Outcomes of regional online foresight workshop “Digital transformation of education”

On November 4, 2021, East Kazakhstan Regional Center for New Technologies in Education of Education Administration of East Kazakhstan region held a regional online foresight workshop “Digital transformation of education”, according to the action plan.

The goal of the workshop: creating new opportunities to improve professional IT competence of school teachers, including in the STEM direction, promoting the use of the latest innovative means and teaching methods in the educational process, providing methodological assistance to increase digital competencies for transforming education.  

The workshop was attended by the heads of the Methodological Units of cities and districts of the region, responsible coordinators of the NEBD and Kundelik, school and IT coordinators of international studies of schools-participants of PISA-2021 for schools, subject teachers - Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Chemists, Biologists, the members of the IT-Community of teachers of East Kazakhstan region.

The speakers of the regional online foresight workshop were the representatives of the Astana Hub International Technopark of IT Startups Corporate Fund, STEM ACADEMIA International Educational Center, leading IT companies specializing in education, trainers of the Center for Teaching Excellence of the NIS and the branch of Orleu JSC on East Kazakhstan region, Information and Analytical Center of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kundelik Company, lecturers of universities and leading teachers of the region.  

During the foresight workshop, they addressed the issues, such as the role of digital educational tools in the transformation of education and the problems of developing IT classrooms in the region, the possibilities to reach a new level of business implementation of startup projects for schoolchildren, digitalization of international studies PISA, TIMSS, ISILS. For the participants of the workshop, the speakers clarified the understanding of STEM/STEAM education, the address by Azamat M. Bekturganov, head of Learning Department of STEM ACADEMIA International Educational Center, aroused a big interest among the participants of the workshop. Everyone expressed their interest in cooperation with the STEM Academy. Furthermore, a great deal of interest was generated by Aibar K. Usenov, a senior manager of the Astana Hub Educational Programs Office regarding teaching students at the SturUp School of Astana Hub.

Within the framework of the focus group, the teachers of M.Auezov Secondary School No. 17 of Education Department of Ust-Kamenogorsk city, EA EKR, made a presentation on the practical orientation of the STEAM.

The speakers of the focus group on the topic “The role of digital educational tools in the transformation of education: administrative and methodological aspects” were Aliya A. Iskanderova, head of User Support Service of Kundelik company and Gulnaz A. Baglanova, a chief analyst of Educational Statistics and Planning Department of IAC JSC of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.  

The speaker of the focus group “Expanding the digital space of education. IT competencies as a driver of development of IT classrooms and programming rooms” was Olga I. Gataullina, a teacher of Computer Science of the highest category of S. Nurmagambetov Secondary School No. 4, a teacher-researcher, the winner of the Republican Competition “Best Teacher Award-2021”.

The speakers of the focus group “Digitalization of International Studies as a current stage” were the trainers of the Center for Teaching Excellence of NIS JSC and the branch of Orleu JSC on East Kazakhstan on the digital format of international studies.

Following the results of the focus groups, it was agreed to hold training workshops to address the topics “Eliminating gaps in filling NEDB”, “Digital innovations of Kundelik.kz”, “Leading scientific and StartUp projects of students”, “Cloud technologies in pedagogical design and engineering”.