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- 1. 2COVERSTORY JANUARY 10, 2016NEW SUNDAY TIMES LEARNING CURVE O.C. YEOH [email protected] “It’s not about using technology to raise test scores but to provide a better education.” Marc Prensky, of The Global Future Education Foundation and Institute T ECHNOLOGY is changing the world at a faster-than-ever pace, and schools will have to keep up by adapting. TheMalaysiangovernmentknows thisanditsEducationBlueprint2013- 2025seeksto“leverageICTtoscaleup quality learning” across the country. The urgency of transforming the classroom to keep up with techno- logical trends has therefore been rec- ognised and is being implemented under one of 11 shifts listed in the blueprint for preschool to post-sec- ondary education. As Sumitra Nair, Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC)’s director,DigitalMalaysia-Youth,told an audience at the recent BETT Asia Leadership Summit in Singapore: “If wedon’tgetitright,wewillbeingrave danger.” In a world where one needs to be both digital-literate and news-savvy to stay ahead, educators need more than ever to be empowered in their mission of inspiring students. This point and related ones were highlighted over and over again at the two-day event which brought together senior education leaders, practitioners and industry experts from across Asia and beyond to dis- cuss the theme, Transforming the Future of Education in Asia. Through presentations, panel discussions and workshops that took placealongsidealargeexhibitionand demonstration area, members of the educationcommunitynetworkedand sharedideasonhowtoeffectivelyuse technologytopersonaliseinstruction and address the needs of every stu- dent. Like Sumitra, these education experts recognised the need to change the paradigm of technology in the classroom, and those coun- tries that are slower in facing up to the new challenges arising from the digital revolution will place its next generationataseriousdisadvantage. The following points are our key take-away from the summit. “PLAN A”IS NOW OBSOLETE What has been the traditional model of classroom instruction (call it Plan A) will no longer work because of the digital revolution. For the Gen Z students of today, whohavebeentermeddigitalnatives because they were born in the Inter- net age, one-way linear classroom instruction will not work well and knowledge is not meant to be deliv- ered merely for consumption and retention. It has to be accepted that students today do not want to learn just for the sake of learning and passing exams The future of education is nowNEW CHALLENGES: Digital revolution changes paradigm of technology in classroom the “old school” way. MarcPrensky,ofTheGlobalFuture Education Foundation and Institute, said the traditional educational sys- tem of preparing a class of students for college has become obsolete. Today’s classrooms are different because of the shift from teacher-led to student-centred learning. Educators therefore should make use of technology to change the ways as well as purpose of learning for stu- dents. “It’snotaboutusingtechnologyto raisetestscoresbuttoprovideabetter education. What’s important is that students are getting to use the Inter- net for research, learning to organise their work, learning to use profes- sional writing tools, and learning to collaborate with others,” said Adrian Lim, (director, education — sectoral innovation group, Infocomm Devel- opment Authority of Singapore) on Innovating for Education in a Smart Nation. “It’s no longer just about learning, butimbuingasenseofhigherpurpose thatbringsmeaning,significanceand fulfillment.” Digital natives will only thrive when exposed to 21st century meth- ods of teaching, like blended learn- ing, flipped classroom, project-based learning, gamification and simula- tion. Schools that offer personalised learning environments will see their studentsmaximisingtheirpotential. SHIFT TO COMPUTATIONAL THINKING When schools work to bring the out- side world into the classroom and integrate activities into its curricu- lum, students too begin to take on the role of solutionaries who look at the world’s problems not as burdens but rather as challenges. Microsoft Worldwide Education vice-president Anthony Salcito said Microsoft is committed to partner- ing with educators on their journey to redefine learning. Core to this mission is creating immersive and inclusive learning experiences that inspire lifelong learning. For students, these experiences stimulate the development of essen- tial life skills like computational thinkingalongwithcommunication, collaboration,criticalthinking,crea- tivity and curiosity. These are the timeless skills that will propel our youths to successful careers in the digital age. With these skills, the youths will become creators of new ideas rather than users of old ones. “AsAsianeconomiesandsocieties become more and more digital, com- putationalthinkingbecomesofpara- mountimportance.Weareempower- ingeducatorstocreateenvironments inandoutoftheclassroomthatguide and nurture student passions, and enable students to achieve beyond their greatest imaginations — mak- ing, designing, inventing, building the future,” said Salcito. Sumitra, who presented Malay- sia’seffortsinteachingdigitalnatives higherorderthinkingviacomputing, said that digital competency has become a pre-requisite for participa- tion in the digital economy, be it to secure employment or to start a busi- ness. Inlinewiththis,Malaysia’sEduca- tion Ministry and MDeC are working together to integrate digital compe- tency and computational thinking into primary and secondary schools. “The key objectives of this initia- tivearetoequipstudentswithdigital competenciesandtoenhancethestu- dents’ Higher Order Thinking Skills via computational thinking, consist- ent with the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025,” she said. “Computationalthinkinginvolves a set of problem-solving skills and techniques based on computer sci- enceconcepts.Computationalthink- ing is increasingly being recognised globallytobeasimportantasreading, writing and arithmetic. “Itprovidesastructuredapproach for teaching students, how to think in the digital age, hence leading to higher order thinking skills. “Itisusefulforsolvingproblemsin bothICTandnon-ICTdomains,eg.to understandandsolveenvironmental problems, geographical issues, etc. It is therefore applicable to any disci- pline.” This initiative is currently being piloted in 24 schools in nine states in Peninsular Malaysia, and one Teacher Training Institute in IPG Pendidikan Teknik from last April to February 2016. Upon successful completion of the pilot, it is envisioned that the ini- tiative will be extended to all schools nationwide starting 2017 onwards. “This year, we will be focusing on integrating this new curriculum into teacher training programs and co-curricular activities in collabora- tion with the Education Ministry,” she added. Salcito, who has travelled all over the world to promote the culture of learning,saidhehasbeenimpressed withtheprogressmadeinAsia,where “parents and governments recog- nise the need for using technology to transform education”. He said that Microsoft has been partnering governments to not just digitise classrooms, but also bring learning outside the classroom. “Technology is an accelerator but on its own, will not enable change,” said Salcito. “We believe in the power of the educator and the school leader, and the impact they can have when they are brought together and recognised for their achievements. “Thisistheopportunityforemerg- ing countries to leapfrog over their developed counterparts.” Salcito said that the Microsoft Showcase Schools programme is a leadership-focused initiative to highlight innovative leadership and teaching across globally-recognised schools. These Showcase Schools are cut- ting-edgepremierinstitutionswhere school leaders have a strong vision for change. They are part of a profes- sional community that recognises and amplifies the use of technology to drive school-wide transformation and efficiencies. “From that vision comes whole- school transformations, creating innovative learning environments enabled by technology, where stu- dents participate in their own learn- ing to make their education and achievementsmoreexciting,”hesaid. “Microsoft Showcase Schools are expertsinpersonalisedlearningthat effectively use Microsoft solutions like Surface, Office 365 Education, OfficeMix,OneNote,Skypetoenable lifelonglearninganytime,anywhere. “When everything is integrated online,thenwhenstudentsarework- ing in Office 365, for example, teach- Anthony Salcito said Microsoft is committed to redefining learning.