D Technology

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 536.

C The realities of students

There is currently a great emphasis on STEM skills, but there is also a persistent lack of interest from students (particularly girls) in these subjects and jobs compared to other disciplines and professions. Many learners feel disconnected from the reality of industry and lack real-world experience in crucial subjects.

Students increasingly expect to acquire competences that make them employable in the future. These include media and ICT literacy, communication, problem solving and collaboration.

Students live in worlds filled with engaging technology and opportunities to pursue personal interests and motivations. Once they enter schools they have to leave behind such interests and motivations. This creates a divide between the way “schools teach” and the way “students learn” in informal learning environments. Schools are nowadays facing a challenge trying to bridge this gap.

Learning resources are increasingly available digitally. The saturation of information, and ubiquitous access to such information, are becoming a challenge for many students who don't know how to deal with such complexity and abundance.

Learning spaces (i.e. physical ones) may not change in the next few years but advances in enabling ICT means the dynamics of learning (personalisation, collaboration inside and beyond classroom) will.

Learning platforms (e.g. VLEs / LMSs) will continue to play a role as management tools but advances in Web 2.0 (and Web 3.0) will challenge these technologies as traditional content delivery models.

User generated content and high quality shareable resources will increasingly support teacher led and peer based learning as suitable standards emerge or are developed.

Integration of interactive display technologies such as whiteboards and other multi-touch devices with other technologies e.g. net books, smart phones, learning platforms (some owned by school and some by learner) will promote collaborative learning and move it beyond ‘transmission' and ‘instruction'.

Research into the use of digital games, 3D, immersive learning environments and augmented reality have provided positive results so far. Further research is necessary, and likely to take place, which must demonstrate how the potential benefits may be brought to scale.

http://www.eun.org/observatory/trends/trends-by-teachers-students

VOCABULARY

1 Read the text and discuss its main idea.