Digital Literacy in the Education Sector

Daniel Palmer Regional Manager – Middle East & Africa ECDL Foundation

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector A not-for-profit global governing body of the world’s leading computer skills certification programme Members - computer societies in Europe Established in January 1997 by CEPIS (Council of European Professional Informatics Societies) ECDL Foundation– Overview & Background

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Our Mission & Values Digital skills for all Common standard Everywhere Not for profit

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector 146 Countries36 Languages6.5 Million People 22 Million Examinations20,000 Centres

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector National development from technology “ICT is the ‘enabling technology’ par excellence. It is responsible for around half of productivity growth in modern economies. It drives improved efficiency and better services and products across the entirety of the private and public sectors”. (EU Commissioner Viviane Reding, 2005)

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector What enables IT adoption? Continuous development creates opportunity  Hardware  Software  Connectivity  Content But IT systems are not independent - the “user” enables the technology

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Interface between people and technology IT creators focus on creating more accessible systems We focus on “User skills” as the key interface

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Effective communication Person to person Requires language, literacy and numeracy Person to computer Requires a new literacy – Digital Literacy

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector What is Digital Literacy? “Digital Literacy involves the confident and critical use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for work, leisure and communication. Digital Literacy is underpinned by basic ICT skills: the use of computers to retrieve, assess, store, produce, present and exchange information, and to communicate and participate via the Internet.” [Demunter 2006].

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Digital Literacy enables national development National development is enabled by technology adoption Technology adoption is enabled by Digital Literacy Investment in technology must be matched by investment in Digital Literacy

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Education sector role Leadership – setting the agenda for development of national human resources Influence – direct responsibility for capabilities of future generations Delivery – starting point for investment in Digital Literacy development

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Investing in Digital Literacy Need for systematic approach Define a set of skills and knowledge requirements Provide training and certification

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Why Certification? Defines skill & knowledge requirements Provides objective measure of learning Offers external validation Establishes consistent benchmark Benefits to Candidates, Organisations and Society

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Why ICDL? Proven track record Vendor neutral Not-for-profit ethos Endorsed by industry, govt and academia Worldwide recognition Quality assured

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector The Education Reform should start with Teachers. High quality, relevant, and efficient opportunities well matched to their needs as classroom practitioners Handle the Technology with confidence rather than only one step in front “or behind!” the students. Difference to their teaching and a fundamental difference to children’s learning. Technical and Pedagogical Confidences in ICT make a major contribution to Learning. Why ICDL for Teachers?

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Productivity Studies Cost of Ignorance Study, Italy: 10% reduction in time spent carrying out computer tasks 47% increase in competence from pre-training levels. Return-on-investment of €2,261 per person per year

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Productivity Studies NHS, National Health Service, UK ICDL holders were saving approx. 38 minutes per day. This equates to over 3 hours per week or 22 extra working days per year. With 150,000 staff qualified the NHS has the potential to achieve 3.3 million extra working days through efficiency !

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector ICDL in Education The ICDL programme has an unparalleled reputation within the education sector in countries around the world – an important validation of the academic rigour with which the programme was conceived and continues to be developed The ICDL programme is recognised and supported by Ministries of Education and Higher Education in Italy, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Chile, Egypt, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Estonia, Poland, Norway, UAE, Kuwait, Romania, Jordan, Lithuania, Ireland and Great Britain amongst others, for Ministry staff, teaching professionals, teaching support staff and for students themselves. In UAE, Egypt, Jordan and Italy it is mandatory for all teachers to complete the ICDL before they can be considered fully qualified as teachers In Great Britain and the United States of America the ICDL is mapped into the national qualifications frameworks of those countries (called NQF and ISTI respectively) allowing universities and colleges the opportunity to offer academic credits for students who have completed the course or who gain the qualification whilst at university

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Ministries of Labour / Education and the Headmasters Organization of Italian Universities have signed an agreement for the universal recognition of ICDL. The agreement entails the implementation of ICDL in all schools (2600 secondary schools). 572,000 young people under 18 receive compensation for the purchase of PC, provided they acquire ICDL. Italian Education System

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Ministry of Education has made ICDL certification mandatory for all –Year 10 Pupils –Teachers –Principals As the central part of a drive to improve digital literacy amongst public sector employees Supported by several decrees from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum UAE Education System

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector MEN (Ministère de l’Education Nationale) has ambitious plans to integrate modern Information and Communication Technologies into the infrastructure and working practices of schools, and across the entire education sector An important part of this investment will be the provision of training in order to ensure that MEN employees have the capabilities to make the most of the new technology CNIIPDTICE will co-ordinate this activity and proposes to put in place a national programme of education and development in partnership with the international standard of ICDL Algerian Education System - Context

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector 60,000 teachers plus 2,500 other staff Duration –Preparation (7 months) –Deployment (7 months) 340,000 further teachers and assistants can be processed by the same system once established Algerian Education System - Requirements

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Training – 1500 training centres accredited to ICDL standards utilising school computer rooms Certification – 200 centres accredited to ICDL standards and supplied with approved Automated Testing Software for examinations Organisation & Project Management – central project oversight, systems, support and transfer of skills provided by ECDL Foundation and its Licensee network, including UNESCO Office in Cairo Training and examinations available in Arabic and French Algerian Education System - Infrastructure

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector 200 Test Centres 1500 Training Centres Help desk Exam Invigilators Certification Office Approved E-learning Content Administration Office ELiSS ATES

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Benefits For Teachers Increase computer skills and gain a Recognized Qualification Maintain a Continuing Professional Development Maintain Professional Status with students and colleagues Improve classroom practice Progress in the depth and complexity of abstract thinking.

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Benefits For Teachers Be ready for the changes in their professional practice. Create Lessons Plan using a Word Processing. Search the Internet for lessons resources. Use a spreadsheet to demonstrate mathematical procedures and processes in the classroom. Use Graphs and Charts to visually show students facts and figures clearly and concisely

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Benefits For Teachers Add fun to a classroom while increasing the concentration level of the class using presentations Access the Internet to provide themselves and the students with a vast source of information in all subjects. Use the databases to access extensive reporting facilities, synchronize and communicate schedules, and collate detailed students information. Reduce workloads and raise students’ achievements levels by making better use of ICT in the classroom

Digital Literacy in the Education Sector Thank You