Wednesday 17 July 2013

Why?

A frustrating week which looks like it is going to get more challenging. The topic for this course "Change" seems to be the pain in my side. I too, like Lesley, am pondering in the early hours, pondering at night and while Ramadan is on, pondering at school. I think the light is flickering in regards to the focus of this course "what changes occur when we implement a digital change". It may sound simple but I was grappling for the understanding all week. It is an interesting thought that, as educators on the ground floor (which I am) probably never identify the true meaning of what is required when we grab a new idea and run with it. The implications for the "arena" and how one decision has a flow on effect. I'm looking forward to completing my case study as I think it is going to be a huge challenge in my environment. For me personally, changing my pedagogy is great, always looking to be flexible and organised. But for other dimensions in my arena I can see lip service and challenges from all different angles.

My students (well 70%) have and like blogging now. But as I sit here listening to the wind flowing through my banana trees from the typhoons in Taiwan and the Philippines (which is not overly strong)  I ask myself,  "will change benefit my students?" I like to think yes, but it is such a struggle to get anything in Brunei Education. Is the little change that could come from my research going to benefit them or turn them off what I am trying to deliver? I am writing this as I am meant to be participating online with an adobe connect session for my other course but due to the poor internet at the moment it wont load. These are just one of the many issues in regards to the internet that needs to be changed in my arena for technology and education to work hand in hand. 

2 comments:

  1. Hi Aaron
    I too am spending a lot of time reflecting on the research topic and its implications for our school and community. I think I would rather be doing that where I can hear the wind blowing through the banana trees than here in an overcast and cold Auckland in July!
    I think the point you made is valid around understanding the full implications of a change made at a classroom level. Unless there is systemic support is it very difficult to sustain the change, particularly at a Education board/ Ministry level.
    I attended the NZPF conference last week and was fortunate enough to hear Viviane Robinson's latest research entitled 'Too much change and not enough improvement'. The premise being that change and innovation is the business sector is desirable and in many cases necessary, but it terms of learning it takes a long time to embed change that we need to look at iterative development of existing practice rather than wholesale change. A perspective I don't really want to consider. Look forward to the development of your topic as we are also looking to embed wikis as a tool for learning across our communities.

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  2. Hi Aaron,
    Having just spent two years working in the UAE as part of an education reform project, I understand your frustrations in terms of seeing lip service and challenges around effective change taking place in more than just your personal classroom space. I think it's worth it to remember though that the effect you have in your classroom with your students is going to have a much longer lasting and more personal impact than anything else might. It's great that you've gotten them into blogging! Are there other teachers in your school also looking into technology use or are you a bit of a lone ranger?
    Phillipa :)

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