Discuss the paradigm shift described in the Smart Island and Smart Learning strategy documents that justifies ICT inclusion at personal and educational levels. Your answer should highlight theoretical discourse on technology and make reference to interpretations experienced at personal and school levels where new technologies are being introduced.
DiTEL Assignment
EDU5641- Managing Technology-Enhanced Learning Part 3 – Dr. Patrick Camilleri
Josmar Borg
Assignment Task 2 – Paradigm Shift
Paradigm shift as portrayed in the Smart Island and Smart Learning Strategy documents reflect the innovation and the way forward Maltese authorities stood up to when the Internet “has become a key economic driver, changing forever the ways in which business is done, teachers teach, students learn, governments and citizens interact, and people communicate with each other.” Along this report, I intend to describe the changes Malta faced throughout these years in terms of technology innovation and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) that changed the way we live and interact with the rest of society. The ‘Smart’ documents mentioned above are analysed and comparison is done through my own perspective and personal experiences in schools as a student, teacher and lecturer. Remembering way back in my childhood, I remember my parents buying me a personal computer (it wasn’t even a Pentium I ...it was an IBM 386SX, costing around LM1500/€3500) to learn using it in a ‘smart’ way and not for entertainment purposes only. I was always into technology, electronics and staff like that and so it was the perfect gift for me. A few years later, I remember the introduction of mobile phones and Internet as a service that can be used by everyone. All services were still quite poor at that time, yet one could see the shift that Malta was going through. During my secondary education at St. Elias College, the rector invested in an Interactive Board in the computer lab and this was the first one in Malta. At that time it was something special for us students, and I remember the big change in lessons delivery and the dramatic raise in motivation from our, students’, end. At that time (mid 90s) government was still not investing ICT use for a better education. So while reflecting on ...let’s say my personal scenario, I can blindly notice the big shift in technology, innovation and modernization Malta faced within the past twenty years. Nowadays not only personal computers are more affordable and Internet services are better and spread throughout the whole island but a whole new dimension evolved in the ICT sector. The aim of the Smart Island Strategy was in fact to make ICT available to everyone ‘...with neither age nor socio-economic background being a barrier to knowledge and accessibility.” Maltese authorities envisioned quite an ambitious plan for the introduction, accessibility and sustainability of ICT services offered. In fact, Malta was chosen as one of the world’s top 20 ‘smart communities’ by the Intelligent Community Forum. While ICT services became available to everyone and got more affordable, this helped the authorities to instigate the use of ICT more innovatively as more people could make use of such services. As stated in the document, authorities had to undergo a battle against digital divide and I think that it makes perfect sense as it’s useless to invest on something that people have no access to due to financial and accessibility factors. Personally I find the issue of Digital Divide a big headache when it comes to introduce a new e-tool to students. There is always those few who for some reason cannot access such innovative tools.
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Assignment Task 2 – Paradigm Shift
Therefore, while digital divide was reduced to a minimum (I don’t think it is never fully eliminated), ‘new’ e-services started to emerge. First and foremost, the introduction of e-government and the continued improvement invested in such a service shows a big shift in modern communication standards between citizens and the government. Furthermore, the rapid development and constant progress that Malta sustained throughout the past years made it a ‘valid destination for foreign direct investment in the ICT industry’. As the Smart Island document stated the Ministry for Investment, Industry and Information Technology joined up with leading global ICT players, such as Microsoft Corporation, HP, Oracle, IBM, SAP and ESRI, to promote far-reaching educational and assistance-to-industry programmes. Figures shown in this document are very promising considering that “...in 2006, 36% of the investment projects brought in by Malta Enterprise were in the field of ICT, ...including the agreement with the SmartCity project, which will generate at least 5,600 jobs and serve as the regional ICT services hub, transforming Malta into a global ICT leader”. The latter is still under my doubts as I truly believe there are many twists and personal agendas involved that is making such a project take longer to get started and will not eventually create the number of opportunities as promised in the authorities’ plans. Nevertheless, that is another issue, what I want to point out here is that it is quite evident that there is a shift that encompasses the use of ICT across all sectors which also includes e-legislation (meaning an appropriate legal and policy environment to create confidence, protect the rights of parties and encourage the use of e-services) that brings with it “all aspects of mobile and e-authentication, e-identification, e-commerce, biometrics, e-accessibility, electronic signing and electronic voting.” Again, I believe that all this might take quite some time to be fully established as listed in the document. However, the plan is there, most of it is done and more improvements and innovations are gradually being done. So, the question that rises in my mind is …but what are we, as educationalists, doing to prepare our students for such a paradigm shift towards a 21st century society where the use of ICT is so prominent? I think that it is not enough to give people the resources and the services but it is important to generate interest and the knowhow to use such resources appropriately. Nowadays, computer awareness is of paramount importance as is literacy and this can improve job opportunities for the unemployed and for the students who will soon face the working world. In the Smart Learning document it is given prominent importance the use of ICT (E-Learning) along the teaching methods already being adopted by educationalists (it is referred to as Blended Learning). Personally, Blended Learning should refer to blending formal education (at school) with informal education (outside school) and not as mentioned in the document. This means that students will have a continuation from school to outside school so that there would be a complete harmony with what is being done both inside and outside school. Formal education should focus more on adapting to current new technological advances. This means that there should be a shift in education which in turn requires numerous changes. It is very positive to notice that the Smart Learning Strategy plan is to make sure that the ICT infrastructure in schools is adequate such as
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Assignment Task 2 – Paradigm Shift
equipping classrooms with computers, interactive whiteboards, projection tools, personal digital assistants, digital cameras and other electronic tools that will make learning more interesting to students living in a digital age. It is all so good to talk about the introduction of new media, collaboration, creativity, web 2.0, broadband internet, life streaming, video conferencing and more and more innovations. But what value do these have when kids are forced to go through an education system that embraces very little of such innovations? It is even better to notice that E-leaning is given great importance in the new educational reform. Nevertheless, educators are facing students who already acquired 21st century skills on their own. Students are surrounded by so many technological gadgets around them that they are, autonomously, learning the necessary skills to use such gadgets. Hence, it is very interesting to note that this creates further challenges while delivering lessons to such students. I find it difficult to motivate them, sometimes, as they are alienated by so many technologies. In my opinion, it is useless to introduce different technological tools, including online web 2.0 tools, to students if there is no common ground established throughout all students on how to use these tools and why to use them in the first place. Thus, teachers must change their teaching approach in order to reflect a more student oriented lesson delivery. This way, students are engaged in the teaching process and learning becomes an active part in the students’ progress and a lifelong practice. If there is no change in our educational system, many ‘digital aged’ students are left out because at schools there are many restrictions, bureaucracy and inadequate (I might say outdated) policies that is impeding the use of many beneficial teaching / learning tools. Just to mention one example, the use of the Internet at school is so restricted (the idea is for security reasons) that teachers cannot rely on the use of online resources as these might not be accessible in class. The Smart learning strategy also aims to provide teachers the “backing to use technology in teaching a wide variety of subjects.” Also, there is an investment “in learn-ware that covers all subjects in the curriculum and can be transferred between home and school.” But in reality are teachers receiving the backing necessary to use technology as smoothly and efficiently as possible? In-service courses are offered every year but what’s the use of such courses if teachers are just given instructions how to use the tools rather than ideas and concepts of how to use them in practice and how to engage the students to use them at school and at home! This issue is clearly evident in the school where I teach as many teachers find it difficult to alter their lessons to adapt to new technological learning tools as they have no sufficient background and knowledge on how to do so. Some of the teachers argue that they know how to use certain tools but they find it difficult to find practical use of ICT in their subject, thus they refrain from making the necessary adaptations to their lessons. Some of them don’t even bother to use such innovative tools as for them it is now too late to adapt and change all their resources and teaching methods that they have been using for the past years. Here again, I perfectly agree that we “have to overcome the greater obstacles of cultural hostility, indifference, fear and lack of confidence”.
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Assignment Task 2 – Paradigm Shift
Apart from all this, the E-Learning strategy promises a system (a virtual private network [VPN] like system) that provides teachers, students and parents with a new approach to educational resources including online interactive learning content, personal online learning space for storing and personalising content, teaching materials, access to time-tables, information on school events and a personal organiser, online assessment tools that can be used anytime, and a form of social networking among teachers, students and parents. I’m assuming that the document is referring to the VPN named Frontier that is still under progress of being introduced to our educational system. How this will work and if it is efficient at primary and secondary levels is still under my scrutiny but through experience I can say that such a VPN approach (though the use of Moodle) is very well tolerated and used efficiently among students at university level. We shall wait and see how the Frontier is introduced, if the necessary support is given to those using it and after all if it is promoted in a good way that teachers and students can establish a common ground in order to make use of it regularly together with their parents for continuous support and educational achievement. As to conclude, without any doubt, the biggest single change that e-learning brings about is an increased collaboration amongst students and teachers. “The net result will be new generations of adults with skills in creativity, independent learning and critical thinking, which are of direct benefit not just to themselves and their families, but in a wider sense, to business and industry.”
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Assignment Task 2 – Paradigm Shift
BIBLIOGRAPHY E-Legislation - Promote a favourable legal environment for e-services/applications. (2006). Retrieved from International Telecommunication Union: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/__e-strategy/elegislation/index.html ( 2008-2010). Malta’s National e-Learning Strategy. Paradigm Shift. (2006). Retrieved from HermanMiller: http://www.hermanmiller.com/MarketFacingTech/hmc/research_summaries/pdfs/wp_LearningP aradigm.pdf Schuyler, G. (2000). A Paradigm Shift from Instruction to Learning. Retrieved from ERICDIGESTS.ORG: http://www.ericdigests.org/1998-2/shift.htm (2008-2010). The National ICT Strategy for Malta.
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