Monday 15 August 2016

Moving digital technologies curriculum

In July 2009 the "body of knowledge" around technology was made available.
http://dtg.tki.org.nz/content/download/3015/15055/file/Technological%20Context%20Knowledge%20and%20Skills%20(July%2009).pdf

This document outlined the skills and knowledge that learners should develop and understand. The first time digital technologies was included in such a document. These help develop the knowledge and understanding that formed the achievement standards and indicators of progression. I often look at this document, surprisingly I have printed it off and put it in my nzc2007 book that is in my bag. I feared that it would be removed from the tiki website.
How many of the ideas in the digital technologies sections have been included in classes?

These ideas were nothing new in 2009, however they were new to teachers who were changing programs away from technology achievement standards that were not functional with the programmes of delivery at the time, mostly were based around Information management and aspects of digital media.

With the current strands of digital information and the aspect of teachers skills and time, it is not possible to teach all the strands in the qualification years. Is it surprising that there are programmes that are outside of schools.

The changing nature of education means that students have opportunities to gather learning from outside sources. Are we meeting the needs of our students? Think how many teachers are now tutoring students in ncea topics? This has been going on for years even before NCEA, is digital technologies now a part of the the possible failure of the education sector?

How are schools adaptive to change? Are outside organisations able to change their programmes more to cater for their learners? How could schools learn from these organisations?

We are about to go through a rapid and quick change that has already been signaled that education and industry will be involved with.

We need to be looking at new ideas, new models of teaching and learning, the ideas of assessments and what they are and how they are assessed, are we looking at the individual or looking at the ideas of industry around collaboration and team work. If digital technologies is to be taught in an integrated curriculum, who are we going to look at, develop inspiration from? Could this form part of the ERO visit in school (ERO will be sitting at the table in the forthcoming meetings)?

Challenging digital technologies through innovation and creativity should be top. Not just things on the side. We need to be moving away from assessments that look at mastery of a skill, looking at the ideas of integrating software and technologies needs to be forefront.

Looking at the education strategy for 2025 http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Ministry/Initiatives/Lifelonglearners.pdf how are schools and learners best developing programmes of learning to cater for all students, not just the 33% that go to university and then the 39% that drop out after the first year. How are could we be developing the ideas of the future learner, one that has the potential to go through 8 possible careers through their lifetime.

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