WEEK 30 – Contemporary trends in New Zealand or internationally

This week, I choose Rolfe et al.’s (2001) reflective model, which is based upon three simple questions: What? So what? Now what? This is about the contemporary trends in New Zealand or internationally.

Visser and Gagnon (2005), the term “trend” refers to the statistically observable change or general orientation of a general movement (Visser & Gagnon, 2005; Karataş et al, 2016). And Wilson (2012) notes that a characteristic of a “trend” is that the changes it brings would have impacts within the field or wider environment.

What?

Impact of digital learning for students is the emerging trend that I have chosen to reflect on. I am currently working as a classroom teacher in a 3:1 device composite class (Year 7 and 8). Despite the 3:1 device ratio, our school have a computer suite and 2 COWs (Computers on wheels) available for the students to use at any time. Prior to my journey with MindLab, I have doubt on how to transform my classroom from traditional to digital with a 21^st century skills focus. Back in March as I started at MindLab, I was confident that this journey will lead me to a right pathway on how to flip my classroom and empower my learners to access to the digital knowledge using digital technologies. Weeks later from the start of my MindLab journey, I pushed and challenged myself to trial out the concept of blended learning. Flipping my classroom through blended learning has helped me to become more digital fluent in my teaching while my students are learning anywhere at any time. It was evident (through my own experience) that the world is rapidly changing with new devices and new technologies.

So what?

Daggett (2014) explains the importance of making sure that we as teachers understand why we need to change our way of thinking, instead of how we are going to make that change. After watching Pearson (2013) video, it firmly reminds us that we need to keep up with the new technologies. Whether we agree or disagree with these change, the evolution of technologies is still going to have a great impact on our practices no matter what. We cannot stop it from coming and all we can do is to adapt and adopt the change. This brings me back to the MOE initiative, aiming at all New Zealand schools to be fully integrate and adopt the Digital Curriculum by the start of 2020 and we as teachers, need to be well prepared for it. I count myself as one of the lucky ones because MindLab has made me think through about what and why I need to change in my practice, as well as provide first-handed information of how to make the change. And therefore, I am promoting MindLab to all my team and syndicate members as well as our specialist staff.

Now what?

Now I feel more confident to use more digital tools and technologies in my practice in preparing my students for future-focused leaning. And I want to continue practising them within my blended learning classroom to bring the best outcomes on my 21^st century learners. MindLab also made me to realise that some of the current jobs will no longer exit in 2020, and some new jobs are yet to exit. The question is - are we preparing our students for jobs that may not even exit or for those ones that will no longer exit in 2020? As teachers, we should rise to meet this challenge and keep up with the modern devices and the latest educational tools and technologies. And if we are not keeping up with the new technologies, we are not doing any favour for our students (of Generation X) in this inter-connected world of teaching and learning.

References

Daggett, B. (2014). Addressing Current and Future Challenges in Education. Retrieved from http://www.leadered.com/pdf/2014MSC_AddressingCurrentandFutureChallenges.pdf

MOE. Future-focused Learning: Additional Resources.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lOKS8Mv-8M

OECD. (2016) Trends Shaping Education 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2016-en

Pearson. (2013). Global trends: The world is changing faster than at any time in human history.[video].Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdZiTQy3g1g