Why teachers must embrace disruptive technologies
Affordable, accessible technologies can democratize opportunities for EVERYONE to become innovators and inventors. Countries can take advantage of this opportunity to create new jobs, new industry and skilled workers to achieve further economic growth and increase competitiveness. Also, preparing citizens with problem solving skills and entrepreneurial mindsets helps solve various social problems in the country in an innovative manner.
In a 2013 report entitled “Disruptive Technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy,” the McKinsey Global Institute identified 12 potentially economically disruptive technologies, including mobile internet, automation of knowledge work, the Internet of Things, advanced robotics, 3D printing, and advanced materials.
I touched upon how these disruptive technologies and low-cost technologies affect the pedagogy of skills development and education, as well as their implications for international development in my previous blogs (New Technologies for Children Learning STEM/STEAM Subjects and the 21st Century Skills andWhat’s the implication of 3D printers for the World Bank’s mission?) and a feature story (Communities of “Makers” Tackle Local Problems).
Elaborating on these posts, I will explore the topic on “how can kids, youth and adults prepare in response to rapid technological changes” from the pedagogy and institutional model perspectives. My analysis is derived from the lively discussion that I recently attended on “Exploring 3D Printing for Development,” organized by IREX and my work at the World Bank.
The key for successfully taking advantage of disruptive technologies is not about learning how to use technologies but how teachers can teach differently using technologies.
To summarize lessons learned from the interviews and discussion with those who are involved in “makers and education,” space, bringing disruptive and emerging technologies (such as 3D printers, micro computers, micro electronic circuits, sensors and laser cutters) into a classroom is not only about developing skills for using new technologies, but also aboutbehavioral changes in teaching and learning and development of new collaboration and partnership opportunities, which could potentially bring about innovation.Technologies will act as a catalyst for behavior change in teachers, students and schools.
In the table below, I’ve analyzed and showcased what behavior changes occur in teaching and learning style when bringing technologies into classrooms. The results show that these changes in pedagogy and learning style can help equip students with 21st century skills, which are highly demanded in the labor market. The analysis is derived from the discussion with teachers, National Science Foundation scholars, a representative from the District of Columbia Public Library system and an online education course provider called “Tech Change” that focuses on the use of technology for social change.
Table: How do technologies bring changes in teaching and learning?
Challenges
So, how can these changes be applied to a school system and the curriculum? In both high-income and low-income countries, similar challenges exist: a lack of time and resources for teachers to learn new pedagogy and technologies, a lack of funding for infrastructural investment, limited space available for machines, and difficulties in getting buy-in from stakeholders to introduce new technologies.
In developing countries, extra challenges are added, such as limited access to broadband internet and electricity, access to raw materials to build machines, maintenance of machines and often extremely high student-teacher ratio, which inhibits teachers from instructing students in a thorough manner.
Despite these challenges, it is possible to bring new technologies into classrooms and teaching and learning to prepare the future citizens. This can be accomplished through leveraging available resources in the country, including public libraries, local telecenters, and non-profit and for-profit local innovation centers, as well as private sector resources through development of public-private partnerships.
In my next blog, I will introduce different institutional models integrating changes that technologies can bring into educational institutions.
I also look forward to hearing from those who are reading this blog about your experience on how technologies brought changes in teaching and learning styles, and what were the benefits and challenges from these changes.
This post first appeared on The World Bank Blog
Author: Saori works with the ICT unit, focusing on the area of Technologies and Innovation in Education, Workforce Development, and Employment issue.
Image: Students at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School work on their laptops during a class in Dorchester, Massachusetts June 20, 2008. REUTERS/Adam Hunger.
Don't miss any update on this topic
Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
Stay up to date:
Hyperconnectivity
Forum Stories newsletter
Bringing you weekly curated insights and analysis on the global issues that matter.
More on Education and SkillsSee all
David Elliott
December 19, 2024