The closer the look one takes at a word, the greater distance from which it looks back. Karl Kraus
Lets look at the word - Senior Adviser “Software for learning”
I’ve always held a sneaking admiration for the sheer unabashed audacity behind the creation of a position in our Ministry of Education for someone to be in charge of Software for Learning. This simple act of educational innocence and unmitigated technocentric optimism has provoked neither outrage nor challenge.
Yet when I watch the sky change colour over the sea, whilst eating fish and chips out of newspaper, and quaffing cardboard box wine with friends, I like to imagine the response from New Zealand schools if the Ministry attempted to set up a similar position for analogue information surfaces/ textbooks. You remember the approach? - is similar to that used in Please comment on any aspects of the vision ...
The email signature might read something like
Senior Adviser Ana_ware for Learning – [aka Mistress of the Textbook]
Analogue Unit
Curriculum Teaching and Learning
Ministry of Education
The job description of the Mistress of the Textbook would require
1. The hosting of a Textbooks for Learning – showcase at various locations around the country
Textbooks for Learning
14 June 2005
University of Auckland, Faculty of Education, 74 Epsom Ave
Drop into any of the 20min sessions to have a guided tour of the textbooks and demonstrations of classroom applications.2. The trial use of textbooks with selected schools
Thank you for consenting to being part of a trial of the Blahtybahbah textbook in schools. This textbook won the TextaSupreme Award for educational textbooks this year and is used extensively around the world. Information and examples can be found at http://www.blahtybahbah.com/
The purpose of the trial is to gather information to share with the education sector on the potential Blahtybahbah textbooks have in supporting learning in schools. As part of this project schools will receive a set of Blahtybahbah textbooks, training, and support for six weeks with implementation in the classroom.
It is anticipated that teacher and student experiences will be shared with the education sector through independent research, to be conducted in conjunction with the project, and teacher reports.
3. The establishment of a Textbooks for Learning area on TKI.
Welcome to Textbooks for Learning
This area of Te Kete Ipurangi has been developed to inform and support teachers and educators when identifying and integrating textbooks as part of a rich learning environment.
Find out about a range of quality textbooks available for use in New Zealand educational settings at reduced prices. The textbooks have been reviewed by teachers and identified as supporting New Zealand schools and early childhood programmes.
You will not need to fret about the nature of the textbooks you select for the site because we will issue a Disclaimer alongside the list of textbooks. Our lawyers reckon the disclaimer should cover you for most everything that could happen including paper cuts. Will make you wonder why we would even bother to make the list.
Inclusion of textbooks in Textbooks for Learning does not imply endorsement by the Ministry of Education, nor does exclusion imply the opposite. It remains the purchaser's responsibility to conduct their own evaluation of a product and to give their own independent consideration to the license and other contractual terms proposed by the supplier in each instance. The Ministry of Education accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage sustained by a purchaser as a result of their reliance on information contained on this website.
You also do not need to fret too much about finding print resources for schools that meet current thinking about links to non- proprietary open source information – check out how much open source and social networking software is listed on the Software for Learning Site on TKI.
The MOE's software list is largely one of disappointment and expense, with the odd item of educational freeware thrown in for imbalance.
Richard A. Posner claimed , “The public’s consumption of news and opinion used to be like sucking on a straw; now it’s like being sprayed by a fire hose.”
You’d have to say that looking for open source and social networking software in the Ministry’s Software for Learning list is like sucking on a straw that a three year old has pre-chewed. I’d make a pie chart for you but the segments are too narrow to show on a web page.
I guess from reading the Software for Learning list that the MOE will not be contributing to James Morrison’s call for submissions for a special issue on open-source software (OSS).
A significant number of educational institutions have developed, independently or through institutional collaborations, open-source software that promises to transform the market. The result is a global open-source cooperative dedicated to sharing OSS with others and encouraging customized applications.
The “Open” movement that promotes open source software and an open architecture, based on open standards is catalyzing a reconsideration of the rules for software development and distribution.
We seek manuscripts that cover the following topics: (1) developments in open-source programs around the world, (2) challenges related to the development, deployment, and adoption of open source programs, including how specific software is being used, (3) the advantages and disadvantages of open source and proprietary systems, and (5) the future of the OSS movement. We expect authors to take full advantage of Innovate’s multimedia capacity; supplementary files that illuminate the text are welcome, and we are especially interested in the possibility of hosting “Try it!” sites that would offer readers hands-on experience with particular OSS features.If you would like to submit a manuscript on this topic, please review our submission guidelines and send your manuscript to the guest editor of this issue, Vijay Kumar ([email protected] ), and to the editor-in-chief, James Morrison ([email protected] ) no later than March 30, 2006.
OK Leigh I lied about the with friends bit, I have only imaginary friends, but I do believe that you should go for this, and submit a manuscript.
Thanks Art, I'm checking it out now.
Posted by: Leigh Blackall | January 19, 2006 at 09:22 PM