they know what's on the horizon. Read on:<DIV id=printReady>
Technology - a tool for transformation
published: Sunday | November 19, 2006 <DIV class=KonaBody>
<B PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">Marguerite Orane, Contributor[/B]
<SMALL PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">Orane </SMALL><P PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">As we consider the dire urgency and the magnitude of transforming the Jamaican education system, and the seeming impossibility of the <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">system</SPAN> transforming itself, I am once again brought to thinking about basic laws of nature, in particular Newton's First Law of Motion which states that: "An object in a state of rest or constant motion tends to remain in that state of rest or constant motion unless an external force is applied to it." (This law is also appropriately called the Law of Inertia). <P PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">Applied to organisational transformation, the "object" would be the education system and the "state of motion" is the current rate of progress, or lack thereof. <P PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">Before considering the external force, I want to stay at the level of questioning for a while and ask: exactly what are we transforming - education or the education system? For, we could transform the latter without transforming the former. However, if we transform the former, the transformation of the latter must happen.
<B PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">External force[/B] <P PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">If transformation of education is the goal, then what is the external force that will transform it? There is no doubt that visionary, action-based <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">leadership</SPAN> is that force; however, given the magnitude of the gap between where we are and where we must go, such leadership requires a tool that will disrupt the status quo in a most fundamental way. The most dramatic and impactful changes in human history are being wrought right now with the advent and development of information and communications technology (ICT). <P PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">Dream with me a bit - suppose technology could put the power of learning in each student's hands? Suppose each child could have instant access to libraries, encyclopedias, dictionaries, music, <A class=kLink oncontextmenu="return false;" id=KonaLink2 onmouseover=adlinkMouseOver(event,this,2); style="POSITION: static; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important" onclick=adlinkMouseClick(event,this,2); onmouseout=adlinkMouseOut(event,this,2); href="http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20061119/focus/focus4.html#" target=_new><FONT style="FONT-WEIGH
Technology - a tool for transformation
published: Sunday | November 19, 2006 <DIV class=KonaBody>
<B PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">Marguerite Orane, Contributor[/B]
<SMALL PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">Orane </SMALL><P PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">As we consider the dire urgency and the magnitude of transforming the Jamaican education system, and the seeming impossibility of the <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">system</SPAN> transforming itself, I am once again brought to thinking about basic laws of nature, in particular Newton's First Law of Motion which states that: "An object in a state of rest or constant motion tends to remain in that state of rest or constant motion unless an external force is applied to it." (This law is also appropriately called the Law of Inertia). <P PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">Applied to organisational transformation, the "object" would be the education system and the "state of motion" is the current rate of progress, or lack thereof. <P PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">Before considering the external force, I want to stay at the level of questioning for a while and ask: exactly what are we transforming - education or the education system? For, we could transform the latter without transforming the former. However, if we transform the former, the transformation of the latter must happen.
<B PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">External force[/B] <P PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">If transformation of education is the goal, then what is the external force that will transform it? There is no doubt that visionary, action-based <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">leadership</SPAN> is that force; however, given the magnitude of the gap between where we are and where we must go, such leadership requires a tool that will disrupt the status quo in a most fundamental way. The most dramatic and impactful changes in human history are being wrought right now with the advent and development of information and communications technology (ICT). <P PyE_E="0" sysOa="0">Dream with me a bit - suppose technology could put the power of learning in each student's hands? Suppose each child could have instant access to libraries, encyclopedias, dictionaries, music, <A class=kLink oncontextmenu="return false;" id=KonaLink2 onmouseover=adlinkMouseOver(event,this,2); style="POSITION: static; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important" onclick=adlinkMouseClick(event,this,2); onmouseout=adlinkMouseOut(event,this,2); href="http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20061119/focus/focus4.html#" target=_new><FONT style="FONT-WEIGH
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