Learning spaces and learning technologies in the Asian century

Asia’s robust growth in the last two decades has been defining the 21st century – the Asian Century. In the ADB’s publication Asia 2050, it predicts that another 3 billion Asians will enjoy similar living standards to those in Europe today, with Asia accounting for more than half of the global output by 2050. However, for countries in the region to sustain their growth and make the Asian Century a reality, they have to harness on the potential of the rapid advancement of technology, and make sense and manage the global level of economic, ecological, social, political and cultural integration across countries that are part of globalisation. Otherwise, countries may face a stagnation of productivity and growth for extended periods. In such a new world order, education for global citizenship is essential to prepare our young people to be agents of change rather than passive observers of world events; and at the same time, to live together in an increasingly diverse and complex society and to reflect on and interpret fast changing information. This keynote draws upon case studies in the Asia-Pacific countries to show how schools and education institutions design learning spaces to take up the potential of learning technologies for the development of global citizenship competencies. These competencies include critical thinking, creative thinking, global perceptiveness, problemsolving, effective communication, and ethical decision making. By doing so, the keynote constructs a framework for the design of such learning spaces where students think global and act local as we work towards the realisation of the Asian Century.