Finally the British Columbia government is taking the lead in bringing some focus on technology to the classroom. This week’s announcement by Christy Clark was welcome news to those of us who are advocates technology and its use in the classroom. It is a glimmer of hope that technology in education might get some much-needed support and resources. The reality is that teachers are already teaching digital imaging, robotics, 3D modeling & printing and yes even coding. The problem is, they are doing it without any supporting curriculum or resources. For every classroom where children are learning about technology, there is a teacher who has put an immense amount of time and effort creating their own curriculum and acquiring resources. They don’t need an announcement, they need support.
If the ministry is truly in the process of developing a new Computer Science/Information Technology Curriculum to be introduced next year, I would love to hear from those who have been developing it. Of all the “wired” people I know in #bced, I have heard absolutely NOTHING about this new curriculum. Granted, I might have been purposely kept out of the loop, but I even know some respectable people who have heard nothing about this new “tech training in schools” initiative.
If Christy is listening, here is what I hope comes of her announcement.
- The hardware we need to teach technical skills
- The training for teachers who want to get involved in digital education
- The money to subscribe to the excellent platforms already in existence for coding
- The opportunity to have a voice in the planning process (if there is any)
- The time for appropriate implementation of curriculum
Being a cynic, I have my doubts that much will ever come of this announcement but I can always hope.
Read more about the announcement here