Student Engagement
It is commonly accepted that engaging students in their learning is central to the successful acquisition of knowledge. As educational practices evolve, so does curricula. The new British Columbia curriculum reflects this student focus instruction and expands it to include the needs of the community.
The aim of the new BC curriculum is to develop what it refers to as the “Educated Citizen” through focusing on Core Competencies and it sees a move away from content-driven curriculum to one that focuses on skill acquisition.
The Core Competencies of Communication, Thinking and Personal & Social Responsibility have been identified as the desired skills that support the acquisition of knowledge and the creation of the Educated Citizen. Coupled with flexible student-centric learning, the new curriculum seeks to enhance student engagement and provide student choice on what and how they learn (B.C Ministry of Education, 2015).
Such flexibility provides for greater inclusion of technology in the classroom, allowing teachers to harness technology’s ability to provide deliverables in a variety of technology-rich formats in an anytime, anywhere basis. Such flexibility allows teachers to do more than simply deliver content and manage courses; it also supports communication between student and teacher, allowing students to undertake learning activities in an anytime, anywhere basis and submit evidence of their leaning in a variety of media-rich formats.
Mobile technology offers a cost effective interface between student and teacher. Many students now have access to mobile devices; a 2012 survey on global trends reported that 78% of teenagers own a mobile phone. It is this generation of “Net Genners” that not only want, but expect, technology to be part of their daily school life (Ch’ng and Samsuding, 2014). The Smartphone provides a number of applications that allows students to show their learning in new and interesting ways.
Mobile technology provides an opportunity for students to engage in their learning, create a dialogue with their teachers and peers, and to create and deliver evidence of their learning. Such evidence includes the self-assessment of BC's Core Competencies.
The aim of the new BC curriculum is to develop what it refers to as the “Educated Citizen” through focusing on Core Competencies and it sees a move away from content-driven curriculum to one that focuses on skill acquisition.
The Core Competencies of Communication, Thinking and Personal & Social Responsibility have been identified as the desired skills that support the acquisition of knowledge and the creation of the Educated Citizen. Coupled with flexible student-centric learning, the new curriculum seeks to enhance student engagement and provide student choice on what and how they learn (B.C Ministry of Education, 2015).
Such flexibility provides for greater inclusion of technology in the classroom, allowing teachers to harness technology’s ability to provide deliverables in a variety of technology-rich formats in an anytime, anywhere basis. Such flexibility allows teachers to do more than simply deliver content and manage courses; it also supports communication between student and teacher, allowing students to undertake learning activities in an anytime, anywhere basis and submit evidence of their leaning in a variety of media-rich formats.
Mobile technology offers a cost effective interface between student and teacher. Many students now have access to mobile devices; a 2012 survey on global trends reported that 78% of teenagers own a mobile phone. It is this generation of “Net Genners” that not only want, but expect, technology to be part of their daily school life (Ch’ng and Samsuding, 2014). The Smartphone provides a number of applications that allows students to show their learning in new and interesting ways.
Mobile technology provides an opportunity for students to engage in their learning, create a dialogue with their teachers and peers, and to create and deliver evidence of their learning. Such evidence includes the self-assessment of BC's Core Competencies.
REFERENCES
B.C. Ministry of Education. (2015). Introduction to British Columbia’s Redesigned Curriculum DRAFT. Retrieved from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/curriculum_intro.pdf
Ch’ng, L. K., & Samsudin, Z. (2013). Integration of mobile devices into ubiquitous learning by the 21st century teenagers. Education. 3(6), 362- 374. doi:10.5923/j.edu.20130306.12
B.C. Ministry of Education. (2015). Introduction to British Columbia’s Redesigned Curriculum DRAFT. Retrieved from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/curriculum_intro.pdf
Ch’ng, L. K., & Samsudin, Z. (2013). Integration of mobile devices into ubiquitous learning by the 21st century teenagers. Education. 3(6), 362- 374. doi:10.5923/j.edu.20130306.12