What the New Digital Technologies Curriculum
“The priority is to ensure that the skills people develop in education are well matched to labour market needs. This includes addressing new and emerging shortages in specific areas, such as information and communications technology (ICT) and the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills needed for innovation and economic growth.” (Tertiary Education Strategy 2014-2019).
In a rapidly growing digital world, the technology industry is driving change. Few jobs have been untouched by today’s tech and it is important for the next generation to know how to work in a growing, changing environment and apply these skills to totally new jobs and roles. Schools need to prepare students for an unknown future, arming them with the skills to learn and adapt as tech evolves.
It’s not yet known what the workforce that todays’ school starters will enter will look like. What is known is that the jobs they do will almost certainly not have existed 30 years ago. New Zealand needs thinkers, problem solvers, and adaptable learners to ensure we remain world-leaders.
In the past, students have been taught in a way that was reliant on rote learning, tested by the student’s ability to recollect the things they have learned. This way of learning meant only 20% of students would go on to further training, eventually managing or directing the other 80% in what they should do, often in low-level roles.
The problem we face today is a need to reverse those percentages.
The modern working world demands a far more advanced learning process, as well as the ability for people to manage the complexity that comes with it. Rather than simply remembering, students must focus on innovation and ingenuity, swapping the percentages from 20:80 to 80:20.
As students finish their schooling, the majority are now expected to have high levels of competence, know how to adapt and learn as they go, with an entrepreneurial mindset. This means a very different set of learning experiences, requiring a substantial shift in how children are taught, and this is where the new Digital Technologies curriculum fits in.
The new curriculum takes this new world view and aims to help develop digitally-capable thinkers that can work in these new jobs. The goal is to enable them to learn how to design their own digital solutions and become creators of, not just users of, digital technologies. Students will be equipped with the skills to succeed in a world of unprecedented change, ensuring they can fit into future roles – whatever they may be.
While the new curriculum and the changing digital world can seem a little overwhelming, these changes are necessary to equip students with the tools and knowledge to excel in a digital first future where everything is connected back to technology.
If you need help navigating and implementing the curriculum, talking to a trusted technology partner is essential. Hewlett Packard Enterprise partners with respected service providers like TTS to help simplify digital learning and help students become digitally capable thinkers.
Reference: www.tts.co.nz
