Special report on the 2024 World Conference on Digital Education
The rapid development of science and technology has ushered in the digital era, which has also brought unprecedented opportunities and challenges to basic education. When the traditional education model can no longer meet the needs of modern society, digital education has begun to lead the trend of education reform. How to use digitalization to improve the quality of basic education? How to share high-quality resources and promote educational equity through digitalization? Today, at the parallel session of the 2024 World Digital Education Conference on "Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Transformation for Basic Education", experts and scholars had a lively discussion on these issues.
Digital education is no longer an elective, but a compulsory
At the meeting, "Digitalization of Education Has Become a Trend" became the key theme of the guest speeches.
Sierra Leone's Minister of Basic and Senior Education, Conrad Sachi, believes that today's global economy is rapidly changing and technology-driven, and digital education can link traditional education methods with the global economy and cultivate more talents to meet the needs of the times, and in this process, the digital transformation of education is crucial.
Our education sector has made the digitalization of basic education a priority, and we will make greater use of data and technology to support education improvement. Konrad Saki said.
From the perspective of education objects, Yu Yunfeng, Secretary-General of the China Education Association for International Exchange, mentioned that the "post-00s" and "post-10s" are the aborigines of the digital age, and the Internet has naturally penetrated into all aspects of their lives. It is the general trend to use advanced technology to carry out fair, inclusive and targeted education, and cultivate socialist builders and people with all-round development of morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics and labor, and "digital education is no longer an elective course, but a compulsory course".
Intelligence has become the development trend of digital education
The goal of AI education is to develop students' creativity, problem-solving skills, teamwork skills, and critical thinking. Students learn about AI content or learn AI applications that will help students apply AI to solve real-world problems. Gong Zhiming, Secretary for Education and Youth Development of the Macao Special Administrative Region, said.
At the moment of digital transformation of education, the development of artificial intelligence education has attracted widespread attention. Ke Qingchao, a professor at South China Normal University, believes that the impact of generative AI on education has two aspects: surface impact and deep impact. On the one hand, providing a new learning interactive environment and intelligent learning companions for students' learning, personalized learning upgrades, and providing real-time education content generation and human-computer collaborative teaching design for teachers' teaching are all superficial influences. On the other hand, the deep impact means that generative AI has the potential to bring about changes in educational concepts, educational evaluation mechanisms, and educational content.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has accumulated some experience in the development of smart education. The Under Secretary for Education of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Shi Junhui, introduced that Hong Kong promotes the development of intelligent education, from the cultivation of artificial intelligence-related teachers, and actively promotes the application of artificial intelligence in education. At present, the teacher professional development curriculum covers the development of artificial intelligence, planning the application of artificial intelligence in education, and the application of artificial intelligence tools in different subjects. Quality Education** has set aside HK$500 million to implement the e-Supporting Scheme to continue to vigorously promote STEM education in primary and secondary schools, popularize science and technology learning, and create a learning atmosphere for science and innovation and technology.
The digital transformation of basic education has a long way to go
How will education face unprecedented challenges in the midst of digital transformation?
Ji Xiaofeng, director of the Education Bureau of Wujiang District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, gave his own answer from the practice of group-based schooling in Wujiang District. "We can build a shared paradigm of 'synchronous classroom'. Taking advantage of the equipment of 'synchronous classroom', we will create a circular classroom model of synchronous 'collaborative lesson preparation-collaborative teaching-collaborative discussion' of the group, carry out assisted correction and teaching based on artificial intelligence, personalized learning, language learning and interesting learning, etc., promote the reform of teaching methods between group schools, and gradually build a new teaching and learning model supported by technology. Ji Xiaofeng said.
In addition, the 'co-creation alliance' cloud classroom teaching can also be carried out. Establish a multi-school co-creation alliance to jointly carry out curriculum design and cloud classroom teaching, as well as introduce museum-school linkage courses with high-quality venue resources. He said.
In the process of education digitalization, it is the common expectation of the guests to let digitalization give new temperature to school education.
According to Guo Shaoqing, a professor at Northwest Normal University, from this perspective, he will have a new understanding of the construction of digital resources. Whether it is knowledge, tools, virtual interaction, or intelligent virtual digital education resources, including blended digital teaching materials, we should pay full attention to the transfer of knowledge as the main function in the construction process, focus on the users of resources, and provide personalized learning services.
Shanghai, January 31.
China Education Daily, 2024-02-01, 2nd edition
Author: Reporter Zhang Yunfang.