Vision Statement

The vision of learning technologists should be to facilitate the implementation of an “anytime, anywhere” blend of real and technology enhanced, collaborative learning opportunities through 1-to-1 provision for all of their students. Technology will be a seamless part of teaching and learning, assessment for learning, flipped learning, problem/project based learning, collaboration and the development of those 21st century skills for the “real world,” and communication between all stakeholders.

All students have the right to the best education and teaching we can provide to prepare them for their lives. Until there is a radical change in the structure of educational assessment in schools all around the world, it is likely that our young people will need to express subject knowledge through national summative exams and we must prepare them for these experiences. It is clear that the “real world” skills of critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation, the 4C’s as described by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, have become an increased focus as part of the Common Core State Standards in the United States. These skills are at the core of the International Baccalaureate’s approaches to learning and the IB programme is an attractive option for schools looking to develop 21st Century Skills in their students. To meet these needs, educators may have to employ strategies of directed instruction and methods that follow Instructivist theories along with Constructivist approaches that enhance the opportunity for independent learning and collaborative study opportunities. When there is pressure to complete programmes of study with the given timetable, making the best use of classroom time to develop 21st Century skills may be best managed using a blended and flipped learning environment. Bishop and Verleger (2014) report on research that highlights that students are positive about these new learning models while Kazua and Demirkolb (2014) report that students in the blended learning environment performed better on average than those in a traditional classroom.

The knowledge and experience of the teacher allows them to identify the appropriate strategy on a day to day basis or even within a given lesson and this blend in a traditional classroom is what typifies outstanding teachers. The challenge is to transfer these skills to the use of technology and take that use of technology to the “modification” and “redefine” states of the SAMR model.

To develop these 21st Century Skills in our students (aligned to the NET-S and the Big 6 process model), our teachers need to be confident in their application of appropriate strategies when choosing and using technology. The use of technology integration planning and the TPACK model allows teachers to identify their technological, pedagogical and content knowledge and design lessons using technology based on the strategies required from the identified outcomes.

To facilitate teachers to become expert technology users in their classrooms, learning technology teams encompassing school leaders, learning technology curriculum coordinators, classroom integration coaches, ICT teachers, and librarians will work together to integrate the skills of technology use to enhance the digital skills and literacy of our students, teachers and parents.

References:

Bishop, J. L., & Verleger, M. (2013). The flipped classroom: A survey of the research. ASEE National Conference Proceedings, Atlanta, GA.

International Baccalaureate Organization (2014). Middle Years Programme curriculum: Areas of interaction. Retrieved from: http://www.ibo.org/myp/curriculum/interaction/approaches/

ISTE (2008). Standards for Students.  Retrieved from: http://www.iste.org/docs/learning-and-leading-docs/nets-s-standards

ISTE (2008). Standards for Teacher.  Retrieved from: http://www.iste.org/docs/learning-and-leading-docs/nets-t-standards

Kazua, I. Y., & Demirkolb, M. (2014). EFFECT OF BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT MODEL ON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT. TOJET, 13(1).

Partnership for 21st Century Skills (nd). Retrieved from: http://www.p21.org/about-us/our-mission

Puentedura, R. (nd). SAMR: A Contextualised Introduction. Retrieved from: http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2013/10/25/SAMRAContextualizedIntroduction.pdf

The Big 6 (nd). Big6 Skills Overview. Retrieved from: http://big6.com/pages/about/big6-skills-overview.php

TPACK (nd). Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge. Retrieved from: http://tpack.org