Education and Digital Technology Some considerations from a Maltese perspective

Reflecting on the theme A conference was held in Malta on the 19 and 20 January as part of the Presidency programme: THE STATE OF DIGITAL EDUCATION Engaging with Connected, Blended and Open Learning

Six themes Openness and Equity in Digital Education Systems for Accreditation & Quality Assurance of Online learning Best Practices in Policy Design for Digital Education  Innovation and Digital Pedagogies Teachers, learners and digital education  Future Trends in Digital Education  

In the background “We have interactive whiteboards in each classroom that are being replaced by interactive flat panels, a VLE, online digital resources, floor robots, robotic kits, 3D printers, and we just rolled out more than 6000 tablets to all Year 4 students.”

What lies at the basis of our policies? Schools are there to enable students to reach their full human potential. We live in challenging times: schools and learning institutions need to empower learners to face these challenges. We subscribe to the belief that education is about “learning to know, learning to do, learning to be and learning to live together.”

Digital skills go beyond preparing people for employment Digital skills go beyond preparing people for employment. They are also about providing them with civic values. Technology is destroying jobs as much as creating new ones. Access to digital knowledge and skills is vital to address not only a digital divide but equally so an economic, social and cultural divide. Key in addressing the challenge is a sound framework for lifelong learning.

A lifelong learning perspective should be based on a concern for social inclusion rather on creating a new intellectual elite. Any investment in ICT in educational settings needs to be accompanied by a focus on the educators’ role and on quality teaching. Technology can enable educators to re-imagine learning scenarios, opening up new possibilities for education as humanisation.

Some concerns Technological development has overwhelmed certain sectors within our societies, educators and policy makers included. What matters is not technology in itself, but what new possibilities does technology offer us to do things we could not do before, that is, how to reach out to people who were left out in previous systems.

It is not technology that should drive pedagogy but the other way round. Taking connected learning to the next step: exploring the permeable boundaries between classroom, home and community. A connected learning paradigm can enable us to get a return on investment on digital educational technology. Digital education is an entitlement: if we are not guided by this principle the digital divide will widen.

Digcomp and the 8 key competences for Lifelong Learning “The European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens, also known as DigComp, offers a tool to improve citizens’ digital competence for work and employability, learning, leisure, consumption and participation in society.”

Digcomp framework Information and data literacy Communication and collaboration Digital content creation Safety Problem solving

A strategy for Malta Collaboration Communication Creativity Critical thinking Digital citizenship Coding Character education

Structures of feeling on the ground Among policy makers, administrators and educators there is a sense of wading through uncharted waters, a sense of handle with care, a sense of learning by doing, of learning as we go, a sense of we’re all in this together and we can learn from each other.

Some final comments We love technology but we believe that technology on its own won’t change a thing in education. We want to invest more in training and in supporting all stakeholders: educators, parents and students. It is all about passion and love. Teachers and adult educators need to be passionate about their teaching, and need to help learners find and follow their passion for personal and collective growth.

Thanks Directorate for Research, Lifelong Learning and Innovation Department for Curriculum, Research, Innovation and Lifelong Learning Ministry for Education and Employment