Technology in Education. Good or Bad?

http://www.wamda.com/2013/10/technology-not-always-answer-education

Technology is growing faster and faster as the years go by. USBs. Laptops. Smart boards. iPads. The list goes on. We also have learning management systems such as Moodle, Blackboard and Dropbox! The Internet allows us to access resources from all around the world. Therefore, often people believe that technology will help with the teaching and learning process. However, I believe this is true to a certain extent.

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PROS

Technology can be very beneficial as students now have access to more and more resources. Students can now contact teachers about queries through emails 24/7. Technology also provides variety therefore; it can motivate students to learn. Moreover, technology also provides convenience. For example: there now online libraries so students don’t travel to library with intension of borrowing a book, only to realize the book is not available.

CON

At times, I believe the traditional pen and paper is the best solution. For example, from experience, my grade was given laptops in high school. Although it made it more convenient to access the Internet and Word document in a classroom, I realized my writing speed depleted as I was constantly typing up homework and assignments. This became a negative effect because when we sit the High School Certificate, no technology is permitted in the room and we only have pen, paper and the clock to compete with.

Some students say “Students say technology actually makes some of their professors less effective than they would be if they stuck to a lecture at the chalkboard” (Young, J. R. 2004). Sometimes, teachers can take advantage of technology and slack of with teaching. Technology can be used to an advantage, only if used properly. For example: in PowerPoint Presentations, some professors just type of up their notes and read from it in front of the class. However, a better way of using technology may include, adding pictures and graphs that assist each point as well as videos. This way, the students are learning with the eyes and ears, which is proven to be quite efficient.

Furthermore, another issue with technology is, it does not always run smoothly. Booting up a laptop may be very time consuming especially when done during class, not prior to class. Also, Professors who aren’t comfortable with using technology may fumble around with cables and cause learning environment to be less efficient.  We have all experience those lectures where half the time we are doing nothing because the technological problems. (Young, J. R. 2004).

In my opinion, a classroom requires a combination of technological and traditional methods of teaching. Also, teachers should only use technology if they are comfortable with it, hence if they are more comfortable with using chalkboards then smart boards, chances are their teaching will run more smoothly. In essence, technology can be beneficial if used properly.

Reference

http://www.wamda.com/2013/10/technology-not-always-answer-education

Young, J. R. (2004). When good technology means bad teaching: Giving professors gadgets without training can do more harm than good in the classroom, students say. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 51(12), A31-A37.

The cultural dichotomy: minorities and majorities

“Minorities and majorities increasingly clash over such issues as language rights, regional autonomy, political representation, education curriculum, land claims, immigration and naturalization policy, even national symbols” (Phillips, 2006, p.2).

Minority groups are intrinsically linked to culture as they are often recognized for their cultural differences to the majority. However this depiction of minority groups can deliver the assumption that a minority is underrepresented within society. Yet the status of minority groups has been widely criticised for in fact being over-represented and feminist literature is beginning to develop a critique of what they believe to be cultural essentialism (Phillips, 2006). It is difficult not to understand the cultural group as more unified and homogenous than it really is with the constant media debates on the fair and just treatment of minorities.

While a minority can be affiliated with gender and religion, I believe there is a tendency however, to define it as a direct aspect of one’s cultural identity. I say this because most minority groups are associated to culture, and can emerge from issues in multiculturalism. “The experience of being in the minority makes people more conscious of the distinctiveness of their culture” (Phillips, 2006, p.6), and can therefore make people more dedicated to sustain their individuality.

This becomes a complex and challenging issue when we look towards how minority groups are represented within educational institutions. Affirmative action policies were implemented by schools and universities in the US to navigate the traditional view that minorities are underrepresented. However, “decisions about which students to admit and which faculty members to hire, have been controversial” (Tapia, 2007) when attempting to develop an integrated learning environment that includes both minorities and majorities.

The policies introduced within the American education system, while affirmative action has been successful in representing minorities, Phillips would argue that it is only creating a further barrier between the majority. She debates that “with distinctness so strongly emphasised, there is a tendency to see group identities as intrinsically oppositional. However, “overall, the rulings on affirmative action in higher education have said that diversity is a legitimate goal of universities, based on the reasoning that the institutions' educational missions can best be carried out with diverse student bodies” (Tapia, 2007). However, I tend to agree with Phillips and reason that we are misunderstood if we think that diversity within schools and universities will encourage the representation of minorities.

Promoting this cultural diversity within schools, while it does generate opportunities, I do not however believe that it is the right solution to developing unity between minority and majority groups.

References:

Phillips, A. (2006). What is culture? In Arneil, Barbara and Deveaux, Monique and Dhamoon, Rita and Eisenberg, Avigail, (eds.) Sexual justice/cultural justice. London, UK: Routledge, 2006, pp.15-29

Tapia, R. (2007). True diversity doesn’t come from abroad. Diversity in Academe. 54(5), p.34

Bridging the gap

A study of Indigenous education within Australia

 

Indigenous education within Australia has been at the forefront of political reforms and policy decisions as we constantly grapple with issues of inequality and low academic performance.

 “Since the late 1960s, official concern at the continuing poor outcomes for indigenous students has seen a wave of government-appointed inquiries into the failures of the education system to generate improved outcomes” (Gray & Beresford, 2008). We can identify that there are a number of disadvantages, particularly socio-economically, that are obstructing indigenous students from achieving within the classroom. This is especially evident in our most isolated and disadvantaged Aboriginal communities. “We know there is a significant gap between Aboriginal students and non-Aboriginal students in literacy and numeracy performance, school retention rates, school attendance, disciplinary action, and enrolment in tertiary and higher education” (NSW Department of Education and Communities, 2012, p.2) and therefore, the Department of Education and Communities has developed the Connected Communities initiative in an attempt to resolve these issues.

While this is not to say that the government has failed with other reforms, studies show that there are still a high number of indigenous students who are not meeting satisfactory educational requirements (Crawshaw, 2008). To understand this issue, we must navigate not only the teaching practices within the classroom, but work in partnership with the communities to pinpoint just why these students are not meeting benchmark requirements.

On average, Indigenous students spend at least two fewer years at school than non-Indigenous students (Gray and Beresford, 2008) yet Australian Education Union (AEU) president Angelo Gavrielatos, says that “reduced class sizes, higher teacher salaries, better classroom facilities and improved early childhood education could help improve the situation” (Crawshaw, 2008). So based on these judgements, how do we work to develop a more successful educational arena for indigenous students? While we should identify that there has been some recent improvements, there a still a number of areas that are showing a gradual decline in indigenous achievement. We must identify the issues and understand the differences between non-indigenous and indigenous learning styles and look to develop a more inclusive arrangement for indigenous education. We must however, understand these differences without creating a barrier between non-indigenous and indigenous communities and look to developing a more unified educative environment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

Crawshaw, D. (2008). Tests show indigenous education lacking. Retrieved from: http://news.smh.com.au/national/tests-show-indigenous-education-lacking-20080201-1pj3.html

Gray, J., & Beresford, Q. (2008). A 'formidable challenge' : Australia's quest for equity in Indigenous education. Australian Journal of Education. 52(2), pp.197-223

NSW Department of Education and Communities. (2012). Connected Communities. Retrieved from: http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/media/downloads/news/announcements/yr2012/connected-communities-dp.pdf

YouTube. (2012). Indigenous education to be boosted. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqNaIesoy7k

Culture and Education: Adapting to the Asian Century

 

 “Nine of the top 10 countries that send international students to Australia are from Asia” (Shorten, 2013), says Bill Shorten, Minister for Education and Workplace Relations.

The increasing influx of Asian migrants coming to Australia as students has created many opportunities in Australia’s education system; however, it has also generated some concerns in regards to the current conventional curriculum and stimulated discussions around issues of multiculturalism within the classroom. The way in which we teach in the classroom must be altered to meet the demands and needs of international students and create a learning environment that is inclusive of all cultures while still conforming to the established curriculum.

Inclusive education, a term widely recognised today to identify complex forms of exclusion, looks at “the ways in which schools address or fail to address the intersection of the layers of difference” (Waitoller & Kozleski, 2013, p.36) between students. However, as culture plays a significant role in guiding and structuring human activity within the education system, these cultural differences place a significant strain on developing a unified arrangement for education.

These differences between students can also create communication barriers between Australian and Asian students as the current curriculum is not all that inclusive of Asian languages. However, as Bill Shorten states in his article, the aim for 2025 is that “all students will have access to at least one priority Asian language” (Shorten, 2013). He says that “Curricula are being developed for Hindu, Mandarin, Indonesian, Japanese, Vietnamese and now Korean” (Shorten, 2013) which will not only allow Australian students to better communicate with students from these countries, but also to better understand Asian cultures and therefore will aid them in strengthening global cross-cultural relations between Australia.

This is an important aspect to consider especially as we move into a period known as The Asian Century where we must adapt to a pretty huge social and cultural change occurring within Australia. As we have previously addressed, changes are currently being made to the curriculum in response to the increasing global educational arena, and, with a growing importance to develop a high level of education within Australia, we must continue to adapt and modify our education system to ensure that Australia benefits from the opportunities presented by this social change.

So what does this change mean for the future of culture and education? It is an exciting period in Australian history and has already created a number of opportunities for Australia to strengthen connections with Asia (Shorten, 2013). With a continuing increase in globalisation and migration from Asia (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012) Australian society is becoming ever more multicultural, and therefore, we can say the same for the educational environment. With a consistent rise in Asian students, the issue of multiculturalism within the classroom continues to be at the forefront of debates in education. This therefore lends itself to issues in cultural classification and categorisation which I believe can be resolved if we are able to integrate the study of Asian languages into the curriculum and create a more inclusive learning environment for all students.  

References:

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2012-2013). 2071.0 - Reflecting a Nation: Stories from the 2011 Census. Retrieved from: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2071.0main+features902012-2013

Shorten, B. (2013). The Education Century that must go with the Asian Century. Retrieved from: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-education-century-that-must-go-with-the-asian-century-20130808-2rjnw.html

Waitoller, F. Kozleski, E. (2013). Working in boundary practices: Identity development and learning in partnerships for inclusive education. Teaching and teacher education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, 31(3), pp.35-45

A reflection of your own experiences of culture and identity in relation to education

I will always remember the bus ride on my first ever day of high school. Looking wide eyed at the groups of students who make their way onto the bus, being intimidated by their large social circles of the older students. It was a long ride through streets of the Western Sydney suburbs before the school bus reached its destination as the students piled in with every stop listening as the volume on the bus approached roaring with old friend reuniting after their summer break. I will admit, in my heightened state of insecurity, being one of the few first years on the bus, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversations carried out before me and I was quick to discover that I had little to no understanding to these dialogues; not because of the content, but these students were speaking in different language. This was my first solo encounter with a different culture coming from such a homogeneous primary school where the Vietnamese culture was present among 90%+ students As a result, I had little to no understanding of inter-culture interactions. My transition into understanding these alien cultures was going to be one with many troughs.

My first reaction to students of different background was to avoid. Fearing the unknown, this initial reaction was a common defence mechanism as the year 7 groups started to form and clustering together finding solace in similar cultures. We remained in our culturally oblivious state, content with our ignorance which sometimes led to racial conflicts. Cultural polarisation played a large role in my high school life and I now realise with great disappointment that the school did not attempt to confront these issues. Our school was a rich tapestry of cultures from all parts of the world yet there was failure from the teachers to facilitate students transcend such obvious cultural boundaries. The school should have aimed at early stages of high school to nurture a respect for other cultures (Ho, 2011).

Due to the absence of programs aimed to develop cross culture interactions, it cannot be unexpected to have such cultural polarisation as the one that I had experienced. It is without a doubt that cultural acceptance would have been achieved earlier with these ideals of respect yet the multicultural environment of my school inevitably led to interactions and negotiations (Moody, 2001). Towards the end of school the cultural boundaries were torn down yet for me acceptance was a result of compromise rather than understanding.Consequently, I felt that regardless the numerous times approaching a year when I would alight from the bus, I was still that kid on the first day of school who could not comprehend other cultures. The truth is the first time I got off the bus was when I was stepping into university, when cultural studies was highly esteemed

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Ho, C. (2011). Respecting the presence of others: School micropublics and

everyday multiculturalism. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 32(6), 603-619.

Moody, J. 2001. Race, school integration and friendship segregation in America. American journal of sociology, 107(3): 679–716.

Racism in education

In my two years at university, a subject that I have found recurring in all social studies courses is the Cronulla riots. This momentous event has cemented itself into our history. Such a violent act of racism in our own backyard reveals a tremendous truth about our nation. We have learnt that behind the messages communicated in our cities boasting our diversity and multiculturalism, Australia is in fact a racist country.

Racism is a complex topic that has been defined by many discourses but the one that I find the most relevant to explain Australia’s disdain from ‘the others’ is Social Constructivism (Dunn and Mcdonald 2001). Discrimination is here explained as a social construct rather than a national order and listening to recounts of individuals that took part in the riot, it was obvious that the anger that sparked the riots was misinformed and poorly interpreted (the media had a big hand to play in this). This ignorance towards other cultures that leads to constructions of hate and dislike of other cultures must be eradicated from society to remove racism.

In schools, the presence of discrimination and racism will play a major role in inhibiting a student’s education and will also construct the foundations of hate for cultures in society after their graduation. It is for this reason that I believe that to eradicate racism in society, we must first aim to eradicate it in schools.

If Racism is a social construct, the most natural course of action is to facilitate informed constructions of cultural understanding. Especially in this technological era where opinions and information can be communicated with two beeps of a hand held device, information can so easily be tainted. If you have ever played the game ‘Chinese Whispers’ you would know that allowing information to be passed on with complete faith in here say will almost always be misinterpreted.  Education reforms to eradicate racism must be aimed at its source that is targeting the place of racist assumptions and ideas in this process (Gray and Beresford 2008).

The effects of racism in our schools will lead to social inequalities in our classrooms. A closer analysis of standardised tests such as NAPLAN, a national exam reviewing students on literacy and numeracy skills, will draw attention to how dominant cultures are naturally at an advantage (Klenowski 2009). Klenowski, through an analysis of the performance of indigenous students in NAPLAN has been able to reveal how these standardised assessments are not ‘culturally fair’. The rifts start to truly appear when the ‘Myschool’ program was introduced. A system that was meant to give deeper insights into schools has now promoted competition. Aspects of reputation and status are revealed to be valued by education system and this can be viewed as promoting inequity (Vass 2012).

Dunn, KM., Forrest, J., Burnley, I., & McDonald, A. 2004. 'Constructing Racism in Australia', Australian Journal of Social Issues (opens in new window)Opens in a new window, vol.39, iss.4, pp.409-430. ISSN 0004-9557

Gray, J., and Q. Beresford. 2008. A ‘formidable challenge’: Australia’s quest for equity

in indigenous education. Australian Journal of Education 52, no. 2: 197–223.

Klenowski, V. 2009. Australian indigenous students: Addressing equity issues in

assessment. Teaching Education 20, no. 1: 77–93.

Vass, G. (2012). The racialised educational landscape in Australia: listening to the

whispering elephant. Race Ethnicity and Education, 1-26. doi:

10.1080/13613324.2012.674505

Education Funding

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/funding-cuts-for-poor-schools-were-worse-without-gonski-funds-20131026-2w8gi.html

Australian governments spend over $30 billion on primary and secondary schools each year. It may sound like a lot, but is it really enough?? In comparison to America, the figure is actually quite low. 

A majority of school funding comes from State governments (77.5 per cent), while the remainder comes from the Commonwealth (22.5 per cent). (ACT Department of Education and Training).

Flaws in System

There are many flaws when it comes to distributing funds to schools. For example, the local community’s social economic status is not a reflection of an individual student’s SES, specifically in non- government school. Some students may come from the wealthiest family, yet live in a disadvantaged area. Barry McGaw stated, there are “relatively advantaged students from disadvantaged communities carrying with them to a non-government school a government voucher based on the students they leave behind in their communities” (2007) (ACT Department of Education and Training).

Secondly, the system does not actually measure a school’s resources. It completely disregards a school’s capacity to generate its own income through fees, investments, donations and fundraising in measuring need. Therefore, the priority schools for government funding may not be accurate as some school's private income are ignored.

Education Cuts

Moreover, in 2014, Australia's Governments are intending to reduce educational funds even further. This will impact Australia’s education drastically, and especially worsens the schools that are already disadvantaged due to uncontrollable factors. In essence, it will have detrimental effects on education quality and learning outcomes for all public school students.

For instance, SSPRA is the fund that schools use to pay for literacy and numeracy programs; behaviour management, Aboriginal students needs, English as a Second Language; children with learning difficulties; the priority country areas program and either distance or other disadvantage (WACSSO). It is the fund that most schools in Western Australia access and are reliant on. Unfortunately, it will be cut by 30%.

Additionally, cuts to education funding will cause Halls Creek District High School to have a $159,918 cut next year (approximately 3% cut) based on 2013's funding, because of the SSPRA program.

Glebe Public School is one of the most disadvantaged schools in NSW. It has 29 per cent Aboriginal students and 60 per cent of all students living in a public housing estate. Glebe Public School runs programs to keep Aboriginal and disadvantaged students at school. For example, there is an attendance bus, which picks up students from home as well as an in-class Aboriginal tutor, which allows the ATSI students to interact and connect with people from their culture. However, if education cuts continue, it would be impossible to meet the needs of these highly disadvantaged students.

In my opinion, I believe education funding should not be cut and should be a priority. Education is the key to the future. Education funding should be considered as a good investment and should be taken into consideration, as it would be very beneficial in the long run for everybody.

References

ACT Department of Education and Training. (June 2004). Report on Evaluation of School Based Management. http://www.decs.act.gov.au/ publicat/pdf/sbmevaluationrepor t.pdf. Accessed 24 October 2013

http://www.wacsso.wa.edu.au/newsevents/wa-education-funding-cuts-what-are-they

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/funding-cuts-for-poor-schools-were-worse-without-gonski-funds-20131026-2w8gi.html

Stereotyping women and ethnicity in education

Stereotyping women and ethnicity in education

“It is the duty of every Muslim man and woman to seek knowledge” says former UNICEF Australia Young Ambassador, Marryum Kahloon.

We autonomously categorise individuals into groups in an attempt to develop some kind of social structure and make sense of the world around us. Although many of us do it subconsciously, this categorisation occurs on a daily basis and can lead us to develop certain stereotypes relative to these groups. So what constitutes a stereotype and why does it occur within education?

Marryum Kahloon’s article Stereotypes go against Koran on female education, provides us with a primary perspective on the stereotyping of Muslim women in education. We often deride a stereotype to present a negative connotation, and in many cases, this is true. The social categorisation of stereotyping leads us to believe that an individual has certain characteristics that we can apply to others, generally, on the basis of national, ethnic, or gender groups. In the case of Marryum Kahloon, both ethnicity and gender play a fundamental role in the stereotyping of Muslim women in education, an issue that continues to inform political debates within Australia. It is an issue that is constantly thrust upon us through the media, which can be seen as an intrinsic catalyst when we generate a stereotype.

The idea of a stereotype can promote an emphasis on the distinct differences between two groups. In this way, we can recognise that stereotypes can be directly linked to issues in culture as it can be seen as “the major source of people’s identity and major determinant of their actions and behaviour” (Phillips, 2006, p.5).

 

Madeleine Arnot and Jo-Anne Dillabough have written extensively on the issue of Feminist Politics and democratic values in education through re-assessing “the contributions of feminist thought to our understanding of democratic values in education” (Arnot & Dillabough, 1999, p.1). Feminist political theorists provide us with an understanding of gender dualisms and the binary male and female divide through an analysis of the associated male power over women. Yet Marryum Kahloon’s article suggests that within the educational sphere, Muslim women are represented as being oppressed when in fact, this is not the case. She says that “the media admonish the actions of people who try to prevent female education and present their beliefs as a cultural norm” therefore perpetuating a negative stereotype.

The Koran states: "It is the duty of every Muslim man and woman to seek knowledge” (Kahloon, 2013). So why then has this negative stereotype of Muslim women in education occurred within Australia? And who is to blame for its perpetuation?

While there are people who believe women should not be educated, this is not restricted to any one religion. It is a view among many people across a number of ethnic backgrounds yet Muslim women within Australia continue to be stereotyped as oppressed in both education and other social and cultural capacities. As Kahloon acknowledges, this can be seen to be rooted in the media’s focus on extremist groups within Islam and their “condemnation” rather than a controlled attempt to look at why these groups act the way they do and concentrating more effort to altering their understanding of gender dualisms and promoting equality.

References:

Arnot, M., & Dillabough, J. (1999). Feminist politics and democratic values in education. Curriculum Inquiry, 29(2), pp.159-189

Kahloon, M. (2013). Retrieved from: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/stereotypes-go-against-koran-on-female-education-20130714-2py0w.html

Phillips, A. (2006). What is culture? In Arneil, Barbara and Deveaux, Monique and Dhamoon, Rita and Eisenberg, Avigail, (eds.) Sexual justice/cultural justice. London, UK: Routledge, 2006, pp.15-29

Image retrieved from Google Images: https://www.google.com.au/search?q=islam+in+australia&hl=en&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADFA_enAU479AU479&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=vpFtUv3PNIbNrQf864CQCw&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1409&bih=578#hl=en&q=multiculturalism+in+australia&qscrl=1&tbm=isch 

A reflection of your own experiences of culture and identity in relation to education

My experience of culture and identity within education

 

 

“Simply put, culture shapes education, and education shapes culture.” (Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. Boyd, R. 2007).

Culture and identity within education, to me, are intrinsically linked as culture can be seen as an instrumental aspect in establishing one’s identity. To me, identity refers to your sense of self and the defining characteristics that, in essence, develop who you are and how you are viewed within a society.

As “cultural beings” (Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. Boyd, R. 2007), we attribute meaning to the world as a result of differing contexts, backgrounds, beliefs, and values that are inherently developed as a result of our culture. Therefore, our identity can be said to be a direct reflection of our cultural background and the beliefs and values that we develop within that which we re-establish to then form our identity.

My personal views toward culture and identity in education have recently changed when I began my studies at UNSW Sydney earlier this year. I was forced to relocate from a small coastal town four hours north of Sydney where there is very minimal cultural diversity. Both my primary school and my high-school were made up of predominantly white Anglo-Saxon students, like myself, which rendered my views of other cultures as somewhat narrow. Having little exposure to any kind of multiculturalism within my school in my younger years, my experience was broadened when I chose to study here at UNSW, an institution teeming with multiculturalism and students of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Where here, everywhere you go and everywhere you look; you are never a far from an individual who comes from a completely different cultural background to your own.

Within the classroom, there is a swarm of activity and interaction between individuals from cultures across the world.  This in itself can influence the formation of our identities with our sheer exposure to these cultures. This exposure can allow us to meet others and learn about their cultural values, traditions, beliefs, and experiences and therefore, broaden our own understandings of culture. While “persons identify and empathize more easily with those with whom they have more in common with” (Phillips, 2006, p.3), I have found that if we are open to experiencing cultures different to our own, we are in fact able to identify with others from different backgrounds.

Phillips suggests that “all peoples have their own complex and internally coherent cultures” (Phillips, 2006, p.1) and I tend to agree. I believe that everything we do is essentially grounded around our own cultural context and what we know to be culturally correct and culturally accepted. In all cultures, there are established norms in which we are lead to believe that we must behave in certain ways and conduct ourselves according to our interpretation of what is customary within that context. The way we behave and the things that we choose to do and say then becomes a part of our cultural identity. It is this sense of self and identity that provides us with the assurance to act this way.

References:

Phillips, A. (2006). What is culture? In Arneil, Barbara and Deveaux, Monique and Dhamoon, Rita and Eisenberg, Avigail, (eds.) Sexual justice/cultural justice. London, UK: Routledge, 2006, pp.15-29

Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. Boyd, R. (2007). Culture and education. Sydney: Pearson Education. Chapter 1: What is culture?