Highland schools strive for digital transformation

In the context of strong development of technology and AI as today, Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW of the Politburo on breakthrough in education and training development is considered a guideline to open a new direction for our country's education sector. The highlight of the resolution is the requirement of "comprehensive digital transformation, popularization and strong application of digital technology and artificial intelligence in education and training" to aim at the goal of building a team of teachers, qualified facilities, fundamentally innovating management, teaching and testing methods, and creating a solid foundation for the young generation to enter the digital age.

Teachers at Bat Mot Secondary School flexibly combine traditional teaching methods and apply electronic lesson plans in their lessons.

With that orientation, schools in the Thanh Hoa highlands have been gradually realizing the spirit of Resolution No. 71 with very specific efforts. At Bat Mot Secondary School, Bat Mot Commune, the unit has begun to deploy the VNEDU system in most of its management and operation activities. All lesson plans, teaching plans, and homeroom records are done online. Grade entry, communication with parents and student management are also completely digitized.

"Previously, each semester we had to print and store a lot of documents, and parents had to wait until the end of the semester to receive information. This made data management difficult. However, now that the VnEdu system is deployed throughout the school, with just a few clicks, all data is updated promptly and transparently," said Le Hong Sam, Principal of Bat Mot Secondary School.

Not only in management, digital technology is also applied in teaching at Bat Mot Secondary School. 100% of classrooms are connected to the Internet, teachers use TVs and computers in each lesson. The school has its own computer room fully equipped with equipment and specialized teachers. In computer lessons, students are guided in creating documents, using basic software and initially getting acquainted with digital tools. In particular, teachers have begun to apply artificial intelligence (AI) in lesson preparation. AI software is used to search for illustrative materials, supporting the design of more vivid lessons.

In addition, according to Mr. Sam, "to meet the requirements of digital transformation, Bat Mot Secondary School also actively sends staff and teachers to participate in training courses to improve digital capacity. Managers are directly trained in applying AI in management and teachers are instructed in using digital technology in preparing lectures and teaching online".

These training sessions not only provide new knowledge but also help teachers change their mindset and boldly apply technology to their work. From the initial confusion, many teachers have been able to effectively exploit teaching support software, creating a more intuitive and attractive learning environment for students.

The implementation of the contents of Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW is necessary and urgent, but in reality, in some other mountainous areas of Thanh Hoa province, digital transformation is still facing many difficulties. At Thiet Ong Primary School, Thiet Ong commune, about 80% of students are ethnic minority children, and the input quality is uneven. In addition, the school does not have a full-time IT teacher, leading to interruptions in teaching information technology.

“We have a relatively well-equipped computer room, but because we don’t have an IT teacher, it’s difficult to operate. The whole school currently has only one smart TV, which is mainly used to display one-way content and cannot interact two-way with students,” said Du Thi Viet Ha, Vice Principal of Thiet Ong Primary School.

Despite the limitations, Thiet Ong Primary School has made efforts to deploy many technology approaches that are appropriate to reality. The school has organized professional training sessions on information technology, encouraging teachers to become familiar with AI tools, especially ChatGPT - a tool that many teachers are using to prepare lessons and search for teaching materials. At the same time, instead of imposing uniformly, the school board guides teachers to apply technology according to each person's capacity and conditions. Some teachers have used AI to design lessons according to each learning activity, such as warm-up, exploration, practice... to help students interact more and be more interested in the lesson. In addition, the school also promotes digital citizenship education through flag-raising activities organized in the form of discussions and sharing experiences on using phones and social networks safely and effectively. Topics such as school violence, Facebook use, and social networks are discussed, helping students better understand civilized behavior in the online environment.

Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW is not only a strategic orientation for the education sector, but also a driving force for each school to innovate itself. Therefore, despite the lack of conditions, highland schools in Thanh Hoa province are still making great efforts to transform digital management and each class is gradually being "activated" by technology, helping ethnic minority students have the opportunity to access modern knowledge, ready to integrate in the new era.

Article and photos: Phuong Do

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/truong-hoc-vung-cao-nbsp-no-luc-chuyen-doi-so-268018.htm