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Preparing kids for jobs of tomorrow
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It has been more than 30 years since desktop computers began commonly appearing in primary and secondary school classrooms. Book reports would be slowly written by keen students still developing their typing skills, and digital art was produced using rudimentary graphics software and erratic mouse movements. The most ambitious would attempt simple procedural programming starting with the classic “Hello World” proclamation. Perhaps not an educational technology-driven revolution at this stage, but certainly the beginning of a new chapter in teaching and learning.
It would likely be some of these same pioneering students who would go on to develop the artificial intelligence-powered adaptive learning platforms, and the immersive virtual reality learning experiences that are now at the forefront of modern-day educational technology.
Educational technology in international schools can be a particularly powerful and important tool. When employed thoughtfully and creatively, it can redefine the way lessons are taught as opposed to merely substituting for more traditional classroom resources. Students can be transported far beyond the walls of their classrooms, enabling them to reconnect with their home cultures and those of their classmates and teachers.
To truly embrace being an internationally minded community requires us to take advantage of the wealth of connections that we can make through technology. This might mean taking part in a live-streamed lesson with scientists on the international space station, or simply forming a book club with a class of students in a different country.
As a design technology teacher, technological advancements have not only enriched the learning environment, but also driven the development of course curriculum. While approaches to teaching mathematics, physics and history may have changed over the past 30 years, the fundamentals of these courses will have remained largely the same.
This is an entirely different story for design technology, where students are now learning about manufacturing techniques and sustainable technologies that had previously not existed. They have access to classroom computer-aided design/manufacturing equipment that would have been otherwise restricted to professional environments. Students can engage in a truly iterative design process where they can use cutting-edge, rapid-prototyping techniques to produce high-fidelity products in response to their design objectives.
Not everyone is so enthusiastic about technology in the classroom, however. Some will point out that our students are already spending far too long each day staring at screens. Others might say technology does too much of the thinking for us now, with mental arithmetic and spelling areas of particular concern. While these may be valid points, they must be balanced against the need to best prepare students for a workplace that will expect innovative, adaptive individuals with high levels of digital proficiency.
Perhaps it is sensible to stop short of the grandiose statement that we should be preparing most of our students for jobs that do not exist yet. However, it would be irresponsible and shortsighted not to.
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