Fire ting å huske for Skoleledere og ICT

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=56397

A new generation of students with vastly
different learning needs is redefining expectations for classroom
instruction, and a growing emphasis on school accountability is
changing the role of the school district IT leader: These were two of
the main ideas outlined in a Dec. 10 webcast from the Consortium of
School Networking titled "Major Technology Trends that School District
CTOs Must Know."

According to William Rust, research director for the IT research and
consulting firm Gartner, there is a new digital divide occurring in
schools. Whereas this divide used to refer to whether or not students
had access to technology, now it concerns whether schools are using
technology effectively to achieve results.

Rust identified four key trends that school district chief
technology officers (CTOs) should be aware of: accountability, the
changing nature of learners, the accessibility of technology, and the
"internal and external demands" that are now placed on ed-tech
executives.

"If CTOs are thinking about these four factors and how they can keep
up with these changes, they'll stay ahead of the divide," he said.

Regarding the changing nature of learners, Gartner believes that
so-called "digital natives" will demand, and need, new types of
learning experiences.

Citing a report by Ian Jukes and Anita Dose of the InfoSavvy Group,
Rust said digital native learners prefer (1) receiving information
quickly and from multiple resources; (2) parallel processing and
multitasking; (3) processing pictures, sounds, and video before text;
(4) random access to hyperlinked multimedia information; and (5)
interacting and networking simultaneously with many others.

"The biggest shift we're seeing right now is student preference
shifting from print to digital resources," Rust noted. "It's all about
the web."

As for accountability, Rust explained that No Child Left Behind's
extensive data tracking and reporting requirements have prompted the
use of robust student information systems and data-warehousing
strategies in schools. Now, the next logical step will be to apply this
same degree of scrutiny to schools' financial data, Gartner believes.