We are currently in the whitewater of cultural and professional change, catalyzed by the exponential technological growth (exemplified by Moore’s law).’ Even the nature of change itself has changed, and instead of intergenerational change, there are now fundamental and disruptive changes in job markets occurring each decade as a result of technology.
Technology is transforming the way we work, play, and interact with others. And more our children are growing up in a society that continues to change, and as new industries and business models are emerging, so should our way of educating them.
Digital natives are people who have grown up with and used technology since the day they were born (Jackson, 2015). Usually born in 1996 and later, these students grew up not only with computers and internet access, but also with smartphones, social media, and mobile devices. They are familiar with technology and have a high expectation of it. Even though they are regular users of technology, many students still lack the experience of learning with technology, and remain information illiterate (Emanuel, 2013).
The future classroom will have fully integrated technology use, not just students or teachers using educational technology, but the whole learning process will be transformed. Educators will shift from being providers or curators of content to leaders of learning experiences.