"ICT in education has moved beyond computer labs, with digital literacy a key skill for learners at all levels and exciting products to help teachers across all subject areas. ICT is seen to have the potential to revolutionize school-based education. It offers corporate the potential of investing in solutions that can then be scaled to make a widespread impact. But is this really the solution it promises to be? And, if so, what is preventing it becoming a reality?”
The workshop was informative and offered interesting
insights around various initiatives, lessons learnt and successes. The question that comes to mind – is the limited
adoption and integration of ICT in education due to the fact that we are trying
to use ICT to solve problems in an education system that is outdated and
flawed, versus understanding and leveraging the benefits of ICT as an enabler
to create more opportunities for learners and educators to be successful. Why not re-designing the education system for
an alternate learning and teaching outcomes instead? As Sugata Mitra puts it, “The Victorians were
great engineers. They engineered a [schooling] system that was so robust that
it's still with us today, continuously producing identical people for a machine
that no longer exists.” He offers an
interesting perspective on education as a self-organizing system, where
learning is an emergent phenomenon; and boldly states, “It took nature 100
million years to make the ape stand up and become Homo sapiens. It took us only
10,000 to make knowing obsolete.” Salman
Khan also sheds light on how the current flawed education system leaves a gap
in every student's core knowledge as opposed to unleashing the ability and creative
power of learners, while liberating teachers.
The current “one-size-fits-all” prescriptive education
system is a breeding ground for failure.
As an example, assume a classroom environment that is conducive of
learning (Learning & Teaching Support Materials are available,
Learner-to-educator ratio favorable, with a capable and experienced
teacher). The teacher prepares lesson plans to meet the
objectives set out in the curriculum, prepares classroom activities along with
resources to support the lesson plan. Learners
are then taught, assessed and graded. The
prescriptive nature of the curriculum and time constraints do not allow for
much redress and ultimately lead to accumulative core knowledge gaps and
inequality, as showcased in the Annual National Assessments and Matric Results.
The teacher in this environment is
typically limited to that of an instructor.
Now imagine a re-designed education system that leverages
all the benefits of ICT, eliminating core knowledge gaps and inequalities in
the learning process. Assume the same learning environment as
above, enhanced by ICT. Through dedicated social
networking, the teacher has access to a community of teaching professionals, a
platform that enables sharing and collaboration with access to peer-generated lesson
plans as well as a multitude of classroom activities and resources that cater
for different learning styles, thus empowering the teacher to deliver engaging
lessons that reach, motivate and inspire all learners. ICT extends learning opportunities beyond the
classroom and allows for a fundamental shift in the manner in which learners are
assessed. Technology enables automation
which allows assessing to be an iterative process. Learners would be able to take a test as many
times as possible, the result and subsequent improvements captured; providing
the teacher with a report which can then be used to tailor an action plan
unique to the learner in meeting core knowledge objectives based on their individual learning style. ICT in education enables learning
environments that are Connected: equitable, social and participatory; Adaptive: personalized;
and allows for Big Picture learning: real-world/real-life
learning that is student-centered, allowing learners to take ownership of their
education. The role of the teacher in
this environment includes that of instructor, facilitator and analyst.
The only question that remains – will we see these changes
in our lifetime?
The music
and media industries have seen major changes in their business models in the
manner in which they engage and interact with customers - thanks to digitization,
broadband and community collaboration.
These technological trends are the same disruptive forces bringing
change to the education sector...
I believe
we will!
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