Schools need to tap into the digital age, says hi-tech guru

An ex-electronic warfare strategist who now educates English private schoolboys is advising New Zealand teachers to embrace social networking websites as teaching tools.

A former Royal Air Force electronic warfare strategist, Ian Yorston is now in demand as an education guru.

He is keynote speaker at the Independent Schools of New Zealand annual conference starting in Queenstown today and will address 170 delegates from 43 private schools from around the country on the importance of keeping up with technological advances.

"Computers are doubling their capabilities every 18 months and young people who have been raised with computers develop with the technology," he said.

Teachers often overlooked social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, as valuable learning tools, Mr Yorston said.

"They're free and many young people are already members. The internet applications available open up many educational options but, in many cases, schools have banned the use of them.

"A lot of students are walking around with phenomenal portable technology that allows them to connect with 1.5 billion people and schools can't control it, so they'd better embrace it."

Mr Yorston is Head of Digital Strategy at Radley College in Oxfordshire. Under his guidance, pupils have used Facebook and Twitter with great results.

"We link up students to talk about all subjects. It also allows students to link up with past pupils who are now at university and get advice."

The recent case of a Hastings man befriending Invercargill schoolgirls on Facebook and arranging meetings highlighted inherent dangers of the internet, Mr Yorston said.

"Schools' reactions to those sorts of worries has been to ban everything but that doesn't stop students being involved. The answer is to normalise teachers as monitors on the internet as well."

Independent School of New Zealand executive director Deborah James said independent schools around the country had adapted well to embracing new technology.

"Because we are not tied to a national curriculum, we have the freedom to be innovative with the use of new developments and technology," she said.

- © Fairfax NZ News