A US-based initiative plans to make new textbooks available for free on the Internet for university students in developing nations. < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
If the Global Text Project's first book
Wiki’ textbooks to be available free on Internet for developing nations
FOSS, skills and bandwidth: key anchors of successful ICT programme
Free software, skills and bandwidth are the key anchors of a successful ICT programme, says Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth to the delegates at the ISPA iWeek conference in Midrand. < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Shuttleworth was speaking during the opening of the conference where he said that no amount of regulation or investment could ever compensate for a lack of local skills. He said that the skills required ranged from pure technology skills through to management skills. Shuttleworth also emphasised repeatedly the importance of free and open source software to development. In the education sector, he said, free and open source software was a key component in developing skills. He cited examples from schools where restricitive proprietary licensing meant schools are only able to afford software to cater for narrow interest groups. In contrast, he said, free and open source software allows schools to provide a full range of software to students that can cater for all skills and interest groups without having to worry about software licences.
Royal Roads University (Victoria) embraces open-source software
Faculty and IT staff of the Royal Roads University (RRU) in Victoria, BC said they considered proprietary software but found Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) a perfect fit for their e-Learning environment. < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
According to Carrie Spencer, CIO of Royal Roads University, a large developer community would be beneficial in building applications for their curriculum. e-Learning had become a very crucial part of delivering education today, according to Dave Marks, consulting director of IDC Canada Inc. in Toronto. Marks said open-source software offers several key advantages over proprietary licensed-based products. Moodle has a community of more than 100,000 users, speaking over 70 languages in over 150 countries. Soon after it was founded in 1995, the RRU was among the first institutions to deploy an online-based learning program. Using in-house applications, the university offered students from across Canada and around the world, degree programs through a combination of online learning courses and short residencies. Although very successfully used for several years, the in-house learning system needed significant upgrades to incorporate simpler communication tools that allow faculty members to develop and maintain their own courses.
Microsoft launches PiL online system
Microsoft, Vietnam, has launched its Partners in Learning (PiL) online system including e-Learning solutions and innovative Teachers Network.< ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
The system, integrated in the programme's website www.mspil.net.vn, will help build and develop a web-based forum for PiL' community's learning and sharing. Meanwhile, the US-based software maker has introduced the Innovative Teachers Award 2006 (ITA), a competition on ICT-enabled teaching initiatives for teachers of fundamental education. According to Microsoft, ITA is an initiative to establish Innovative Teachers Network, a community of teachers who are pioneers in ICT integration in teaching and learning, and to award those that are outstanding and innovative. Joining the Innovative Teacher Network, teachers will have access to classroom learning resources and online teacher communities, which provide a personal page and a forum.
100 students from Graduate Internship Program sponsored by Microsoft Jordan
As a part of Graduate Internship and Employment Programme 100 university graduates are being sponsored by Microsoft Jordan. The programme was launched in May 2009 by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (MoICT), the Ministry of Labor (MoL), USAID's Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ), and sector associations that include int@j and Jordan Computer Society. Free trianing courses are being provided by Microsoft to help develop the IT skills of graduates hired under the Program and better prepare them for their careers in the IT industry.
The Government is supporting graduates find suitable employment within the private sector, subsidising 50% of each student's salary during the first 12 months of their employment and 25% during the subsequent six months employment period. Every graduate hired under the Program also receives a two-week soft skills training course. Microsoft's contribution to the Program will further expand the skills developed by the recruits.
ICT policy for education
Policy makes the fundamental difference regarding how countries are able to take advantage of the technical opportunities available to them and exploit them for good. The issues of sustainability of good policies and a progressive process for evolving policy are therefore of paramount importance. ICT Integration in education is a complex process and all education stakeholders require clear guidance as to what is expected of them throughout this process. Namibia’s ICT Policy for Education that has lead to the creation of an implementation strategy, in turn lead to the first step towards providing such guidance to countries like India who are on the making of purposeful ICT Policy for Education.
ICT can light up learning, empower communities, and unlock social development. It can reach to the remotest areas, the most challenged education systems and make transformative advancements on a national scale. But it can only work such wonder to the extent that it is predicated on end-to-end policy. Otherwise it is fragmented and lacking creating schools with expensive equipment but no technical support, or content without connectivity, trained teachers but no infrastructure. Or it is unequal and limited coverage in certain regions, others going without. Poor planning defeats the potential of ICTs before they are even applied to real life situations.
The decisive issue in ICT in education then is good policy. India and Namibia, the world apart, vastly different in terms of scale and population density have in common that they are both countries embarked on the making of end-to-end ICT policy for education. As India draws up its national framework document, and embarks on a course of formulating comprehensive ICT in education policy, it is worth noting some of the lessons and guiding principles of the Namibian experience – gleaned from its own process of national ICT policy making.
Namibia’s ICT Policy for Education has lead to the creation of an implementation strategy and this in turn lead to the development of a framework for implementation and engagement. Currently, the ICT and Education Policy Steering Committee, with over 70 members, represents nearly all directorates within the Ministry of Education, as well as a wide-range of private sector, civil society, and donor partners. The steering committee is supported at the day-to-day level through the Ministry of Education’s Project Management Office for ICTs in Education. The Project Management Office assists the steering committee’s Working Groups, which are organised around each component of the framework for implementation. More and more, the Working Groups are becoming the decision making bodies of the Steering Committee, with each working group making recommendations for their areas of expertise and the Steering Committee reviewing these recommendations for endorsement. Here the head of the steering committee, Alfred IIukena, with Todd Malone shares secrets of Namibia’s policy success.
Implementing National ICTs in education policy: The Namibian case
At the turn of the millennium, national information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education projects or organisations could not be found in Namibia. Within three years, nearly a dozen projects and organisations had begun to pilot ICT-related activities. These included ICT deployments, curriculum development, content deliver, teacher training, educational management, technical support, and connectivity. During these early days, projects and organisations operated independently, as islands of activities and interventions.
Project managers and organisations could attempt to align ICT activities to the Ministry of Education’s overall education goals, but little guidance was available regarding the actual form of implementation for ICTs in education. Technology platforms varied dramatically from one school to the next. ICT-related curricula were virtually non-existent. ICT-based content, if available, was haphazard and almost wholly imported. Training programmes were developed based on trial and error. And affordable connectivity and technical support for ICTs was no where to be seen. As these islands of activity increased, the Ministry of Education was unable to ensure that the projects and organisations were working in line with the Ministry’s educational goals.
While the scene described may appear unfortunate, on the contrary, the use of ICTs in education in Namibia was extremely new and these projects and organisations began to form a collective set of local experiences, highlighting what worked and what didn’t. Eventually, Ministry officials, ICT project mangers, and NGO leaders, came together to share experiences and coordinate the ICTs in education sector. Thus, the ICT and Education Steering Committee was formed.
Currently, the ICTs in education sector in Namibia exists as a multifaceted environment with a number of different players. Each stakeholder, based on their mandate, applies pressure to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry, in turn, responds by applying pressure back on the sector. With the development of the ICT Policy for education and the comprehensive implementation plan, the ICTs in education sector in Namibia has a consistent forum to work together and engage all public, private, and civil society partners
Around the same time the Ministry decided to update their ICT Policy for Education. As one of their first tasks, undertook to update the ICT Policy for Education to reflect the comprehensive nature and opportunities presented through the use of ICTs in education.
After nearly a year and half of discussion and input from sector partners, the ICT Policy for Education was completed and launched. The policy, while simply a document, represented the development of a medium for exchange and debate. The Steering Committee, by leading the policy creation process, became the forum for all things ICT in the education sector. This policy development process evolved from a revision of the existing policy into a strategy for sector-wide educational change through the integration of ICTs for teacher training, classroom learning, and educational management. As this process took shape, a framework for engagement for all partners, and thus a framework for change, emerged.
ICTs in education: Implementation and engagement
A comprehensive framework for implementation must consider a wide-range of factors, stakeholders, and approaches. Based on the wide-range of experiences in Namibia, the ICT and Education Steering Committee began working with the Global eSchools and Communities Initiative in early 2005 and, slowly, an implementation framework
The price of good policy
GeSCI has developed a framework and approach that educational policy makers and school administrators can use to inform their choice of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for schools, in a way that ensures that they achieve their educational objectives. The framework advocates for a consideration of some key elements: a focus on educational objectives as the overriding consideration, targeting an end-to-end approach, and considering the benefits, feasibility and total cost of ownership (TCO) of any ICT choice
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become the latest buzzword in the education sector today as schools and ministries of education clamor to equip the kids with ICT skills for today's information age. Millions and even billions of dollars have been spent both in the developing and developed countries to provide computers, Internet access and other hi-tech gadgets to schools. However all these endeavours, while well intentioned, have often been poorly implemented or not realised any of the benefits touted. As such, most computer labs especially in the less developed countries resemble small “museums” with banks of old, non working computers, some schools have good equipment but untrained teachers while other schools have no equipment but have had their teachers trained. These “disconnects” and poor implementations are caused by among other factors:
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A focus on the technology without paying attention to the educational objectives and needs.
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Narrow interpretation of ICTs to mean computers only and forgetting that other ICTs such as radio or TV can be more appropriate and cost effective in some situations
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Failure to consider other vital components of implementing ICTs such as providing user and technical support, providing for maintenance, and providing the right educational content
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And lastly, a failure to consider all of the costs, short term and long term, involved in obtaining and using ICTs.
As a result, ICTs in education are increasingly being criticised in many quarters as aptly put by Larry Cuban (2001): The money spent on computers might have been better spent on other resources such as 'smaller class size', better salaries for teachers, renovation of decayed buildings computers in the classroom have been oversold by promoters and policymakers and underused by teachers and students.
Despite these denouncements, there is also no doubt that given right circumstances, ICTs can transform teaching and learning, help improve student achievement, motivation and performance, engage 'hard to reach' or disadvantaged populations, support students with special needs, and achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in school management.
However, in order for these benefits to be realised, the current implementation of ICTs is going to take the “lessons learned” more seriously and schools and ministry of education planners are going to have to rethink the approach to acquiring and deploying ICTs.
To this end, GeSCI working with a team from McKinsey and Company, supported by a financial contribution from Intel and pro-bono time and effort from McKinsey and Company, developed an overall framework for thinking about benefits, costs and feasibility of ICT options for schools and created a sophisticated analytic electronic tool that models TCO for various ICT options. The framework and electronic tool have subsequently been revised extensively by GeSCI following feedback from various ICT in education experts and are briefly presented in this paper.
The Framework
The framework and corresponding approach is based on s number of key considerations that arise directly out of some of the major problems facing the deployment of ICTs in schools today. These considerations can also be taken as “steps” in an approach to considering the acquisition and implementation of ICTs in education.
Focus on educational objectives
ICTs are tool and not an end in themselves. Schools should therefore focus on what they need to use the tool for, in the first place. Choosing and deploying ICTs for education must stem from, and be driven by the desired educational objective(s) and outcome. From an extensive literature survey and consultations with various ICT in Education experts, GeSCI identified 11 commonly occurring educational objectives, which can be grouped into four broad categories.
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Target an end-to-end approach Purchasing and installing ICTs in schools is not the end of the story. It is only part of an integrated, comprehensive and on-going (end-to-end) system that requires that a plan be developed in advance, ICTs purchased and installed, users trained, adequate technical and user support provided, and continuous assessment and evaluation conducted to ensure that educational objectives are being met. The end-to-end system consists of 5 major components: deployment of ICTs, content and applications that accompany the ICTs, user training and support to enable proper usage, maintenance and technical support to keep the ICTs working and monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the ICTs are being used for the educational objectives originally envisaged. It should be comprehensive, demand driven, capable and efficient and well coordinated.
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Carefully consider your deployment model A study of the different ICT-in-schools models across the world suggests there are six key questions, grouped into four elements that help define those models:
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Usage approach: Who uses the equipment: administrators, teachers, students?
Where do they use it: office, classroom, lab, open access?
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Functionality: How interactive is the equipment? Is it connected to the Internet?
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Numbers: What is the ratio of devices to users?
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Content and Applications used: What content and applications are required for the educational objectives set?
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ICT & the Third Revolution in Education Policy
The advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is often described as the third revolution in the dissemination of knowledge and in the enhancement of instruction. The first revolution being the invention of written language and the second the development of movable type and books (The ICT in Education Tool kit for Policy makers, Planners and Practitioners, UNESCO Bangkok).
ICT is a powerful tool which has the potential to transform the educational opportunities and life chances of all students, including those who are normally excluded by virtue of their special circumstances and special educational needs. ICT can break down some of the barriers that lead to underachievement, student disaffection and educational exclusion. If used appropriately it can also improve the quality and consistency of instruction by providing an enabling environment for both students and teachers to access information and resources. However, technology must be the 'servant of educational practice and not its master' (Becta).
Why have an ICT in education policy?
It is well-known that education development succeeds or fails on the basis of the nature and quality of educational policies and strategies and sound and sustained implementation practices. As rightly pointed out by UNESCO Bangkok, introducing ICTs into the teaching and learning process is an innovation often requiring radical change in the way in which schools operate.
The provision of technology alone will not optimally harness the potential of ICTs to improve access, student achievement and the transformation of teaching and learning. To take full advantage of the different technologies and to direct their maximum use for the benefit of all students, there needs to be a clear framework which sets the scene and provides the enabling environment for technologies to be integrated, deployed and used to their fullest potential. The ICT in Education Policy can provide such a framework.
What is the purpose of an ICT in education policy?
A policy serves a political or organisational purpose in setting priorities and providing direction, guidelines and strategies to deal with a specific problem within the system. As such it encompasses the vision and provides an institutional master plan for what needs to be achieved within the overall political, economic and social context. While the policy serves a number of other purposes as well, the main purpose is to focus interventions on educational and learning objectives and on student needs and student achievement. In addition to student needs and student achievement, the policy can address the following issues:
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provide clear political direction
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set priorities for the sector e.g. with regard to needs, goals, levels, resources, timelines
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provide a basis for better informed and improved decision making, and therefore a more strategic approach to a complex issue
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provide a coherent framework for ICT interventions in education relating to curriculum integration, deployment of hardware and software, training of users at all levels, and standards to achieve systemic and institutional impact
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map out how and where ICTs fit in the system and how they can be optimally utilised to address institutional needs and meet institutional requirements
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highlight the benefits and challenges of ICTs and how to engage and deal with them in a systematic manner
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prevent disjointed, uncoordinated, fragmented and wasteful purchase, deployment and use of ICTs.
Important considerations for a sound policy formulation process
From the work done by UNESCO Bangkok for the development of The ICT in Education Toolkit and from the experiences of a number of countries, the following elements are necessary to formulate a sound ICT in Education policy:
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consultative and inclusive process bringing together key stakeholders to carefully consider the opportunities, challenges and implications of the intended policy
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combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches taking into consideration the broader landscape and contextual factors while cognisant of the needs expressed at lower and decentralised levels
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ownership by key stakeholders since they had participated in the formulation
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country (and state) specific in nature with realistic and achievable targets.
The above elements illustrate the need to identify beforehand (and even during the process) who (e.g. groups, institutions) will participate in the process, what processes would be involved, what resources would be required, what information is already available and what is still lacking, and what the timelines are.
Wikipedia in Indian languages soon
Now, Indians can contribute to the volunteer-edited Wikipedia encyclopedia project, which is rated among the top 20 websites globally, so says Jimmy Wales, founder of the web-based free content multilingual project.< ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
During a visit to India, Wales noted that volunteer contributions to the Kannada Wikipedia had been growing 22 percent and Bengali 35 percent a month. These growth rates are fairly high. Bengali too has a growth rate of 35 percent. Wales aims to have 200,000 articles for every language spoken by a million people. Indian techies who interacted with him suggested the time was 'right' for Indian language content creation, since the tools for doing this had been created, including projects such as IndLinux. Wikipedia is run on a website that allows any visitor to edit its content. Wikipedia's main servers are in Tampa, Florida, with additional servers in Amsterdam and Seoul. There are 229 language editions of Wikipedia, 16 of which have over 50,000 articles each. There has been controversy over Wikipedia's reliability and accuracy, with the site receiving criticism for its susceptibility to vandalism, uneven quality and inconsistency, systemic bias, and preference for consensus over credentials.
Gates Fund for Community College Postsecondary Research Project
The Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College in New York City's Columbia University has received a three-year US$5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help identify the most productive investments in community colleges for the foundation's Postsecondary Success (PS) initiative. Owing to their open-access admission policies and relatively low tuition rates, community colleges enroll a high proportion of young adults from low-income families. The goal of the PS initiative, launched last year, is to double the number of low-income students who by age 26 earn a postsecondary degree or credential. Led by director Thomas Bailey, CCRC will produce a set of concrete recommendations for the PS initiative by early 2012. These recommendations will be based on a synthesis of knowledge gained from past research, from ongoing studies by other organizations, and from a new set of CCRC studies chosen to supplement what is known about increasing community college student success. The studies will examine seven strategies based on promising but largely untested ideas about what works to increase community college completion rates for low-income young adults, that is, providing highly structured and focused programs. Underprepared students are more likely to complete programs that are highly structured and focused, especially when they're aimed at preparation for credentials and job placement in career fields. Offering high-quality and engaging online courses to increase access, improving progression through school for low-income and underprepared students. Accelerating the pace of remedial instruction and thereby reducing the time needed to complete that instruction or encouraging students to enroll in higher level courses where additional academic support is provided.
Contextualizing basic skills instruction in the teaching of academic or occupational content. The idea is that low-skill students can learn more effectively and can advance to college-level programs more readily when skills are taught in the context of instruction in a content area. Providing underprepared students with 'student success' courses and other non-academic supports. Students who enroll in college underprepared for college-level work benefit from assistance with college and career planning and from instruction in 'student success' skills, in addition to academic remediation. Aligning programs and services to support student progression and success. The program believes that institutions that are most effective in serving disadvantaged students are those that align and manage their programs and services strategically to increase the success of such students.The project will have a nine-member research advisory board made up of researchers as well as college presidents with strong research backgrounds or state officials or researchers at the state level. Specific plans for the studies will be discussed with advisory board members. The board will also review the initial results of the literature reviews and discuss whether those findings imply any changes in direction for the overall project. The board will also meet to discuss the results from specific studies and to deliberate on draft recommendations for the PS initiative.
