Henley- on-todd - Rotary Down Under

gen wi-fi
< The reason for the slow uptake lies
partially with parents and facilitators
rejecting a school experience that
differs too significantly from their own
and dissonance between generations.
“If you ask a Baby Boomer or
Generation X which search engine
Generation Y used most, they’ll tell
you it’s Google, when in fact it’s
YouTube,” Greg reveals.
This discord between teachers,
caregivers and the students is a clear
example that something is amiss.
While Educating Gen Wi-Fi calls for
a more multimedia classroom, there’s
no need to start tearing down libraries
and throwing away pens.
“Of course there are facets of the
current teaching method that need to
be preserved,” says Greg. “We want the
best of both worlds; we want students
to be high tech users, but books are
to remain integral. Gross motor skills
and eye-hand coordination that
come with writing are critical. A good
teacher finds a balance and many are
beginning to rise to the challenge.”
The acquisition of social skills and
responsibilities is another crucial part
of the school experience that won’t
be left by the wayside. In his book,
Greg acknowledges that students
and parents alike would be horrified
if schooling involved sitting at a
computer on their own all day, and
for good reason.
“Children need to learn how to
interact effectively with one another.
Office spaces are so flexible now, you
can be working as part of a large
team or autonomously, but either
way children must learn how to
function in these environments, and
socialising plays a big part in that.
Their classrooms should reflect the
real world,” says Greg.
For all the advantages of a
multimedia classroom, there’s bound
to be parental concern, and the
hot button issue of cyber bullying
won’t go unmentioned. Doesn’t
an increasingly wired-in classroom
create opportunities for bullying and
a potential gateway for predators?
“Cyber safety is nothing new,”
says Greg. “But parents need to
understand the sophistication of
the networks being connected in
schools. They’re powerful tools that
can track and monitor usage. We can
find a person where they stand and
have a better chance of stamping it
out now more than ever.”
As the triumphs of the technological
revolution mount ever higher, children
now have access to more information
in their formative years than their
grandparents did their entire lives, yet
some schools continue to ban mobile
phones and handheld devices during
school hours.
“Don’t ban the technology, that
just adds to the frustration,” says
Greg. “You can never keep up with
the technology they have, so why
not embrace it and help create a
seamless interface between the
world of school and the world they
live in?”
Educating Gen Wi-Fi is available online
and from ABC stores. •
44 Issue 549. April 2013