Internet Implications For The 'Have Nots'

I have found an excellent article on how technology is helping to keep homeless people connected to the 'real world'. Even with limited resources, this shows how anyone can keep connected with news, local events and useful forums online. After all, equal opportunity is one of the things that drives the internet forward and this proves that money does not have to be a critical factor.

A fascinating read http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB124363359881267523.html

Technology Savvy School Is Rewarded!

Friday 28th March saw the unveiling of a plaque by Teresa May MP at Holy Trinity Primary School in Cookham, Berks. This was to celebrate the school's completion of the 1,000,000th Learning Journey on Taecanet Springboard, and the day proved quite a success! As you can see by the top picture, the event was celebrated by (from left to right): Arthur Burgin (School Governor), Graeme Aldous (Headteacher), Rt. Hon. Teresa May MP, students, Ian Nairn (Taecanet founder) and Fiona Tattershall (Head of PTA). We were also joined by some local journalists covering the event, and there was press coverage in the Maidenhead Advertiser newspaper and on Time106.6 FM.

As well as the plaque being unveiled, the school also had the opportunity to try out their own Virtual Classroom, which was offered as part of the prize to the school for reaching this milestone. Holy Trinity shared a live online lesson with the Virtual School in Florida. This meant that students on both sides of the Atlantic were able to share a live lesson; a feat that would have been near impossible otherwise. This was extremely successful, and again highlighted just how much ICT can impact education, and can make things happen that were simply not possible before its introduction.

Mr Aldous commented "Today was just the start of expanding our horizons internationally using ICT. The students just loved the experience and the technology is easy to use and exceptionally effective". Glowing praise indeed! We are delighted to be able to help put Holy Trinity on the international map, and will continue to support their activities in the future.

Taecanet's ethos is of collaboration, in order to help spread best practice. Our offering of both synchronous and asynchronous learning tools helps to make the concept of blended learning a reality, meaning that different learning styles are easliy catered for. We make teachers the focal point of our services, so that students (as well as other teachers) in the UK and abroad, can benefit and achieve even more.

Many thanks to all involved for a great day. For more information, please visit http://www.taecanet.com/news.htm where you can read the press release, or contact enquiries@taecanet.com for more information on Taecanet.

Avoiding a new digital divide

The Digital Divide was once considered to refer to the separation of people with access to technology and those without. But, as the machinery and technologies have developed at a rapid pace, so has the meaning of this term.

As the opportunities to join in the technology driven twenty first century increases continually, new hurdles spring up which threaten to keep a digital divide firmly in place.

Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach has described that in the past “we just tried to keep up, with new technologies often simply bolted onto traditional curriculum practices. However, today, with three decades of digital experience under our belt, the time is ripe to begin instituting true change”. To visit the article, please click here

This means that the role of student and teacher is dramatically readjusting. Whilst students often embrace these new ways of learning, teachers can be hesitant of new technologies.

K. Bechtel highlighted how “students in the low technology use classrooms are not seeing the benefits of technology, the opportunities created with technology, or improving their own skills at using technology. …..Two classes next door to each other could be providing their students vastly different educational opportunities depending solely on the level of technology experience knowledge of the teachers. Thus the divide continues”. Full article can be found here

Therefore if a student is inadvertently shown how fear can be associated with technology, they will in turn learn to be weary of it. Whereas if they observe their teacher demonstrating limitless learning opportunities with enthusiasm and excitement, they will be excited by it, and see it as a key tool in their life.

This leaves the teachers with a big responsibility. If less confident teachers can overcome their concerns, they can begin to shatter the digital divide and join in the exciting transformation that sees the face of learning change forever.

In order to make this transition into the world of online learning, teachers can be guided with assistance of companies like Taecanet. (www.taecanet.com). Taecanet offers a quality, e-learning service which places teachers in control of what their students learn and when they learn. But it does so by ensuring it is simple to operate, and offers continual guidance and assistance so that the teacher’s first step into the digital world of e-learning is a seamless one.