Interview with Bob Geldof

Interview with Bob Geldof about ICT and professional development

At BETT 2013 IRIS Connect were key sponsors of the MirandaNet Lounge, which held series of talks and debates around a key theme of ICT and continuous professional development.

The lounge was launched on the Wednesday with an interview with Bob Geldof. During the interview we heard about his experience at school and his views on the importance of technology for collaboration.

Interestingly, Geldof pointed to a few things that we also think are hugely important to effective teacher training and continuous professional development.

Technology is making collaboration much easier, Geldof describes it as a “hive society” allowing us to work together like ants or swallows in the sky. New technologies are allowing us to support one another more effectively and have led to an increasing rate of knowledge growth and sharing.

Like IRIS Connect, Geldof sees the importance of teachers having access to video examples of good or outstanding practice for their professional learning. He also pointed that one size of best practice does not fit all and that teaching example videos can get out of date quickly.

As Carol McIver-Wren, Deputy Head at Tideway School said about exemplar DVD’s:

“Miss Perfect with perfect children, in the perfect classroom in Perfectshire didn't represent the real environment at Tideway”

This is a really important point, there is a place for example lesson videos but the real power for effective professional development and peer led lesson observation lies with teachers sharing and collaborating around genuine lessons, in real schools with real students.

Watch the full interview with Geldof...

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