Discussions

Your Name and Title:  Sarah McPherson, Associate Professor/Chair Instructional Technology

School or Organization Name:  New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)

Co-Presenter Name(s):  Master’s Students in NYIT Abu Dhabi cohort.  Names will be added if proposal accepted.

Area of the World from Which You Will Present:  Middle East United Arab Emirates

Language in Which You Will Present: English

Target Audience(s):  K-12 teachers and teacher education university faculty

Short Session Description (one line): 21^st Century skills, TPACK and curriculum development will be presented in the context of the educational system in the UAE. 

Full Session Description (as long as you would like): Teachers today have encountered two centuries in their life. It is amazing how changes occur rapidly and how easily we can distinguish the 1990s from the 2000s.  In the 21^st century, technology plays a crucial and enormous role in everyday life. We depend on it in every aspect of our lives.  What used to be far becomes near, and what use to be out of reach has become widely accessible. It is more important in the 21^st century classroom for students to be responsible and active of their learning and it is expected of them be critical thinkers, creative, and collaborative.

In considering curriculum development and design it is critical to consider backward design with consideration for the big ideas and essential questions for what is important to learn – what we want students know and be able to do five years after our course. The framework of Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge provides to the elements to consider in the context of developing curriculum for effective 21^st century learning.

The options technology affords for curriculum development are greater now than ever. There are thousands of technology apps that can be applied for enhancing learning, motivation, communication, collaboration, and problem solving. This session will provide an overview of technology tools used for enhancing 21^st century learning in UAE schools. Teachers in schools and university faculty in teacher education programs will present tools they have used to enhance their students learning.