ED4134 Reflection on Elliot, A (2004). Cultural change needed to exploit ICT in Classrooms

This is an interesting article highlighting Dr Elliott’s frustration at perceived missed opportunities of Australian schools to comprehensively integrate ICT in the daily teaching regime of Australian school practices. The main point in this article for me was that there is no real reason for this transformation not to happen. Some schools have had early success in implementing ICT programmes in their schools in particular Ryde East school which is close to my home. It is the conservatism of the schools which stops them from being able to look beyond and over older teaching methods, and recognise that students no longer learn in the same way that the 150 year old model would suggest. that it should. Australian schools are well resourced and the teachers well trained. Dr Elliott argues that teaching should move towards the facilitation of learning rather than the transmitting of knowledge, (although she does acknowledge that this will always be an element in the classroom teaching practice).Parents are now relying on the internet and web pages to communicate with the school about events and administrative matters; they are now expecting to be able to communicate on line to stay in touch with teachers with regards to their child’s schooling.