In this post I will look at how different audiences perspectives are affected by my research topic which is around introducing digital and collaborative tools into a work place and setting up an in time reporting system for students and whanau.

To start with it is worth considering what an audience is in a digital and collaborative world. The research in the class notes highlight audiences as being local, national and international (global)

A Google education article outlines eight emerging trends in education. New Zealand has chosen to focus on three.

Digital Responsibility

There has been an explosion in digital devices and application use in our society whether for business, education or socially. While this has been of great benefit to each area in terms of productivity, access and instant gratification there has also been a dark side to digital use with an increase in cyber bullying and victimization in all areas of society. In the educational sector parents are increasingly seeking (or demanding) that schools deal with the effects of cyber bullying. Unfortunately most of the issues in primary schools arise due to parents allowing underage children to sign into these sites with incorrect ages exposing them to age inappropriate advertising and strangers then complaining that they need schools to fix any issues that arise. 

Life Skills & Workforce Preparation

In a global perspective there is an increasing need in the workforce of tomorrow for students to have a school curriculum that has more focus on vocational and social skills. In the digital and collaborative worlds our children are entering a job for life will probably not be the norm. Rather new work force members will need a variety of social skills such as empathy, collaboration, initiative and the ability to relate and communicate effectively with a wide range of people in a variety of settings. While the core subjects are still very important the current delivery model in our schools is not keeping up with the needs of our community. While any change would require a massive mind shift in a number of ways there are a number of school and educational institutions around the country that are innovative, allowing children to develop independent work skills at the same time as achieving academic expectations. The majority of these schools use high levels of digital and collaborative tools such as flexible timetables, google classrooms, flipped classrooms, e-portfolios, Microsoft 365, individual goal setting and teachers as facilitators amongst others. In my discussions with colleagues most aspire to a vision such as this, unfortunately most  schools physical designs and financial and staffing constraints make it unlikely to ever be achieved.

Emerging Technologies

One area where new Zealand has an advantage over other countries is in the use of digital technologies in our classrooms. We have the freedom in deciding what we use and how they teach which is not the case in most countries with prescribed curriculums. With this in mind our students need to create mental relationships for their existence in a global inter connected world rather than just focussing on a local prospective as in the past. The task for educators is how to link their students out of school global online life with curricular issues in an interesting, creative and worthwhile manner. 

The seventeen sustainable development goals for a better world by 2030 (United nations) and an increasing awareness of issues such as climate change and young people’s  ability to protest / challenge / lead in these areas is also a sign of how actions can move from local to national to international very quickly with the help of digital and collaborative tools. Without these tools the recent students protests and marches would have been very localised and underwhelming but the power of inter connectivity means the like of Greta Thunberg and  Malala Yousafzai have become world leaders and influencers for a new generation.

The audience in my situation consist of the following:

Students: they want to be able to easily and quickly upload work for their whanau and home classes to view and comment upon.

Whanau: Theis would be an opportunity to give whanau an easier way to view their children’s work and communicate with the teachers in a more controlled manner than at present.

Colleagues: their current reporting and organisation structures are very paper based and involve a lot of double handling. The current mode of sharing work is via Facebook which is useful but as with most social media not used by all people. Files are currently spread across a number of different non collaborative or compatible platforms 

Home schools: Currently receive written progress indicator sheets which often have little or no relevance to them. The use of an application such as class dojo or seesaw would enable them to easily see what their students have done while at Enrich@ILT. It would also enhance two way communication.