Lead the revolution

Authors

Chris Waterman, Presbyterian Ladies College (Sydney NSW)

Abstract

The federal government has a penchant for labelling its major educational initiatives 'revolutions'. Its Digital Education Revolution, more commonly called the netbooks for Years 9 to 12 program, is not actually a revolution and amounts to no more than placing netbook computers on desks. A real digital revolution is quite a different thing altogether and, rather than being mandated from on high, starts at the small, local people-power level with students in the classroom. Although the notion that today's students are 'digital natives' has proven largely to be a major furphy, students can be enlisted so that the school gets value out of being computerised; that is, digital literacy can be established and each student can be turned into a successful digital citizen. The author outlines a few key features that teachers should start to promote and that will be useful transferable skills across the curriculum; these include research skills, digital citizenship and etiquette, technology management, and student use of multimedia to create better assignments. [Author abstract, ed]

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