Digitization of schools and learning is taking on vastly different forms, yet the people they serve aren’t changing at nearly the same pace. On a technical level, the first major divide is whether an educational institution is running their own software or not. This is not to be confused with hosting your own software; it just means you’re in full control of the software with the ability to access server level settings.
The second big divide lies in the individual components of the systems in place. Tertiary institutions will typically run a learning management system such as Canvas or Moodle or Blackboard in addition to their own email server as well as a CMS and/or survey system (such as Lime Survey). Primary and secondary schools have less complex requirements some might argue, but will typically add a system for attendance and possibly a grade and report card generator. 17 years into teaching and e-learning, I’d actually say tertiary systems are frequently underused (and overly complex), while primary and secondary schools should be pushing the boundaries far more.
Lost in all the technology at whatever level, seem to be the teachers, the parents and the students. E-learning systems are still not delivering anything close to their real potential and their pedagogical impact remains questionable. Even more questionable, are the systems springing up that offer paid solutions for schools (or if free, the price will be data, advertising etc). There is no technological shortcut for integrity or work ethics among teachers, just companies waiting to make a profit.
So here’s my call for some very clear, implementable steps to best practices:
- Retain full control over data at server level, even if you don’t want to get your hands dirty with self-hosting.
- Run the minimum needed, but do that well. Bells and whistles can be added later.
- The fish rots from the head down – systems not being adopted by teachers and students? Take a look at how management leads the way or not (and boy that goes for a lot of other aspects of education…).
- Best practices in instruction still apply – have a proper curriculum, standards and procedures.
- And finally (with lots still unsaid), it’s hard work; it’s not an alternative to real world teaching, it’s in addition to that!
To be continued…