Technology impacts teaching and learning in Canada

BY PAUL JUNOR

The digital transformation has transformed all aspects of the modern world especially in the fields: of economics, business, politics and education.

The push towards online learning has given rise to many issues, concerns and questions during this COVID-19 pandemic. An important study titled, “Class, Take out your Tablet: Impact of Technology on Learning and Teaching in Canada,” was released in February 2020 by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) tackled some of these challenges. This report is timely and relevant as it was able to obtain vital information from sixteen interviews with educators across Canada. It looked at the impact of digital technology in Canada by examining existing research on tech-aid learning and teaching and its implications.

ICTC is a not-for-profit research group, which is based in Ottawa, Canada. It started in 1992 as the Software Human Resources Council. There were thirty-one sectors funded largely by the government of Canada Council Program and in 2006 changed its name to ICTC. The group provides expertise for the digital economy, its mission is to strengthen Canada’s digital advantage in a global economy. It has seventy highly qualified professionals who are directly involved with students, schools, job seekers and businesses across Canada by providing tools, support and initiatives.

The report took nine months to complete starting from May 2019 and was Canada wide. The report examines four specific areas:

• (i)   Current state of technology in education
• (ii)  How technoloty is perceived in the classroom
• (iii)  Opportunities, challenges and methods of technology adaptation
• (iv)  Case studies

The report states, “Tech-aid learning is expected to potentially change the way students think, interact with the world and tackle problems while encouraging life-long learning.” This is an important conclusion as it shows that the nature of student’s learning will be heavily impacted by digital technology. It notes that teachers are generally supportive of the use of technology, particularly as digital literacy is an important skill that they need as part of global competencies. Others include: critical thinking, problem solving, character, communication, collaboration, creativity, leadership, inquiry and leadership.

The report highlights important guiding concepts, which are crucial for technology implementation such as: credibility, equity, diversity, connectivity, teacher training and support. In terms of broadband connectivity, even though the CRTC ruled in 2019 that telecommunication service should be available to all Canadians, the reality is that it is not universal or uniform especially in smaller, isolated and indigenous communities. The Ontario government announced in 2017 that high-speed internet should be available to all students by 2021.

In my 45-minutes interview with Nathan Snider (Manager of Policy and Outreach at ICTC), I was able to explore some of the issues in more detail. He stated that the fact that we are in the COVID-19 era has provided a pilot and real-world laboratory to gather first-hand information about the effects of technology on student learning. He mentioned that in this learning environment, it is important that all the major stakeholders in education; parents, teachers, boards, communities, faculties of education and ministry officials come to a consensus as to the goals of learning experiences.

Snider reiterates that it is important to have the full backing of teachers in the adoption of the technology in the classrooms. Currently, teachers’ readiness and preparation are varied. Some teachers are comfortable with remote learning while others are resistant to it. Snider observes that there has to be much more support given to teachers in terms of training, workshops and in service professional developments.

He observes that aside from low-income families not having access to devices, stable internet services and poorly prepared online classes, there are other issues. Many middle-class families may have only one device at home, and now that they are working remotely from home, there is additional pressure to share this device with their children who need to use it. This could further magnify inequities in terms of educational outcomes and add to the digital device. The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) stated that it could take up to three weeks for some of these devices to get in the hands of kids.

In response to the general study findings that, “The inclusion of digital technology in the classroom enables more interactive, collaborative learning and stronger learning outcomes in areas such as: engagement, creativity, agility, teamwork and flexibility,” Snider is supportive to the use of tech-aided learning. He believes this has the possibility of being a positive change for the future.