Schools without books? Learning 2.0

Welsh schools are beginning to introduce tablet computers into
the classroom. Where could this development lead?
(Pic : Welsh Government)

Information Technology is a compulsory subject until the age of 16, and a core part of the National Curriculum. However, beyond computing, technology also increasingly plays a role in teaching other subjects – for example : scientific models, computer aided design, presentations, notes and even core texts.

With concerns raised about the physical health of children as the result of heavy bags, could Wales blaze a trail for book less, technology-led, interactive learning. If we do, it could completely revolutionise how we teach, and would set us in good stead for the coming (technological) challenges ahead.

Current policy

One Wales piloted a "Laptop for every child" scheme,
but technological changes might have rendered it redundant.
(Pic : BBC Wales)

Plaid Cymru had a policy to give each pupil a laptop, and launched a pilot programme during the Third Assembly, but that was ditched by Labour last year. Recently, it's been revealed that laptops bought by Torfaen council under this scheme are still in storage. Full-blown laptops probably over-engineered the solution to the problem, but clearly the Welsh Government have thought along these lines for some time, and this line of thinking has had an impact - perhaps not in the way Plaid expected.

Education Minister, Leighton Andrews (Lab, Rhondda), is a technophile – and that's a progressive and exciting development in my opinion. He's actively encouraging the use of mobile phones and social networking as a teaching tool, instead of seeing them as a nuisance.

Labour's 2011 manifesto included commitments to build a "virtual learning environment", which would link teaching materials across institutions and classrooms – for example :YouTube, iTunes and Open University material.

Tablet computers are already being used in Welsh schools as a learning tool. Tonypandy Community College are piloting the use of Android tablets for things like internet access/research, word processing and presentations. They cost £65 and pupils contribute £10 towards the cost. Obviously the widespread introduction of tablet computers in the classroom would be expensive, but as technology changes, it might become affordable, practical and even desirable.

Cardiff Council are also spending £3million on introducing tablet computers across its schools.

A Task and Finish Group reported back at the beginning of the year, giving ten headline recommendations, the standout ones being:

• The establishment of a national organisation to oversee digital resources in the classroom (Hwb)
• Improving the skills of educators in use of technology
• A national "digital collection" as a learning resource (in both languages)
• The ability to access teaching resources anywhere, and the creation of a unique User ID to be used anywhere
• Manage IP rights and create income through external licencing

The questions now are : What would all this look like? How might it work?

Pontydysgu and Taccle2

Interactive textbooks are already being
offered by the likes of Apple.
(Pic : Phonearena.com)

Pontydysgu is a pan-European research consultancy focusing on "personal learning" and use of technology in teaching, which has been dubbed "E-learning 2.0." There's a concerted effort by the European Commission to investigate, develop and research applications of technology in learning. Pontydysgu produced a paper on working and learning, and it overall message was that the "industrial model" of teaching (classrooms as structured learning "factories") was becoming increasingly outdated.

We've seen a shift towards that already in Wales, with the creation of more apprenticeships. But it also means that things once seen as outside the traditional definition of education, such as lifelong , informal and distant learning courses were "starting to converge." So instead of a structured : school – college – university model, you can pretty much learn wherever you are and at any time.

The paper says that "with the availability of multiple knowledge sources....the way young people are using computers for learning....looks dysfunctional." There's also a difference between primary and secondary schools. Primary schools have a focus on developing social skills, key skills and social adjustment, while secondary schools are a bridge between higher-technical training and fundamentals needed to become a productive citizen.

How can all these new technologies be applied to the classroom? Do we need a rethink of the structure and progression of pupils within the public education system? That's where Taccle2 comes in.

If Pontydysgu is about researching the ins and outs, the Taccle2 project is more about application – guiding teachers in introducing e-learning to classrooms. This includes providing resources such as : games, use of established tools like Google Earth, interactive e-books. They also provide guidelines for prospective e-textbook authors.

As these are pan-European projects, I think one area which could be focused on is – you guessed it – modern foreign languages and Welsh. With Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives both mulling over bringing a "third language" into primary schools (presumably French), I think e-learning tools would be a great way to introduce second and third languages at a steady pace.

Swansea University and Academi Hywel Teifi launched "Gemau Glew" last year as a Welsh-language learning aid (you can try it yourself at Syniadau). I don't see why this could be expanded to a whole load of languages, or even integrated properly into courses like those provided by the Open University or Learn Direct.

Teaching of tomorrow

Although, as said earlier, IT is a core part of the school curriculum, there have been complaints raised about how it's taught in schools. At the moment, it's more application based and showing you how to use them. But this neglects things like coding and binary – the "languages of computers" – which is usually left until GCSE or A-Level.

I'm not computer-minded at all, in fact I'm something of a technophobe. To me, the internets is a series of tubes. But neglecting coding is a bit like teaching kids a subject like history, but without them being able to write. IT will have to become something transferable across subjects and become as important as reading, writing and maths.

Tablets and computers shouldn't replace traditional teaching methods. In fact it could make teaching a bit easier, personalise student learning and through interactive programmes, make learning a lot more hands-on and fun.

The technological requirements

Simplified programming languages like "Scratch"
could gently introduce younger children and teens to coding.
(Pic : Lunduke.com)

First things first. We need to develop a robust, cheap tablet computer. This could be based off the Raspberry Pi computer – now manufactured in Pencoed – which uses a Linux operating system.

The open source bit is key. One of the recommendations in The Collective Entrepreneur was that public computer software should shift to open-source to reduce costs. These could be Linux-based, like Android, or a bespoke one developed for Welsh needs.

Now, if every school pupil, every university and every government department (local or national) issued tablets that ran the same software, you could create a "national grid for computing". Everyone in Wales would (eventually) have a working knowledge of the operating system, and would be free to develop improvements to applications and programmes because it's open-source. We'll probably be able to keep public IT contracts in-house.

So, for example, if someone working in an NHS IT department come up with improved accountancy software, it could be replicated across the Welsh public sector quite easily. There would no longer be that clash between computer systems. Yes, if it's good enough, they could probably sell them as well (I do watch The Thick of It).

Secondary schools, FE colleges and probably universities, would need to become free Wi-Fi zones – that's unlikely to come cheap. A nation-wide "cloud computer" could be established to move documents, files etc. quickly and easily between institutions. This could have a dramatic impact on things like freedom of information.

Open source software would likely be easier to update too. It shouldn't really affect personal gadgets. The "national tablet" would be very much designed for work, and people would still be able to use other computers for personal use, or gaming etc.

If students were given the freedom to code their own, then it might lead to boosts in computer literacy, creative expression and individualistic thinking.

School specific

The tablet mentioned earlier would be given away, or part-subsidised, in Year 7, and flexible enough to be used throughout a pupil's secondary and further/higher education. Primary schools should focus on traditional computers and things like handwriting, social skills and basic numeracy.

The tablets would presumably come pre-loaded with "essential software" – things like word processors, spreadsheets, presentation, calculators, dictionaries. It could also come with personalised timetables or homework assignments. These could, once again, be open-source (Open Office for example).

IT teaching in secondary schools would shift towards coding and modifying both these tablets and desktop computers. It could include software development – which, if good enough, could be shared/sold nationally – graphic design, games design, troubleshooting and hardware upkeep.

In other lessons, the tablets would be used instead of pen, textbooks, worksheets and paper. Obviously, this won't be suitable for every single school subject. Many subjects would still require hands-on practical sessions – sciences, PE and the arts for example.

How would this benefit pupils and teachers?

A "national tablet" could be used across the Welsh
public and private sector as a "work tool".
(Pic : Inventinginteractive.com)

Apps replacing textbooks – There's an obvious cost benefit. You could also convert existing textbooks to e-book versions, or interactive textbooks. These could be shaped entirely to meet the requirements of a Welsh curriculum. Universities and major employers could help in writing and developing these. It should also give teachers a wider choice in texts to choose from.

Individualised/customised learning – Teachers would have a much greater toolkit in developing class assignments and worksheets. They could include video, games, songs, animations etc. If the coding language were simple enough, teachers would be able to create individual lessons off a template to match each pupils respective needs.

Environmental benefits – Paperless working would have obvious benefits, and perhaps make school administration more efficient. For example, registration and signing in/out could be done electronically.

24/7 learning and nowhere to hide - There would be no excuses for not doing homework/losing homework, other than laziness. Some applications could be created to enable teachers to give homework to absent pupils - as Twitter has been used to send work to Cwmcarn High School pupils recently. Pupils might even be able to follow lessons from home in some – but not all – cases. This could be useful in rural areas, and dramatically change the way we thing about "school" as a single building you leave your kids at.

Potential Drawbacks

Exams like this would probably have to stay. But would
pupils have the attention span to sit and write?
(Pic : BBC)

Charging – The tablets would need a long battery life, and the costs of recharging would need to be taken into consideration. Maybe wireless chargers could be installed in public buildings so they can recharge on the go, but the technology for that is likely to be some way away and quite expensive.

Exams – Traditional "pen and paper" exams would probably have to stay. That's not to say that if there were a switch to tablets that pupils would forget how to write, but they would need to keep in touch with handwriting somehow. I doubt the safeguards are there to enable exams to be taken on tablets, especially if enterprising young people found ways to "code their way to success."

Outdated technology – One of the reasons open source is key is that updates can be spread quickly and, nominally, for free. That's not the same case for the hardware. There's a good chance a "national tablet" might seem quite antiquated within 5-10 years of being developed.

Distractions and horseplay – There's the chance that children simply won't pay any attention and use their tablets to play games/wind up teachers during lessons. The learning material itself would have to be engaging to prevent this from happening, and that could lead to shorter attention spans amongst pupils in the long term. That's not a good thing. There's also the possibility of hacking.