In her keynote address at the National Diploma in Teaching award ceremony, Prof. S.P. Karunanayaka emphasized the importance of reimagining education in the digital era, highlighting the need for teachers to develop 21st-century skills and integrate technology into their pedagogy. She encouraged educators to embrace innovative approaches and design meaningful learning experiences that cater to the evolving educational landscape. The address also underscored the significance of open educational resources (OER) and the changing dynamics of the teacher-student relationship in creating interactive learning environments.

1. PROF. S.P. KARUNANAYAKA 1
Keynote Address: Award Ceremony – National Diploma in Teaching – NCOE: 18.10.2022
REIMAGINING LEARNING IN THE DIGITAL ERA
Ayubowan!
Distinguished Invitees, All Awardees, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am very happy and honored to be invited to deliver a keynote address at this significant
event.
First, let me congratulate all the awardees who are receiving their Diplomas today. Well
done everyone! Today, you have reached an important milestone in your professional career
as a teacher. Becoming a holder of a National Diploma in Teaching is a new beginning for
you to function as an effective teacher. Armed with your enhanced knowledge, skills, and
attitudes, I am positive that you are well-prepared to move forward in this exciting
educational journey. Being a former schoolteacher for a decade, and currently a university
educator engaged in teacher professional development for almost three decades, I am
particularly delighted to be with you today. Let me take this opportunity to share some
thoughts with you on the topic, “Reimagining learning in the digital era”.
You are teachers of the 21st
century, which is also referred to as the ‘digital age’, or the
‘information age’. This is an era where digital technologies are significantly affecting our lives
in many aspects, including learning and teaching. This era is also powered by the knowledge
economy that values specific skill sets, or workplace competencies replacing the traditional
rote learning skills, to develop knowledge workers. The concept of a knowledge worker is
linked with the ability to produce and use information effectively which are vital skills in a
knowledge-based society.
We often hear the term 21st century skills, and the importance of developing these skills in
our students. These are, the 4Cs - critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and
communication skills, as well as other skills such as problem solving, information literacy,
media literacy, flexibility, adaptability…etc. Are these ‘new’ skills? Of course not, we are
well-aware of these human capacities. However, a critical re-examination of such skills in
terms of their transferability to the contemporary world of work is a need of the hour. A
strategic approach is essential to develop such transferable skills in learners, to meet the
demands of the 21st century, and a rapidly changing digital society. This essentially requires
redefining and reimagining learning and teaching.
In the context of educational demands of the 21st
century, and living in an evolving digitally
mediated society, we, as teachers and educators, have a great responsibility to cater to the
needs of learners in the digital age. The increased use of digital technologies in teaching and
learning, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic which accelerated technological adoption
in education, the digital competence of teachers and learners has become more important
than ever. A Digital Competence Framework published by the European Commission
describes five key competence areas - information and data literacy, communication and
collaboration, digital content creation, safety, and problem solving. These are very relevant
and applicable in our context too.
The digital age represents an important time of educational change. Fundamentally, digital
transformation is about changing processes, rather than just digitizing the already existing
processes. Teachers can, and should, play a significant role in making such a difference, as

2. PROF. S.P. KARUNANAYAKA 2
‘change agents’. These changes comprise not only technological integrations, but also the
pedagogical approaches. Each of you are subject matter experts in various disciplines such as
Arts, Sciences, Languages, ICT…etc. An appropriate blend or a merge among the subject
matter content, pedagogical approaches and technology integration is vital to facilitate
student learning. Consequently, to be effective in technology-enhanced learning and
teaching, teachers must develop both technological and pedagogical competencies, to
create resourceful and meaningful learning environments for your students.
Teaching is described as a ‘design science’, and thus teachers are designers. What do we
design? We engage in designing learning experiences for our students. Learning experience
design is a very creative process. Innovative pedagogy as well as novel technology play a
significant role in the process of learning experience design. How can teachers function as
designers of innovative technology-enhanced learning experiences? That is possible through
exploring and employing novel and creative approaches to teaching. As Michael Fullan
explained teacher development is “a process to develop new insights into pedagogy and
their own practice and explore new or advanced understandings of content and resources”.
Empower yourselves to be active creators of resourceful learning environments for your
students based on innovative pedagogy and novel technology!
Technology is not just a collection of tools, machines, or devices. It is a way of acting, which
includes processes, techniques, and strategies. Integration of technology in learning involves
the practical application of technological tools to support knowledge construction of the
learners. This implicates the pedagogy, which is about the learning- teaching process.
Adoption of learning-centred pedagogical approaches where learners engage in solving real-
world problems will lead to meaningful learning. Students being active, collaborative,
constructive, authentic, and goal-directed, are fundamental characteristics of meaningful
learning. Various innovative pedagogies such as scenario-based learning, flipped classroom,
gamification, self-organized learning environments, and learning by designing, are now
effectively in practice. Technology allows you to provide variety in learning experiences and
flexibility in learning, promote self-regulated learning, as well as collaborative and
cooperative learning. When integrating technology into your pedagogical practices in
different content areas, it is important to pay attention to diverse levels of technology, their
affordances, applications, and different ways of integration. In the current scenario,
empowering yourselves to become active creators of meaningful learning environments by
integrating digital practices into your learning- teaching processes is vital. However, as Fullan
stated, bear in mind that, “Pedagogy is the driver, and technology is the accelerator”!
Teacher knowledge on the subject matter content, pedagogy, and technology cannot be
considered in isolation, since all three aspects are interrelated, and intertwined, as explained
by the TPACK Framework introduced by Koehler & Mishra. Accordingly, to teach effectively
with technology, teachers need three broad knowledge bases – technological, pedagogical,
and content knowledge, as well as the interactions among them. It also emphasizes the role
of context within teaching and learning, Teachers will select and use technology to design
learning experiences created for specific pedagogies, for specific content, in specific learning
contexts. An appropriate convergence of content, technology, and pedagogy should happen
when designing a meaningful learning experience. Thus, meaningful learning experience
design essentially requires the necessary technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge,
and content knowledge.
Currently, a wide variety of digital learning resources are available online which provide
updated content. However, all of these are not free or accessible. The concept of Open

3. PROF. S.P. KARUNANAYAKA 3
Educational Resources (OER) is very useful for teachers to create resourceful learning
environments. OER are learning, teaching, and research materials in any format, which are
freely and openly accessible and allowed to be reused, and even repurposed according to
our needs. Since OER are openly licensed, users are permitted to engage in the 5R activities:
Retain; Reuse; Revise; Remix; and Redistribute. OER increase accessibility, flexibility, equal
opportunity, adaptability, and less restrictions in the use of learning resources, resulting in
open access, and open educational practices (OEP). OEP represent collaborative practices
including open sharing of resources, and co-construction of knowledge through shared
innovative pedagogical practices. Therefore, OER enable extremely efficient and affordable
sharing of educational resources and empower teachers and learners to become more
creative and innovative in their educational practices.
The role of the teacher is further evolving in an increasingly connected and networked
world. Another fundamental change teachers face in the digital age is the change in the
teacher-student relationship. For instance, instead of active learning, now interactive
learning is emphasized where teachers and students co-learn. This requires a change of
mindset. Changing thinking and practices of teachers is needed in-terms of both technology
and pedagogy, moving away from the traditional thinking, and adopting novel strategies.
Learning to ‘unlearn’ and ‘relearn’ is a current need. Rethinking, reimagining, and
redesigning of learning environments, harnessing the affordances of both technology and
pedagogy, based on learning theory and practical design frameworks is of extreme
importance.
To accomplish the goal of digital transformation, it is essential that change should take place
not only as individuals but also as a system for more organized and sustainable actions.
Functioning as ‘change agents’, educators should aim to take leadership, and facilitate
transformation towards making positive changes in their own contexts.
Let me conclude my speech with a noteworthy saying of Jean Piaget:
The principal goal of education should be creating men and women who are capable of
doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done – men and
women who are creative, inventive and discoverers.
I hope you, as teachers of the digital age, will be inspired to design creative and meaningful
learning experiences for your students, effectively converging technology, pedagogy, and
content. These thoughts of mine offered only a glimpse of the innovative and inspiring ideas
emerging in the current global scenario. I invite you to explore the enormous possibilities
available for you and move forward in a meaningful and a productive academic journey.
Once again, I congratulate all the awardees for your great achievements, and wish you all
the best in your future endeavors in your professional journey! I thank the National Institute
of Education, for inviting me and giving me this opportunity to share some thoughts today,
at this memorable event.
Thank you very much!
Shironica P. Karunanayaka, EdD
Senior Professor in Educational Technology
Faculty of Education
The Open University of Sri Lanka
18 October 2022