Almost a decade ago, there was a news report which stated that Australia had introduced a programme to ensure every secondary school student in the country had a computer as part of a so-called "digital education revolution". The A$2.4 billion programme was introduced in 2007 and laptop was declared "the toolbox of the 21st century". But the push to roll out technology in classrooms is facing a backlash now, with some schools and teachers saying computers are a "distraction" and can hinder learning.
One of Australia's leading schools, Sydney Grammar School, which was attended by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, has now banned students from bringing laptops to school. The elite private boys' school is also requiring students up to grade 10 - the third-last year of secondary school - to handwrite assignments. The school's headmaster, Dr John Vallance, says the use of laptops and iPads in the classroom is a distraction and prevents students from being able to express themselves by writing. Dr Vallance expresses his views,"We see teaching as fundamentally a social activity... It's about interaction between people, about discussion, about conversation. We find that having laptops or iPads in the classroom inhibits conversation - it's distracting".
Another school, St Paul's Catholic College in Sydney has banned the use of laptops for one day a week to encourage students to play sport and to reduce reliance on the machines. "Computers have been oversold and there is no evidence that they improve outcomes," said the principal, Mr Mark Baker of the above-mentioned college. "The problem is maturity. They (students) are very good at using technology for social interaction but not for learning." The Australian Education Union's President, Ms Correna Haythorpe, said schools should consider ways to effectively incorporate technology, including protocols to ensure computers were being used for education purposes.
The use of computers in classrooms has become a vexed topic among schools and educators around the globe. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has expressed concern about the potential overuse of technology in schools. Its research has found that as students use technology more intensively, their reading skills begin to drop substantially. "The reality is that technology is doing more harm than good in our schools today," the organisation's director for education and skills, Mr Andreas Schleicher, reportedly told the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai in February,2016.
According to OECD figures from 2012, Australia had the world's second-highest proportion of students using computers in school - 93.7 per cent, slightly behind the Netherlands. Singapore's figure was 69.9 per cent. But Singapore was at the top of the OECD global education rankings for maths and science released last May, with Australia in 14th place. Australia's place in the rankings has slipped in recent years, despite the promotion of technology in classrooms.
Experts in Australia have expressed mixed views about the technology roll-out. An expert on learning and technology, Professor Glenn Finger from Griffith University, said he did not agree with banning computers or requiring handwritten assignments but supported a "balanced" approach. "To go the other way and not use any technology at all may not be productive either. You can have a blended learning approach which takes advantage of the technology and of excellent teaching," he said. He likened banning computers to banning books. "For a student, it is dangerous to have a ban," he said. "Handwritten assignments are from a pre-1993 analogue world. It is not how most people in business or government or young people operate."
So, we the educators and policy makers, have to sit and rethink on our overemphasis on the use of laptop as the main mode of imparting education, which is reducing the role of the teacher to that of facilitator. That is already showing its negative effects on the students, in the form of their shorter attention spans, distractions, hooked to social media, poor performance in class as well as in exams! We need to adopt the blended approach to learning and teaching in such a way that technology complements the process of actual teaching in the classroom.
One of Australia's leading schools, Sydney Grammar School, which was attended by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, has now banned students from bringing laptops to school. The elite private boys' school is also requiring students up to grade 10 - the third-last year of secondary school - to handwrite assignments. The school's headmaster, Dr John Vallance, says the use of laptops and iPads in the classroom is a distraction and prevents students from being able to express themselves by writing. Dr Vallance expresses his views,"We see teaching as fundamentally a social activity... It's about interaction between people, about discussion, about conversation. We find that having laptops or iPads in the classroom inhibits conversation - it's distracting".
Another school, St Paul's Catholic College in Sydney has banned the use of laptops for one day a week to encourage students to play sport and to reduce reliance on the machines. "Computers have been oversold and there is no evidence that they improve outcomes," said the principal, Mr Mark Baker of the above-mentioned college. "The problem is maturity. They (students) are very good at using technology for social interaction but not for learning." The Australian Education Union's President, Ms Correna Haythorpe, said schools should consider ways to effectively incorporate technology, including protocols to ensure computers were being used for education purposes.
The use of computers in classrooms has become a vexed topic among schools and educators around the globe. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has expressed concern about the potential overuse of technology in schools. Its research has found that as students use technology more intensively, their reading skills begin to drop substantially. "The reality is that technology is doing more harm than good in our schools today," the organisation's director for education and skills, Mr Andreas Schleicher, reportedly told the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai in February,2016.
According to OECD figures from 2012, Australia had the world's second-highest proportion of students using computers in school - 93.7 per cent, slightly behind the Netherlands. Singapore's figure was 69.9 per cent. But Singapore was at the top of the OECD global education rankings for maths and science released last May, with Australia in 14th place. Australia's place in the rankings has slipped in recent years, despite the promotion of technology in classrooms.
Experts in Australia have expressed mixed views about the technology roll-out. An expert on learning and technology, Professor Glenn Finger from Griffith University, said he did not agree with banning computers or requiring handwritten assignments but supported a "balanced" approach. "To go the other way and not use any technology at all may not be productive either. You can have a blended learning approach which takes advantage of the technology and of excellent teaching," he said. He likened banning computers to banning books. "For a student, it is dangerous to have a ban," he said. "Handwritten assignments are from a pre-1993 analogue world. It is not how most people in business or government or young people operate."
So, we the educators and policy makers, have to sit and rethink on our overemphasis on the use of laptop as the main mode of imparting education, which is reducing the role of the teacher to that of facilitator. That is already showing its negative effects on the students, in the form of their shorter attention spans, distractions, hooked to social media, poor performance in class as well as in exams! We need to adopt the blended approach to learning and teaching in such a way that technology complements the process of actual teaching in the classroom.
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