I was talking with a Principal of a leading independent school, here in Sydney, this week. Although it was not the topic of the discussion, inevitably various models of technology use  came up.

I was told quite firmly that 1:1 programs will not become popular and will have no place in her school, until the HSC goes online.

I cannot see the relationship between the two at all, but this is not the first time such twisted thinking has reared its ugly head within my earshot. Of course I responded, but it is hopeless to try to change the mind of the utterly convinced.

On second thoughts, this Principal, and other administrators have probably recognised that a 1:1 program would seriously impede the rote learning of masses of useless exam-orientated content. Hooray!!

To balance this myopic view of K-12 education, I see that a Catholic College in Sydney has been “told” by the CEO that it will be instituting a 1:1 program next year for all year 9 students, and that this will continue annually until they have a 9-12 program. Needless to say, some people at this college have gone into meltdown as they try to second guess every problem that might occur to ensure a “smooth” roll-out. Sorry guys, it just won’t happen. 1:1 programs are definitely a headache for administrators and IT professionals. But it’s not about them is it?

Three cheers for the CEO in having a better grasp on the situation than the results-focused Principal who raised my hackles earlier.