The document discusses how technology and digital literacy are transforming education. It makes three key points: 1) The traditional classroom model is obsolete for digital native students and education must shift to more student-centered, technology-enabled approaches like blended learning. 2) There is a need to shift education to focus on computational thinking and problem-solving skills needed for the digital age rather than just content retention. 3) Countries that modernize education with technology can empower students and teachers, helping students develop skills for future careers. Malaysia and other Asian countries are working to integrate these changes.

1. 2COVERSTORY
JANUARY 10, 2016NEW SUNDAY TIMES
LEARNING CURVE
O.C. YEOH
ocyeoh@nst.com.my
“It’s not about
using technology
to raise test
scores but to
provide a better
education.”
Marc Prensky,
of The Global Future Education
Foundation and Institute
T
ECHNOLOGY is changing the
world at a faster-than-ever
pace, and schools will have to
keep up by adapting.
TheMalaysiangovernmentknows
thisanditsEducationBlueprint2013-
2025seeksto“leverageICTtoscaleup
quality learning” across the country.
The urgency of transforming the
classroom to keep up with techno-
logical trends has therefore been rec-
ognised and is being implemented
under one of 11 shifts listed in the
blueprint for preschool to post-sec-
ondary education.
As Sumitra Nair, Multimedia
Development Corporation (MDeC)’s
director,DigitalMalaysia-Youth,told
an audience at the recent BETT Asia
Leadership Summit in Singapore: “If
wedon’tgetitright,wewillbeingrave
danger.”
In a world where one needs to be
both digital-literate and news-savvy
to stay ahead, educators need more
than ever to be empowered in their
mission of inspiring students.
This point and related ones were
highlighted over and over again at
the two-day event which brought
together senior education leaders,
practitioners and industry experts
from across Asia and beyond to dis-
cuss the theme, Transforming the
Future of Education in Asia.
Through presentations, panel
discussions and workshops that took
placealongsidealargeexhibitionand
demonstration area, members of the
educationcommunitynetworkedand
sharedideasonhowtoeffectivelyuse
technologytopersonaliseinstruction
and address the needs of every stu-
dent.
Like Sumitra, these education
experts recognised the need to
change the paradigm of technology
in the classroom, and those coun-
tries that are slower in facing up to
the new challenges arising from the
digital revolution will place its next
generationataseriousdisadvantage.
The following points are our key
take-away from the summit.
“PLAN A”IS NOW OBSOLETE
What has been the traditional model
of classroom instruction (call it Plan
A) will no longer work because of the
digital revolution.
For the Gen Z students of today,
whohavebeentermeddigitalnatives
because they were born in the Inter-
net age, one-way linear classroom
instruction will not work well and
knowledge is not meant to be deliv-
ered merely for consumption and
retention.
It has to be accepted that students
today do not want to learn just for the
sake of learning and passing exams
The future of
education is nowNEW CHALLENGES: Digital revolution changes paradigm of technology in classroom
the “old school” way.
MarcPrensky,ofTheGlobalFuture
Education Foundation and Institute,
said the traditional educational sys-
tem of preparing a class of students
for college has become obsolete.
Today’s classrooms are different
because of the shift from teacher-led
to student-centred learning.
Educators therefore should make
use of technology to change the ways
as well as purpose of learning for stu-
dents.
“It’snotaboutusingtechnologyto
raisetestscoresbuttoprovideabetter
education. What’s important is that
students are getting to use the Inter-
net for research, learning to organise
their work, learning to use profes-
sional writing tools, and learning to
collaborate with others,” said Adrian
Lim, (director, education — sectoral
innovation group, Infocomm Devel-
opment Authority of Singapore) on
Innovating for Education in a Smart
Nation.
“It’s no longer just about learning,
butimbuingasenseofhigherpurpose
thatbringsmeaning,significanceand
fulfillment.”
Digital natives will only thrive
when exposed to 21st century meth-
ods of teaching, like blended learn-
ing, flipped classroom, project-based
learning, gamification and simula-
tion.
Schools that offer personalised
learning environments will see their
studentsmaximisingtheirpotential.
SHIFT TO COMPUTATIONAL THINKING
When schools work to bring the out-
side world into the classroom and
integrate activities into its curricu-
lum, students too begin to take on
the role of solutionaries who look at
the world’s problems not as burdens
but rather as challenges.
Microsoft Worldwide Education
vice-president Anthony Salcito said
Microsoft is committed to partner-
ing with educators on their journey
to redefine learning.
Core to this mission is creating
immersive and inclusive learning
experiences that inspire lifelong
learning.
For students, these experiences
stimulate the development of essen-
tial life skills like computational
thinkingalongwithcommunication,
collaboration,criticalthinking,crea-
tivity and curiosity.
These are the timeless skills that
will propel our youths to successful
careers in the digital age.
With these skills, the youths will
become creators of new ideas rather
than users of old ones.
“AsAsianeconomiesandsocieties
become more and more digital, com-
putationalthinkingbecomesofpara-
mountimportance.Weareempower-
ingeducatorstocreateenvironments
inandoutoftheclassroomthatguide
and nurture student passions, and
enable students to achieve beyond
their greatest imaginations — mak-
ing, designing, inventing, building
the future,” said Salcito.
Sumitra, who presented Malay-
sia’seffortsinteachingdigitalnatives
higherorderthinkingviacomputing,
said that digital competency has
become a pre-requisite for participa-
tion in the digital economy, be it to
secure employment or to start a busi-
ness.
Inlinewiththis,Malaysia’sEduca-
tion Ministry and MDeC are working
together to integrate digital compe-
tency and computational thinking
into primary and secondary schools.
“The key objectives of this initia-
tivearetoequipstudentswithdigital
competenciesandtoenhancethestu-
dents’ Higher Order Thinking Skills
via computational thinking, consist-
ent with the Malaysian Education
Blueprint 2013-2025,” she said.
“Computationalthinkinginvolves
a set of problem-solving skills and
techniques based on computer sci-
enceconcepts.Computationalthink-
ing is increasingly being recognised
globallytobeasimportantasreading,
writing and arithmetic.
“Itprovidesastructuredapproach
for teaching students, how to think
in the digital age, hence leading to
higher order thinking skills.
“Itisusefulforsolvingproblemsin
bothICTandnon-ICTdomains,eg.to
understandandsolveenvironmental
problems, geographical issues, etc. It
is therefore applicable to any disci-
pline.”
This initiative is currently being
piloted in 24 schools in nine states
in Peninsular Malaysia, and one
Teacher Training Institute in IPG
Pendidikan Teknik from last April to
February 2016.
Upon successful completion of
the pilot, it is envisioned that the ini-
tiative will be extended to all schools
nationwide starting 2017 onwards.
“This year, we will be focusing
on integrating this new curriculum
into teacher training programs and
co-curricular activities in collabora-
tion with the Education Ministry,”
she added.
Salcito, who has travelled all over
the world to promote the culture of
learning,saidhehasbeenimpressed
withtheprogressmadeinAsia,where
“parents and governments recog-
nise the need for using technology to
transform education”.
He said that Microsoft has been
partnering governments to not just
digitise classrooms, but also bring
learning outside the classroom.
“Technology is an accelerator but
on its own, will not enable change,”
said Salcito.
“We believe in the power of the
educator and the school leader, and
the impact they can have when they
are brought together and recognised
for their achievements.
“Thisistheopportunityforemerg-
ing countries to leapfrog over their
developed counterparts.”
Salcito said that the Microsoft
Showcase Schools programme is
a leadership-focused initiative to
highlight innovative leadership and
teaching across globally-recognised
schools.
These Showcase Schools are cut-
ting-edgepremierinstitutionswhere
school leaders have a strong vision
for change. They are part of a profes-
sional community that recognises
and amplifies the use of technology
to drive school-wide transformation
and efficiencies.
“From that vision comes whole-
school transformations, creating
innovative learning environments
enabled by technology, where stu-
dents participate in their own learn-
ing to make their education and
achievementsmoreexciting,”hesaid.
“Microsoft Showcase Schools are
expertsinpersonalisedlearningthat
effectively use Microsoft solutions
like Surface, Office 365 Education,
OfficeMix,OneNote,Skypetoenable
lifelonglearninganytime,anywhere.
“When everything is integrated
online,thenwhenstudentsarework-
ing in Office 365, for example, teach-
Anthony Salcito said Microsoft is committed to redefining learning.