Technology can transform how education is delivered but schools will remain relevant, said Singapore’s education minister Ong Ye Kung.
Speaking at the International Conference on Teaching and Learning with Technology, Ong told reporters that schools will continue to be central in promoting values.
“Students learning from each other, from tutors, lecturers, mentors, working in teams – all this cannot be replaced,” he added.
The Ministry of Education will continue to support the use of technology in learning, he said, giving the recent rollout of online platform Student Learning Space (SLS) as an example.
Schools from primary to junior college level will be able to access the portal by end of May. It aims to promote self-directed and collaborative learning.
SLS has “tremendous innovation potential” and schools can peruse the tool to suit students’ needs.
“Every school, sometimes every teacher, every department – they are coming up with their own ways to use the tool, laying upon it their own ideas on how to deliver a lesson; how to teach the students,” The Straits Times quoted Ong.
The minister hopes it will develop “a marketplace of ideas” for educators, where the best ideas are shared across the education system and become the “dominant way” of delivering lessons.
The two-day conference saw 1,500 local and overseas practitioners presenting ideas, insights and practices in leveraging innovation and technology in learning.
One attendee, mother tongue head of department Tay Hui Cheng shared about the education sector’s transformation.
“This generation is very different. They are digital natives and crave connectivity with their peers. Teaching also needs to evolve to engage them not only in play but also in learning.”
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