Nurturing digitally savvy students
DIGITAL media are tools or platforms that enable students to not only receive knowledge easily but also share information with others.
In an increasingly digital landscape, schools must consider how to incorporate media technology into their education system to prepare students for future success.
There is no escaping the fact that computers play an integral role in many industries and grant an individual access to a wealth of knowledge.
Malaysia is moving towards becoming a nation driven by technology and innovation by 2020, and digital literacy is seen as a top skill required by employers as indicated in a survey conducted by LinkedIn Learning titled The Skills Companies Need Most in 2018.
Since so many types of work such as creative jobs, administrative duties, banking and scientific research require the use and knowledge of computers, one who is not familiar with digital media could easily find his or her employability negatively affected.
Although public schools in Malaysia are starting to place more importance on the role of information and computer technology during lessons, private and international schools in Malaysia have generally taken technology a step further, integrating it into the overall school environment.
Knowledge access
We have all heard that knowledge is power.
Consider the most efficient way for students to find information about numerous topics from a wide variety of sources: by connecting to the Internet and scouring the World Wide Web.
Private and international schools offer this remarkably useful facility to students by allowing easy access to fast and secure wireless Internet connection from anywhere on the school campus.
Having this amenity can be likened to having a portal of knowledge to explore at any given moment – how is this not a wondrous thing?
Students can go online to learn more about the topic at hand during lessons or find useful information for any assignment done outside of class time.
In the 2018 Global Digital suite of reports by We Are Social and Hootsuite, a significant finding is highlighted: there are more than four billion people across the globe who are Internet users today, accounting for more than half of the world’s inhabitants.
By encouraging children and teenagers to harness the power of the Internet for educational purposes, we are preparing them to be part of a world that is well-informed and hungry for knowledge.
Skill improvement
Computers are at the centre of modern technology. If our children cannot use computers, they are not only unable to connect to the Internet but also lose out on building a number of valuable skills that future employers would be looking for.
According to a 2017 report by the European Commission titled ICT for Work: Digital Skills in the Workplace, the use of information technology has risen dramatically in the past five years in more than 90% of workplaces, including in areas not traditionally seen as associated with the digital revolution such as farming or vocational work.
Today, knowledge of word- processing software and spreadsheet programs is seen as a basic skill. Private and international schools help prepare students for their future careers by providing tablets, laptops and desktop computers that are loaded with a variety of educational, organisational and creative software.
Software that helps one create presentations, handle numerical data, edit photographs, create music, learn to code and produce videos are just a few examples of what children can be exposed to in private and international schools.
Shattuck-St Mary’s School is one institution that prides itself on a 21st century learning environment with its two-storey weCreate Center, a space that offers state-of-the-art technologies to help students pursue their passion in creative and scientific fields including robotics, architecture, music and filmmaking.
Mastering these programs and highly profitable skills take time and instruction – which private and international schools readily make available to students with their small student-to-teacher ratios. Creative technology industries are also set to grow and are on the lookout for people who are skilled in areas such as computer programming, web design, graphic design, film production and animation – areas that students can develop competency in during their school years.
Information sharing
Another facility that all private and international schools provide is a platform for students to share and receive information, known as a content management system or e-learning platform.
These online platforms allow students to easily navigate lesson content or receive feedback on their work. They can also be updated on the latest class or school announcements by teachers and practise what is known as blended learning.
Blended learning is a modern-day learning approach made possible by the Internet and digital media.
It can take many forms but at its core represents a style of learning that combines traditional face-to-face instruction (teaching that takes place in a classroom with a teacher and no computers) and the use of online learning. This style of learning is now a norm across private and international schools.
For example, Mont’Kiara International School practises the Bring Your Own Device programme, where students use their own digital devices and are able to interact via wireless network filled with informational tools fit for their education.
This manner of education empowers students as they can control the pace, time and place of their learning.
Students will not feel left out if they miss lessons due to illness or other circumstances as they can access an archive of information and connect easily with their classmates or teachers.
ICT as a subject
There are generally two ways that schools can incorporate digital media into their education plan – either through teaching information and communications technology (ICT) within different subject areas such as science, English and history or through teaching ICT as a subject in its own right.
HELP International School covers ICT and Design Technology as subjects while Epsom College in Malaysia teaches computing at different age levels.
At the secondary school level, Matrix International School presents Computer Studies as an additional subject while St Joseph’s Institution International School Malaysia assimilates ICT teaching into other subjects’ lessons for its High School programme.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, a renowned programme that is well-respected by top institutions of higher education, also offers ICT-focused subjects such as Computer Science and Information Technology in a Global Society (ITGS).
The ITGS is a comprehensive subject that familiarises students with information technology systems (including terminology,
Mastering these programs and highly profitable skills take time and instruction – which private and international schools readily make available to students with their small student-to-teacher ratios.
concepts and tools) and spurs them to examine the effects of digital media development on businesses, governments, workers and citizens at large.
Here, students scrutinise and contemplate the often complex relationship between human beings and the rise of information technology.
As students grow up to be part of a society that will require them to be well-versed in digital media to be successful, it will surely be to their advantage to be aware of all the ways technology can affect them and those around them.
After all, the digital world is the opposite of living in a vacuum. The possibilities for connection and knowledge-sharing are boundless, leading to changes in the ways humans live.
Among the issues that students can delve into are online information privacy concerns, equal access to knowledge, how news can be spread online and the ways in which computers can automate many labour-intensive tasks (which will carve out a change in the future job market).
A multifaceted course surrounding the topic of ICT that informs students about the opportunities and limitations of digital media while advocating ethical thinking will create a future of digitally savvy citizens.
Private and international schools play a crucial part in cultivating a nation of citizens who truly understand how to utilise the power of computers and the Internet in an intelligent yet responsible way.