Saturday, November 3, 2012

Week 1 Prepare students for culturally diverse, technologically complex and economically competitive world.”


“Revolutionary changes in technology, the global marketplace and significant social, political and environmental issues dramatically affect what students today must know. The challenge to educators and parents is to provide instruction that is not only relevant and engaging but that also includes the world-class rigor necessary to prepare students to get a job in a culturally diverse, technologically complex and economically competitive world.”

1.     How would you propose the plan to prepare students in your country to work in different culturally, technologically, and economically context?

To prepare students for the technology age, we firstly need to educate our teachers on information and communication technology (ICT). They need to be equipped with ICT skills first before they can pass it on to students. Teachers’ ages can range from 22 to 60 years old. While young teachers are more fluent in technology, senior teachers are less skilled to incorporate technology in their classes. Teachers in remote areas also limited access to internet and less knowledgeable on ICT. Teachers in Thailand should be trained so that they can integrate ICT in their teachings and encourage students to be proactive recipients of information.

To be culturally aware, it is important that our students understand other cultures. Including foreign languages such as English and other Asian languages besides Thai in the curriculum would ensure better understanding and closer relationship between our country and others.

For a world which is vastly transformed by technology, it is not adequate to only focusing on the current technology. Educators should focus on developing transferable skills such as critical thinking and problem solving so that students can analyze information, apply knowledge to new situations as well as comprehend new ideas. These skills will make them capable to learn and adapt to any new technology to come. Lastly, to stay economically competitive, teachers and educators should help students develop interest and curiosity on what’s going on around the world and teach by example how to be lifelong learners.

2.     What has been done by your country in each context?

As far as the educational technology is concerned, PM Yingluck has approved the distribution of free tablets to school-aged students and promised more free wifi coverage in rural areas for the years to come.  The ICT integrated education has been discussed but not equally adopted in government schools. ASEAN community 2015 is on the national agenda and lots of debate and discussion on how Thais should prepare for the union. One of the suggestions is to make English a second official language in Thailand but nothing concrete has been developed. A number of schools in Thailand especially in Bangkok have offered more choices of foreign languages including English, Chinese and other ASEAN member languages.  Critical thinking and problem solving have been identified as desirable qualities of the young Thais; however, Thai curriculum is not yet carried out or taught in a way that cultivates such skills.

News Card 1

a)     Microsoft's Digits Could Turn Us All Into Hand Dancers

b)   Mr. Peter Suciu TechNewsWorld  10/09/12 2:51 PM http://www.technewsworld.com/story/76345.html

c)  Microsoft's computer science laboratory at the University of Cambridge with help from researchers at Newcastle University and the University of Crete, successfully developed Digits, new technology which would lead to virtual controllers. The wrist-worn sensor would allow the wearer to control a range of equipment via hand gestures and likely to replace devices like TV remote controls. The mouse we use today will also be replaced by a new hand-gesture sensor. While Microsoft didn’t reveal when exactly such technology would be introduced in the mainstream market, this breakthrough interface evolution is well underway to change the way we live.

Ms. Patcharaporn Boonkerd ID 5519505

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