1. A UNESCO Workshop ICT, Education Transformation, and
Economic and Social Development
Dr. Robert Kozma | April 2011 | Montevideo Uruguay
A UNESCO Workshop

2. The Rhetoric for ICT in Education
Many countries justify the use of ICT in schools by saying it will help create an information economy or knowledge society:
Singapore’s The third Masterplan “continues the vision of the first and second Materplans to enrich and transform the learning environments of our students and equip them with the critical competencies and dispositions to succeed in a knowledge economy”
Jordan’s ICT-based reform effort was to make the education sector “responsive to employment market demands in key industries and develop critical ‘Knowledge Economy skills’ at all levels of the education system”
Tech/NA, Namibia’s education ICT initiative, states that “Arising from the overall capacity building investments, Namibia will be transformed into a knowledge-based society.”
Rwanda’s ICT in Education Strategic Plan envisions that all Rwandans will “reach their individual potential to become well-rounded critically thinking citizens of an innovative , knowledge-based economy.”

3. Away from a Manufacturing Economy
Mass production
Standardized products
Manual labor or rote cognitive tasks
Hierarchical command and control
Highly integrated organizations
ICT, EDUCATION REFORM, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DR. ROBERT KOZMA

4. Toward an Information Economy
Services are the largest sector of 25 largest economies
Information products and services shows the most growth
Innovation and new knowledge are a major engine of economic growth
For example in the US, manufacture of goods (automobiles, chemicals, industrial equipment) accounted for 54% of the economic output in By 1997, the production of information products (such as computers, books, software) and the provision of information services (financial, broadcast, education) accounted for 63%.

5. and a Knowledge Society
High level of education.
High penetration of ICT in the home.
Large majorities of people use the internet for .
Large majorities use it as a primary information source
Large percentages of young people use it to connect with groups, create and share digital materials.
Across Europe, 91% of adults and 95% of youth between the ages 16 and 24 use it for finding information and online services.
In the U.K., 49% of the children between the ages of 8-17 who use computers have an online profile.
In the U.S., 64% of teens, principally girls, participated in at least one form of digital content creation

6. Transformed Business Practices
Self-managed teams
Regular employee meetings
Flexible work arrangements
Use of computers in front-line positions

7. Transformed Organizational Structures
Organizational flattening
Decentralized decision making
Disaggregation
Out sourcing/off shoring
Cross-organizational collaboration
Microeconomic studies of firms across North America and Europe
ICT, EDUCATION REFORM, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DR. ROBERT KOZMA

8. Transformed Jobs
Less demand for manual skills and routine cognitive tasks
More demand for problem- solving, communications skills and team skills.
ICT substitutes for low-skilled workers, supplements high- skilled workers
A 2003 MIT study of labor tasks in the workplace.
ICT, EDUCATION REFORM, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DR. ROBERT KOZMA

9. Transformations are Enabled by ICT
To connect distributed teams of employees
To coordinate with partners and suppliers
To collect and share information
To provide products and services to customers

10. Transformed Schools?
Schools structured as enclosed groups and physical spaces
Curriculum is in silos tied to disciplines
Teacher lectures
Students study independently
Standardized exams test recall and application of simple procedures
Technology used as a supplement
SITES 2006 study in 23 countries found that the three most common pedagogical practices were to have students fill out worksheets, work at the same pace and sequence, and answer tests. Typical response was that teachers use ICT in class somewhere between “sometimes” and “never”.
An OECD/CERI study of 27 countries found a positive correlation between home use of computers and achievement but no correlation between school use and achievement.
In Europe where nearly 100% of schools have computers and 95% have access to the internet, the large majority of teachers who use computers, have students use them in less than 25% of their lessons.

11. Education Transformation
Is the introduction of computers enough?
What role can policy play?
Not just ICT - -
Teaching and Learning
Curriculum and Assessment
Social Structure
ICT, EDUCATION REFORM, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DR. ROBERT KOZMA

12. Knowledge Ladder Conceptual framework for policy planning Holistic:
All components
Aligned changes
Developmental and progressive:
Addresses a range of current conditions.
Advances build on current resources and experiences
Connected to economic and social development.

13. A Conceptual Framework: The Knowledge Ladder
Basic
Education
Knowledge
Acquisition
Knowledge
Deepening
Knowledge
Creation
Each model has different implications for:
Policy Goals
Teaching and Learning
Curriculum and Assessment
Social Structure
ICT Use

14. Knowledge Ladder: Policy Goals
Basic
Education
Knowledge
Acquisition
Knowledge
Deepening
Knowledge
Creation
Increase workforce participation improved health and welfare
Develop a manufacturing economy
Create a highly knowledgeable citizenry that adds value to society
Create a knowledge-driven economy and society
Increase secondary completion, improve test scores
Increase primary attendance
Graduates who apply school learning to solve real world problems
Graduates who are creative, innovative, lifelong learners

15. Knowledge Ladder: Teaching and Learning
Basic
Education
Knowledge
Acquisition
Knowledge
Deepening
Knowledge
Creation
Teachers with at minimum skills & subject knowledge
Teacher content knowledge & direct instruction
Content & pedagogical expertise
Teachers as collaborators and model learners
Collaborative teams working on complex real world projects
Communities of learners who build on each other’s knowledge
Large student-teacher ratios, lecture
Students doing individual seat work

16. Knowledge Ladder: Curriculum and Assessment
Basic
Education
Knowledge
Acquisition
Knowledge
Deepening
Knowledge
Creation
Focus is on basic literacy and numeracy
Focus on facts, simple principles, and computer applications applied to standard procedures
Focus on deep understanding of key concepts and their application to solve real world problems
Focus on innovativeness and the creation of knowledge products
Assessed by standardized tests
Assessed by standardized tests
Assessed by complex, real world tasks
Assessed by a community of users

17. Knowledge Ladder: Social Structure
Basic
Education
Knowledge
Acquisition
Knowledge
Deepening
Knowledge
Creation
Hierarchical structure
Hierarchical structure and accountability
Collaborative teaching and learning
Anytime, anywhere, life-long learning
Standardized delivery
Little teacher or student autonomy
Breaking disciplinary and physical boundaries
Self-sustaining, cross-age, cross-sector knowledge communities

18. Knowledge Ladder: ICT Use
Basic
Education
Knowledge
Acquisition
Knowledge
Deepening
Knowledge
Creation
ICT for information delivery: radio, TV
Drill and practice, tutorial software to support test performance
Simulations, multimedia to support understanding &the application of knowledge to solve problems
Social environments, Wikis, and knowledge-building tools
Little computing; little networking, potential for teacher training.
Computers & digital devices everywhere; networks for community
Computers in labs; networks for management
Computers in classrooms; networks for collaboration

19. Educational Transformation
What kind of change needs to take place in education?
Holistic Change
What role can ICT play?
A Lever for Change
ICT alone will not transform education 19