Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

As an educator, you strive to mould your students into bright, responsible individuals.

And as our country grows, so does your responsibility. By 2020, India will have the world’s largest young workforce. How many of them are employable? How many are getting into fields they actually enjoy and are good at? And how many are simply selecting a path that’s ‘secure’ or ‘financially beneficial’ in the long run?

For years, we’ve been prioritizing stability and security over interests when it comes to choosing a career. Up until a few years ago, the career you chose wasn’t likely to evolve at the frenzied pace it is currently going through. Today, the Technological Revolution is well underway and changing the way we approach jobs. A study by the World Economic Forum revealed that by 2022, nearly one-fifth of the world’s workforce will feel the impact of AI-related advancements in their workplace. Does it still make sense to prioritise ‘stability’ over interests, when just about every career could drastically transform thanks to technological advancements?

The effort to ensure that students are “future ready” has gained momentum in recent years as more and more stakeholders have recognized the importance of digital learning tools to ensuring the success of students. And while the effort has largely focused on elementary and secondary education, that does not mean that college students are off the hook. Rather, the same principles that benefit younger students will help college students make the most of their higher education experience. In fact, since one of the main aspects of the future ready movement is ensuring that students are prepared for college and work, the need for college students to have these skills developed is all the more acute.

This is the first of three posts that I am writing in an attempt to inspire more discussion around the following question: How do we prepare students to be successful in their futures?

We live in a world of accelerating change. New industries are constantly being born and old ones are becoming obsolete. A report by the World Economic Forum reveals that almost 65 percent of the jobs elementary school students will be doing in the future do not even exist yet. Both the workforce and our knowledge …