Double down on digital by Reuben Cooper

Technology is everything. Forms, tests, games, work, entertainment, and much more. And yet only a small percentage of people are fully capable of using computers. There needs to be more digital technology taught in school. What are the requirements for digital education in the New Zealand Curriculum and how do we get more? Dr. Cherie Taylor Patel, Flanshaw Road School’s Principal, outlined the requirements for digital education in New Zealand primary schools. ‘In New Zealand, a Digital Curriculum was developed for schools to implement just a few years ago,’ Dr. Patel said. ‘There were two challenges with implementing it – the first challenge was upskilling teachers in how to use and incorporate digital devices into teaching and learning, in ways that enhance learning. ‘For instance, replacing a pencil with a computer to type a story is using digital technology, but it’s not necessarily enhancing learning,’ she said. ‘The second challenge was around resourcing and finding funds to have different types of digital devices and technology available to use, as well as experts to help teachers improve their knowledge and skills in this area.’ Michael Richards, our school’s Digital Curriculum expert, said to first look at the vision of the New Zealand Curriculum, which included (among other things) the vision for young people to be ‘creative, energetic, and enterprising’ and ‘seize the opportunities offered by new knowledge and technologies to secure a sustainable social, cultural, economic, and environmental future for our country.’ Mr. Richards said one of the ways to achieve this vision was through digital technologies. He said digital technologies required schools to provide learning experiences that develop digital thinking and teach digital skills. ‘What is important is that all students get access to opportunities to create digital content, and to use a variety of tools to do this.’ ‘Schools in Aotearoa can choose how they do this . . . so it looks different in different schools.’ The more digital things the better because it is way easier than doing everything on paper. Homework is also way easier digitally, so schools need to up their game in technology education so students can do it all online. This also results in less paper usage (added environmental bonus), and over time this will save the schools money which they can use to purchase more of the things that matter such as musical instruments, art tools or more tech. This way we can learn to become more innovative and use our newly found creativity to produce digital music and digital art, both of which are becoming increasingly popular by the year – and this will benefit our future career opportunities. My friend, who I will call Johnny, said there needed to be more balance in the New Zealand digital education system, for example, the people who are smarter should learn harder, more advanced stuff so it is challenging for them and they are not sitting there on games when they are done, and the people who are not so smart could be learning stuff that is challenging for them, whatever that may be. I agree. Every time I go to DigiTech, I get so bored so easily. All the tasks are so easy so I am not learning anything, resulting in a waste of a block where I could be learning something new which would serve me better in the future – such as creating a website, YouTube Channel or composing a new digital track. I think most schools still have a big opportunity to improve in the digital technology space, and more funding should be provided so they can purchase more tech devices and further upskill the teachers. Technology is changing all the time, it’s going to be hard to keep up, but with more resources and a greater emphasis on digital learning in schools, this will go a long way to shaping a better future for us kids.