part A: reflection task

The integration of digital technologies in Australian schools is a systemic yet complex response to an evolving global world, focused on preparing students to be active citizens and future proofing their professional life. The presence of these technologies is attributed to overarching government policy at state and federal levels such as curriculum mandates, and pedagogical shifts in the education circle. National policies, such as the "Digital Education Revolution," have established an ambitious vision for embedding technology in classrooms (Jordan, 2011), creating a top-down imperative for schools. This mandate was formalised by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), which designated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a General Capability, now known as the Digital Literacy capability in the latest V9.0 curriculum (ACARA, n.d.). This explicit curriculum requirement ensures that students develop digital literacy across all subject areas, aligning educational practice with the demands of a 21st-century society (Newhouse, 2013, p. 5).

Beyond policy, the shift towards a constructivist pedagogy has also played its part. Modern learning theory suggests that knowledge is actively constructed by students through experience and collaboration (Allsop, 2016). Digital technologies by nature, enable authentic, project-based learning and fosters new forms of engagement, making it favourable for the constructivist approach to be applied (Bower, 2017). This pedagogical basis is amplified by the widespread access students have to digital devices and the internet in their personal life. The unavoidable use of digital tools by students in their personal lives has created a compelling need for educational institutions to ensure technologies incorporated in the classroom are not just about giving access but rather about creating learning experiences that connect to a student’s lived experience (Thomson, 2015, pp. 14-16), thus effectively bridging the gap between theoretical learning and the practical realities of modern student life.