Both the Singapore and global K-12 advisory boards agree that there is a growing need for the K-
12 sector to better understand and be a part of the blending of formal and informal learning. The
challenge embedded in this topic is that more than ever, students at a younger and younger age
are equipped with their own devices — such as mobiles — that they use outside of the classroom
to explore subjects that personally interest them. Students do not learn to use these technologies
in school, but on their own and at their own pace. Tools such as mobile apps breed discovery of
new information for users, and there is a need for schools to leverage and promote these informal
learning experiences while integrating them with in-school learning.
The Singapore advisory board also felt that schools do not sufficiently incorporate real-life
experiences in their curricula. Models such as challenge based learning, which encourages
students to solve local and global problems, are interesting to schools, but have not gained
enough traction and are not yet widespread. In order for students to be engaged in the material
they are learning, there is a need for it to be tied to their own lives and the community around
them.
All of these points and comparisons provide an important context for the main body of the report
that follows this summary. There, 12 key technologies are profiled, each on a single page that
describes and defines a technology ranked as very important for Singaporean K-12 education over
the next year, two to three years, and four to five years. Each of these pages opens with a carefully crafted definition of the highlighted technology, outlines its educational relevance, points to several real life examples of its current use in schools, and ends with a short list of additional readings for those who wish to learn more. Following those discussions are sections that detail the Singapore advisory board’s top ten ranked trends and challenges and articulate why they are seen as highly influential factors in the adoption of any of these technologies over the coming five years.