Small children are accessing technology before they start school. Kindergarten children can access apps and programs, primary school students can make their own blogs and access YouTube channels.Yet when we enter the classroom these skills are often not recognised or utilised. Our new 21st century learners, are different from those of the first decade of the 21st century. They are capable of engaging in collaborative and creative learning experiences and teachers and administrators need to rethink the role of technology in the classroom.

We need to put technology back in the hands of the students and provide them with more progressive options for technology use. We need to provide opportunities for students to explore, create, problem solve and collaborate, through the use of information technology, to enable students to achieve their potential.

With the demands of the curriculum, the question is “How do we fit this all in?” This requires a rethink of the classroom dynamic. A move from the teacher as the focus to an environment where the teacher creates and orchestrates learning opportunities through discovery and creation. An environment where the students acts as the explorer, designer and problem solver. Rather than the teacher providing the data, students can engage in discovery and exploration using real data to understand the changes in the water quality in the local waterways area. They can collaborate with schools along the waterway to share and compare real data about the changes in water quality. Students can research, theorise and communicate possible solutions, using a range of online tools and resources.