Building Condition Assessment
Education Readiness Review
“The insular citadel
that used to be schools is quickly changing to a model where “school” is not
just a place, but a doorway to a world of learning. The ease with which students of all ages will
be able to pass through this doorway will determine the success or failure not
only of any particular school, the institution of the school itself”. Parkash Nair 2000
The concern of such an educational review is that it will support
future challenges but will not dictate the direction of the educational
changes. The design and approach need to
be such that it supports current practices but is versatile enough to
accommodate the possible future changes and trends. To effectively assess the readiness it becomes
necessary to review the perceived future trends in educational technology and
educational pedagogy and theory. This
review of the trends will have direct ramifications on the facilities and will
require certain designs to accommodate these trends.
Dr. Darren Cannell is a consultant who does building assessments and staff training. He can be contacted at
The first of the 12 trends is as follows:
Access to
technology
In the past access to technology was achieved by creating a
computer lab in which the student would be given selected scheduled time in
which to sit in front of a desktop computer doing technology training and
internet access. The computer lab was
the most cost effective way to make sure that students had some access to
technology. The need to have a computer lab
in the modern school became a thing of the past when portable computing devices
decreased in price and were owned by much of the student body. It is now possible, cost effective, and
practical for all students in grade four and above to have continuous access to
portable technology that would give them access to the internet when and where
it is required. The accommodation that
this requires is an area where such technology can be stored and charged.
The current educational trend and research which speaks to this is
the “one to one” movement.