The School, the Science Centre
and the Internet: Elements of a New Integrated Learning Environment
João Carlos Tedim,
tedim@ua.pt
A. Manuel de Oliveira
Duarte, duarte@ua.pt
Dept de Electrónica e
Telecomunicações, Univ. of Aveiro, Portugal
Abstract
Frequently
it is said that the current levels of education of younger generations
is at the lowest level for decades.With almost the same
frequency it said that the new information and communication technologies
offer the prospect to deliver unprecedented opportunities for
improved learning conditions. This contradictory situation has
created a widespread belief that promoting the generalised utilisation
of information and communication technologies in the school will
raise the quality of teaching and learning. As a consequence many
countries have launched major initiatives trying to promote the
adoption of information and communication technologies as part
of the common teaching and learning practices. This paper presents
a critical appraisal of one of these initiatives recently launched
in Portugal, the so called "Programa Internet nas Escolas"
(Internet at School Programme). The study shows that the
utilisation of the Internet at schools has changed in a dramatic
manner the sense of dimensionality and locality that characterised
the school environment in the past. A new public space has emerged
out of these initiatives, involving students and teachers in intra
and inter schools networks, blended by commonalties of interests,
complementarities of knowledge, and by other affinities. However,
it is also clear that a number of issues needs a more adequate
approach. Accessibility and usability are two such issues:
i) In spite of the increasing penetration of the personal computer
in the domestic environment the large majority of families still
does not own one;
ii) Having access to a computer does not necessarily means
having the capability to use it and take advantage of its utilisation;
this can be particularly dramatic in the teacher community above
a certain age;
It is also clear from the study that a number of other instruments
could be used in order to catalyse the processes of learning and
teaching. One of these instruments that deserves a special attention
is Science Centres. These institutions have an enormous potential
in terms of the motivation-raising effects upon students and also
as disseminators of scientific and technological culture. In addition
they could provide the adequate environment to dilute the barriers
between computer wizard students and some infocommunication illiterate
teachers. The articulation between these instruments of learning
remains to be done.
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