I would say that a well-constructed and engaging curriculum can definitely help raise student achievement across the board even with mixed-level teachers. At our school, for example, we have an extraordinary ninth and tenth grade English curriculum that we all use that has resulted in substantial student improvement. It doesn’t use technology, though.

I’m sure that a well-constructed and engaging curriculum that uses technology — which it sounds like you’ve developed– can have the same effect on students.

Perhaps it would be more accurate for me to say that I believe “it’s the teacher and the curriculum” and not the tools. A curriculum that uses technology “tools” effectively, I’m sure, can be successful. I’m just not convinced quite yet that using technology in an engaging way is necessarily more effective than using a good curriculum that doesn’t use technology.

I am, however, considering doing an experiment next year to try to determine the answer to this question — for myself, at least. I’ll share more about that once, and if, it gets worked out.

Thanks for the thoughtful comment. I’d love to hear more about what you did with podcasting, and the research results. Perhaps you could write something more about it to share?

I would say that a well-constructed and engaging curriculum can definitely help raise student achievement across the board even with mixed-level teachers. At our school, for example, we have an extraordinary ninth and tenth grade English curriculum that we all use that has resulted in substantial student improvement. It doesn’t use technology, though.

I’m sure that a well-constructed and engaging curriculum that uses technology — which it sounds like you’ve developed– can have the same effect on students.

Perhaps it would be more accurate for me to say that I believe “it’s the teacher and the curriculum” and not the tools. A curriculum that uses technology “tools” effectively, I’m sure, can be successful. I’m just not convinced quite yet that using technology in an engaging way is necessarily more effective than using a good curriculum that doesn’t use technology.

I am, however, considering doing an experiment next year to try to determine the answer to this question — for myself, at least. I’ll share more about that once, and if, it gets worked out.

However, I am an eLearning true believer as well as a died-in-the-wool literacy teacher, and I also teach in a school with high NESB numbers (66%). We are designated a Decile1a school in our system, which means - you probably guessed already- the lowest socio economic group in the nation.

One of the difficulties low decile schools face is attracting consistently high quality staff ( I have just been reading Michael Fullan’s book : “Turn Around Leadership” and on p22 he says that problem is common to all such schools). So what do we do if the teacher is NOT the key to engaging students in learning? It is my belief and observation that eLearning can step up for us.

I am typing this after presenting at our staff meeting today the initial findings of my year’s research into how podcasting (with a very narrowly targeted programme, KPE or Korero Pt England) has raised reading outcomes for our learners. The results are pretty exciting, but our discerning staff members accused me with that very thing you have posed: “How do we know it is podcasting that has brought about this outcome and not an inspirational teacher?”

Well, because the case study was across 5 classes, not all the teachers were equally skilled and the students made it clear that it was the podcasting, not the teacher, that hooked them into reading, to start with.

I am not for a moment suggesting that I believe technology can replace a teacher, but I have seen with our NESB and Maori students how 21st technologies will ‘hook’ students into learning. More stories about that to come…

All the best

Dorothy, Auckland, New Zealand

Thanks for the comment. I’m certainly in agreement that basic training in computer skills is important in elementary schools.

I’m amazed to find now how many of our high school students, including those born in the United States, don’t know where to type in url addresses or how to “copy and paste.”

Larry