They tried to make me go to Facebook and I said "No, No,No."

I have been reading Steve Wheeler's, Dave White's and Chris Betcher's blogs with interest and have been asking myself a few soul searching questions.

I'll be honest, I did not opt to take the MA e-learning module and wouldn't have done so had the module I had hoped to study become unavailable. To be frank I would have rather have had my teeth pulled than sit through two days of e-worship.

I'm not stupid and I'm not completely out of touch. I know that we are living in "exponential times." I've watched Shift Happens on numerous occasions. In my previous school, a Technology College where I taught DT for 12 years, I dabbled with a (cumbersome) VLE, diligently entered behavioural incidents onto an e-portal system (when a quick chat with a Head of Year would have been far more effective) and explored ways of engaging learners through the use of pod voting handsets. (They didn't work.) I've listened to key note speakers outlining the future skill sets required to ensure that our pupils can compete in today's global economy, nodded sagely and agreed with them. However, to be frank, up until now I felt that I was doing absolutely fine as a DT teacher thank you very much, with a proven track record at both GCSE and A level, particularly with pupils at the extreme ends of the ability spectrum and challenging pupils. I value intellectual discourse within the classroom, engagement through lively and provocative discussion and believe firmly in the importance of independent learning as opposed to spoon feeding and "teaching to the test." I have tweaked, revamped and updated schemes of work that are underpinned by academic vigour, designed to stretch children of all abilities and even, gasp, shock, horror, go off piste and beyond the constraints of the national curriculum when the occasion demands. I'm not overly fussed about my Ofsted rating as I believe I am doing a good job (although it's nice to know that my line managers don't think I'm rubbish.) With the exception of CAD and CAM, all this has been done with nothing more than mere lip service to digital technology.

As far as mobile phones are concerned I was proud to have owned my beaten up Nokia for eight years. All I wanted it to do was to send texts and make phone calls. Plus - I was being sustainable wasn't I? By not dancing to the built in obsolescence /a cool phone = social kudos tune I was waging my own private war against the branding power of the global digital giants. Unlike those mugs queuing in the wee small hours outside the Apple store for the latest upgrade, I was not using up the earth's valuable resources and aiding and abetting the exploitation of seven years olds in  the Democratic Republic of Congo by buying stuff I didn't need. My use of digital technologies extended to the use of the Internet for the acquisition of information, the weekly shop, an annual visit to Facebook and the occasional purchase of a train ticket. "Digital Visitor" as outlined in Dave White's Tall blog 1 would have been a generous description of my digital technology use. "Digital Martian" would have been more apt.

However, the more I have read, the more I have researched and the deeper that toe gets dipped into the digital pond, the more I realise that my attitude, almost pride in my aversion to technology has been founded upon not simply a mistrust in digital technology tempered with intellectual snobbery but a deep seated and profound ignorance.

Why?

I'm not afraid of change and recognise that Design Technology is constantly evolving. I have adapted and embraced new techniques as materials and manufacturing technologies have developed. However, before I embarked on this project, as far as I was concerned, Facebook was for people who had no life, no proper mates and too much time on their hands, the constant unnecessary updating of one's phone was an indication of an insecure disposition and Xbox, Nintendo or Wii would be entering my home over my cold, dead and significantly decomposed body. As a parent of two young children, no way would mine be drawn into the horror of computer gaming, drooling goggle-eyed at a screen on which hideous scenes of violence and misogynist fantasies played out whilst their backsides simultaneously tripled in size. Oh no, they would be outside, frisking about with a rugby ball, rosy cheeked and bright eyed and not returning until tea time whilst I derived smug satisfaction from my role as a responsible parent bucking the DS Nintendo trend, immune to pester power and the marketing genius of Apple Inc. No way was I going to give into requests for expensive smartphones that would instantly make my child a "happyslapping" magnet, a target for every hoodie wearing mugger in the locality and potential online pervert lurking around imaginary cyber corners. Hysterical headlines such as "Parents horrified as most violent video game ever to launch on 'family friendly' Wii" 2  and inflammatory and even recent not-quite-so inflammatory documentaries have strenghtened my resolve that we are galloping towards hell in a digital handcart full of zombie eyed, sponge brained gadget addicts incapable of stringing a coherent sentence together and lacking the most basic of social graces. 

As a teacher, the negative aspects associated with mobile phones in schools have compounded this opinion. We are all familiar with highly unpleasant incidents arising from the misuse of digital technology in schools and it is a brave teacher that visits "ratemyteacher.com" However, in our determination to blame mobiles for poor behaviour and consequent insistence on blanket bans, we are missing the point. Bullying networks existed without any help from technology, hurtful nicknames and threats were just spread by word of mouth. School children have always sniggered behind their hands at what they consider to be the sartorial deficiencies, questionable oral hygiene, quirks, mannerisms, tics and professional capabilities of their teachers since time immemorial. Who didn't hug their sides in glorious stifled hysteria when a particularly viperous sketch of a hapless teacher, preferably with detailed annotations was passed silently from desk to desk? Unsavoury behaviour and bullying have always been with us. The difference now is that school children by means of digital technology have a potential audience far exceeding their peer group whether in the classroom or the playground and information can now be disseminated in less than a second. For teachers and schools this is extremely intimidating and this response, though perhaps shortsighted in the long run, is understandable:

"Staff have dealt with a few isolated incidents this term in which pupils have used ‘phones in a way that has been disruptive to the school community. With regard to our anti-bullying work, we have, on occasion, had to read unpleasant text messages that pupils have been sending each other and I must report that the language being used in text messages and BBM messages by children of all ages in the Senior School has been shocking. We are determined to buck the national trend in the increasing use of mobile phones and specifically will do all we can to curb the bully who wants to harass others. "

Recent letter to parents from my son's school.

However, this need not be the case. I have recently started teaching in a school where pupils are allowed to use smartphones, tablets and ipads. It has been a revelation. I would not be so naive as to suggest the bullying incidents do not happen, but from my own personal experience, these digital devices are treated as another piece of equipment, an (admittedly expensive) addition to the pencil case. They are used in a variety of ways, to take class notes, carry out extension research tasks and record assignments. As they are not forbidden there is no frisson of excitement in bringing one to school, they are merely another tool of the learning trade. It is clearly understood and accepted that phones are not to be used to make calls or text during lesson times as this would be an abuse of trust and is discourteous. In my first year at this school, not one of my lessons have been disrupted by inappropriate mobile phone use.

Numerous international press articles corroborate the view that in schools and in particular, universities, digital technology is opening up new channels of learning:

"Not only are we seeing students using smartphones to record lectures, photograph instructor notes and collaborate through cloud-based applications, but some instructors are starting to allow the Mobile Student 2.0 to research items of interest during a lecture or use Twitter to open a back channel of conversation and enhance student participation and engagement," said Dr. Federman. University of Toronto. 3

Articles also suggest that educational institutions are aware of the security risks arising from the use of handheld technology and rather than banning these devices, are exploring ways in which to protect their students:

"Child psychologist and anti-bullying expert Dr Michael Carr-Gregg said Tasmania's small size made it an ideal location to pilot the initiative, which is already being considered by the Queensland Government. Under the plan, students would be granted a licence once they demonstrated they had the skills and knowledge to use phones in a safe, smart and responsible way." 4

Further research into the effects of computer games revealed that my assumptions were based on ill founded prejudice rather than fact. The 2008 government commissioned Byron (and every mother I know puts her faith in the wisdom of Tanya Byron) report into the effects of computer games on children was particularly illuminating as were comments written by gamers responding to sensationalist articles presented in the more by ill-informed sections of the British press. It seems clear that computer gaming is not turning a generation of children into slack jawed goons but has multiple benefits:

"The internet and video games are very popular with children and young people and offer a range of opportunities for fun, learning and development." 5

Furthermore, blanket bans, the demonising of computer games and digital devices and a reticence to explore and exploit the learning potential of this technology within the classroom means that schools are missing the opportunity to educate our children in the responsible and safe use of technology. Ofsted's 2010 February report, "The safe use of new technologies" points out that schools embracing new and emergent digital technologies and adopting an holistic whole-school approach combined with effective CPD were the most effective at promoting e-safety:

"...the 21 most effective schools visited had a well-considered, active approach to keeping pupils safe when they were online and helping them to take responsibility for their safety. There was a close relationship between the provision that the schools made and the pupils’ knowledge and understanding. The training for staff was well established and the curriculum was planned and coordinated effectively. Taken together, these factors had a positive impact in terms of e-safety for pupils...... Pupils in the schools that had "managed" systems had better knowledge and undersatnding of how to stay safe than those in schools with "locked down" systems. Pupils were more vulnerable overall when schools used locked down systems because they were not given enough opportunities to learn how to assess and manage risk for themselves." 6

Dr Tanya Byron puts it in rather more human terms:

"Children and young people need to be empowered to keep themselves safe - this isn't just about a top-down approach. Children will be children - pushing boundaries and taking risks. At a public swimming pool we have gates, put up signs, have lifeguards and shallow ends, but we also teach children how to swim." 7

Further exploration of Steve Wheeler's blog reveals how digital technology, in particular blogging, can have a dramatic effect on overall literacy levels amongst primary pupils.  Wheeler explains how Dave Mitchell, the Deputy Head of Heathfield CPS, Bolton has used blogging to boost literacy in his school. In his May 14th 2011 post, Wheeler elaborates:

"Since the start of this academic year, the Year 6 blog alone has received more than 200,000 hits worldwide, and over 4000 comments from readers in over 130 countries. Such an audience (some would argue 'community') of people does wonders for the self esteem and confidence of the young bloggers. They are articulate, inventive and fully committed to blogging their way to better standards of literacy, and in the samples Dave showed, they are clearly succeeding." 8

The digital genie is here and has been well and truly out of the bottle for quite some time. Although I do not necessarily concur with Christopher Betcher's 9 searing indictment of teachers who are not yet up to speed with digital technologies, it has become increasingly clear that my previous stance is no longer appropriate for a Design Technology teacher in the 21st Century.

As a teacher I should be prepared to continuously learn, unlearn and relearn. In many respects I have, but not in the area of e-learning and the use of digital technology. Perhaps my view has been skewed slightly by previous digital experiments that despite hours of preparation, went completely wrong and just didn't work in a classroom resulting in much frustration all round.  However, technology has marched on apace and e-voting software such as Socrates has surpassed cumbersome and inefficient voting pod systems. In my experience unwieldy VLEs act as little more than electronic filing cabinets and records of students who do not bother to click on your conscientiously prepared resources. They don't engage or motivate learners and after a while, apathy and disinterest kick in.

Is is very easy to hide behind Marc Prensky's now seemingly discredited moniker "digital immigrant" and try to explain my "just not getting it" as a generational thing. This is a cop out - I'm not that old! Many of my contemporaries have happily immersed themselves in the digital world and are bemused by my reluctance to do the same. Although I did not grow up with this technology my hesitance to eplore and exploit its potential lie purely in the fact that I did not understand or crucially, value it. I was doing my job OK and had an Ofsted "outstanding" rating to prove it, so what was the problem? I was dismissive of those who enjoy social networking and was convinced that computer gaming was pretty much the root of all evil. This clearly is not the case and the evidence pointing to the potential of digital technology in both formal and informal learning environments seems irrefutable. Watching my two year old quite happily pick up my iphone (recently acquired,) open the photo album and whizz through various apps without any guidance from me whatsoever was an eye opener. Unlike me, these devices hold no fear for the children I am teaching today, they are part of their daily lives.If I am to do them justice as a teacher I need to recognise and value the role that digital technology plays in their lives and recognise the potential is has in helping them to become effective, independent learners.

As a full time working mother I have a few other things to do in the evenings, so it is unlikey that I will be a digital resident at present. I am quite content to choose not to be. Being outside indulging in some "gardening therapy" after a tough day at the chalk face will always be more appealing to me than staring at a computer screen. However, I do want to sign the digital visitor's book on a regular basis. Preferably with a flourish.

Presently, I rely still on various "idiot's guides" to metaphorically hold my hand as I struggle to become proficient in the use of blogging, tweeting and remote host storage systems. Becoming adept and confident in the use of digital technology both in and out of the classroom will be a learned process and it is vital  that I use technology that is appropriate for my school and children I teach. And that it works! It will be some time before my use of digital technology approaches "intuitive." However, my intial inability to get to grips with various digital interfaces and dashboards no longer reduces me to floods of tears. Perhaps the first steps have been taken...

                                Shift happened? 

1: Tallblog. Dave White:http://tallblog.conted.ox.ac.uk/

2: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1043818/Parents-horrified-violent-video-game-launch-family-friendly-Wii.html#ixzz23Ri8CQBF

3:http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1018531/mobilicity-research-suggests-smartphones-play-increasing-role-in-education

4: http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/08/12/352651_tasmania-news.html

5: Government commissioned Byron report on computer gaming 2008

6: Ofsted February 2010: "The safe use of new technologies."

7:  Government commissioned Byron report on computer gaming 2008

8: Learning with e's. Steve Wheeler: http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=dave+mitchell#!/2011/05/danger-dog-pandora-and-cast-of.html

9: Betcherblog: Chris Betcher: http://chrisbetcher.com/

Image by Google.