I wrote this article , in which I discuss the importance of students having 24/7 access to technology, in 2005. And in 2020 we’re still talking about it. Some of the terminology may have changed in the last 15 years, but the principles remain the same. I think it‘s very disappointing that the article is still largely relevant.
We keep hearing about how wonderful it will be when students can learn 24/7, thanks to the advent or at least the dissemination of virtual learning environments, learning platforms, or whatever other name you wish to give them.
But what does this really mean, and what pressures does it place on teachers?
What does 24/7 learning mean?
The answer, to be precise, is nothing at all, on the simple grounds that we always have learnt 24/7 from the moment we appeared on the planet. After all, even when you're sleeping, your brain is still doing data processing. In other words, the term is a misnomer: what it should really be is 24/7 access.
Now, you may think that this is unduly pedantic, but it is, I believe, an important point to make. I was one of the trainers on a course for headteachers (principals) recently, and one of the headteachers said something along the lines of: "Why should we expect children to learn 24/7? Aren't they allowed to be children?"
If you take the view that children are always learning in some form or other, the question ceases to have meaning, or at least the impression of systems being set up solely to ensure that children never have a break from formal schooling is dispelled.
The idea of being able to enjoy - and I do mean enjoy - 24/7 access is really an idea about choice. If you know that you can check what your homework is at 6 am or 10 pm (parents willing, or unknowing, of course!), then the idea of what we might call a personalised learning style starts to become a reality. This, too, is an important idea, and not merely clever wording. Educationalists often talk about individual learning styles, and personalised learning, but they do not put the two together. Having access 24/7 enables you to find, and then conform to, your own personalised learning style or, if you like, personalised learning pattern.
For example, I do my most creative work in the morning or late at night. The afternoon is my low point, and so to optimise the use of my time I reserve the afternoons for the things that don't require much creativity: shopping, paying bills, answering routine emails and so on. I am aided in this by the fact that I have 24/7 access to most of the resources I need in order to do my work.
The benefits of 24/7 access can - and should - be extended to parents also. Parents should be able to see what homework their child has been set, and how s/he is doing in tests, any time they like. We now live in an age where the fact that a parent or carer is working shift work, and can therefore rarely attend a parents' evening to meet his child's teachers to discuss her work, should not matter as much as it used to. In fact, the technology is there to enable parents 24/7 access to assignments and marks, and it is becoming harder and harder for schools to bury their heads in the sand and try to carry on business as usual as if nothing has changed. The fact that many parents do not want or cannot have 24/7 access is not in itself an excuse for not making the facility available.
However, there are always at least two sides to every issue, and in the case of 24/7 access there are several points that need to be addressed if teachers are not to feel under immense pressure to be available 24/7.
It should be axiomatic that 24/7 student access should not mean 24/7 teacher availability. Everyone knows this, but it isn't said — certainly not by those who have a vested interest in teachers being available 24/7 to meet students' and parents' demands!
If assignments, students' grades, lesson plans, worksheets and so on are to be placed on the web to be accessible 24/7, a system must first be put into place to make this happen that does not rely on teachers physically uploading the materials or data and fiddling with access rights. These jobs should be undertaken by administrative staff or network technicians. Certainly in the UK, teachers now have the right to refuse to undertake such work.
It's a good idea — in fact, virtually essential — for lesson plans and materials to be created and uploaded well in advance of when the teacher thinks they will be required. That really means right at the start of the school year. For that to happen, teachers must be given the time to do it. This could be achieved by teachers being given a week at the start of the term or semester before the students return to school after the summer break, ie have the students come in a week later. Alternatively, ask teachers to come in a week early - and pay them overtime to do so. And make sure that there is 24/7 access so that those teachers who prefer to work at 3 am on their materials can do so.
Students and parents need to have their expectations managed. To be specific, they need to know that the fact that they can submit their assignment at 2am on Sunday morning, or send a message to Mrs Jenkins at 8pm on Friday night, does not entitle them to a reply any faster than would have been the case had they done those things during normal school hours. In other words, the customer-focus nature of 24/7 access is to do with convenience for the customer; it does not bestow the right to insist on some version of a 24/7 call-out system. After all, education is important, but it hardly fits into the category of emergency service!
There is no doubt that 24/7 access has many benefits, but the underlying systems must be planned and managed properly, and customers' expectations managed wisely.
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