What If ... technology in the 21st century classroom

Near North District School Board Trustee
News Release

*************************

Yesterday, the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) is released a Discussion Paper entitled: What If? Technology in the 21st Century Classroom. Public School trustees want to engage the province in a meaningful focused discussion about classrooms of the 21st century. Trustees want to be part of developing a provincial vision and strategies that will make all our classrooms connected and relevant.

“Today’s students are leaders in the use of technology and we know they want their learning experiences in school to reflect this,” said Colleen Schenk, president of OPSBA. “Students want to take the technology they use in their daily lives and integrate it with how they learn. They want their learning clearly connected to the world beyond the school.”

The Discussion Paper asks the question: “How can schools continue to be connected and relevant in the world of the 21st century?” It explores the relationship between the use of technology and the scope for increasing the quality of teaching and learning.

“The reality is very apparent that the Ontario public education system is in danger of being left behind by the students it serves because many have to power down to fit into the current learning environment,” said one of the co-authors and Near North District School Board Trustee David Thompson. “While paper and pen still have their place in the classroom, our 21st Century students need the IT skills to create, analyze and collaborate. So, the pressure on the Ministry of Education and Public School Boards is to embed technology into effective classroom learning strategies.”

Innovative use of technology is proliferating in our schools but it is not keeping pace with the integration of multi-media in the lives of our students and it is not offering a clear and preferred alternative to the flexibility of virtual schools. In a very real sense this challenge is not about machines and devices; it is about what learning should look like. For young people today learning occurs in a wider space and time. How do we in the school system facilitate learning in this wider sense?
Teachers in many schools are using technology to support different learning styles and engage all learners, offering developmentally appropriate learning experiences through a variety of media. What is missing is a comprehensive set of guidelines for all teachers that describe how they would use technology to: promote innovative thinking and collaborative work; incorporate rich digital resources into student learning; employ varied assessment methods that can in turn improve learning; model ethical practices in the digital age and strengthen their own professional development.
The discussion paper can be found on the Near North District School Board website at www.nearnorthschools.ca.

*************************