the comenius (international) best ict practices – some points of view

Ecole Conference Rome March 2003 Ecole Conference Rome March 2003 - John Rullestad- John Rullestad

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The Comenius (International)

Best ICT practices – some points – some points of viewof view


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Who am I?

John Rullestad,Head of Pedagogisk Senter Karmøy Norway

We serve - 28 schools- 6000 pupils- 600 teachers

- 21 schools have been involved in Comenius since 1996; more than 100 teachers and a total of 1500 pupils have been involved


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”There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about” (Winne the the

Pooh)Pooh)


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The opinion of expertsThe opinion of experts””Radio has no future”Radio has no future” (Lord Kelvin, English mathematician 1897)(Lord Kelvin, English mathematician 1897)

””Televison will not play any part either in Televison will not play any part either in

your or my lifetime”your or my lifetime” (Rex Lambert, The Listener 1936)(Rex Lambert, The Listener 1936)

””There is no reason at all that any person There is no reason at all that any person

should have a computer at home”should have a computer at home” (Ken Olson, Director DEC, at The World Future Society Convention 1977)(Ken Olson, Director DEC, at The World Future Society Convention 1977)

””There is no market for guitar groups now”There is no market for guitar groups now” (Managing Director of Decca Records about The Beatles)(Managing Director of Decca Records about The Beatles)


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” What’s wrong with education cannot be fixed with technology. No amount of tech-nology will make a dent... You’re not going to solve the problems by putting all know-ledge onto CD-ROMs. We can put a Web site in every school - none of this is bad. It’s bad only if it lulls us into thinking we’re doing something to solve the problem with education” (Steven Jobs, Cofounder Apple Computer, 1996)


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Obstacles and challenges in European collaboration

• Curriculum

• Exams

• The ICT situation


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BuzzwordsBuzzwords

Learning communitiesLearning communities

E-learning

Knowledge society

Dot.com revolution

Portal

International projects using ICT

Wishful thinking?

The emperor’s new clothes?


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The e-environment

Are we going from ”the dot.com.age” via”the dot.con.age” to ”the dot.come-and-gone age”? (Dr. Ross Todd, 2002)


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“Technology does not necessarily improve education. The best television has educated thousands, while the daily network offerings dull the sensibilities of millions. The same is true of interactive technology, which is getting so much ink these days:It could become a valuable education tool, but only if we use it to capitalize on our new understanding of how the human mind works” ((Shirley Veenema and Howard Gardner “Multimedia and Multiple Intelligences” )


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Comenius projects - internationalisation

• ”Internationalisation? Is that not a task for

social science?

My job is to teach the pupils maths!

• ”Internationalisation? That is nothing new.

We have been doing that for years.”


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Aims for international Aims for international collaborationcollaboration

•Increase the interest and motivation of the pupil to take part in an international society

•Create greater understanding of our own culture to better our collaboration with people from other countries and cultures

•Further tolerance, respect and openness in meeting people with other nationalities, cultural background and race


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The pupil must be The pupil must be developed indeveloped in

•Crosscultural communication skills Crosscultural communication skills

•International collaborative responsibilityInternational collaborative responsibility

•Knowledge about the culture and language of Knowledge about the culture and language of other countriesother countries

•The ability to use new knowledge to better the The ability to use new knowledge to better the living conditions - especially for people in the third living conditions - especially for people in the third world countries…world countries…


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Aims

•All - teaching persons and students - should be personal users of ICT, but are they?

•The use should make them capable of using it in teaching and learning

•Thus ICT can add access value in edu-cation and make it the foundation to use ICT in work and leisure


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Sub Aims

• ICT should make the educational basis better for students and teachers and make it the foun-dation for new teaching methods and ease the work of teachers

• ICT should be an integrated tool in all subjects where it is natural at all stages in education and also be used crosscurricular

• Use of ICT should contribute to increase know-ledge and skills in society and work


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Assumptions

• The schools are well-equipped with ICT• The users have ICT-skills• The teaching is organized in a flexible

way - what about the timetable? -

BUT IS THIS THE CASE?


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Equipment

• NetworkNetwork– All schools should have a permanent All schools should have a permanent

connection to the networkconnection to the network– My municipality (Karmøy) will invest in fibre. It My municipality (Karmøy) will invest in fibre. It

has three networks:has three networks:• PedagogicalPedagogical• AdministrativeAdministrative• TelephoneTelephone

– All rooms in the schools should be cabledAll rooms in the schools should be cabled– All computers should be connected and have All computers should be connected and have

multi-mediamulti-media


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Equipment

•The Classroom- - Maximum five students per computer

•Computer Room- - All schools should have a computer

section. This room should be in connection with the library.Two students can share a computer.


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Equipment• Library - The most important room in the Library - The most important room in the

school?school?– 1 to 6 computers– There should be:

• Scanner• Video- and sound equipment • Equipment for editing text, picture, sound and video• The computer room and library should be

situated together so that the most can be made of the resources


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Special Needs

•Varies from school to school, from country to country

•Why not use ICT in this area?

•How can one collaborate across the bor-ders to help teachers in finding the right equipment and software for special needs children?


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Specialised rooms

•We need special equipped computers in classrooms where music, art, crafts, science etc. is being taught.

•There is often a need for special soft-ware


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Plans• Every school should have an ICT-plan as part of the

Comenius plan. The contents should include:– How to use ICT in subjects at every level

(what software, compulsory and recommended)– What competence is needed for teachers and

students?– What are the needs for software and hardware?– What resources are needed to support

maintenance of the equipment?– What resources are needed for support and

advisory service?– Where to place the equipment?– The rules for using the equipment


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A responsible ICT-(Comenius) teacher at each school

• The main duties are to:The main duties are to:– keep oneself updated in the ICT-area and take part in keep oneself updated in the ICT-area and take part in

central courses and aimscentral courses and aims– be responsible for the ICT-plan for the school and be responsible for the ICT-plan for the school and

coordinate the ICT teachingcoordinate the ICT teaching– take part in the planning and implementation of take part in the planning and implementation of

teachingteaching– make and keep updated lists of computers, software make and keep updated lists of computers, software

and licencesand licences– be responsible for maintenance and upgrading be responsible for maintenance and upgrading

hardware and softwarehardware and software– report technical problems that cannot be solved at report technical problems that cannot be solved at

schoolschool– report to the management of the school about the report to the management of the school about the

needs for investmentsneeds for investments– take part in the planning of investments together with take part in the planning of investments together with

the managementthe management


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Training• All basic training should be done at school -

on the school’s equipment• The basic training should contain introduction

to standard software and educational soft-ware. The details should be found in each school’s development- and Comeniusplan

• Teachers who master computing are no guarantee that it is being used in the class-room

• Teachers need time and advice to work with their teaching so that ICT work can be imple-mented in their teaching.This needs to be adapted to their local school and equipment


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Questions that need to be Questions that need to be answered at each schoolanswered at each school

•Who is responsible to accomplish the ICT-plan?

•Who is responsible for the Web sites and how much time is needed?

•What are the rules when it comes to the use of computers?


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Planning

Local ICT support If necessary, ICT training Testing and training the use of the e-mail systems together with your partner(s)


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Evaluation of Comenius projects• Pupils and teachers have become more proficient in language(s), especially English, but what about OTHER languages?

• Pupils and teachers have bettered their competence within ICT

• The municipalities have invested more in technology

• Pupils and teachers have got an insight into other European cultures

• Pupils have been made more aware their own culture and are proud of it!

• An increased collaboration among teachers

• The project method has become part of daily school life


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Evaluation of Comenius projects

• ICT (Pupils have been able to present their schools and

their projects to a larger audience)

• Murcia, Ancona, Derry, Humpolec etc. are not simply

names on a map, but places where pupils and teachers

have got a greater knowledge of

• An increased European dimension in our daily work on

projects/themes that have played a large part in our local

history, but also in the history of Europe


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ICT proves useful in international projects as:

• it offers an opportunity to cooperate with partners in distant countries

• it motivates pupils and encourages them to interact with pupils in partner schools on topics of common interest

• it encourages pupils to work independently and collectively

• it increases linguistic and cultural awareness and

to use foreign languages in authentic settings

• it gives access to various and up-to-date sources of information which can be collected and compared


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Evaluation of Comenius projects

School/municipality management have not been keen enough to encourage educational innovation in Comenius and ICT

Some projects seem to have a too great signifigance of teacher collaboration and too little pupil collaboration

Partner schools have not fulfilled tasks and agreements and they withdraw

The coordinator fails Language problems Some problems with technology, especially the

first couple of years Cultural barriers Sleeping partners = slippin’ partners”


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Strategy for EUs educational programmes

Is there a positive will to work with internationalisation/ EUs school programmes at the

level of:

Ministries of Education?Ministries of Education?Regional Directors of Education?Regional Directors of Education?

Local Directors of Education?Local Directors of Education?Head Teachers?Head Teachers?

Teachers?Teachers?ANDAND

The politiciansThe politicians??


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- AIMS AND OBJECTIVES SHOULD:

- establish and promote cooperation between projects on topics of common interest- encourage innovation- promote the dissemination of results and examples of good practice- enable the participants in Comenius to main- tain and consolidate their contacts beyond the completion of specific projects

(Borivoj Brdicka “The Role of Internet in Education”, 2003)


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Important factors for Comenius projects

Planning:- a good idea

- look for partners

- project proposal

Contents:- topic must relate to the curricula

- define goals

- Web site

- project not too easy

(Borivoj Brdicka “The Role of Internet in Education”, 2003)


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Management:- Have a time plan

- Form teams of teachers

- Prevent swelling of the project

- Fulfill all obligations

- Help the partners

- Secure dissemination of the project


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Evaluation:- Relate to the educational needs of the participants

- Individual benefits to the students

- Level of co-operation among pupils

- Level of co-operation between teachers

- Quality of outcomes


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Dissemination Dissemination

• Web site, BUTare many Web sites too fancy with too much emphasis on technology instead of on the educational value of the site?

• Leaflets, postersLeaflets, posters

• ArticlesArticles

• Courses and conferencesCourses and conferences

• Products (CD-rom, video etc.)Products (CD-rom, video etc.)

• Translations into different languagesTranslations into different languages


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Ensuring quality means:Ensuring quality means:

• TThinking about evaluation and dissemina-hinking about evaluation and dissemina-tion right from the start of the projecttion right from the start of the project

• Developing an atmosphere for open and Developing an atmosphere for open and honest discussionhonest discussion

• Remembering that there is always room Remembering that there is always room

for improvementfor improvement


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Main reasons for Main reasons for success:success:• A real wish from all partners to take part

• Complete support from the school management

• Responsible persons for the project at class, school and local level

• Resources (time, funding, technology) is made available for the project

• Shared workload among the partners


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Remember

K I S SK I S S

KKeep eep IIt t SSmall and mall and SSimpleimple

• Never get engaged in too complicated activities

• In case of drawbacks do not give up, try to find a solution


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• Technology in itself cannot spawn a revolution in educational approaches or results

• Technology in itself cannot alter education, but using technology that meshes with new learning styles and learning strategies will achieve far more success with a larger number of students

(Shirley Veenema and Howard Gardner “ Multimedia and Multiple Intelligences” )


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But whatever we do we must But whatever we do we must remember that we ALWAYS remember that we ALWAYS should have a pupil-active should have a pupil-active

school….school….

ANDAND


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I believe the children are our futureI believe the children are our futureTeach them well and let them lead the Teach them well and let them lead the

waywayShow them all the beauty they posses Show them all the beauty they posses

inside.inside.Give them a sense of pride.Give them a sense of pride.

To make it easier,To make it easier,Let the children’s laughter,Let the children’s laughter,

Remind us of how we used to be……Remind us of how we used to be……

George BensonGeorge Benson “Greatest Love of them All” “Greatest Love of them All”

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