Edu Inc and Technology
14 February 2019 · 3 min · as at 2019-02-14
Gershom Aitchison (host)
Listen to the episode on iono.fm · MP3
Episode analysis
Analysis by AI, drawn only from this episode; every point links to the moment it rests on.
Gershom Aitchison, Headmaster of Education Incorporated (a mainstream independent school in Fourways, Johannesburg, writing the IEB, Grades 4 to 12, with small classes by design), answers the parent question of whether it is a tech school with iPads for every student. He contrasts the school's approach with Flowerfield High School, which spent millions of rands replacing textbooks, chalkboards and paper admin with tablets, smart boards and Office documents while nothing changed in how teachers taught or learners engaged. He argues that technology should change the method of teaching, learning, assessment and data management, so that the method becomes the lesson, and describes the school's Google Suite and one gig internet setup.
Key ideas
- Gershom argues that swapping analog tools for digital equivalents without changing processes is not meaningful technology use. [00:09]▸ [00:10]▸ [00:47]▸
- In the Flowerfield example, tablets, smart boards and Word and Excel replaced textbooks, chalkboards and paper, but teaching, engagement and management processes stayed the same. [00:13]▸ [00:54]▸ [01:07]▸
- He compares today's excitement about tablets and smart boards to earlier excitement about the green board and colour chalk. [01:20]▸
- He holds that teaching covers both the what and the how, including how students demonstrate knowledge in tests and exams, which still use pen and paper. [01:35]▸ [01:35]▸ [01:46]▸
- Correctly used, technology can change how teachers teach, how learners experience learning, and how management handles data, so the method becomes the lesson. [01:54]▸ [02:21]▸ [02:23]▸
- He says learning to do things differently prepares learners for the 22nd century rather than applying 'Dickens 2.0'. [01:28]▸ [02:08]▸
Lessons
- Gershom suggests judging a school's technology by whether teaching and learning processes changed, not by whether every student has a tablet. [00:27]▸ [00:54]▸ [01:07]▸
- He warns that large spending on devices can leave classrooms essentially unchanged. [00:13]▸ [00:41]▸ [00:47]▸
- He argues assessment methods matter too: writing exams with pen and paper is only an incremental step from parchment and quills. [01:46]▸ [01:51]▸
- He presents teachers continually adapting and learning appropriate technology as the way to enhance teaching and learning. [02:39]▸
Who it's for
Parents choosing a school who want to understand what 'tech school' means in practice, and teachers or school leaders weighing investment in tablets, smart boards and digital administration.
Facts stated in the episode
- Gershom says Flowerfield High School spent millions of rands becoming a digital school. [00:41]▸
- Education Incorporated uses Google Suite with an exabyte of space, described as a million terabytes. [02:30]▸
- Education Incorporated has a one gig internet line, described as a thousand megabytes. [02:39]▸
- Gershom says students currently write tests and exams with pen and paper. [01:46]▸
Questions this episode answers
- Is Edu Inc a tech school where every student has an iPad?Gershom says parents often ask this. He says Education Incorporated is a tech school but does not believe in just digitizing an analog process; it uses Google Suite and a one gig internet line. [00:00]▸ [00:09]▸ [02:30]▸ [02:39]▸
- Does giving students tablets and putting smart boards in classrooms improve teaching?Using Flowerfield High School as an example, Gershom says tablets and smart boards replaced textbooks and chalkboards, but nothing changed in how teachers taught, how learners engaged or in any processes. [00:13]▸ [00:54]▸ [01:07]▸
- What does 'digitizing an analog process' mean in schools?Gershom describes replacing the textbook with a tablet, chalkboards with smart boards, and lesson plans and mark sheets with Word and Excel documents, while the underlying teaching stays the same. [00:47]▸ [00:54]▸
- How should technology change education?Gershom says correct use of technology should fundamentally change the way teachers teach, how learners experience learning, and how management collects, reviews and analyses data, to the point that the method is the lesson itself. [01:54]▸ [02:21]▸
- Why does the way students write exams matter?Gershom argues teaching includes how students demonstrate knowledge and skills, and that writing tests and exams with pen and paper is only an incremental step up from parchment and quills. [01:35]▸ [01:46]▸
- What technology infrastructure does Edu Inc use?Gershom says the school uses Google Suite with an exabyte of space, which he describes as a million terabytes, and a one gig internet line, which he describes as a thousand megabytes. [02:30]▸ [02:39]▸
- How does technology prepare students for the future?Gershom says learners are prepared for the 22nd century by learning to do things differently and adapting to a rapidly changing environment, not by applying 'Dickens 2.0'. [02:08]▸
In their own words
Longer stretches of the conversation, word for word from the transcript, turn by turn.
Flowerfield High's costly digital makeover changed nothing
Note (AI): A worked cautionary example of a school spending heavily on tablets and smart boards while teaching, learner engagement and management processes stayed the same.
Gershom Aitchison, host · [00:13]Let me share the tech journey of another school, Flowerfield High School. Flowerfield High School's governing body decided that in order to remain relevant and appear progressive, they would create digital classrooms and a paperless administration process. When prospective parents asked what the school's technological policy was, the answer could proudly be that every student had a tablet and thus did not need textbooks, that every classroom had a smart …
Read the full passage (193 words, 00:13-01:19)
Gershom Aitchison, host · [00:13]Let me share the tech journey of another school, Flowerfield High School. Flowerfield High School's governing body decided that in order to remain relevant and appear progressive, they would create digital classrooms and a paperless administration process. When prospective parents asked what the school's technological policy was, the answer could proudly be that every student had a tablet and thus did not need textbooks, that every classroom had a smart board, and that the teacher's administration was all completed electronically. Millions of rands were spent, and Flowerfield High School was the very epitome of a digital school. Flowerfield High and many other schools like them have spent vast amounts of money on digitizing an analog process. The textbook was replaced by a tablet. The chalkboards were replaced with smart boards. The teacher's lesson plans and mark sheets were replaced by Word and Excel documents, except nothing actually changed in the way the teachers taught in the classroom. Nothing changed in the way the learners were expected to engage with their work. Nothing changed in the way management wanted to see data and information, and most notably, nothing changed in any of the processes.
Method as lesson and Edu Inc's tech setup
Note (AI): Sets out the headmaster's argument that technology should change how teaching, learning and assessment happen, and describes the school's Google Suite and internet infrastructure.
Gershom Aitchison, host · [01:35]Teaching is not only about the what information, but also about the how method. How are the students required to demonstrate their knowledge and skills when they write their tests and exams? They are required to write their tests and exams with a pen and paper at the moment, an incremental step up from parchment and quills. The correct use of technology and the digitization of information allows for us …
Read the full passage (208 words, 01:35-02:50)
Gershom Aitchison, host · [01:35]Teaching is not only about the what information, but also about the how method. How are the students required to demonstrate their knowledge and skills when they write their tests and exams? They are required to write their tests and exams with a pen and paper at the moment, an incremental step up from parchment and quills. The correct use of technology and the digitization of information allows for us to fundamentally change the way we teach, change how the learners experience the learning process, and how management can collect, review, and analyze data and information. It is in this exact experience that learners are prepared for the 22nd century by learning to do things differently and adapting to the rapidly ever-changing environment around them, not just applying Dickens 2.0. One could go as far as to say that if new technologies are correctly and effectively applied in teaching, then the method is the lesson itself. Education Incorporated is a tech school. The framework that we use is Google Suite with an exabyte of space. That's a million terabytes. We have a one gig internet line. That's a thousand megabytes. Teachers are constantly adapting and learning to use the appropriate technology to enhance the teaching and learning experience.
Quotes
“we don't believe in just digitizing an analog process.”
“Flowerfield High and many other schools like them have spent vast amounts of money on digitizing an analog process.”
“Fundamentally, teachers are still teaching in the same Dickensian-style classrooms and manner as they did a hundred years ago.”
“Teaching is not only about the what information, but also about the how method.”
“an incremental step up from parchment and quills.”
“if new technologies are correctly and effectively applied in teaching, then the method is the lesson itself.”
What was said, by topic
Technology in education
“Hi, I'm Gershom Aitchison, Headmaster of Education Incorporated. I always get asked by parents if we're a tech school and if all our students have iPads.”
“Teachers were probably as excited decades ago by the introduction of the green board and color chalk as they are today about tablets and smart boards.”
“The correct use of technology and the digitization of information allows for us to fundamentally change the way we teach, change how the learners experience the learning process, and how management can collect, review, and analyze data and information.”
Digitizing analog processes
“The answer is that we don't believe in just digitizing an analog process. Let me share the tech journey of another school, Flowerfield High School.”
“Flowerfield High School's governing body decided that in order to remain relevant and appear progressive, they would create digital classrooms and a paperless administration process.”
“When prospective parents asked what the school's technological policy was, the answer could proudly be that every student had a tablet and thus did not need textbooks, that every classroom had a smart board, and that the teacher's administration was all completed electronically.”
“Millions of rands were spent, and Flowerfield High School was the very epitome of a digital school.”
“The textbook was replaced by a tablet. The chalkboards were replaced with smart boards. The teacher's lesson plans and mark sheets were replaced by Word and Excel documents, except nothing actually changed in the way the teachers taught in the classroom.”
“Nothing changed in the way the learners were expected to engage with their work. Nothing changed in the way management wanted to see data and information, and most notably, nothing changed in any of the processes.”
Teaching method and pedagogy
“Fundamentally, teachers are still teaching in the same Dickensian-style classrooms and manner as they did a hundred years ago.”
“Teaching is not only about the what information, but also about the how method. How are the students required to demonstrate their knowledge and skills when they write their tests and exams?”
“They are required to write their tests and exams with a pen and paper at the moment, an incremental step up from parchment and quills.”
“One could go as far as to say that if new technologies are correctly and effectively applied in teaching, then the method is the lesson itself.”
Preparing learners for the future
“It is in this exact experience that learners are prepared for the 22nd century by learning to do things differently and adapting to the rapidly ever-changing environment around them, not just applying Dickens 2.0.”
School tech infrastructure
“Education Incorporated is a tech school. The framework that we use is Google Suite with an exabyte of space. That's a million terabytes.”
“We have a one gig internet line. That's a thousand megabytes. Teachers are constantly adapting and learning to use the appropriate technology to enhance the teaching and learning experience.”
Episode notes (as published)
From the episode notes published with the podcast.
Are iPads the coloured chalk of the 21st century? Edu Inc website · Facebook (Public) · Facebook (closed group) · Twitter (closed group) · YouTube · Review us on Google
Every quotation and passage on this page is copied word for word from the episode audio transcript and linked to the moment it was said. Quotations are never written or altered by AI; topic labels, passage notes and the episode analysis are AI-generated. Guest details come from the published episode notes or the guest's own words.