Audio Visual + Print: a new medium for broadcast
Television is often attributed with the facility to grab attention, while print is often associated with being more persistent. This ability to synchronously deliver audio visual and print will not only impact the  effectiveness and the reach of these distance education programmes, but  will also impact how content is created and developed for this  new medium.
The PrinTV field trials – the experimental setup
In order to understand the user experience and the impact of this new method of delivering content to the viewers the PrinTV System was  integrated into an ongoing training programme. PrinTV was integrated  into the SatCom based Gram Panchayat Member training  programme conducted by the, State  Institute of Rural Development. Abdul Nazir Sab-State Institute of  Rural Development (ANSSIRD),

HP Labs India has developved PrinTV that will augment the TV  viewing experience with a print artifact that can be printed, stored, retrieved and referred to when required. PrinTV uses the existing broadband network and delevers documents in sync with the audio visual content. PrinTV will enhance the   instructional/informational value of using TV viewing for distance education

Development Communication Channel) network for over five years. The TDCC network is set up by the Development and Educational Communication Unit (DECU), ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) to promote the use of space
technology for developmental purposes. The Primary objective of this institute is to organise training programs for elected  members of Panchayat Raj Institutions, officers of various  development departments, representatives of voluntary  organisations and Bank officials. One of the major training programmes conducted by ANSSIRD is for the elected representatives of the
Panchayat Raj Institution (PR) of Karnataka. Karnataka has approximately 90,000 elected Gram Panchayat members. One of the major responsibilities of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department is in the realm of implementing the provisions of the  Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act, 1993 toachieve democratic decentralisation in the governance of the State’s rural
areas. The 3-tier structure of Panchayat Raj Institutions of Karnataka consists of • 27 Zilla Panchayats  • 175 Taluk Panchayats • 5659 Gram Panchayats The Satellite based Interactive Communication System is an integral system of providing training and communication support for the developmental activities. The trials were aimed at testing the effectiveness of the PrinTV through Training and Development and Communication Channel (TDCC) network of ANSSIRD, Karnataka. The trial also attempts to validate the end user experience, and to understand how the presence of a new medium impacts the teaching and information and dissemination through the TV  medium. We also attempted to understand the impact of this  mediums ability to deliver Audio,
Video and Print in sync on the effectiveness of the training  programme.

Trial location
A comparative study between experimental locations (with PrinTV) and control locations (without PrinTV) was carried out to measure  the extent of utilisation and effectiveness of PrinTV. The  experimental locations for field trial of PrinTV technology are located in the  taluks of Tumkur district. The control sites are in Mandya district.  Tumkur district comprises 10 taluks and 321 Gram Panchayats. PrinTV was installed at seven of the 10  taluks. Mandya district comprised 7 taluks and 232 Gram Panchayats.  Four of these taluks were designated control sites for the study.

End users groups as identified
The main end user groups identified are as follows:  • Faculty: The role of the faculty is to impart training on the  Panchayat Raj System to the elected representatives of the Panchayat Raj Institution and  decide the content of the program. • Facilitators / Resource persons:  They stand in for the faculty, and help the faculty communicate with the recipients of information  and help the recipients understand, absorb and retain the  information given to them. • Recipients: The recipients in this case are the elected  representatives of Panchayat Raj Institution. The training program  aims at educating and informing the PR representatives at  knowing their rights, responsibilities and duties as an elected representative.

Program content
This specific module of the training program aimed at educating and enabling the Gram Panchayat Members to carry out a detailed  planning process towards
generating a five year plan for their gram panchayats, resource  mobilisation to meet the plan expenditure and also to tackle  issues like the pending electricity
bills issue. The PrinTV system was used to send  documents relevant to the specific AV being transmit. Most print documents  send through the PrinTV system pertained to government orders, gazette notifications and circulars
pertaining to the course content.

Trial objectives and trial duration
One of the major aims of the study is to understand the impact of this new media, AV+P on the training  programme. • Does the PrinTV experience
generate excitement? • Do they perceive the learning  experience as complete?
• Does learning become more interactive –hence enjoyable?  • Does sharing information become easier and more  informative? • Do they perceive that they are able to retain more of the  information they have received? The trials were conducted for a period of 3 months during which over 2000  Gram Panchayat member trainees experienced the benefits of PrinTV.  The trials were conducted during January to March 2006.

Indicative observations
Since the study has just concluded  and data analysis is in process, it is possible to only share indicative qualitative trends based on extensive  observations conducting using a variety of ethnographic methodology  including participant and nonparticipant methods.

Does the PrinTV experience generate excitement?
The simulcast print documents increased the involvement of the  participants, as they are keen to receive the print documents. Most participants encouraged their neighbours to attend the training  programme to get documents that were
otherwise inaccessible. These documents created a lot of discussion.

Do they perceive the learning experience as richer and more  complete?
The faculty was of the opinion that they were able to not only appraise the trainees on the various topics but was also able to send them relevant documents that substantiated the  nformation. The ability to send these documents along with the broadcast  AV content enabled them to concretize the information shared. The resource persons perceived that their role and efforts were further authenticated due the delivery of  relevant documents along with the AV that they used as a background to initiate learning and discussion. For the trainees the ability to receive  printed documents along with the AV content was a major incentive.  These documents became tools and weapons of information that strengthened their efforts at grappling with the systems of governance.

Does learning become more  interactive–hence more enjoyable?
The delivery of printable documents in sync with the audio video perceivably brought about a lot more active interaction within the group.  The printed document that arrived with the AV was a point for discussion  that gave them more insight into the information provided on TV. The level of interactivity within the group was also observed to increase.

Does sharing information become easier and more informative?
The participants said that they would make a file of the prints and share it with their colleagues. They would carry these prints during the gram  Panchayat meetings. It is also interesting to note that while the  system is installed at only 7 of Karnataka’s 175 taluks, the documents  delivered through PrinTV have
traveled across the state. Gram  Panchayat members and Resource persons from across the state have called their counterparts in Tumkur to  request copies of documents.

Do they perceive that they are  able to retain more of the information?
Most of the trainees opined that these documents sent via the new medium PrinTV would act as trigger to the  information provided to them during the training programme. Those with no or little literacy looked to this method of synchronous delivery as a means by which they could take these  documents away to be read to them by a literate family member to understand  what was required of them.

Other application spaces for PrinTV
Some of the applications envisage in the developmental space are: • Education
• TV based Educational programs – Augmenting lecturer’s broadcast with printable lecture notes, reference materials & tests • Public Information Dissemination • Epidemic prevention – Printable practical guidelines on preventing AIDS etc • Benefit schemes – Forms/ procedure for applying for them • Community information  • Edutainment • Agriculture – Information about farming techniques, how to and how much to use pesticides, technology support. • Epidemics – Information on symptoms, measures and precautions on avian flue • Travel – Tourist information,  travel tips, history of places. • Health programs – Advisories • Spiritual programs – Sermons  The following issues need to be addressed in future as they will impact the way the new medium of simulcasting data along with audio – visual communication will impact choice of media, content creation and affordance of the media over time. Content for mixed media Simulcast with PrinTV opens up the arena for messaging that is complementary and completed by each other and can be deliveredsynchronously.

Impact of mixed media
The impact of this form of mixed  complementary media needs to bestudied to understand the full significance of having the message being added to and supported through different media that complement each other and deliver
synchronously, some thing not possible till now.

Affordance of mixed media:
The affordance of such mixed media needs to be further explored. How do audio-visual and print media when delivered synchronously change the affordance of the various media? Do the affordances of these media get extended and flow into one another.

Impact of behavior change communication augmented by PrinTV:
Also of interest is the long-term impact of the PrinTV experience on the community served by these representatives. It is essential to  understand how the community benefits from the PrinTV medium.

American India  Foundation, through its
flagship “Digital  Equaliser (DE)” programme has been working in  underprivileged schools
to integrate technology as a pedagogical tool into the classrooms. The  philosophy of the DE programme is that  teachers are the pivots to
the school system and by creating an enabling environment the  teachers would be empowered to make a choice on the use of technology as an additional tool in the teaching-learning process

Changing the traditional teaching-learning process is easier said than done, as
school systems which have been using the chalk-talk method find it  very difficult to adopt newer systems. E-mail facilities are beginning to be  used more in many schools as a management and administrative  resource and also in limited cases as a teaching and learning resource.  Internet access is becoming more common, but the use of the Internet  for teaching and learning purposes is
very limited, due to high connectivity and telecommunication costs, lack of  local content and examples, and inadequate technical and pedagogical support at local levels. Hence introducing an ICT program in a  school means a lot more than just providing relevant content or  technology training. Given the magnitude of the task, public-private-partnership is called for  to ensure that children receive highquality learning and teaching.  American India Foundation Digital  Eqaliser (AIF-DE) programme leverages on these partnerships so that the program is implemented in a  holistic and meaningful way and help the schools to build capacity within  the school system to handle teaching learning through ICT.

Digital Equaliser programme
Digital Equalizer (DE) programme is a  Computer Aided Learning initiative,which has been designed to bridge  the digital divide with a vision- “An India where ALL children have  access to resources and information that prepares them for participation in the digital age.”  At the macro-level the DE programme has two elements with different  phases. One is a pilot initiative where innovations on technology leading to  reduced cost and improved quality in terms of programme design will be  experimented on a continuous basis. The second is large-scale programme  implementation through partnerships with governments where learning from  the pilots would be adopted, adapted and appropriated for  replication and scale.

Why AIF is involved in implementing the DE Program A. Bridging the Digital Divide
AIF believes that there is a need to  prioritise access to ICT resources to the more underserved population, which is being left behind on a digital  divide. Through its DE Programme AIF is providing opportunities to  underserved children to enhance their learning through the use of digital  technology and thereby bridging the divide and creating a level  playing field. B. Quality learning AIF sees a direct convergence of  technology and education where the
DE programme addresses the quality issue in the following ways.
1. Schools revising the present   to create more effective learning environments and improving lifelong learning skills and habits in their students
2. In the process the teacher’s own learning abilities getting improved The DE methodology involves
• Enhancing basic literacy and critical thinking skills
• Enriching and improving the quality of education by enabling teachers to use technology in the teaching-learning process
• Inspire curiosity, confidence, and teamwork by actively engaging children in interactive, collaborative learning using technology and the Internet

DE programme implementation
• School selection is done based on availability of basic infrastructure, target group (Classes 6 to 10), teacher motivation to adopt the new system and management consent to support this activity.
• A Teacher trainer titled as “DE Co-ordinator” who is an AIF resource handles professional development and training for all  subject teachers on ICT skills.
The trainer is allotted 5 to 10 schools in a cluster. If the  teachers are not computer literate they are put through a computer  literacy course before this phase.
• A Student Trainer titled as “DE Facilitator” placed in each school, handles student training on basic computer skills.
• ICT skills for teachers include  creating multimedia lessons, using project based learning methods, use of Internet and leading tele-collaborative projects.
• Regular meetings are organised by the co-ordinators so that the  schools get together and evaluate projects on an ongoing basis using feedback into the
system.
• From year 2, each school is encouraged to  develop a school  technology plan,
which will be tracked by the DE co-ordinator.
• Commencing from  the third year the schools are expected to implement the
technology plan with minimal supervision from AIF to ensure sustainability beyond the DE Phase. By the end of 3 years the schools will be equipped to use
ICT in their day-to-day teachinglearning process.

Lessons from the learning
programmes implemented
1. AIF started with only a few dozen schools in 2001 and grew to 178in the following 4-5 years. A program of 100 schools will prove radically different from the one with 1,000 schools which is the stage in which the programme
currently is in.
2. Few schools tagged as test-beds  where experiments on the technology– hardware, software and connectivity, cost  effectiveness, user-friendliness,
acceptability from the target audience, perceived value  addition in terms of programme delivery are carried out.
3. It is found that teacher  motivation is a key factor in the programme implementation and there are 3 categories of teachers  to be handled: perfomers or  innovators, semi-performers, nonperformers or resistant teachers.
4. Monitoring and reporting on the progress of the programme  implementation are critical for ensuring that program is on track.  In our experience programmatic design improvement happens  through qualitative discussions
with schoolteachers and principals and not on the basis of  the monitoring reports.
5. While there is enough anecdotal evidence to indicate that the programme has largely been effective, and some empirical  studies have also been done, a
concrete model to assess the impact of the DE program is yet to emerge. The studies done could be classified as  “satisfaction surveys” which provided the necessary comfort level for the management to  continue with the programme approach.

DE growth path-the way forward
The DE program is in a stage where the programme will be implemented in partnerships with state governments  t a scale where the magnitude will be of the order of 500 to 1000 schools. This will be the first year of the programme where learnings from the pilots will be adopted, adapted and  appropriated for up-scaling. The programme management team is  gearing up with this arduous task of collaborating with other stakeholders,  chalking out clear roles and
responsibilities for each of the players. The DE programme will  complement and supplement the existing state government’s ICT  school initiatives through a collaborative effort rather than  creating a parallel system, which would breed competition. We are in the process of conducting impact  assessment for the existing DE centres and would come up with a  model to assess large-scale programs as we recognise that this aspect  needs to be prioritised.

Despite real improvements in access to, and use of,  information and communication technology around the world, there is a wealth of evidence to suggest that the digital divide between and within countries is growing. In response to the significant challenge microsoft had launched its global initiatives called the Partners-in- Learning Programme. Vincent Quah, Regional Academic  Programs Manager, Asia Pacific Public Sector, Microsoft, gives an Asia pacific overview of this programme and Microsoft’s visions in a  conversation with Rumi Mallick of Digital Learning.

? Can Public-Private Partnership as a framework address the   challenges in education in Asia?
If you look at a lot of government and the kind of investment they are putting into education it can be pre-daunting and can be  unsustainable. For example, in a populous country like India, how do  you try to address the education
divide in India, will the country be able to put the necessary investment  to support and ensure that many children can access quality education  and technology? Therefore, the whole notion of Public Private Partnership as  a possible framework for sustainable manpower development, is now even  of more important consideration than before. And so Microsoft is one such  example of Public Private Partnership to work with government to  understand the major, more important priorities of countries so as to help  them to begin addressing the challenges in education. 

? What are the other challenges to education in the Asia Pacific?
The same challenges faced by Asia pacific is also faced by Europe, faced by Africa, in Latin America, in US. The challenge is that people have not problem has to be addressed from the core. Not only the teachers, the  school leaders and the policy makers as well need to be digitally literate.  You have to ensure maximum results out of implementation. 

? When you refer to ICT enabled education, what kind of innovation will you highlight?
We need to start changing our terminology here, putting emphasis on  ICT-enabled education, not ICT integrated. It is an assumption that it  is the foundation. May be we should not think about the kid. ICT one day will become like a calculator, like a pen and paper, where we should really  focus in the innovation, and the change in the pedagogy and  curriculum, the change in the
assessment system, the change of learning and relearning and applying  lessons learned into the system.

? What are your future visions for  the rural area?
The future is like envisioning what the school can be like. That picture, that vision could be different for different schools and different regions. The  future of a rural school can be, how am I going to be relevant to the rural  been able to benefit from the impact and the investment the government is  making in technology. We keep learning the good practices, great  examples how teachers and students really blossom as a result of  technology, though we have not seen the widespread, cyspanic, embracing use of technology and  how technology has impacted, that is one challenge. The other  challenge is having something at
the country level that will enable to become comparative work force,  enable them to have digital literacy and helping them with an improved  quality of life.

? Why Microsoft has been focusing on teachers’ in most of the  programmes?
Teachers are very keen in the education sector. With technology,  teachers are no longer going to be relevant, but on the contrary teachers  are becoming more important, have very different role, of an expert, a  manager and a facilitator. Teachers are the key for students. So it will be a much easier approach to make the students learn and understand if the  teachers are properly trained. Students are digitally literate where as  the teachers are digitally illiterate. The   children to ensure that they can have a good career in future and so they can design the school around that  vision. Important is what is a great, mighty or important thing in one  country need not necessarily be
applicable in your own context.

? What is your experience so far in  working with the Asian countries?
I think the governments in Asia Pacific are in a real high demand stage. It is not actually a question of over-supply; it is a question of overdemand.  So much that has to be done at the country level; they embrace  different programmes including Microsoft into part and parcel of their  overall national strategy. And our experience working with governments  is very very positive. The  partnership  learning initiative has been the most successful programme of Microsoft. We never had so many partnerships;  as of today we have 101 countries on this programme.

? You might have faced some challenges working with Asian governments. Can you relate a few? 
Working with Government is all about establishing trust during relationship. When we started in some countries, government was little concerned and skeptical as organisations like Microsoft want to make partnership with them. But I think when they see that we meant what we say, we meet  the  commitments, we do the things we are going to say, that is where the  change, the trust begins to grow, that is when they become more prepared  to have more in-depth discussion about some of the things that are  working and some of the things that are not working in the country. 

? What is the Microsoft vision of education worldwide?
Microsoft vision of education worldwide, not just for Asia is that we believe technology can play very important role in the whole business  of education, in the teaching and learning area as well as meeting the  lifestyle of the students and teachers. We believe the technology can help  them fulfill their potentials, that is Microsoft’s ultimate vision.

? What do you think has been your major achivement?
If I can see a sparkle in the eyes of the students, in the eyes of the teachers, in the eyes of policy makers with whom we work. At the end of the day  it should be about creating better opportunities for them, it’s about  impacting positively.

? Any specific achievement in last  few years?
Wherever I travel I always meet up schools and teachers, educators, senior level officers, ministers. We run a conference for senior government people in the ministry so that we can understand their problems, at the  same time we help them realise that this is how the world is moving,  technological advances are happening, they need to be aware of  some of these things as well. So we
make the relationship and make it grow and I think this is one big area that I can count as my achievement in helping develop this trust and this  relationship between government and Microsoft.

? How do you see Asia in ten years   from now?
Asia will experience very explosive growth. Hopefully in ten years time we will be looking to new challenges rather than focusing on old challenges which we would have overcome by then. The people  who are involved in the education
sector would be much more savvy  with what the current fence of the world. The students we are teaching are going to experience  very different lifestyles after 20 years from now.

In this article we introduce a new concept – university ICT4D – that refers to the university as a producer of ICT4D knowledge and engaged actor in ICT4D practice – understood as the teaching, research  and outreach activities of universities that link ICTs to the development  needs of their communities and advance the transition to the knowledge society.  Experience has shown that successfully leveraging Internet technologies for economic, social and  political change demands new models  and new technologies, and depends upon multi-disciplinary and multisectoral  approaches. In most developing world contexts, complex  problems are paired with limited institutional capacity and scarce funds, making essential the efficient  and creative use of available resources. One powerful and oftenoverlooked  piece of this puzzle is academia, which has substantial  relevant capabilities to offer as investigator, consultant, educator, convener, evaluator and more. Indeed  to perform these functions is to achieve the very mission of the  university. When speaking of ICTs, we know universities as producers of ICT skills and knowledge in areas ranging from  computer literacy to high-end  programming. We posit, however, that while there are real barriers to university engagement in ICT4D and the broader  revolution in  cademia it requires or fosters, there is already more  happening than many of us realise. As the following examples briefly illustrate, there are a number of less well-known but critically important ways that developing world  universities are already making strides towards teaching, conducting  research and integrating outreach programs in this field of ICT4D.  The La Salle Institute of Governance   (LSIG) at De La Salle University in the Philippines is a research and training institution that aims to produce new  knowledge, strategies and tools that promote transparent, accountable,  participatory, and effective governance. Recognising the growing interest in ICT, in 2002 political  science professor Francisco Magno and his colleagues began to study  ICT’s contribution to good governance. From this modest start,  today they boast an active egovernance program that has a wide  range of activities cutting across teaching, research, and community engagement. LSIG conducts  workshops for local and national  policy makers; produces a quarterly magazine for the League of  Municipalities; hosts conferencessuch as Civil Society and Rights- Based  Governance; produces research studies on such topics as  “Good Governance and Anti- Corruption: A Term-End Performance  Assessment”; introduces new courses into the university general  curriculum and specialised courses for graduate students; and maintains  partnerships with governmental and nongovernmental organisations.  From a donor perspective, there are  numerous organisations available to  implement ICT4D programs across  any fields – rural development,  health services, e-government, women empowerment, policy reform, NGO capacity building – but surprisingly little academic quality research that analyses the results and implications  for future efforts and policies. There are many case studies that are closer  to collections of anecdotes written to showcase success, rather than the  more painfully learned (and earned)  lessons. What has been missing is high-quality, comparable, analytically rigorous, and dispassionate research  and evaluation that will allow everyone to learn from past  experiences and improve future program designs and  implementations. As a Philippine colleague told us, “if you ever find  someone doing research on programimpact here, it’s someone  rom  another country.” This situation exacerbates deeper-seated problems, impeding our understanding of the  interactions between ICT and poverty alleviation, business generation,  improved governance, gender equality and the other issues we care about – it’s essential for developing  world researchers to help develop the  supporting ideas and methods. In the area of teaching, we encountered widespread agreement  that every country needs professionals in government, industry  and civil society who understand the dynamics and challenges of ICTenabled  socio-economic development. Unfortunately, relatively few  developing world universities are adequately preparing students with the knowledge and skills for crafting  better telecommunication policies, developing sustainable telecenters that meet the needs of underserved communities, or promoting effective  use of ICT by small and medium enterprises. This is made even more   ifficult due to barriers to elective coursework, cross-listed courses, and  ther national and institutional  policies that limit capacity and incentives for new pedagogical and  programmatic approaches. Finally, in the outreach arena, few  developing universities engage their students and faculty meaningfully  with their communities. Developing educational and beneficial internships, community service,  course projects and other programs that offer university expertise to local  communities is a complicated affair.  Yet these forms of engagement promise both substantial real-world  learning opportunities for the university and real results for the communities in which they reside. Until universities effectively engage  their communities, both groups will  forego valuable fruits that would help advance the university mission and promote social well-being challenges? Many   bservers   ncluding people within academia) have deep reservations, ranging from doubts as to whether universities  should take on these issues in the first place, to dismissing universities as being incapable of fulfilling these  expectations. Critics claim, rightly in  many cases, that universities are ossified institutions, largely incapable of the internal reform and innovation needed to make them more relevant to the changing needs of society. Or,  they point to external constraints such as higher education policies  that, for example, have a five-year process for introducing a new course,  hardly the appropriate environment  for curricular innovation. Or, they comment on systemic challenges such as disciplinary rigidities that make it  difficult to conduct interdisciplinary work. There is general agreement  among ICT4D scholars that one needs to bring a diversity of disciplinary  tools to this field, yet universities and the journals where scholars need to  publish in order to receive promotions reinforce the very disciplinary  boundaries we need to overcome. Indeed, getting technologists to work effectively with social scientists and  the professional disciplines is a central question of ICT4D research.

In most developing world contexts, complex problems are paired with limited institutional capacity and scarce funds, making essential the efficient and creative  use of available resources. One
powerful and oftenoverlooked piece of this  puzzle is academia, which has substantial relevant capabilities to  offer as investigator,consultant, educator, convener, evaluator and  more. Indeed to
perform these functions is to achieve the very  mission of the  university
This dual observation – the emergence of university ICT4D programs and the increasing awareness of the need for scholarly  attention to critical issues of societal ICT integration, juxtaposed with the  overall scarcity of such programs and firmly held critiques of universities –  has led a research team from a coalition of developing and developed world universities to  embark on a year-long study to  uncover the current practice and potential for university ICT4D. This study, sponsored by the  International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of  Canada and the APEC Education Foundation, builds on earlier conferences   on this topic held at Makerere University in  Uganda, Cornell University in the US, and De La Salle  University in the Philippines. The research will help us  answer the following question, artfully summarised by our colleague William Melody. “How is it  possible to build on the many individual programs in  various corners of universities, to get university-wide commitment to embedding ICT4D issues  in the ethos of the university  and through all of its relevant programs? Most  ICT4D programs exist because of the driving commitment of a few people  without any significant support or commitment from the university, and very  often with lots of opposition. The case studies are heroic, but they aren’t going to  have a major impact until the universities change. This is a problem  in most developed world as well as developing world universities.”

Barriers to e-learning in Asia Pacific
“The term e-learning is most
frequently used to refer to  computerbased training which incorporates technologies that support interactivity beyond that which would be provided by a single computer. Elearning,
therefore, is an approach to
facilitate and enhance  learning through, and based on, both computer and communications technology. Such devices can include personal computers, CD-ROMs, digital television, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones. Communications technology enables  the use of the Internet, email,
discussion forums, collaborative software, classroom management  software and team learning systems.” UNESCO research (http://  www.unescobkk.org/
index.php?id=1807) has indicated  that many countries in the Asia- Pacific region do not use ICT and e-learning to their full potential in  enhancing the quality of teaching and  learning. There are many barriers to be overcome, which can broadly be classified into three main categories:  • Technical – lack of infrastructure,  equipment and connectivity;  • Pedagogical – lack of teacher
training in ICT integration into  pedagogical practice;   Institutional – lack of
requirements or recognition for  use of ICT in the curriculum and low/no support from management  and ministries. Thus, to fulfill the potential of ICT as
a tool for enhancing teaching and  learning, ICT must be fully integrated into both pedagogy and school  administration, which requires a cognitive shift on the part of teachers,  educators, curriculum developers, administrators and policy-makers. In  many cases for this process to be  enabled, the private sector must be  engaged to reduce the cost of infrastructure and connectivity for educational institutions.

SchoolNet project:
a backdrop Taking into consideration the above barriers, the UNESCO  SchoolNet project, subtitled “Strengthening ICT  in Schools and SchoolNet Project in ASEAN Setting”, was initiated in  recognition of the need to assist
teachers in integrating ICT into teaching, and facilitate participation  of teachers and students in the Asia- Pacific region in SchoolNet  telecollaboration activities. The  SchoolNet project engages target audiences at all levels of the school  system in order to bring about change in the use of ICT: officials in
Ministries of Education; SchoolNet  managers; technical staff; teacher trainers and teachers themselves.  SchoolNet promotes effective use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in  learning through supporting connection
of schools to the Internet and by  creating a network of schools. This network is envisaged as a means to  build connections among students, teachers and schools; share  information and resources; and prepare learners for  nowledge-based  societies. SchoolNet also encourages the creation of locally-relevant and high-quality educational resources

The UNESCO SchoolNet project aims to:
• Explore and demonstrate how ICT can be used in schools to improve the quality of education and better prepare youth for the demands of knowledge societies; · Test innovative models of ICT  use and of ICT-based teacher education;  • Encourage use of ICT in teaching-learning and materials
development in schools and  other educational contexts; • Improve connectivity and expand  access to the wealth of educational resources
available via the Internet;  • Establish and promote SchoolNet in the Asia-Pacific region. The project was launched in July 2003  and focuses on three subject areas, which are common to all schools in  the region: languages, mathematics and science. Curriculum topics were  mapped, and where overlap was  identified, activities were designed and launched for schools to explore
together via online learning circles  (Learning Circles: Virtual Communities for Elementary and Secondary Schools http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/  Guidelines/Riel-93.html) in the Bridges to Learning initiative(Bridges  to Learning http://www.unescobkk

Exploring the use of ICT
Early stages of the project involved researching and documenting eight components of ICT integration in  ducation in a case study of several Asia-Pacific countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philipppines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand). The components werebroader environmental context;
policy and regulatory environment; management and financing; ICT in schools – policy, vision and strategy; technology infrastructure and connectivity; curriculum, pedagogy and content development; professional  development; monitoring and evaluation.  These components provided the key foundation and framework in setting up ICT for education projects,  and gave insight and expertise for the further development of the SchoolNet  project. A synthesis of lessons learned (Integrating ICTs into Education: Lessons Learned Vol. 1 http://www.unescobkk.org/ fileadmin/user_upload/ict/e-books/  ICTLessonsLearned/ICT_  integrating_education.pdf) was published, which supports the development of tools and  blueprints to guide policy formulation and programme improvements.

Encouraging use of ICT in teaching-learning and materials development in schools
To enable teachers to develop and use ICT materials for teaching and learning, the SchoolNet project  developed a framework for training  teachers, and then implemented the framework with teachers from the  SchoolNet pilot schools. Before working directly with teachers,  a number of academics, consultants
and other pedagogical experts came together in a workshop (ICT-based Lesson- and Material-Development Workshop http://www.unescobkk.  org/index.php?id=1412) to develop he detailed framework for  systematically integrating ICT into  cience, mathematics and language teaching. This workshop also defined strategies and techniques for training  teachers in the creation of ICT-based lessons and materials. It became clear in the project definition phase that teachers in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet  Nam required basic skills in ICT before moving on to more advanced  and innovative approaches. A 10-day sub-regional training course was  therefore organised for teachers from
pilot schools in these countries. Two training workshops for teachers  on using ICT for teaching science, maths and languages were then subsequently  organised on the basis  of the strategies developed, in Hanoi (Training on the Use of ICT in Teaching Mathematics, Science, and  Languages for Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam http://www.unescobkk.org/  index.php?id=3306) and Penang
(Training on the Use of ICT in Teaching Mathematics, Science, and  Languages for Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand  http://www.unescobkk.org/
index.php?id=3305). The Hanoi workshop targeted Cambodia, Laos,  Myanmar and Viet Nam (CLMV), while the Penang workshop focused on  Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines (IMTP); separate  workshops were organised to enable focused training appropriate to the  specific needs of teachers from the different subregions. For instance,  many teachers in the CMLV countries had required additional basic ICT  skills training, while the IMTP teachers required more training in ICT integration into pedagogy. Common  more advanced training was given later regarding web content (see the  section below ‘Improve connectivity and expand access to the Internet’).  As a result of the training, the teachers at the pilot schools were able  to develop their own ICT-based materials, which were used within  their own classrooms and also shared on a national level. 12 teachers from  the pilot schools in Thailand, Viet
Nam, Malaysia and Myanmar were rewarded for the ICT materials  development by being invited to the  nnovative Teachers Conference2  where they displayed lesson plans and associated materials that they had  created. More than ICT-based 40 lesson plans are produced in each pilot country. The National coordinators of SchoolNet are currently collecting and sharing lesson plans developed in schools across the pilot group; it is hoped these lesson plans and resources can be re-used by other  teachers, and will inspire them to also
create their own.

The project was launched in July 2003 and focuses on three subject areas, which are common to all schools in the region: languages, mathematics and science. SchoolNet activities were piloted in 24
schools in the eight participating countries Expanding access to the Internet In the SchoolNet project, the eight countries involved were classified into two groups:
• Countries which already had established national SchoolNets and equipped some schools with computer labs and Internet connectivity – IMTP; • Countries, which lacked national SchoolNets and had low levels of equipment in schools, and no connectivity – CLMV.  The SchoolNet project’s infrastructure
work thus focused on the second group of countries, CLMV, in order to  enable them to collaborate with other schools in the project located in the  IMTP countries. This was achieved through the following actions:  • Funding for national SchoolNets in CMLV – SchoolNet  coordinators received budget to  purchase a good quality web server to host SchoolNet services and fund staff (SchoolNet managers) to oversee the  SchoolNet activities; • Distribution of donated computers in CMLV – a South  Korean organisation donated many second hand computers, which were offered to CMLV  schools; • Funding for schools in CMLV – each pilot school received a grant  to purchase 4-5 computers and cover the costs of Internet  connectivity. In addition, a regional training course (Regional Training course of Website  Managers, teachers and  SchoolNet technical Personnel on the  Development and maintenance of SchoolNet http://www.unescobkk.  org/index.php?id=2272) was held for teachers, SchoolNet managers and  technical personnel. This course enabled them to develop web content for school websites, administrate the  UNESCO SchoolNet and gain  knowledge of maintenance and troubleshooting of the national SchoolNet systems.  NECTEC is currently arranging follow up visits to the pilot schools, to ensure they have the equipment  configured to their satisfaction, and will offer further training and technical  support where necessary.

Promoting SchoolNet in the Asia-Pacific region
To ensure the establishment of national SchoolNets website and services and to begin the development of the regional  SchoolNet website and services, a regional workshop (Report on SchoolNet Regional Workshop on the  Creation of the national and regional SchoolNet  http://www.unescobkk.org/fileadmin/ user_upload/ict/schoolnet/  documents/SchoolNet_-_Report _Regional_Planning_Workshop_4-  6_Apr05.pdf) was held on the theme  ‘Creation of National and Regional  SchoolNet’. SchoolNet national coordinators and SchoolNet managers  all participated in the workshop to develop a master plan for the creation of the regional SchoolNet website;  identify roles and responsibilities of  regional and national SchoolNets; develop policies, rules and guidelines  for participation; and to gain knowledge about telecollaboration and activity monitoring. In this area, the SchoolNet project is  still in progress, and aims to  demonstrate a prototype version of the regional SchoolNet website at the  final workshop planned for June 2006 in Bangkok, Thailand. The goal of the
regional website is to demonstrate the  activities and strength of the SchoolNet project, but also to put in  place a sustainable platform for teachers to use for telecollaboration.  The SchoolNet project is an ambitious and visionary project to tackle in the  Asia Pacific region, bearing in mind the many obstacles in all domains. At  many times, progress was difficult, and extensive work and training was needed to achieve the objectives of  the project. However, so far, the  results seem positive, and the success of the second round of the Learning
Circles is particularly encouraging. A  formal evaluation procedure has been designed and will shortly be   implemented to understand the full impact of the project; the regional SchoolNet site will soon be launched  and a final workshop for SchoolNet participants for sharing lessons  learned will be held in June 2006