By Abdul Khan Global Alliance for ICT and Development Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1

2 Knowledge Economic Growth Cultural Enrichment Social Development Political Empowerment

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“The ability to create and maintain knowledge infrastructure, develop knowledge workers and enhance their productivity will be the key factors in deciding the prosperity of the knowledge society.” Abdul Kalam, President of India 4

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6 19 th Century ’s40’s60’s80’s 90’s 20 th Century Postal System Educational Radio Television Computer Networks st Century Satellites Teleconferencing Technologies Cellular Networks

7 Digital Content Fax/Data Modems The Internet Satellite

 Emerging ICTs have impacted numerous aspects of our life …. Agriculture, medicine, e-governance, e-business, publishing, media, etc..  The world of education is slow to adopt emerging technologies!! 8

9 Involve the direct transfer of information between the teacher and the student. Constrained by both time and place. Limited by in-house available resources. Strongly dependent on the skills and knowledge of the instructor. Large Numbers Lack of Resources

10 Preparing students for a future in which today’s jobs may be obsolete and future jobs can only be imagined is a daunting challenge. Adding to the challenge is the realization that today’s students — “digital natives” — learn differently than many of today’s educators.

11 “Is the Educational promise of the Internet real? I believe it is. The Internet has distinctive powers to complement, reinforce, and enhance some of our most effective traditional approaches to university teaching and learning.” Prof. Neil L. Rudenstine President of Harvard University The Chronicle of Higher Education February, 1997

New literacy types:  Technology literacy  Information literacy:  recognize when information is needed  have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information. 12

Nature of knowledge  Increasingly interdisciplinary  Increasingly contextual  Application oriented ~ «learning by doing»  Must reflect local/regional realities 13 New pedagogical paradigm Learning as a constructive process More than acquisition of basic literacy skills Non-formal and non-linear learning New flexible learning environments

 Improves educational quality  Increases access to basic learning for everyone  Improves educational management  Enables lifelong learning opportunities  Capacity to reach disadvantaged populations 14

 Enhances diverse and collective learning processes  Enables development of non-formal and informal learning environments  Shifts learning process:  from teaching to self-directed learning  from one-time event to lifelong learning process 15

16 Access to All Cultural & Linguistic Diversity Policies, Strategies, Copyrights, Intellectual Property Rights, …. Capacity Building Building Quality Content Recycling of Computers, Open Source Software, Public Domain Content Cyberspace…Legal Framework

17 New Media Old Media Radio Television Audiotape Videotape Books Slides Computer Multimedia CBT Internet WWW CD/DVD Virtual Reality Digital learning resources Easy to manipulate, duplicate and transport Reusable with little difficulty Globally accessible through network Provides multi-sensory, multiple media in an integrated way Personalized instruction Cost intensive, though it is decreasing Ephemeral in nature for radio and TV Easy access to large number of people Reuse difficult Most useful for mass delivery Difficult to manipulate and do corrections

18 Content Development Institutions Students Knowledge Source WW Institutions Publishers Authors Lecture-Based Web-Based CD-Based Video-Taped Direct Broadcast Direct Internet Videos Satellite Mail Knowledge Destination Delivery Technology Analysis Interpretation Translation Quality Control Assessment IIIIIIIV

19 Content Development Knowledge Source Knowledge Destination Delivery Technology IIIIIIIV Requires an orchestrated effort similar to that required for movie making and large musical productions. Government Private Investors Regional/International Organizations Universities Software Houses Graphics Artists Education Specialists Media/Press Specialists

20 UNESCO’s Holistic Approach UNESCO seeks to develop educational solutions that effectively blend the benefits of modern technologies with the proven qualities of classical education modes in an attempt to accelerate the buildup of knowledge societies while reducing the “knowledge divide”.

The Open-Source Content Management System “Moodle” has been deployed by UNESCO in the AOU branch in Bahrain. 21