Didier de Saint Pierre UNESCO consultant

Technology is leading the world through rapid chages: globalization, knowledge society, participation in social networks…

New basic skills are required to face the 21st century.

Today’s youth have new cognitive skills: they are the digital natives.

The “digital natives” learn outside school which is uncapable of incoorporating their learning. Digital technology mediates their experiences with the world, their social environment and information which is relevant to them. Images, movement and sound are more important than text to them. They are capable of doing several things at the same time: multi- tasking. They have access to information from all over the world.

The school we all know, which was conceived for other times and students, faces one of its greatest transformation challenges.

Is Information Technology in Education the answer to this challenge?  There is no concensus on the impact digital technologies have on the students’ learning.  Despite that, new technologies invade everything, even schools, and are here to stay.  How do we harness them to improve the quality of education?  Can technology improve or add value to the processes which impact the quality of education?

The scope of Information Technology in Education Providers Other schools

Conditions for ICT in education to impact learning  A growing number of researchers believe that a triangulation of contents, sound high quality teaching and learning principles and models as well as trained teachers are required to truly impact learning by investing on Information Technology in Education.  A digital strategy at school-level and an information technology in education policy at national level are required. The policy is systemic.

Policy Purpose:  An ITE policy must have a stated objective providing coherence to actions taken, such as: Close the digital divide by providing technology literacy to all students (and teachers) Enhance students’ motivation and participation (absenteeism reduction, etc.) Improve teaching, leadership, management and decision making. Improve students’ “economic viability” by improving some of the skills related to future greater productivity at work. Expand learning opportunities, overcoming the geographical constraints Improve students’ curricular learning as a consequence of better classroom conditions and resources or as a consequence of a deep transformation in pedagogical models. Develop new skills, the so-called students’ “basic 21st century skills”  Policies on Information Technology in Education are a fundamental part of each country’s education policies.

Components of ITE Policy Usage and pedagog ical models Managem ent leadership Institucionality and financial resources Evaluation Country Digital Develop ment Political will MoE and TTP Human Capital Contents Industry Teaching Skills Infraestructure and technical support Curriculum Content Resistance (e.g. unions)

Emblematic plans/projects in the region  Ceibal in Uruguay  Enciclomedia in Mexico  TEC in Chile  National ICT Plan of Colombia  Huascaran in Peru  PROINFO en Brasil  …

Lessons Learned  It is not the same thing to launch a project on Information Technology in Education than to have a policy on Information Technology in Education.  A policy on Information Technology in Education designed from the digital agenda does not have the same impact as one designed under the umbrella of a policy on education.  The best technology in the world will not enhance learning on its own in inefficient schools which lack good work practices. Filling schools with computers is not enough to improve results.

Lessons learned: teachers are key  There is evidence and large concensus on the fact that the quality of teachers and their teachings is the most important factor to explain students’ performance. There are no clues which would allow us to speculate that this factor might change with the use of ICT in Education. Age: 8Age: 11 Students’ Performance Percentile 100% Percentile 50% Percentile 0% Students with high-performance teachers (20% +) Students with low-performance teachers (20% -) Percentile 90% Percentile 37% 53 percentag e points Source: Sanders & Rivers Cumulative and Residual Effects on Future Student Academic Achievement, McKinsey, 1996

ITE Evolution Model Stage/purpos e Components Steering, understanding the phenomenon Closing the digital gap between students and teachers: lab, staff room Improving curriculum learning: ICT in the classroom; evaluation and management Transforming educational models: Models 1.1 Continuing education, at any place, at any time: e-learning Technology Few PCs in the school >50:1 PCs in computer lab, rates vary from 20:1 to 10:1 ICT enters the classroom: projectors, interactive chalkboards; management software Laptops 1:1 Computer at home Conectivity Telephone connection Internet in the computer lab, by cable Wireless connectivity in some classrooms High-speed Broadband and school set up with WiFi Broadband at home Digital Curriculum- Focus on digital literacy of teachers and students. Intermediate ICT curriculum integration Complete ICT curriculum integration Digitalized and online curriculum; online evaluations Uses: Teaching methods - Individual or in small groups use of available computers Teaching based on projects; interactivity Collaborative, personalized student-centered teaching Student-centered distance learning Digital teaching Skills and management leadership - Only coordinator in lab Classroom teachers: intensive training More teachers, more complex; development of specific skills Tutors Digital Educational Resources - Personal productivity tools; simple educational Chalkboard Software; simulators; multimedia learning objects Software 1:1; online learning assessments; video games Digitalized online curriculum

UNESCO development areas Results/impact assesment (UNESCO: UIS: indicators) Mobile/E-learning (Applications) Infrastructure Digital skills Education Content GOVERNMENTUNESCO (ICT-CFT)UNESCO (GCDL) Digital Policies and Vision (Government)

Possible initiatives for LATAM  Support ITE policy making in the region.  Promote the inclusion of ICT and digital resources in pedagogical processes.  Support teacher training processes in the region.  Oversee impact assessment on ICT in education.  Clearinghouse

Didier de Saint Pierre UNESCO consultant