[IAEP] Free laptops all very well but ..

[forster at ozonline.com.au]

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/free-laptops-all-very-well-but-how-best-to-use-them-in-testing-times-20110511-1eitv.html

"initiatives that focus primarily on the provision of computers are not successful because the computers aren't used to their full potential ...

Putting computers in classrooms is a good first step. But it's the easiest step. If we genuinely want this technology to help students then we must look beyond the rhetoric of the computer companies and the politicians.

The federal government needs to start working with schools to map how computers can be successful in the complicated environments in which they have been placed. We've got the equipment. Let's shift focus to the real stuff, learning, and how we can realistically take that to the next level.

For the sake of our students, the government must clarify the type of learning it wants to take place in our schools, and how computers can be used to support this. And please, let's not allow these decisions to be made without consulting schools, teachers and students. We need their help to make it work. Australia is relying on it."

Dr Joanne Orlando is a lecturer in education at the University of Western Sydney.