"Skilled teachers with ICT, a priority" according to an American group

How does the digital age influence the needs of today's students, and how to cope with the rapid technological changes related to teaching and learning? In particular by ensuring that teachers can "follow" the wave as well, according to a report from a study group of NASBE in the United States.

The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) asked the Task Force on the Role of Technology in Schools and in the Community to look into these and other related questions. The Study Group thus organized its research and recommendations around three aspects.

1. Meeting the needs of today's students
2. Make sure teachers can use the technology that will allow them to meet the needs of today's students.
3. Build a technological infrastructure that can evolve

The recommendations made in the report bring to the fore the important questions of teacher training, the availability of necessary resources, the sharing of educational materials, the essential character of a good infrastructure and even, the question of data interoperability!

Here is a very quick summary. Read the full report (PDF) for more information.

1. Meeting the needs of today's students
According to the report, 75 % of American teens participate in a social network. It would even seem that 30 % of the 6^e at 8^e year, and 46 % of the 9^e at 12^e year, use sites like Facebook or YouTube to collaborate on schoolwork. Finally, 33 % claim that “texting” is their preferred way of communicating.

Young people today have never lived without the Internet, recalls the report. But, although they are the champions of video games, text messaging and social media, they are often poorly equipped when it comes to consuming information. In short, they “know” how to use technology, but they still need to learn fundamental skills, such as documentary research, supported by technology. The report also brings back the importance of learning to concentrate, in this ultra-connected world. We have some spoke recently here.

Among the recommendations are to teach digital citizenship and digital literacy in school and to take advantage of the way young people learn today in the development of courses.

2. Make sure teachers can use the technology that will allow them to meet the needs of today's students.
The Study Group is well aware that technology cannot replace the human element in the training of students. However, it offers new and varied possibilities.

Thus, he goes so far as to propose the creation of a definition of the “connected” and “networked” teacher that we want to see in the classes. In addition, he proposes to reorganize the schedule so as to offer more “alternative” learning time to students and, at the same time, more time for teachers to connect with each other.

Many recommendations on this point relate to the training of future teachers, who should have a solid experience in the integration of technology and distance learning and be ready to teach in a class of 21^e century, with all that that implies.

It also brings back the importance of sharing resources by promoting partnerships between school districts.

3. Build a technological infrastructure that can evolve
In order to support all of the above, the Task Force stresses that adequate infrastructure is needed. For example, it recommends that every student have adequate access to a computer as well as the Internet at school and at home, with sufficient human resources at school to support them. In addition, he suggests adopting a policy favoring the updating of schools' computer equipment, with a regular review determined in advance. A third and final recommendation creeps in quietly: states and school districts should be concerned about the interoperability of tools, software and data formats ...