Cognition

TRACY BOWKER

Tracy is an education consultant who has been part of the Cognition team for 5 years. During this time she has worked on a wide variety of projects including the Ministry of Education’s website for teachers, Te Kete Ipurangi ;   ICT specialist in our major education reform projects in the Middle East;  and INSTEP(In-service Teacher Education Programme).  Her most current project, is the Digital Technologies Guidelines  project. This article from  Interface Issue 12, Term 4, November 2008, details her involvement as a professional advisor, in line with the DTG symposium  just recently held in Auckland.

Developing a strategy to teach digital technology

INTERFACE talks to Tracy Bowker about delivering coherent digital technology teaching and learning programmes.

What are the Digital Technologies Guidelines (DTG)?

The DTG project is one of a series of initiatives by the Ministry of Education to support teachers in the implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum (2007). It’s a professional learning project, whose aim is to help senior secondary school teachers (Years 11-13) deliver coherent digital technology teaching and learning programmes.

Why have they been established?

For a number of reasons. One is the acknowledged skills’ shortage in the ICT area. The ICT Taskforce Report (2003) set the goal of New Zealand’s ICT industry contributing 10 per cent of GDP by 2012. Talent supply to the industry was identified as a critical issue. It recommended:  “Mechanisms are require to ensure industry input into course design and to raise student awareness of ICT as a rewarding career with both domestic and global opportunities.”

The development and implementation of the Digital Technologies  Guidelines is one important strategy that has the potential to address skill shortages by providing coherent pathways from secondary school into tertiary institutions, and to careers in ICT.

Another key reason is the nature of this subject has often meant teachers have morphed into ‘IT’ teachers from other curriculum areas, ‘fragmented’ community of IT teachers. Many courses have different titles, different subject names and, on occasion, there’s little ‘department’. The DTG sets out to encompass all areas of digital technology and bring them into the one overarching area. It will also enable teachers to closely examine their courses and pathways to determine whether they are still meeting student needs.

What are the project’s goals?

It has a number of key goals, including:

• Support improved pedagogical practices in the area of digital technology;
• Develop clear links in the New Zealand Curriculum;
• Provide a common framework for teachers teaching in this area;
• Provide a platform for closer alignment with industry / tertiary;
• Focus on developing and encouraging confident, connected, actively-involved students through interesting, creative and exciting learning opportunities.

Where is DTG at with its development?

Facilitated by Cognition Consulting, a group of 13 pilot schools from around the country were involved in a foundation phase in 2007 / 2008. Fifty schools have now been confirmed as ‘DTG schools’ for the second phase, including large and small secondary schools, area schools, private schools and a Kura Kaupapa. The materials developed in the foundation phase are in draft form and will be further trialed during the next development phase in schools from August 2008 to July 2009.

The 50 schools are spread across New Zealand in regional clusters, led by a member of the professional leadership team. As well as school clusters in each region, it’s intended to facilitate the formation of Regional Interest Groups (RIGs) involving local industry and tertiary providers. Through these, it’s hoped that partnership between schools and industry / tertiary will be fostered and / or strengthened.

What will be the impact on teachers?

The impact will potentially encompass the following:

• The acceptance and identification of digital technologies given its own identity as part of the Senior Secondary Guidelines;
• The modification of digital technology courses in terms of structure, content and methodology;
• The acceptance of schools to provide clearer pathways for digital technology students;
• Better collaboration between school staff; and
• Improved alignment with industry and tertiary.

http://dtg.tki.org.nz