A connected education gives our children the keys to the future, says Katie Tuurala, Microsoft’s director of education for Central and Eastern Europe.

Finland tops the global charts in education. Having been involved in Finland’s educational reorganisation, to what do you owe this success?

Technology is not there to replace teachers or the need to learn but to help the learning process and make information more accessible and more manageable

There have been numerous attempts at assigning the factors for this success and many theories have been attributed to this achievement. One of the key factors is the high-level teacher training and the fact that the best five per cent of students apply to become teachers, since this is a profession that is highly appreciated in our society. Another factor is our system’s focus of equality, especially on equal outcomes from the education system.

There are other more practical reasons, such as the fact that many schools are small enough to enable teachers to know every student and if one method fails, teachers consult with colleagues to try something else. This recent success has also been registered in large part because teachers in Finland are trusted to do whatever it takes to turn young lives around.

They deal with students individually and according to personal capabilities. This is no big deal really. We all agree that children will grow up into individual characters – therefore, we have to prepare them individually for life.

How would you assess Malta’s current education system?

While in Malta, I had the opportunity to visit some schools and take a closer look at the system. I am quite impressed with how Government has, over these past years, established its goal to transform learning and the learning environment.

I was also very impressed with the teaching aids being utilised in schools and I have noticed that most teachers are very willing to utilise modern technology and teaching tools to upgrade their students’ learning experience.

Another interesting aspect was how more mature teachers are so conversant with today’s modern tools and technology and their willingness to help and collaborate with younger teachers.

I feel this is a big advantage to your system and reflects an important quality that helps children and students learn more by way of working together.

Today’s technology connects us more and helps us utilise resources in a collective way in our everyday life and working environment. Therefore it is very positive that your system encourages this approach from an early stage.

Now it will be exciting to follow the curriculum transformation and see how the learning environment development will support the 21st century learning goals.

How can ICT expand our educational horizons?

Children attend schools to learn – however, learning is also taking place outside the classroom. Students have access to knowledge and resources literally at their fingertips via technology. This can help our students conceptualise this knowledge.

The role of today’s educators is no longer that of spelling out the content from books – teachers’ roles is primarily that of teaching students how to learn, absorb and understand information, and adapt its meaning to be able to solve their own personal questions.

Technology is not there to replace teachers or the need to learn but to help the learning process and make information more accessible and manageable. Therefore, I feel it is very important that technology is integrated into the learning in a way that increases learning opportunities.

In what ways can Maltese students interact with students from other countries, to the mutual benefit of both?

Many students are already experiencing this amazing opportunity in their everyday life, out of school via social media in their free time.

That is an interesting phenomenon because students learn global collaboration and networking via their personal interests and hobbies, which many times feature games and music. This global collaboration is also taking place through more formal set-ups, such as Taking it Global, which organises global networking opportunities for learning.

One of my favourite projects is DeforestACTION, whereby students are able to build knowledge together round the global issue of deforestation. They interact with experts and are working together to save orangutans. Such projects and teaching vehicles make science learning very interesting and provide excellent opportunities for interesting and interactive essays and presentations that carry a lot of meaning.

How would you define connected education?

Connected education happens when every individual is connected to the information highway, to other students and to experts outside of the education institution. There also needs to be a bridge between the educational institution and home, because it is important for parents to take an active role in academic education and can help schools personalise their students’ learning to meet individual needs.

A connected education gives our children the keys to a future as successful citizens and skills that support their employability.

How can students enjoy a greater ownership of their education and what role does ICT play in this?

Students develop ownership of their education when they become passionate about wanting to learn more. Technology opens easier opportunities for teachers to deliver project-based learning, which is a dynamic approach to teaching that allows students to explore real-world problems and challenges.

Technology supports this form of active and engaged learning and inspires students to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they are studying.

I feel that learning projects have a far more lasting impression on students who can plan their schedules, project milestones, create their own learning problems, choose relevant content and decide how they want to showcase their learning experience and knowing what the learning outcome will look like.

In today’s world, simply writing text on paper is no longer a relevant way to share knowledge. It is here that the role of ICT comes in, by allowing students to develop digital content, share documents and create PowerPoint presentations, thus increasing ownership of their work and integrating important ICT skills into the curriculum.

In this scenario, how does the educators’ role need to change?

We used to view the teacher as the holder of information and as such, as the primary source of the information that is being passed to students.

Educators are actually the managers of the learning process. They are coaches who seek to help students learn better and more effectively. Teachers should be there as a channel between the student and the subject and facilitate the ways students receive that information and process it in the most effective way.

What role do parents play in their children’s education?

Research shows that parents’ educational level could be a key indicator of a child’s academic success. Parents’ expectations, support and acceptance are critical to successful learning and both the schools and home should focus and seek more collaboration.

Parents should be part of the educational transformation and accept that learning looks different now than it did during their academic years. The learning experience has to be a dynamic one that can change and adapt to reflect the modern world and the new work and life demands.

Where does Microsoft’s pilot project come in and what are its benefits?

That is still to be decided. However, the type of education transformation we are discussing here is a long-term process with deep implications to the way schools operate, how teachers’ professional development is organised and how content is developed.

Microsoft has been involved in countless one-to-one computing projects around the world and we want to share our experiences and best practices while bringing some of the leading knowledge to help with this transformation.

Through such pilot projects, we can develop an ecosystem of expertise and develop best practice to ease the actual start of such a big project.

At the same time, it is possible to test technological solutions and make sure the set-up is the best possible for secure, scalable and sustainable solutions.

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