The Background of Digital Transformation of Education
Digital technologies represented by artificial intelligence, blockchain and virtual reality technology are gradually infiltrating into all fields of human life. All walks of life have ushered in a historical opportunity to enter the digital technology era from the information technology era, and digital economy, digital society, digital politics and digital education are increasingly prominent. Due to the development and application of digital technology and its universal penetration in various fields, the society has undergone structural changes, and the whole society is facing rapid and thorough changes.
Digital transformation aims to fundamentally change the way human beings carry out these activities and bring value to human beings and the whole society. In addition, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus epidemic (hereinafter referred to as the COVID-19 epidemic) forced most public services in the world to turn to digitalization, forced the organization, operation mechanism and mode structure of all walks of life to change, and catalyzed all walks of life to speed up the digitalization process, making digitalization the leading way to promote social development and improve the resilience of education systems in the post-epidemic era in various countries.
In fact, in order to meet the opportunities and challenges brought by digital technology, governments all over the world attach great importance to digital transformation as the only way to promote the development and reform of human society and build a national competitive advantage, and emphasize the digital transformation of education in order to seize the opportunities for future development. Our government attaches great importance to the great significance of digitalization in the comprehensive transformation of science and technology, economy, society and education.
In the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in the part of "accelerating the construction of an innovative country", it made strategic arrangements for building a network power, a digital China and a smart society. Article 5 of the 14th Five-Year Plan for People's Republic of China (PRC)'s National Economic and Social Development and the Outline of the Long-term Goals in 2035 puts forward that "accelerating digital development and building a digital China":
"Welcome the digital age, activate the potential of data elements, promote the construction of a network power, accelerate the construction of digital economy, digital society and digital government, and promote the transformation of production methods, lifestyles and governance methods with digital transformation as a whole." Under this background, the significance of digital transformation of education is extraordinary.
Nowadays, the digital transformation of education has developed into a new requirement to adapt to economic and social development, solve the contradiction between social development and talent supply and demand, and improve social productivity. First of all, the education system is a subsystem of the social ecosystem. The constant changes of its external environment, such as social and cultural changes, the driving force of technological innovation, the leading role of national policies, and the impact of disasters, have formed the "pressure" to promote the transformation of the education system, which has led to the emergence and development of the digital transformation of education.
Secondly, as an active ecosystem, the education system has ever-changing endogenous development needs. The growing demand for endogenous development of education and the demand for flexible construction and stable development of education brought by external shocks are also promoting the extension of digital transformation of education.