Aspects of Educational Technology in Australia - Essay Example

Education is the fountain of knowledge that transforms societies from one economic era to another. The latest era is the broadband age, anera that is deeply engrained with technological factors. Education technology is the latest trend in the educational field that has the potential of evolving and transforming any educational system. In the commonwealth of Australia technology application in education are widespread and a solid framework has been followed by the government of this developed country. The continent needs to pursue its educational technology initiatives further to ensure the educational needs of its people are met in the long run. Rationale for the topic Education in the new globe in which the people around the world utilize technology on a daily basis to facilitate their everyday life and in the workplace as common tool to perform task must be focus of educators around the world. In Australia efforts are underway to improve the educational technology and more must to be to achieve further advancement in this area. The world economy has transformed into a knowledge economy in all developed countries which includes Australia, thus the speed, efficiency and increase productivity that educational technological alternatives must be the focus of the Australian nation. Description of topic or phenomena Education has been an industry and social service that has been a part of societies for centuries. The educational field is a traditional profession in which resistance to change is a common occurrence. Educators for decades have established methods, pedagogy, and environments that have become became the standards to follow the majority of the educational providers. It is difficult to convince the primary providers of education such governmental institutions, educational institutions and the residents of a nation that integration of costly educational technology applications and physical items are a mandatory necessity to transform the educational system of a region (McNamara, 1989). The Australian commonwealth has been taking strides in the right direction towards making educational technology and research and development a priority. At the start of the 21st century the Australian government invested $736,589 on educational technology research and development in fiscal year 2000 (Bodnar, 2007). The financial aspect of the educational technology is just one aspect of the issue. The greater change that has to occur is a change in philosophy, planning and strategic focus of the elements of society which includes the government, the residents and the private institutions. A society benefits from greater access and increase amounts of educational efforts since the cumulative grows if more education is available and undertaken by the residents of a region. Educational technology can break distance barriers and time constraints associated with traditional education. Literacy rates, the amount of educational institutions, and the length of mandatory education are good indicators of a country’s capacity for achieving greater levels of educational achievement. Australia enjoys a literacy rate of 99%, it provides 11 years of mandatory education and its e-literacy ranking is among the top ten percentile in the world. A virtual educational extended framework utilizing educational technology is a sustainable necessary goal for the immense region that covers 2.97 million square miles (CultureGrams, 2007). Critical Analysis In explaining the importance of the educational technology issue it must be emphasized that all types of organizations struggle to share knowledge, solve problems, and remain vibrant while accomplishing their mission and purpose. Educational systems have wrestled with these same struggles, It is not surprising that educational institutions have valued additional learning as a primary strategy to address the problems they have encountered, whether on the student or faculty level. For decades the educational system has turned to professional development as a way to carry out new initiatives, manage change, and respond to the complexities involved with students, staff members and ongoing learning. Technology, in recent years, has emerged as one of the more important strategies for the fulfilment of the stated, not to mention the role it plays in both teacher professional development and its contributory value to the future professional development of students (Lambert, 2003). As regards the importance of integrating technology into the health science curriculum, the following sections will attempt to establish the stated, while explaining the importance of technology to both teachers and students. Within the context of student and teacher development and technology are a vital issue. Added to that, and as shall be explained, the integration of technology into the curriculum is especially important to health science students. In the first place, as pertains to the importance of technology integration to faculty members in general, and health science teachers in specific, it must be noted that ongoing professional learning must respond to foster the changes in the learning environment required for effective technology use. Instruction must move from teacher-centered to learner-centered, from isolated work to collaborative work, from focus on facts and content to focus on synthesis, problem solving, and meaning. (Valenti, 2006; Wiske, 2006), This alignment between ongoing technology learning and continued learning about best practices in education reinforces technology integration as a catalyst for change (Holland, 2001). Ongoing, collaborative learning is a necessary component during successful implementation of change (Brown, 2006; Nisan-Nelson, 2001). The implication here is that technology integration contributes to professional development and, indeed, renders the teaching/learning paradigm much more effective and efficient. Added to that, it is supportive of changes which higher educational institutes implement for the purpose of reform. In the second place, technology integration is especially important where health science students are concerned. It facilitates learner-centric education, supports collaborative learning and, of particular importance, allows for simulations and, participation in experimentations. Quite simply, stated, the integration of technology into the health science curriculum will invaluably contribute to more effective learning and has the potential to improve overall student performance levels. Indeed, as Moersch (2006) points out, technology generally reinforces the content that is under investigation and contributes to the evolution of a constructivist educational environment which incites higher order thinking skills as part of the students’ experience (Moersch, 2006). Technology has helped the ability of education to expand the learning process to remote location without time, distance or cost factors imposing any constraints. The method that allowed networks to interconnect with the help to tools such as the internet, extranet and other wireless technologies is called the CMC. The invention of emails is one of the most effective and simple solutions that allow college professors, instructors, teachers and trainers to provide communicate with students around the world. The email can provide simple written communication and provide a medium to transfer educational files instantly. Different CMC options are bulletin boards, forums, computer conferences, fax, voice mail, visual mail, email. The internet allows more advanced form of communication. There are accredited Universities around the globe exporting college courses and degree at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate level. Australia is already taking advantage of this opportunity to reach local and international people with the desired to learn. One of the best online universities in Australia is university of Western Australia. The geographical characteristics of Australia of extensive rural areas has forced to continent to adopt an electronic long distance higher learning platform. Utilizing this medium to distribute education across the nation is a logical step for Australia. It is hard for a government to reach in economic sustainable ways certain locations in Australia adequately as far as the educational needs of the people. An top of the line communication infrastructure such as the one available in South Korea would give Australia a competitive advantage and would allow the spread of educational programs across the continent facilitate by high-speed internet. Evaluative Discussion As regards implication for curriculum, needless to say the issue is quite complex. The integration of technology in the health sciences curriculum involves redesigning lesson plans and teaching strategies and approach so that they are more accommodating of constructivist learning principles, on the one hand, and collaborative learning on the other. It will also involve the movement away from teacher-centric approaches and towards student-centric ones. The implication here is that the curriculum must be effectively redesigned so that it embraces simulations, computer-generated life-science experimentations, e-learning, collaboration and constructivist educational approaches. Australian in a leading frontier status is in a frontier barrier educational technology status among nations worldwide. The nation enjoys many competitive advantages that can be used to develop the country educational system such as governmental support for technology educational integration initiatives, being ranked 9th worldwide in e-readiness, sharing of scarce key educational expertise and willingness to adapt new innovation (Spring Consulting Services). Technology is a critical variable that is an integral part of education in the 21st century. Some of the elements that can take the Australian technological initiatives to expand the education in Australia with the use of technology that allow provide cost savings and greater interactions are classroom interactive learning, networked learning, organizational learning and managed learning (Spring Consulting Services). Interactive learning provides the ability to experience real time communication and information transfer inside the medium of transmission which may be a forum or interactive community platform. Networking learning is a process with allows the student or recipient of the educational module the ability to create relationships with other groups, organizations, sources such as entrance into a researchers database. This type of virtual environment provides the important human element of being surrounded by others to gain support, sharing of ideas and fraternization necessary for a person to feel inspired and surrounded with peers sharing a common interest. Organizations are one of the users of educational services. Managed learning is the teacher’s creation and application of technology that allows them to integrate high-tech applications and tools in their pedagogical approaches towards students. An example of an electronic tool that facilitates the learning process is the use a laptop with educational material transmitted through a projector into a large screen for students to view. Along with specialized educational organization such as universities business organization, governmental agencies and non-profit institutions have educational needs as well that are part of the educational industry. In Australia the governmental institutions value educational technology and are taking advantage of its application by cooperating with other institutions to promote its use. The Australian Council for Education through Technology (ACET) an organization whole mission is to promote the use of educational technology has an alliance with the Technology Association Federation of Australia and the International Technology Educators Association to facilitate distribution of educational technology knowledge across the commonwealth of Australia (Ash, 2002). Microsoft Corporation is a company that cooperates on advanced educational projects around the globe. Australia is one of the beneficiaries of this firm’s education technological initiatives. Australia become the first state to participate in a Microsoft sponsored program that will distribute nearly $250 million in funds in a five year span for assisting teachers and students gain exposure to experiences to broaden the use of information technology within schools (Microsoft, 2004). There are efforts worldwide in the educational technology field that can serve as models for Australia and other countries that can be followed. In the United States a project called the Technology Transfer Project is targeting minorities such as African-American to provide them with greater exposure to knowledge by creating more alliance with University with high enrolment of the target group (Owens, 2007). One of the purposes of the project is to allow governmental agencies access to talented students and get them involve in project that spark innovation and technology in the educational institutions to create technology knowledge transfers among the two parties. A project similar to the TTP can be created in Australia between the government and the colleges as well as between private firms and the universities. The educational institutions would benefit a lot since resources such as monetary and technologic experts entered the academia environment to provide valuable experiences that will help the professional development of the students and faculty. The targeting approach of minorities of the agency is concept that can be applied in different scenarios among the population of Australia to ensure no demographic, ethnic or particular group is left behind in their education plans. Technology provides a medium to facilitate greater access to more people. The overall communication infrastructure of the country has to be upgraded accomplish greater reach through installation of more satellite, broadband, cable, and fiber optic lines in the region. Training programs can achieve the spread of education in a country. In Australia the Australian Profibus Association started a training program certification in March of 2007 (Williams, 2006). The program had the participation of international figures that provided technical technological knowledge not available in the local forum. This program is an example of a solution that should be expanded in the Australian educational system. There are a lot specialized with educational knowledge constraints such a lack of availability of trained educators to spread the knowledge in a field to aspiring students. Importing talented for specialized educational tasks is way to bypass the shortage of teachers in an educational region. Web based education is great alternative for growth through the use of technology education, but it requires certain stages prior to achieving high levels of utilization among the residents of a region. Five steps that can help obtain web integration towards educational applications is: getting to know the web, getting people accustomed to locating the sources, user interaction others, exposing students to web based learning, designing goal based activities, and pursuing the transformation of a community (March, 1999). It all starts with associating young primary and secondary students with technological tools in their educational experiences. In Australia the school system advocate the used of technology in their national school system since the nation realizes that many important fields such as science have a reciprocal relationship with technology (Fuelcells, 2006). Greater volumes of high-tech instrumentation purchases as well as integrating web technology into the classroom can help the beneficiaries of the school system better preparation aligned with the needs of the new world economy. The design of a curriculum based on technological use is important towards obtaining the best possible results for the student body. In Australia the country focuses on providing students with an integrated technological approach as early as school years 1 to 7 so that students may draw on knowledge to enable them to design and develop solution for themselves (Gld, 2007). An effort to introduce knowledge early in a child’s educational experiences will get them accustomed to the technology and will inspire, motivate, and open their curiosity towards applying and using technology as tools to facilitate learning in future life stages. Intermediate school in the 8th Grade in Victoria Australia are improving their cultural knowledge with the help of the internet. Students are exchanging information about their country with students in Florida, USA (Milone, 1995). The teachers are using the gathered by students thousands of miles away as instructional tools for learning. The students are learning about the value of research and how it can be utilized to learn about others cultures or any particular subject. Designing a curriculum for students which integrates educational technological advances such as the example of the school in Victoria is the challenge ahead for the Australian educational system. The plan can only be accomplish by strengthening the roots of the system. The starting point that can allow the possibility of greater integration of educational technology is preparing the students minds and spirits. Teacher preparation, knowledge, and training are critical variables in the initial stages of the education design process. Once the educators gained sufficient knowledge to accurately transfer the information the person can accurately teach the students to increase their skills, competencies and abilities utilizing technology. Recommendations The nation of Australia is a place that can improve its global position by enforcing greater integration of technology into its educational system. The country geographical weakness such as wilderness regions and a population distributed unevenly across the large area of the continent can be overcome with innovative solutions to increase their communication infrastructure. Wireless internet infrastructure such as Wi-Max can provide access to 30 square miles segments of the population for approximately $100,000 per cluster. Greater broadband capacity will permit the creation of a larger higher learning educational platform across the region. Instead of investing in physical infrastructure for educational purposes, e-learning framework can be used beyond the normal boundaries. The country can replace a portion of its school system with online education for intermediate and high school students. The children could stay at home and receive the education they need. This should be a medium to long term goal for the educational system of Australia, but other simply steps have to occur prior to the final transformation. Once the teachers and educators are fully trained on the latest technologies for education they must start to showcase the new technologies in the classrooms. The learning process has to include assignments that force the student to use technology such as the internet or particular software programs in order to complete their assignments. The parents also have to be involved in the process and the system has to consider their input in order to accomplish true integration. The long-term plan needs contingency solution to potential conflicts such as a large parent population with inadequate technological skills to help their children obtain an interactive technology based educational experience. Cooperation is important for Australia to continue its educational technology trajectory as new challenges and opportunities rise out of nowhere related to technological advances. The mission can be accomplished if Australia keeps working towards improving its educational system with the help of technology. References Ash.org.au (2002). What is ACET. The Australian Council for Education through Technology. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from http://www.pa.ash.org.au/tefa/acet.html Bodnar, K. (2007). Australia: Learning Science and Technology. Retrieved November 20, 2007 from http://fas.org/learn/intl_rev/australia.htm Brown, J.S. (2006). The social life of information. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. CultureGrams (2007). Australia. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from CultureGrams database. Fuelcells.org (2006). Primary Schools in NSW Australia. Retrieved November 22, 2007 from http://www.fuelcells.org.au/Primary-Schools-Sustainable-Environmental-Education-Australia.htm Gld.gov.au (2007). Technology. Queensland Government. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/area/technology/ Holland, P.E. (2001). Professional development in technology: Catalyst for school reform. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 9(2). 245-267. March, T. (1999). Ten Stages of working the Web for Education. Multimedia Schools 6(3). Retrieved November 22, 2007 from Thompson Gale Powersearch database. Mcnamara, S. (1989). Re: A hidden agenda for technology for Australia. Australian Journal for Educational Technology, 5(1). 37. Microsoft.com (2007). Microsoft Australia launches educational assistance programme for Australian schools. Retrieved November 22, 2007 from http://www.microsoft.com/australia/presspass/news/pressreleases/2004_09_23pil.mspx Milone, M. (1995). Global Education Begins at Home. Technology and Learning, 16(3). Retrieved November 21, 2007 from Thompson Gale PowerSearch database. Moersch, C. (2002). Beyond hardware: Using existing technology to promote higher level thinking. Eugene, OR: ISTE Publications. Nisan-Nelson, P.D. (2001). Technology integration: A case of professional development. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 83-103. Owens, J. (2007). Technology Transfer Project: preparing African American students to compete for leadership positions. The Black Collegian, 38(1). 43. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from Thomson Gale PowerSearch database. Spring Consulting Services. Australia’s Future Using Educational Technology. Australia Government: Department of Education, Science and Training. Valenti, C. (2006) Preparing teachers for the high-tech classroom. In D.T. Gordon (Ed.), The digital classroom: How technology is changing the way we teach and learn (pp. 78 - 89). Cambridge, MA: The Harvard Educational Letter. Williams, C. (2006). Certified Profibus Training in Australia. Factory Equipment News. 20. Retrieved November 19, 2007 from Thomson Gale PowerSearch database. Wiske, S. (2006) A new culture of teaching for the 21st century. In D.T. Gordon (Ed.), The digital classroom: How technology is changing the way we teach and learn (pp. 69 - 77). Cambridge, MA: The Harvard Educational Letter. Read More