The Global Forum – Miami is a unique opportunity for education and school leaders, policymakers, top industry experts and also Microsoft partners to discuss the key transformations in Education across K-12 and Higher Education and how Microsoft can support those goals.
Dr Cathy Cavanaugh Head of Teaching & Learning, Microsoft Worldwide Education delivered the keynote address on the opening day. Dr Cavanaugh explained that
The learning journey consists of three steps that involve technology:
- THINK (Digital Ink – thinking scaffolds, and inking is a way of processing that is happening in highly visual ways)
- COLLABORATE & RECORD (Office Mix, OneNote - students work together and their learning is captured)
Think
The 21st Century Learning Design framework states information is growing exponentially and the meaning of ‘knowing’ has shifted from being able to consume, remember and reproduce information to one where learners actively construct understanding to create knowledge that is new and usable to them. Digital Ink allows that seamless progression from scaffolded thinking to processing visually.
Express
Developing technologies have created new opportunities to enrich engagement, learning, and active participation in society with a whole range of contemporary communication modes and tools, and with broader reach and fewer barriers than ever before.
Communications can be spoken, written, visual or multimodal and in print or digital and online forms. Multimodal texts combine language with other systems for communicating such as visual images, soundtracks and spoken word, for example, in film or digital presentations.
Collaborate & Record
Working collaboratively in partnership with others and in teams is essential for learning and life success in today’s interdependent world. Collaboration is the lynchpin for effective participation in families and workplaces, and in local and global communities. Learners can collaborate face-to-face or online, within the classroom, across schools and with local and global communities. They can collaborate with peers, learners of all ages, and with community members and experts.