Addressing current and future challenges in education

What?

Trends are taking place worldwide that have tremendous effects on every aspect of society and it's citizens. The National Intelligence Council (2017) and KPMG International (2014) say that in this globalisation and interconnected era, no country can be completely immune from the impact of trends such as climate change or digital technology. Digital technology acceleration is seeing 21st learners as digital citizens, using a range of devices and platforms. Student learning is reaching beyond passive receipts of knowledge and moving towards students actively seeking knowledge, extending their learning beyond the classroom walls and into the digital learning environment. The changes in learning behaviour is a global phenomenon, and although it's not confined to a specific country or region, New Zealand is definitely feeling the impact of this current digital movement.

So What?

Because of the shift that digital technology is making currently, it has encouraged me to become more informed around the successful implementation of digital devices into my classroom practices. Originally my class was split where the Year 5's had chrome books to work from while the younger Year 4 students had to share out-of-date iPads. This proved extremely difficult as it initiated a divide among my students first and foremost, as well as making the consistency of learning difficult for both myself and the class.

New Media Consortium (2017) address the significant challenges and developments within the digital movement, suggesting a number of possible strategies for schools in order to help them be successful. Two examples of strategies include:

1. schools being structured to promote new ideas, providing successful and sustainable models for cultural transformation; 
2. and educators supporting students to be active creators.

New Media Consortium (2017) suggest that educators can do this by providing make and create opportunities, active learning classroom environments, and the inclusion of coding and robotics in their programmes as these types of activities encourage students to create and experiment in ways that encourage complex thinking.

Now What?

Becoming digitally fluent has always been a professional goal for me as I'm aware of the changes our education system are making regarding technology. The first change I made to make the use of devices more successful was removing the use of iPads completely, as it created a consistency among users. As there are not enough chrome books for the entirety of the class, I've began to organise the use of technology to specific learning tasks and follow up activities. For example, during literacy one group will be completing an individual task using their devices while the other group are in a guided reading session with the teacher. Follow this, there may be a group activity where the students are working together to research and find relevant information using one devices between them.

Educators and students need to be adaptable to the changes in technology and the new educational paradigms that are being introduced, and by allowing for consistency and having organised use of the digital devices, our classroom are seeing a lot more success than we were at the beginning of the year. From here, I will look at solidifying the knowledge my students have around the use of their devices and how they access the tools in their drive. We will also be looking at sharing and commenting on others work in order to provide feedback and assistance.

References

National Intelligence Council. (2017). Global trends: The Paradox of Progress. National Intelligence Council: US. Retrieved from https://www.dni.gov/files/images/global Trends/documents/GT-Main-Report.pdf

KPMG International. (2014). Future state 2030: the global megatrends shaping governments” [Video]. KPMG International Cooperative: USA. Retrieved from http://www.kpmg.com/Global/en/IssuesAndIns ights/ArticlesPublications/future-state-government/Documents/future-state-2030-v3.pdf

Daggett, B. (2014). Addressing Current and Future Challenges in Education. Retrieved from http://www.leadered.com/pdf/2014 MSC_AddressingCurrentandFutureChallenges.pdf