doesn’t make school pupils smarter’

A similar article, reviewing the outcomes of the report, showed that Australia ranks rather high in terms of Internet usage at school (yes I am aware they have published the ‘Top 5 countries’ but have only shown 4…)

The table indicates 58 minutes as being Australian students’ average daily usage at school. Whilst on the other end of the usage scale we see an all too familiar listing of countries.

The full OECD report is available here.

Andreas Schleicher says “In the end, technology can amplify great teaching, but great technology cannot replace poor teaching”. I’m thinking that a little bit of Appreciative Inquiry into the effective integration of learning technologies could go a long way in supporting educators to amplify great teaching.

Do you have an example of how you have used technology to improve student engagement and learning outcomes?

Surely the Internet isn’t all bad… Please share your technology enriched pedagogies in the comment section below.

As we march inexorably towards the end of another school year I think it is important to reflect on how our early career teachers, especially those in their first year, are coping with the demands of teaching.

What opportunities have you given ECT’s in your school? Are they smashing out a 50m Butterfly in under 25 seconds? Paddling in circles in the shallow end? Or did you miss their clenched fist waving frantically in the air as their head slowly sank beneath the surface…

Source: Sink or swim? My view of the First Year as a Teacher

Have you ever been to a conference and at the end of it walked away wishing that there had been at least another day so that you could continue conversations and enjoy more genuinely engaging keynotes? Explore pedagogical leadership and practice with a tight knit group of professionals within a workshop environment or simply chat over a casual lunch looking out at the beautiful Adelaide Oval?

Source: Half-time match review for #SASPA2015 conference | Principals Australia Institute