The journey to transformation

Technology is leaving its trace in very different ways for each of us who are part of the world´s education system. Some might be painstakingly trying to adjust to the inevitable,  that is 21st century culture taking grip of schools. Some of us may have already set mind to change, yet clinging to the old paradigms without realizing. Rearranging the deck chairs is how Sir Ken Robinson puts it so cunningly in his article arguing if we really need to keep on trying to adjust old structures or do we really need to be looking at a new beginning. Being part of the transition is never easy... 

So where are we precisely? Even if we agreed with Sir Ken when he argues that the majority of the ‘players’ of world class education seem content with more of the same, but only want it faster, smarter and brighter.... Look out! We should be preparing for reform, not simply redesign.

At an individual level, the path from redesign to reform is a winding trail that takes you from replacement, to enhancement and finally transformation. There´s a very graphic way to pin down your current status as a professional educator in this journey. We usually start using ICT as a replacement tool: apps and devices help us replace something we could do at a table or with paper, laminated cards, etc. It´s just providing extra motivational features. This is not a negative, on the contrary, as these tools engage children. The point is, replacement does not enhance the learning and therefore a transformation in the learning culture doesn't happen.

So enhancement comes next, when we start to use tools which allow us to 'do more' than we could do with physical resources. Technology opens up new dimensions for it´s uniqueness in terms of multimedia and global communications capabilities.

When are we really at a transformation stage? Or better still, are schools ready for that or are we content with simply rearranging the deck chairs in the Titanic, even after it had hit the iceberg, for it will take time to sink? While we still have schools run under the Industrial Revolution´s standards the key might be if we really use ICT to empower students to become self-motivated, creative individuals who can produce knowledge as well as consume it, even if it´s beyond the syllabus.

This, they way I see it, is one of the most crucial areas of staff training: to get teachers to accept that in a fast-moving, hi-tech world, they are no longer the "sage on the stage". How am I preparing my students for the workplaces they will be employed in? How am I preparing them for jobs which don't exist yet? 

In a BYOD environment, teachers will be at different stages from replacement, to enhancement or striving to transformation. All of this takes time and regular training. It´s good news that there seems to be a global consensus to recognize that the 19th Century paradigm of education is no longer fit for purpose and to forsee that all phases of education serving all sections of the population will undergo enormous changes. 

Even if we are uncertain of the future, the important question is – what to do about it NOW and get started in your own journey to transformation.