national education programs on ict in europe jef moonen emeritus professor university of twente...
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National Education National Education Programs on ICT in Programs on ICT in
EuropeEurope
Jef Moonen
Emeritus Professor University of Twente
Moonen & Collis Learning Technology Consultants
Opening remarksOpening remarks
New to ELFE projectNew to ELFE project Much information is available in reports, and Much information is available in reports, and
was presented during this conferencewas presented during this conference Agree with much of what was said during Agree with much of what was said during
keynote presentationskeynote presentations
National ICT programmesNational ICT programmes
Impossible to do what organisors asked me to Impossible to do what organisors asked me to do: give an overview of ICT programs in do: give an overview of ICT programs in Europe---see remark of Ulf FredrikssonEurope---see remark of Ulf Fredriksson
Therefore will focus on a limited number of Therefore will focus on a limited number of aspects and make some critical remarks that aspects and make some critical remarks that maybe useful for your final recommendationsmaybe useful for your final recommendations
Remarks will (implicitly) focus on the role of Remarks will (implicitly) focus on the role of the teacher and the scalability and the teacher and the scalability and sustainability of proposed policysustainability of proposed policy
The importance of context…The importance of context…
Context: People in their contexts make it complicated
Learning-related processes supported by technology always take place within a complicated mix of personal, social, organizational, and cultural contexts. Thus there are no simple answers…
Focus
Three perspectives on context
Macro level: Technological & social context
Meso level: Curriculum context Micro level: Daily classroom practice
context
Macro level: Technological & social context
Specified by ‘e-readiness’ ranking of countries E-readiness is a measure of the quality of a
country’s ICT infrastructure and the ability of its consumers, businesses and governments to use ICT to their benefit
Based on 100 separate criteria, both qualitative and quantitative, in several categories such as:
Connectivity and technology infrastructure Business environment Social and cultural environment Legal environment Government policy and vision Consumer and business adoption
E-readiness rankings 2008 for European countries
Score higher than 8.10 (max. = 10) Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, UK,
Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Finland, Germany
Score between 7.10 – 8.10 Belgium, Ireland, France, Malta, Italy,
Spain, Portugal, Estonia Score lower than 7.10
Other European countries
Ref.: The Economist Intelligence Unit
Conclusions: Technological & social context
The average e-readiness (for the world) rose again from 6.24 to a score of 6.39 in the 2008 rankings
However this overall progress masks some backtracking among some countries, and particular within the rankings’ top ten
Integration of ICT Integration of ICT The specific focus on ICT is fading away as ICT is
becoming more ubiquitous (technological and in society)
Is ICT still the right terminology to be used in policy recommendations? See name of ELFE (‘European eLearning (‘European eLearning Forum for Education’…..)Forum for Education’…..)
A mismatch is developing between increasing ubiquitous use of technology and decreasing explicit focus on ICT in government policy (also for education)
ICT is less separate from other, broader aspects of teaching-learning, or as G. Van den Brande mentioned: ‘it is all about learning’
Meso level: Curriculum Context
For the International Handbook for ICT in For the International Handbook for ICT in Primary and Secondary Education…Primary and Secondary Education…
Categorized European countries into Categorized European countries into three clusters: ‘high performing (HP)’, three clusters: ‘high performing (HP)’, ‘average performing (AP)’ and ‘low ‘average performing (AP)’ and ‘low performing (LP)’performing (LP)’
Clusters of European Countries in curriculum implementation in relation
to ICT (2005)
High performing (HP): Austria, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the UK
Average performing (AP): Germany, Ireland, France, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg
Low performing (LP): Other EU countries
Aspects of Curriculum Aspects of Curriculum ImplementationImplementation
Then related each cluster of countries to Then related each cluster of countries to six aspects of curriculum implementationsix aspects of curriculum implementation
And to four levels of implementationAnd to four levels of implementation
Research for European region done by Research for European region done by Scienter Institute (Italy); presented in Scienter Institute (Italy); presented in Helios report 2006Helios report 2006
Aspects/LevelsAspects/Levels Emerging Emerging of policyof policy
Applying Applying policypolicy
Infusing Infusing policypolicy
TransforminTransforming education g education by policyby policy
National/sub national policy document for IT in education LPLP
Master plan with a time frame LPLP
Budget plan and appropriations HPHP
Organizational structure responsible for implementing the master plan LPLP APAP HPHP
Monitoring and evaluation scheme or mechanism LPLP APAP HPHP
Statement of inclusion of women, minorities, and those with special needs in IT policy
LPLP
LP AP
AP
AP
AP
HP
HP
HP
Conclusions: Curriculum perspective
In most countries there is a successful introduction of ICT in schools following a logical sequence of events: initiating a policy, providing technical ICT infrastructure, teacher training
The sequence of events continues to the infusing phase and to the aspiration for pedagogical and curricular change as well as content development
However the use of ICT as a pedagogical tool in subject areas is not a major success:
Transformation toward a change of the educational structures, including new teaching/learning processes, is not yet occurring.
Transition...
Example of ‘new learning’ in the NetherlandsExample of ‘new learning’ in the Netherlands While there is a lack of transformational While there is a lack of transformational
change change within within the existing educational the existing educational structures and structures and formalformal learning because of learning because of ICT, ICT creates a very substantial ICT, ICT creates a very substantial transformational change in society, transformational change in society, outsideoutside of the school system and of the school system and supported by supported by informal informal learninglearning
See results in STEPS reportSee results in STEPS report
Transition…
Ideas around ‘digital learning skills for the Ideas around ‘digital learning skills for the 2121stst century’ appear as a new target in the century’ appear as a new target in the proposed transformation processproposed transformation process
Will these skills refer to new Will these skills refer to new processprocess skills, skills, which will require a new pedagogy, or will which will require a new pedagogy, or will they be seen as an updated version of they be seen as an updated version of ‘how to work with a computer’?‘how to work with a computer’?
Example of New Digital Learning Example of New Digital Learning SkillsSkills
See report: Thriving in the 21st century: Learning Literacies for the Digital Age (LLiDA project)
Learning to learn, metacognition
Academic practice, study skills
Information literacy
Communication and collaboration skills Media literacy (also 'visual' and 'audio' and 'video'
literacies)
ICT/digital/computer literacy
Employability
Citizenship
High-level terms, framing ideas Component Competences
Micro-level: Practice in Micro-level: Practice in schools contextschools context
There is a distinction between ICT as ‘core’ versus as There is a distinction between ICT as ‘core’ versus as ‘complementary’ technology‘complementary’ technology Policy focuses on the ‘core’ technology Daily practice however also involves complementary
technologies which are difficult to influence on a large scale
As ‘container’ term in recommendations, ICT is too broad
Need at least a distinction between specific ‘core’ ICT’s and other ones.
Policy recommendations should focus on core ICT’s For instance, computers, data projector, interactive
whiteboard (?), use of powerpoint, use of word processing, etc…
Recommendations should focus more explicitly on teacher ‘in his daily class practice’
ReferencesReferences
OECD Talis report: Creating effective OECD Talis report: Creating effective
teaching and learning environments teaching and learning environments 20092009
Research done by Kennisnet: Four in Research done by Kennisnet: Four in Balance Monitor 2008 (Balance Monitor 2008 (www.kennisnet.nl))
Teachers and SchoolsTeachers and Schools
‘‘High-quality teachers are key to the successful High-quality teachers are key to the successful implementation of education policies’implementation of education policies’
‘‘The bottom line is that the quality of an education system The bottom line is that the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers and their works’cannot exceed the quality of its teachers and their works’
(both quotes from the OECD secretary-general Angel Gurria)(both quotes from the OECD secretary-general Angel Gurria)
So, what has to be done to get to high-quality teachers? So, what has to be done to get to high-quality teachers? Traditional answer is ‘training’. Of course. But….Traditional answer is ‘training’. Of course. But….
OECD Talis reportOECD Talis report Reference to discussion in US about health care reformReference to discussion in US about health care reform
Talis report: Three out of four teachers feel they lack Talis report: Three out of four teachers feel they lack incentives to improve the quality of their teachingincentives to improve the quality of their teaching
Main policy lesson: Main policy lesson: Education authorities need to provide
more effective incentives for teachers
Not so easy, see example from Kennisnet.Not so easy, see example from Kennisnet.
Teachers’ impressions of time saved or lost by using ICT applications
Time benefit
Time burden
School management intentions for further investments in ICT
Conclusion: ICT use in daily practice should offer more incentives for teachers as well as other actors
Summarizing
Macro-level: Mismatch is developing between increasing ubiquitous technology use in society and decreasing focus on specific ICT use in educational policy
Meso-level: If ICT is still be used as a lever for transformation of the educational structures and pedagogies, maybe a focus on digital learning skills for the 21st century offer a solution
Micro-level: In practice, successful implementation of ICT will only occur when the emphasis of ‘ICT’ is on its potential to improve the ‘incentives’ for its actors in the teaching-learning process
Conclusion
ICT as a container term should be replaced by
‘core’-ICT specifics
Core ICT-specifics should be related to potential incentives for teachers
ICT InCenTives
References Jef Moonen (Ed.) (2008), International and Regional Jef Moonen (Ed.) (2008), International and Regional
Programs and Policies, pp. 1069-1178. In Joke Voogt and Programs and Policies, pp. 1069-1178. In Joke Voogt and Gerald Knezek (Eds.), Gerald Knezek (Eds.), International Handbook of IT in International Handbook of IT in Primary and Secondary EducationPrimary and Secondary Education, New York: Springer., New York: Springer.
Tjeerd Plomp, Ronald E. Anderson, Nancy Law, & Andreas Tjeerd Plomp, Ronald E. Anderson, Nancy Law, & Andreas Quale (Eds.) (2009). Quale (Eds.) (2009). Cross-National ICT, Policies and Cross-National ICT, Policies and Practices in EducationPractices in Education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age . Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Publishing.
Insight: Observatory for new technologies and education.Insight: Observatory for new technologies and education. The focus of the annual update, compiled with the help of The focus of the annual update, compiled with the help of policy makers in the 31 member countries of EU, is to policy makers in the 31 member countries of EU, is to present trends with regard to new technologies in school present trends with regard to new technologies in school education. See: http: //insight.eun.orgeducation. See: http: //insight.eun.org
Betty Collis & Jef Moonen (2005), Betty Collis & Jef Moonen (2005), An On-Going Journey: An On-Going Journey: Technology as a Learning WorkbenchTechnology as a Learning Workbench. See or download . See or download from resource section of website: from resource section of website: http://bettycollisjefmoonen.nlhttp://bettycollisjefmoonen.nl