Schools that simply ban mobile phones or social networking sites from the classroom are failing to provide children a 21st century education, an expert in the field says.
Aidan McCarthy was a keynote speaker at a forum in Brisbane this week discussing the use of technology in schools.
Having worked with Microsoft in the US and around the world, he is now the head of information and learning technologies at two private schools in Perth.
Mr McCarthy said while classrooms had undergone incremental changes in response to new technologies, it was time to step back and re-examine what it meant to be a teacher in the digital age.
"Most schools have got policies where kids can't access social networking sites or they can't bring a mobile phone to school. (But) these are day-to-day type devices that they're currently using," Mr McCarthy said.
"These sorts of devices are so powerful now.
"We haven't really sat down and really thought about, `Is this an important tool?' A lot of us are still thinking this is just a mobile phone and a mobile phone is for talking and this should not be in class."
Mr McCarthy said it was common for primary school students to know more about the latest technology than their teachers "who grew up in an age of video players and Commodore 64 computers".
"We're never going to be able to keep up with the kids of today. It's about allowing them to be able to express themselves with the contemporary tools that are available."
However, he conceded there needed to be rules.
"It's a bit like giving a kid a car and letting them go for it. We've got to give them the driver's licence as well on how best to use it. Have them think critically: is this the best, most appropriate way of doing things?"
Mr McCarthy denied private schools were better placed to adopt new technologies, saying teachers' leadership skills were far more important than money.
At his schools, Mr McCarthy said they had hired former students, currently at university, to come back and teach students about digital technology.
"If every child in a school is to be given a notebook computer, schools are going to struggle to provide enough IT staff to solve technical problems without huge delays," he said.
"Students should be made masters of their own machines. Each student should own their own notebook and become their own technicians.
"Schools of the future should be equipped with `healing stations' where students can plug in their devices, solve any technical issues and quickly move on with their day."
While completely virtual classrooms do exist in the US, most children needed at least some face-to-face time, Mr McCarthy said.
"I can see in the near future that, particularly in the Years 11 and 12, there maybe three days on campus and two days off campus, a bit of a blend of learning," he said.
Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) executive director Dr John Roulston said events such as this week's ISQ Information Communication and Technology Forum, at St Paul's College, were vital in a fast-changing world.
"Forums such as this are vital in opening up and sharing ideas for our educators as it is through these we devise the best way for forward for our schools, students and teachers," Dr Roulston said.