Second National ICTs
in Basic Education Congress
Innovating with technology
The
Challenge to Education Policy,
Leadership
and Management
By
6/9/2006
Second National ICTs
in Basic Education Congress
Innovating with technology
The
Challenge to Education Policy,
Leadership
and Management
By
6/9/2006
Table of Contents
1 Why use ICT in education................................................................. 2
1.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Personal computers and
the world wide web........................................................ 2
1.3 Use in education............................................................................................................ 2
1.4 Communication in
education...................................................................................... 2
2 Conditions........................................................................................... 2
2.1 Accessibility.................................................................................................................... 2
2.2 Flexibility.......................................................................................................................... 2
2.3 Shared vision.................................................................................................................. 2
2.4 Collaboration................................................................................................................... 2
3 Outcomes............................................................................................. 2
4 National online educational services............................................. 2
4.1 EdNA (www.edna.edu.au)............................................................................................ 2
4.2 Learning objects............................................................................................................ 2
4.3 HotMaths (www.hotmaths.com)................................................................................. 2
4.4 Careers with myfuture (www.myfuture.edu.au)..................................................... 2
5 Implementation................................................................................... 2
5.1 Champions...................................................................................................................... 2
5.2 Partnerships.................................................................................................................... 2
5.3 Best practice................................................................................................................... 2
6 Openness and sharing..................................................................... 2
7 Emerging technologies..................................................................... 2
8 Conclusion.......................................................................................... 2
Bibliography............................................................................................. 2
Acknowledgements
The advice and wisdom of my colleagues at education.au
limited can never be underestimated.
They are acknowledged experts in education and technology from whom I have
learnt enormously. I especially thank
This paper introduces the topic of using ICTs in education from an Australian context by posing the question of ‘Why?’ It then goes on to briefly examine the introduction of computers and the World Wide Web, cites a seminal report entitled Australia’s Future Using Education Technology, and finally, refers to a paper about the evolution of methods of communication that humans have developed for common use and which are fundamental to education.
Education in
Education authorities in
A number of collaborative efforts were initiated by the national government, until in 1997, a national ICT agency in education and training, education.au limited was formed. This new national agency was charged with developing and managing national online services to support education policy and to develop strategic alliances nationally and internationally, to benefit all Australian sectors of education.
Nearly all Australian schools use Australian English as their first language, even though approximately 25% of the Australian population do not have Australian English as their first language.
The use of personal ICTs has developed since the early 1980s. Originally the Macintosh personal computer and the IBM PC were used for personal information purposes such as writing, book-keeping, managing lists of information and electronic games. When they were networked in the late 1980s, businesses and governments began to collectively store and share files. Schools took advantage of the administrative capability of stand-alone computers some time later, in the early 1990s.
In 1989, Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Robert
Cailliau co-jointly invented the World Wide Web (WWW) at CERN in
Today the advent of interactive personalised networking (IPN), sometimes called ‘social networking’ or ‘relational networking’ on the web, has rapidly expanded, as exemplified by the rise of blogs for self-publishing online. IPN has developed a culture which services the user through its ability to enable micro-publishing, online sharing and interactivity. There are some very valuable services available for learning. One such example is Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org/) , arguably one of the best encyclopaedias in the world. It is free and available in many languages.
Both early text-based World Wide Web services and more recently interactive personalised networking have become very powerful and useful online services but as yet they are not integrated tools that can be easily deployed in education for the benefit of teachers and learners. IPN focusses on the user, who in education is a learner and therefore ICTs provide very useful services for teachers and learners.
In 2004,
It is at the point where the promise of
better outcomes for students and real cost benefits are now achievable with
minimal costs. We are on the cusp of the first major shift in teaching and
learning methodology for hundreds of years where it could be available to
anyone, anytime, anywhere. Providing accessibility and flexibility for students
and teachers for their own teaching and learning needs remain key challenges. (Commonwealth
of Australia, 2000, p17)
Spring was arguing that given accessibility and flexibility of access to the WWW, that learners could make choices about where and when they learn. Learners , in this sense, could be considered to be both teachers involved in professional development and students at a variety of levels. As the services of the WWW become more prolific, the availability of high quality educational material and services for teachers and learners has become realistic.
Education uses communication as a fundamental tool for conveying concepts, information and ideas which can be processed by learners. ICT is about information and communication, giving teachers new ways for teaching concepts, information and ideas.
In his paper for the Global Summit 2006[1], (http://www.educationau.edu.au/jahia/Jahia/home/pid/305) entitled Tools, culture, and education: past - present – future (http://www.educationau.edu.au/jahia/Jahia/home/pid/318), Professor Jim Bosco outlines methods that humans have used to transmit information throughout history.
Education and learning, Bosco argues, have been based around transmitting information for social, cultural, vocational and personal development. Verbal and written communication has been a basic tool for transmitting information for centuries. Educators have developed and used sophisticated methods for constructing and measuring learning environments for centuries, as well as supporting students to create knowledge and judge learning outcomes, using verbal and written forms of communication.
Today, ICT offers borderless global access to unlimited information for use by educators, in a connected world. Knowledge can be created in different ways that are unfamiliar to many teachers. These new methods of teaching and learning have been neither tested nor researched by comparison with more traditional pedagogies. Neither the use of information technologies nor communications technologies bear the imprint of long standing and sound research into effective teaching and learning.
However, we do know that effective use of ICTs does improve learning outcomes. For example, the research that BECTa[2] has undertaken demonstrates a clear correlation between the uses of ICTs and improved learning outcomes, even though intuitively educators know that improved discussion capabilities and unlimited access to quality information are clearly assets that can be used for educational advantage.
For further expansion of this correlation between the use of ICTs and improved learning outcomes, readers are referred to the excellent work of BECTa as a highly regarded starting point, which can be accessed at: http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh.
Readers need be mindful of issues associated with research that utilises methods unfamiliar to digital environments. Instead, considering the use of ICTs as part of developing and trialling new learning environments and new learning activities, in order to reflect on their educational potency and effectiveness for learners, may be more worthwhile.
In order to use ICTs effectively for education, there are a number of conditions that have to be skilfully managed. These include accessibility, flexibility, a shared vision and collaboration.
Access to computers and connected network services, such as the WWW, need to be readily available without major barriers, for the use of ICTs in education to be effective for anyone, anytime and anywhere.
Accessibility to ICTs in education requires adequate bandwidth, unrestricted copyright, the use of agreed technical standards, and products such as computers, middleware and software.
Bandwidth for education, especially in
schools, is a major issue because the numbers of learners who may access online
services at any one time does require generous broadband provision. In
Currently,
In the report, Australia’s Future Using Education Technology, Spring categorises five modes of e-learning. There are, he states:
… five different
modes in which elearning can provide substantial gains in effectiveness, quality
and cost benefits
Classroom interactive learning between students and
teachers and among students.
Independent learning where students or teachers are
learning and studying alone in a variety of environments and modes including aspects
of self directed lifelong learning.
Networked learning through contact with groups, individuals
and sources where quite different influences and experiences are creating a
qualitative difference to both standard and blended learning.
Organisational learning including learning
communities, learning precincts and learning cities.
Managed learning where education technology is creating,
through computer managed communication and learning management systems,
capability to enable teachers to negotiate and provide individualised curricula
and learning experiences for students. (DEST, 2004, p29)
This is a good categorisation of the
different modes of e-learning and indicates the degree of flexibility that may
be required for teachers and learners to apply for effective learning.
Although there will be different costs for
each mode of e-learning depending on the scale of implementation, and the
levels of access and services made available, the different modes of e-learning
do provide a challenge to traditional teaching and learning.
One of the challenges for teachers, in an age
when quality global information is available, may be to re-examine the most
effective role for a teacher in supporting learning. One of the inescapable
conclusions will doubtless be that teachers need to become experts in the processes
of learning which varies from learner to learner and is contextually bound.
The high cost of implementing large scale WWW
services for educational use in schools and the requirement for the application
of consistent technical standards to ensure that seamless connections and effective
information transfers occur, does require careful planning and collaboration
among education authorities.
Collaboration can only be effective where a
vision for improvement and a better future for education are shared. A shared
vision requires leadership for an idea that focusses minds towards agreed
targets. The agreed targets need to be both be measurable and a celebration of
success.
The vision and targets for the implementation
of ICTs need to be considered following an examination and reflection of what
is happening globally in education and what is feasible at the national,
regional and local levels.
One useful document that examines this issue
is the Australian Contemporary Learning:
Learning in an Online World published by the Australian Ministers of
Education. This document can be accessed at: http://icttaskforce.edna.edu.au/icttaskforce/Jahia/home/pid/18.
In discussing accessibility, flexibility and
a shared vision in the above sections, there has been an assumption, both
implicit and explicit, of collaboration and cooperation at national, regional
and local levels.
Although decisions at a national level in
Collaboration occurs when groups come
together to share a vision, agree targets, resources and timelines and share
commitment to a project. For a brief and succinct summary about collaboration,
the document Collaboration Principles and
Practices (education.au limited , 2004) is a useful starting point. It can
be accessed at: http://www.educationau.edu.au/jahia/Jahia/home/pid/167.
This document identifies a number of needs including
policy leadership at national level, educational leadership to inspire
professional educators and management leadership to assist Principals and local
education authorities.
Arguably, educational leadership and
inspiration, to improve learning outcomes and improve teaching capability without
increasing teacher workload, is the most important aspect of the change process
that will be initiated with the implementation of the use of ICTs in education.
Leaders will need to be open minded about educational improvement and change because
the use of ICTs in education will challenge many of the existing educational
assumptions about learning. These assumptions arose in the industrial, factory
based manufacturing era and although they remain applicable to education today,
they are not sufficient by themselves to engage learners.
For example, educators have known for many
years that students learn in a variety of ways which vary depending on the
topic, the people involved, the local context and many other factors. ICTs can
enable different learning styles or modes to take place concurrently. This
challenges some teachers’ ideas of control, learning measurement and care of
educational resources. Therefore trail and error approaches to teaching, facilitated
by reflection by educational leaders to find effective practices in local
contexts are essential for the implementation of ICTs to be successful.
In 2002, educators in
These themes have helped to drive policy considerations
over the past four years, in
In discussing many of the benefits and
conditions for implementing ICTs in education above, one could be forgiven for
thinking that there is a big job to be done which will take a long time, use scarce
resources and require extensive professional effort. Perhaps it is time in this
paper to again reflect on the benefits of using ICTs in education, as the world
moves towards becoming a multitude of differently focussed knowledge based
societies.
The outcomes of effectively using ICTs in
education can lead to:
·
More
engaged students
·
Improved
learning outcomes
·
More
effective teaching and learning without significant increases in teacher
workload
·
Reduced
costs,
·
Improved
educational services, and
·
Economic
benefits.
These benefits are worth every effort. Apart
from the obvious personal and social benefits of improved education, there
would also appear to be economic benefits. In a recent report from the
Australian Flexible Learning Framework entitled Strategic Conversations: the future of e-learning (DEST, 2006), the
following statement is important:
It is estimated that every 1% increase in the stock of
skilled workers will lead to a 0.65% increase in gross domestic product. (GDP).
(DEST, 2006, p3)
ICTs underpin skill development in today’s
world and so this may be a very significant statement to consider when thinking
about the benefits of implementing ICTs in education.
There are many examples of excellent national
educational online services. In this paper, only a few have been mentioned.
However for a comprehensive review of national education online services resulting
from a global scan, the reader is referred to the research report on global
gateways entitled Global Gateways:
Transforming Global Gateways through Online Knowledge Networks. (education.au
limited , 2004) This research is
reviewed and updated every two years to keep abreast of the provision of
national education online services around the globe.
This paper focusses on four such examples of innovative services only.
Education
Network
In addition,
EdNA provides collaborative working spaces for educators throughout
In a recent review of the value of EdNA, the reviewers stated:
EdNA Online provides a benefit to cost value of a
least $10 for every dollar invested by the Australian government and State and
territory governments. (DEST, 2004, p3)
This review undertaken jointly by the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) and DEST, using a value-demand methodology, reaffirms the cost benefits of the provision of strategically managed national online services for education.
A small
selection of learning objects from The Le@rning Federation (www.thelearningfederation.edu.lau)
are presented here as examples of a large scale production of games-like
interactive online activities. These learning objects are unable to be reassembled
into various teaching sequences such as small modular learning objects can because
they have been modelled on self contained digital interactive games. They are
compelling, interactive, and relevant for Australian curriculum and have been
produced at a cost of about 5c per learning object per student, for Australian
and
The Learning Federation
is an excellent example of collaboration to achieve economies of scale to
develop online learning content. Collaboration, in this example, comprised a
variety of education sections coming from several different contexts but all having
a common purpose. The development costs of the learning objects was reduced through
national collaboration and a concentration of expertise which has resulted in high
quality digital resources. Australian and
Another innovative example of online learning comes from a privately funded service called HotMaths (www.hotmaths.com). This online mathematics service has developed extraordinary mathematics modules which can be manipulated by students and teachers to assist in learning basic and more complex mathematical concepts. HotMaths is using the best of digital technologies to assist teachers and learners. In addition, HotMaths has provided activity sheets which can be printed for use by teachers and students.
HotMaths freely provides online number practice services in the two basic arithmetic processes of addition and subtraction plus their recursive processes multiplication and division. These freely available services allow the student to measure their performance for each session to help judge improvement. The extensive lesson modules, which are world class, are available through the purchase of a license for HotMaths by education authorities anywhere.
The fourth and
final example given in this paper is somewhat different. It is a service called
myfuture (www.myfuture.edu.au) which
is Australian careers service enabling school leavers to assess the careers in
which they may be interested and then to explore the courses that are available
in
Implementation is a major step following development of a vision, collaboration on agreed targets, establishment of infrastructure, exercising leadership and development of policies. In fact, implementation is so important that it very often determines the success or failure of large scale education projects. A common view is that at least 50% of funding spent on ICTs needs to be spent on teacher education, training using ICTs and skilling in technology management and pedagogy for practising teachers.
The use of ICTs in education challenges the very foundations of industrialised factory based learning and values and changes the focus of learning from the transmission of information from teachers to creation of knowledge by students and learners. Teachers play a critical role in this process as experts in guiding choices for learning and creating knowledge.
For change in the use of ICTs to occur successfully, specially selected educational leaders or champions, who are respected by their peers, need to be selected and trained in the use of ICTs and the benefits to learning. Champions can be Principals, teachers, educational administrators or lecturers but they must have a passion for learning and a preference for using technology to achieve improved learning outcomes. Their task is to train their colleagues and applaud their colleagues’ efforts in finding effective ways of using ICTs in local school contexts. The role of respected educators cannot be under estimated in the change process. Champions will need strong support and adequate resources to complete their mission within a wider plan for the region that is consistent with national planning. A good starting point for considering leadership can be found at: http://www.mceetya.edu.au/verve/_resources/Leadership_Strategy.pdf.
Effective champions can generate active online communities of teachers and educators who can discuss issues and receive almost instant feedback from their leaders and colleagues who contribute. The development of communities of practitioners is a powerful tool for change. The work of Professor Dr Gilly Salmon entitled E-moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online (Salmon, 2000) is a fundamental guide to development of online communities. This work traces the necessary steps to develop an active an online community in education.
There are many examples where different national social services have combined to bring services to local communities. Such services can include health, power and water utilities, community services and education. There are several examples of these types of activities referred to on the excellent SchoolNet Africa online service (http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/).
There are many examples of successful partnerships between health, power and water utilities, education and community services in the provision of online services for learners and the community which can be located online. UNESCO has developed a number of projects for education using partnerships with other bodies under their sustainable development programs. Information about these can be accessed at: http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=71.
Developing community partnerships enables an economy of scale for infrastructure and allows multiple uses of scarce resources in the provision of valued community and learning online services. Partnerships to develop infrastructure and initiate services cannot be under estimated in their value.
In guiding effective use of ICTs, professional educators seek support and feedback from their colleagues which is both time consuming and often occurs only when a random chance arises. Teachers can be supported to develop good practice when they are given opportunities to reflect on good learning practices from a variety of sources.
Universities, especially teacher education bodies, have a role to play in gathering and documenting good practice based on sound educational theories. A good starting point to consider educational theory in a connected world is a paper entitled Beyond the Horseless Carriage: Harnessing the Potential of ICT in Education and Training. (White, 2005) Universities involved in pre-service teacher education have a further role to play in disseminating good practice and leading discussion and reflection about observations of good practice using ICTs.
Finding good practice in an environment of change, where compromise dominates, requires careful thought and planning which is time consuming. University education staff can research and document good practice both locally and from global sources. There are many sources of good learning environments and teaching practice, and far too many to list here. However, good starting points includes ICT Leading Practice on EdNA (http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/page2434.html), Professional Development on BECTa (www.becta.org.uk) and for support of ICT leaders in schools, the work at the Consortium of School Networking (www.cosn.org) is excellent.
Teacher education needs to include good practice uses of ICT in their programs. ICTs in education are as fundamental as books. Pre-service and in-service programs should be developed by teacher education bodies to share good practice, to develop stores of good practice from a variety of education contexts eg early childhood, primary, secondary, country, city; and to provide sound theory and practice for teachers to consider for their own teaching contexts.
Education is a world wide endeavour and educators are used to sharing information and practice through conferences, papers, online discussions as well as informally. Leaders of change who are encouraging the move towards learning environments that use ICTs need to focus on implementing online services.
There is considerable quality educational content available which can be adapted and modified for use anywhere in the world. Some good examples here are the Teachers Centre on SchoolNet Africa (http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/254.0.html), and the Global Education Learning Consortium (https://edu-gelc.dev.java.net/nonav/index.html).
As knowledge continues to multiply at ever expanding rates and information becomes freely available, openness in education will become a fundamental concept. There is today a need for open content which can be shared globally and some good efforts have begun as mentioned. There are many more.
However, the need for open online services and open networks is even more paramount. Restricted services and restricted networks in education will not be sustainable. The pursuit of knowledge in learning environments needs to be open and shareable using online services. This is due to the enormous amount of knowledge that is being created at an ever increasing rate.
Services operating in an open education environment to benefit education are sustainable through teacher support, professional development activities, consultancy and the provision of expertise. They bring wide expertise and experience to teaching practice and to learning, and are valued by the teaching profession. The implementation of open digital content, open services and open networks underpinned by open technical standards will maximise the educational opportunities enabling re-use of resources, services, collaborative spaces and access to quality expertise.
The technologies themselves are constantly changing and fortunately for educators are becoming more focussed on education. For example, Nicholas Negroponte has developed the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program (http://laptop.org/) to deliver a $US100 laptop for use in education. A number of countries have agreed to supply them to schools. The $100 laptop is expected to be ready by the end of 2006, according to the website.
At the same time Intel have announced EduWise which is a small, low-cost laptop, built like a carry school case and expected to be ready in early 2007, and then there is the Sony Mylo announced recently. The Sony Mylo is a small communication device that could also be successfully used in education.
In evaluating new technologies, which would appear to be reducing in price, education authorities need to be examining robust technologies for use in school environments and be aware of technology support costs and issues. Regions and largely populated areas will require constant technical support and maintenance. These are costs, that although reducing, must be factored into the purchase of any hardware, middleware or software for use in education.
What is known is that future education services will be:
· web based and accessible anywhere there is a connection
· using wireless
· using mobile devices that can be moved freely from school to home
· operating in an open environment of open services, open content and open networks using open technical standards
· personalised for the learner to learn and manage their own learning in their own way.
There will be many devices and an increasing number of online services that present to education which will need to be evaluated for educational quality, openness, robustness, and inexpensive maintenance and support.
There is no doubt that we are living in an increasingly knowledge based age where communications and information have become global. This is having a profound effect on education as educators search for new ways of developing learning environments and educational administrators seek to provide the resources and quality online services for the limited education funding available.
Access to ICTs
also occurs at home. In
In the midst of the challenges to policy, leadership and management, educators will need to remain focussed on quality education, the needs of the learners and professional development for teachers. At the same time the administrative burdens of teachers can be lessened by technology so that teachers can focus on developing learning environments, suitable for the learners in their charge, that can improve learning outcomes.
Australian Government, DEST Budget information- Investing in our young people: 2006 at a glance. Available at: http://www.dest.gov.au/portfolio_department/dest_information/publications_resources/resources/budget_information/2006/at_a_glance.htm#School_Education
Australian Government, DEST Strategic Conservations: the future of e-learning, Draft, Unpublished, 2006. Available at: www.flexiblelearning.net.au
Commonwealth of
DEST Demand and Value Assessment: EdNA Online Evaluation, 2004.
education.au
limited Global
Summit of Online Knowledge Networks - Themes Analysis, 2002.
Available at: http://globalsummit.educationau.edu.au/globalsummit/papers.htm
education.au limited Global Gateways: a guide to online knowledge networks, 2004. Available at: http://www.educationau.edu.au/jahia/Jahia/home/pid/52
MCEETYA National
Report on Schooling in
Salmon, Gilly E-moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online, Kogan Page, 2000.
White, G Beyond the Horseless Carriage: Harnessing the Potential of ICT in Education and Training, education.au limited , 2005. Available at: http://www.educationau.edu.au/jahia/Jahia/home/pid/290