Ushering into a new age of digital learning

It is essential that schools equip their students with the digital learning skills they will need to flourish when they move on to higher education and into the world of work. It's an incredibly exciting but also challenging time to be a student, teacher or parent.
One of the best ways we can support our children's learning is to get involved and learn more about the technology they are using. Also, we should never dismiss gaming as a waste of time - it's better to get involved. Games such as Minecraft, Plants vs. Zombies and even Pokemon Go can teach children to think critically and strategically, whilst developing their creativity and digital citizenship skills.
Rather than worry about our children's technology use, we should get involved, understand it and help to guide them through this new age of learning. This is why all GEMS schools have been provided with the opportunity to access a cutting edge Personalised Online Learning Ecosystem.
This evolving ecosystem is already transforming the way in which our teachers are organising the learning experience for their students - and engaging parents in the process. At Dubai Modern Academy, the new term will see more successful 'flipped learning days' -- an initiative piloted before the summer break in Grades 3-12. Using the GEMS ecosystem, students worked from home to complete various tasks, providing them with an opportunity to develop their online learning skills and to work independently with a range of digital tools, managing their own time and collaborating online with their peers and teachers.
By supporting such innovations, parents are helping their children to develop real world skills. Learning is anytime, anywhere and no longer confined to the classroom. As part of the evolution of the our digital ecosystem, this term will see parents and children in three GEMS pathfinder schools - Modern Academy, The Kindergarten Starters and Nations Academy - trying out a new tool that will empower families to engage in real time with the assessment process.
Parents and students will be able to post evidence of achievements outside of school to a secure social media environment. In this way, all learning is recognised, tracked and recorded, and becomes part of the individual student's portfolio.
The system will soon also use Artificial Intelligence to recommend next steps for learners, based on their achievements to date. No longer is it solely the role of the teacher to record and report on school-based achievement and progress at set intervals throughout the year. Central to all this transformative learning is the need for students to use their own devices effectively, safely and responsibly.
All our schools operate a Bring Your Own Technology policy and teach digital citizenship using the highly respected Common Sense Media resources. A huge array of materials to support parents is available on this site and we have partnered with Common Sense Media to make these available in Arabic through our schools.
Of course, it's important to help children understand that it's far better to be a creator than a consumer, so we should be encouraging them to build their own apps, make their own games and learn to code. Going one step further, Bradenton Preparatory Academy in Dubai Sports City has partnered with www.makeschool.com to provide world-leading courses for budding developers.
This innovative provision also links students with key players in Silicon Valley and across the United States, leading to internships, careers and unprecedented entrepreneurial opportunities. Our children today have an exciting array of life chances and technology is now an essential, integral part of all their learning. The best way to support them is to get involved, learn, play and create together.  
Phil Redhead, Senior Manager - Digital Strategy, GEMS Innovation, Research and Development