Digital skills taught from 5
Computer science across school years to prepare students for high-tech world English gets a glimpse of the future
‘Computational thinking” and “designing and developing digital outcomes” will become part of New Zealand’s core curriculum for all children in the first 10 years of school from next year.
Prime Minister Bill English and Education Minister Nikki Kaye visited Newmarket School in Auckland yesterday to unveil a $40 million package to retrain teachers and help schools implement the new curriculum subjects, including a “national digital championship” modelled on an Israeli example.
“All young people from Years 1 to 10 will take part in digital technologies learning,” Kaye said.
“Students [in Years 11 to 13] choosing digital technologies pathways for NCEA will develop the more specialised skills that industry partners say are in high demand, through new achievement standards being developed for NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3.”
The changes, signalled last year by former Education Minister Hekia Parata, expand the existing technology subject and are the first changes to the NZ curriculum since 2007.
The detailed proposal for two new subject areas is open for consultation until the end of August. Schools will be able to use the new content from next January and the new curriculum will come into full use from the start of 2020.
Kaye said Computational Thinking “is about understanding the computer science principles that underlie all digital technologies, and learning how to develop instructions, such as programming, to control these technologies”.
Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes “is about understanding that digital systems and applications are created for humans by humans, and developing knowledge and skills in using different digital technologies to create digital content across a range of digital media”.
“This part of the curriculum also includes learning about the electronic components and techniques used to design digital devices,” she said.
“Robotics, artificial intelligence and advances in connectivity are all revolutionising our world, including our businesses, industry and community.
“From New Zealand’s work in movie-making to Rocket Lab launching rockets into outer space, world-class technology is playing a After a week dogged by the Todd Barclay controversy, you could forgive the Prime Minister for wanting to escape to an alternate reality free from secret tapes.
And he did just that yesterday at Auckland’s Newmarket Primary School by ascending into a politicsfree virtual solar system.
Bill English and Education Minister Nikki Kaye were testing Microsoft’s new Hololens glasses, which overlay 3D content on top of the real world.
The glasses are part of a range of new digital technologies that could be implemented in schools under a $40 million investment plan unveiled major role. The new curriculum content is about ensuring that students across all year levels have access to rich learning aimed at building their digital skills and fluency, to prepare them for this world.” Kaye said the $40 million support package would include $24m to “upskill” more than 40,000 teachers. Another $7m will be spent on developing online learning and exams, video and audio streaming content and apps. The Government will put $6m into
HWatch the video at nzherald.co.nz yesterday. Kaye said the investment aimed to enhance the digital fluency of young people to produce the “digital creators” of the future.
“If you think about Rocket Lab, film and the America’s Cup, all of these incredible achievements in our country have involved pioneers utilising technology.”
Datacom’s software engineer Husain Al-Badry offered English and Kaye a tutorial in two mixed reality environments.
English was amazed by the potential of the glasses, Al-Badry said.
“He seemed really interested in the possibility of using the technology in a “Digital Technology for All Equity Fund” to support in-school and outof-school learning opportunities for up to 12,500 students each year, with a focus on ensuring access for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
About $1.2m will go towards a “national digital championship”, with potential contributions from industry partners, “aimed at exciting students to use digital technologies to come up with innovative ways to solve community, social or environmental challenges”.
There will also be around $330,000 in $1000 scholarships from the Ministry of Youth Development, to support young people to develop medical operations.”
Mixed reality had the potential to change education by allowing students and teachers to enter a shared contextual environment, AlBadry said.
“We often take images from textbooks and project them onto a screen, but mixed reality allows students to enter an actual environment and interact with the things around them,” he said.
Datacom is collaborating with Pearson Education and The Mind Lab by Unitec to trial Hololens technology in New Zealand high schools.
— Dane Ambler innovative enterprises, including products or businesses, that have a digital focus.
Dr David Parsons of the Mindlab by Unitec said “computational thinking” could be taught in ways appropriate for each age group.
“Lots of kids are using programming languages like Scratch, which is quite visual and is very popular in primary schools,” he said.
”[Older] kids who are wanting to become software engineers will have to continue with programming languages like Python and Java Script.”