Teachers in Digital Knowledge-Based Society: New Roles and Vision

The advent of a digital knowledge-based society has brought about significant changes in many ways. Specifically, educational problems are becoming more diverse, and tasks more complex, which necessitate the ability of teachers to apply feasible solutions to individual situations, as well as the flexibility to adapt to changing environments. These changes call for a paradigm shift in education to one that is search- and discovery-centered, emphasizing creativity and initiative, and valuing interaction and collaboration. This digital era requires the modern teacher to have the ability to play various roles including that of change enablers, digital networkers, and learning consultants, and to possess a high degree of humanity and morality, practicality and liberal sensitivity, and logical reasoning and general sensibility, in order to effectively work and cope within this dynamic educational environment. Asia is in a unique position to witness the materialization of a new generation of teachers who embody these ideals, due mainly to cultural and traditional factors. This paper proposes a vision of future education influenced by the uniqueness of Asian culture, the building of an Asia-Pacific network of teachers, and ways to effectively utilize the potential of digital society, all from the basis of Asian culture and tradition.