1517-creating-holistic-technology-enhanced-learning-experiences

LESLIE S. CONERY
FOREWORD
Some books tell a story, others serve as resources with sections tagged for future
reference. This rich book edited by Lee Yong Tay and Cher Ping Lim does both.
Creating Technology-Enhanced Learning Experiences: Tales from a Future
School in Singapore tells many stories. It tells about a country that invested in
exploring how to use ICT to create rich learning environments to prepare their
students for the future. It is also the story of Beacon Primary School and the
school’s journey to be a model of effective use of ICT in primary education. A
journey guided by inquiry based learning at all levels: Students, teachers,
administrators, politicians, and the ICT in education community. Taken in its
entirety, the book is a powerful story, still in progress, of educational change.
In addition to telling a story, Tales from a Future School in Singapore is a
resource goldmine full of practical examples, citations for future reading, concrete
tips, insightful reflections, and directions for further study. I found myself tagging
ideas, resources, and references throughout the book and making note of how I
would disseminate them to schools embarking on similar journeys. What a
powerful catalyst these chapters can be for reflection, refinement and replication
by other educators around the globe.
By pulling all these pieces together into a cohesive whole, editors Tay and Lim
provided a launch point for other schools, school districts, and countries ready to
learn from the experiences of others. Within these pages you will discover five
keys for school level policy that are essential for successful ICT implementation at
the grassroots level. In our work at ISTE (International Society for Technology in
Education), we found that these same five elements are essential for supporting
learning in the digital age and documented them as essential conditions necessary
to effectively leverage technology for learning within ISTE’s NETS
(www.iste.org/standards). Within this book, you will also read research conducted
by classroom teachers that provides insight into the realities of what works in the
classroom aligned with clear pedagogical goals along with reflections on
improving classroom practice. Finally, you will reflect and look forward with
leaders from around the globe about the lessons learned at Beacon Primary School.
While I read the book in a traditional format, I imagine it as a digital resource
with links to further reading, videos of classroom examples, tags on every page to
help search and sort for the nuggets of wisdom for reference in the future, and the
ability to digitally link back to, and annotate, key points and learning. Tim Rudd
reflects on the power of the “collective and collaborative approach” of sharing
practitioner research and engaging in communities of practice in Chapter 12. I look
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