School teaching structures are rapidly changing in response to modernization and individualization thanks to the Internet, which has created a networked society.
“Progressive schools are focusing on integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into education. Schools now increasingly favor tablets, especially for younger students who find the app-based devices easier to handle,” said Anders Lindblad, president of Ericsson in the Middle East, in an interview with Arab News at the Networked Society Forum in Dubai.
Lindblad said, “The mobile phone has been proclaimed the epitome of modern society, but there has not been much support for mobile phones in education, at least not in formal educational activities. Informally, however, students and teachers frequently use mobile phones as flexible, multipurpose tools mostly for recording information and communicating, but also for listening to music while working.”
He said, “Whether the school of the future uses laptops, tablets, mobile phones or something in between, the future will demand individualized, mobile, easy-to-use devices.”
In the new ICT environment, where mobile devices are more common, a classroom filled with rows of individual desks no longer fulfills any purpose; students carry their mobile work tools around throughout the day. Several schools in progressive communities have broken down the walls to make large rooms with plenty of lightweight, movable desks and chairs that can be rearranged to suit the needs of each class or group of students.
Work space includes not only physical but also virtual space, extending the classroom through the use of e-mail, social media, search engines and other open or closed forms of software that allow students to do schoolwork without being restricted to the physical classroom.
Lindblad said, “The schools of the future will rely heavily on connectivity. As computers are used more frequently, additional control mechanisms, backups and filters will be necessary. Teachers will use ICT to manage, observe, coach, protect and evaluate students.”
“The school of the future will require hybrid forms of connectivity, including wireless, fixed and mobile broadband, to meet the need for flexible but reliable high-speed Internet access, as connectivity will be required even when students are away from schools,” Lindblad said.
“As the work tools used in schools change, the ways of working will also change. With increased connectivity, information is available anywhere, anytime,” he said.
The Ericsson president observed, “Textbooks only represent one collected interpretation and presentation of a subject. If students are not satisfied with the explanation provided in a textbook, they use the Internet to search for another perspective on the topic or can now utilize online course materials instead,” he said.
“Schools are facing new challenges in their mission to prepare students for their working lives,” Lindblad said. "With the rise of the networked society, we are seeing changes in the skills demanded from young people. Basic skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic will always be important, but integrated technology is creating the need for new, 21st century skills, such as information and ICT literacy,” Lindblad added.
He said, “When ICT is successfully integrated into schools, it can help to engage and empower students, thus adding value to their education. ICT can be used to broaden students’ horizons, enhance their motivation to learn and prepare them for their working lives in a society characterized by individualism, mobility, and the blurring of boundaries between work and play.”
By adopting new technology, educators hope to bring about educational and administrative changes which are beneficial to students and to help them prepare for their professional lives.
Schools modernizing through technology
