Smart schools on the way: How school principals from Catalonia approach the future of education within the fourth industrial revolution

Abstract

The advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is introducing developments in Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and other technologies in different sectors of our society, including education. This reality leads to a paradigm shift in which web-based cyber-physical environments will shape future learning environments. Thus, learning becomes ubiquitous, and schools assume new roles with systemic changes in communication, administration and management, becoming learning organisations. The use of technologies aligned with pedagogical strategies and new methodologies must lead to more-personalised systems. In this article, a comprehensive definition of smart schools is proposed. Smart schools must be endowed with integral management systems, inclusive, sustainable, and adopt new learning methodologies and advances from Industry 4.0 in an efficient way. Despite this conception and because research, government policies and business projects are not always in line with research, there is a need for deeper knowledge of how schools are approaching their upcoming transformation. To illuminate this purpose, in this study 37 principals from primary and secondary schools in Catalonia were interviewed. Thematic analysis focusing on technological and pedagogical innovations, management systems, inclusion, and sustainability identified some analogies with related research, pointing out that schools are far from implementing advanced technologies. Inclusion is the most-respected element thanks to the existing government regulation. Sustainability is hardly considered because of a lack of economic resources, but several schools consider themselves green schools and exhibit environmental practices. Conclusions are drawn to show that, although schools are not yet prepared to cope with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, its impact relies on the technology’s level of maturity and ease of use, as well as stakeholders as policymakers.

New actors and new learning spaces for new times: a framework for schooling that extends beyond the school

“…Learning environments have undergone constant development with the emergence of new technologies which offer potential for developing new understandings of the relationships between the learner and the ‘third teacher’. The emerging challenge with advances influenced by the fourth industrial revolution, namely, the provision of educational platforms charged by artificial intelligence and machine learning and ‘the absolute necessity of saying goodbye to disciplinary silos’ (Salmon, 2019 ), underpins challenges for our new learning environments (Mogas et al, 2021 ). Fisk ( 2017 ) explains that the new vision of learning facilitates learners to acquire not only the skills and knowledge that are needed but also to identify the sources through which they can learn such skills and knowledge.…”

“…“Lewin’s formula, B = f (P, E), stressed the need to consider behaviour as a function of both the person and the environment” (Fraser, 2018 , p. 2). More contemporary research provides a holistic conceptualising of learning environments (Keser Aschenberger et al, 2022 ; Manninen et al, 2007 ; Mogas et al, 2021 ; Valtonen et al, 2021 ) infusing physical, technological and informal learning spaces. In this paper, we identify the rationale or need for the re-design of learning environments, drawing on the literature in relation to educational inequality and the potential of youth work approaches informed by a global competencies model.…”

“…We then present the framework that explicates the transformative potential of bringing these approaches together. The model is underpinned by the Reggio Emilia approaches (Brookes & Hardy, 2002 ), advances education from the fourth industrial revolution, termed Education 4.0 (Salmon, 2019 ), the theory of infrastructuring (Penuel, 2019a , b ; Star, 1999 ) and technological innovation, which seek to build new educational relationships with the aim of transforming practice and the learning environment (Keser Aschenberger et al, 2022 ; Mogas et al, 2021 ). Key to such a framework is the introduction of new actors into the space of schooling.…”

Digital Learning Ecosystem for Classroom Teaching in Thailand High Schools

“…According to Alhubaishy and Aljuhani (2021), elements relating to the cognition and behavior of teachers and students, fear of change and the limited access to learning resources hindered the transformation of schools. Therefore, it is important to create a smart learning environment with the investment of technology, infrastructure, equipment, and vision (Mogas et al, 2022) to improve digital literacy; to apply new technologies into learning environment to evolve the interaction and collaboration during learning process, and to share and deliver knowledge (Farias-Gaytan et al, 2021; Hashim et al, 2021; Reinius et al, 2021).…”

Online teaching; An emerging reality

“…The technological revolution carries with it new challenges for education (Mogas, Palau, Fuentes & Cebrián, 2022), in that the effective use of new technologies requires a constructive support environment so that students have to learn the art of thinking, cooperating, and learning in a virtual space, just like teachers have to relearn the art of teaching, developing a set of pedagogical strategies and technological abilities adjusted to this new environment of teaching/learning (Akcil, Uzunboylu & Kinik, 2021;Ong & Quek, 2023).…”