ICT to shape the national curriculum?

The National Curriculum Board is this week hosting forums on the key issues in forming a national curriculum. The proposal for discussion outlines the major changes which have occurred over the past 20 years which will influence the direction of education in Australia (and globally). The complexity of the global economy and associated social issues of religious/cultural diversity, the need for Australians to be more Asia literate, escalating environmental pressures heightening the need for creative scientific solutions and problem solving skills as well as the need for ICT literacy in the digital age are listed as areas of high priority.

A quote lifted from this discussion paper is at the heart of my current research into better integrating technology in our classrooms.

"While there is some knowledge about how to effectively embed new
technologies in learning in schools, we need to make a quantum leap in this
effectiveness over the next decade."

The draft declaration on national goals for young Australians published by MCEETYA last month, reinforces this point in its description of the elements of successful, confident and informed learners.

It is not a stretch to link ICT to each of the descriptors of a successful learner:

• have the essential skills in literacy and numeracy - students who have access to technology to assist their learning have demonstrated better results in national assessments (ICT Impact on schools in Europe)
• are creative and resourceful and are able to think critically, analyse information and solve problems - technology in the classroom can help schools to move beyond the industrial era paradigm of content delivery to a constructivist model where students are engaged in a thinking curriculum (David Warner: Schooling for the knowledge era)
• are able to learn and plan activities independently, collaborate and communicate ideas - the integration of web 2.0 applications such as blogs, wikis and synchronous conferencing tools (e.g. voicethread) enhances student learning (Becta report)
• are motivated to reach their full potential - technology is an engaging and authentic learning tool for students (ACMA study into children's use of technology)
• have the capacity to make sense of their world and think about how things become they way they are - the Internet links students to the world by providing access to information, a tool for communication and collaboration and the source so many new learning tools(Cisco human network)
• are on a pathway towards further education, training or employment - what are the skills that learners need to live and learn in the 21st century? (Australian government Digital Education Revolution)

Ensuring that we respond is the challenge.