IITENEWSLETTER

UNESCO INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION

No. 1’2004 January-March

EDITORIAL

Dear readers,

The issue offered for yourattention begins with theinformation about the Insti-tute’s participation in suchsignificant event as WorldSummit on the InformationSociety (WSIS).

Within its framework lastDecember IITE organized onbehalf of UNESCO the roundtable Education and KnowledgeSocieties, where the questionsvital for the sustainable develop-ment were raised attracting theattention of vast audience. Thearticle of Irina Smirnova, IITEproject manager, gives the infor-mation about its organization,structure, agenda, participantsand the results achieved.

Yury Zaparovanny, coordina-tor of IITE project ICTs inDistance Education, submittedthe comprehensive informa-

tion about the training sessionfor the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, which IITEheld in October-December2003 within the framework ofthe UNESCO extrabudgetaryprogramme for technical serv-ices to Member States Capac-ity Building for Education for All(EFA). This event is the nextstep in the long-term IITEactivity ICTs in DistanceEducation organized in theform of a training session todevelop education personnelskills of ICT application in dis-tance education.

Newsletter materials on theround table The Development ofthe Open and Distance LearningKnowledge Base for HigherEducation and the workingmeeting of the national focalpoints for cooperation withIITE in the CIS and Baltic statesare devoted to the permanentInstitute’s partnerships with the

Round table discussion Education and Knowledge Societies.Geneva, Switzerland

IIIITTEE OONNLLIINNEE NNEEWWSS

The UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies inEducation will hold the training seminar Retraining of SchoolEducators in the Application of ICTs in Education from 17 to 20May 2004, in Yerevan, Armenia, for school administrators,teachers of computer science and other subjects. The seminarwill be followed by the workshop Use of ICTs in the Working

Environment for the special needs group that will be held on 21May by IITE in collaboration with the State Institute of SkillAdvance in Informatics, the National Focal Point forUNESCO IITE in Armenia, the Union of Blind People(Armenia) and Apple IMC. The events are held with partialfinancial support of UNESCO Moscow Office.

educational institutions ofUNESCO Member States.

I hope that the materials en-closed will help receive moreinformation about IITE activi-ties and expand the frameworkof our cooperation.

Another article presented in theNewsletter by Boris Kotsik is areview on the IITE positionpaper Information and Commu-nication Technologies in Secon-dary Education. This conceptualIITE document provides an in-depth review of new strategies

and tactics to progress in learn-ing for successful involvement ofnew generations in KnowledgeSociety. It answers the questionsconcerning the role of educationfor the emerging informationsociety, the role of ICTs forteaching and learning in se-condary education and the placeof ICTs in the spectrum of mod-ern didactic methods. Finally,the paper discusses the educa-tion quality and stresses theUNESCO actions to provide forthis quality in education.

Vladimir KinelevDirector of IITE

ЮК

The United Nations GeneralAssembly authorizes WorldSummits to be held on theissues essential for humanity,e.g. the World Summit forSocial Development (Copen-hagen, Denmark, 1995), theWorld Summit on Sustain-able Development (Johan-nesburg, South Africa, 2002)and others. Recent progressof information and commu-nication technologies (ICTs)has impacted all aspects ofhuman activities: economicand business practices, polit-ical affairs, information andknowledge dissemination, so-cial relations, education, he-alth and leisure – and causedthe fundamental transforma-tion worldwide leading to thetransition of the industrialsociety to the so-called infor-mation society. New chal-lenges, new opportunities andnew divides crucial for man-kind have appeared, whichrequire a global discussion.On 31 January 2002 the UNGeneral Assembly adoptedResolution 56/183 on theWorld Summit on the Infor-mation Society (WSIS) to beorganized in two phases. Go-vernment of Switzerland hos-ted the first phase of theWorld Summit from 10 to 12December 2003 in Geneva,which addressed a broad ran-ge of themes concerning In-formation Society and adop-ted Declaration of Principlesand Plan of Action. Gover-nment of Tunisia will host itssecond phase from 16 to 18November 2005 in Tunis.Development themes will bea key focus of the secondphase, which will assess theprogress made and adopt afurther plan of action.

The Geneva phase was held inthe huge exhibition centrePalexpo from 8 to 13 Decem-ber 2003. It hosted 11,047 par-ticipants from 1,486 entities:4,590 official representativesfrom 176 states, 225 – from 50international organizations,620 – from 37 UN bodies, 347– from 13 UN agencies, 3,310– from 481 non-governmentalorganizations, 514 – from 98business entities, 970 – from631 media and 471 guests.

In the margins of official inter-governmental meetings, morethan 700 side events took place.These events – panel andround table discussions, pre-sentations and demonstrations– were organized to shareexperiences and increase pros-pects of a dialogue among theparticipants. Only 30 of theseevents dealt with educationissues, and the round table dis-cussion Education and Know-ledge Societies attracted themost interest and had the pro-found feedback, in particular,due to the future-orientedquestions (from information –to knowledge, from Infor-mation Societies – to Know-ledge Societies) and remarkableensemble of main presenters.

On the eve of the event

The UNESCO Institute forInformation Technologies inEducation (IITE) was incharge of this round tablediscussion on behalf ofUNESCO. IITE started arran-ging the event in April 2003 andset up the international coregroup consisting of Prof.Vladimir Kinelev, Director ofIITE; Prof. Bernard Cornu(France), Director of La Villa

Media and Vice-Chairman ofthe IITE Governing Board;Prof. Raymond Morel (Swit-zerland), Director of GenevaEducational Technology Cen-tre; Prof. Peter Bollerslev(Denmark), Director and Edi-tor-in-Chief at SAXO Publi-shers; Dr Irina Smirnova, IITEProject Manager.

The core group discussed thekey messages of the roundtable, its content and structureduring the talks with theChairman of the round tableProf. Bernard Cornu (IITE,Moscow, June 2003), at theIFIP open working conferenceE-Training Practices for Profes-sional Organizations (Pori,Finland, July 2003) and theWorld Information TechnologyForum (WITFOR) (Vilnius,Lithuania, August 2003). Pre-paratory Note was elaboratedand circulated in September2003 among the invited speak-ers selected by IITE as a basisfor the profound and cohe-rent event.

In November 2003 IITE lau-nched the web site http://wsis-roundtable-ed.iite.ru/ contain-ing the round-table informa-tion, support materials andforum field. On the eve of theevent the Institute publishedthe round-table flyer, posterand brochure containing theagenda, brief biographies, pho-tos and abstracts of papers ofthe participants as well as theinformation about the organi-zations involved:

• UNESCO Institute forInformation Technologiesin Education;

• Club of Rome (CoR);• International Federation

for Information Processing(IFIP);

• International Council forOpen and Distance Edu-cation (ICDE);

• International Associationof Universities (IAU);

• University of Mauritius, Vir-tual Centre for Innovati-ve Learning Technologies(VCILT) and Lifelong Le-arning Cluster (LLC);

• Food and Agriculture Or-ganization of the UnitedNations (FAO);

• NGO-UNESCO LiaisonCommittee.

During the event

The round table discussionEducation and Knowledge So-cieties was held on 11 Decem-ber 2003, Thursday from 9:30to 13:00, Geneva Palexpo,Room C.

The issues essential for the sus-tainable development in thethird Millennium were consid-ered during three sessions ofthe round table:

1. Education FOR KnowledgeSocieties: Trends, Chal-lenges and Policies.

2. Education IN KnowledgeSocieties: Strategies, Tools,Teaching and Learning.

3. UNESCO as a Key Actor inthe Development of Edu-cation for and in Know-ledge Societies.

For comprehensive study ofthese issues IITE invited threemoderators (Prof. Bernard Cor-nu, Prof. Raymond Morel, andProf. Peter Bollerslev) and 12speakers – specialists in the field.

Up to 200 WSIS participantswere present at it. In addi-

UNESCO Side Event2IIT

E N

EWSL

ETTE

RN

o. 1

’ 20

04

/ Ja

nuar

y-M

arch

“EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE SOCIETIES” –UNESCO SIDE EVENT AT THE WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

Geneva, Switzerland, 11 December 2003

TRAINING SESSION IN SOUTH AFRICAUNISA, Pretoria, October-December 2003

IITE has finished the trainingsession for English-speakingparticipants from countries inAfrica Information and Com-munication Technologies forHigher Distance Education(HDE) in Sub-Saharan Africa

(SSA). The training sessionwas run under the name of theproject submitted by IITE andapproved by UNESCO Head-quarters in 2003 within theframework of the UNESCOextrabudgetary programme for

to develop educational person-nel skills of ICT application indistance education (DE):

1. Face-to-face training semi-nar (5 days) – 14–19 Oc-tober 2003

“We are creating history in South Africa”.Prof. Wayne Mackintosh

UNESCO Side Event 3

IITE

NEW

SLET

TER

No

. 1’ 2

00

4/

Janu

ary-

Mar

ch

tion, the videoconferencewith Mauritius allowed theattendance of about 300 par-ticipants of the InternationalConference on Open andOnline Learning (ICOOL)from 19 countries. The roundtable was accessible in theInternet through streamingbroadcast from the IITE website. Among others, the par-ticipants of the IITE trainingsession ICTs in Higher Dis-tance Education held at thesame time in Pretoria, SouthAfrica – 50 educators from14 countries (11 from Sub-Saharan Africa, New Zea-land, Russian Federation andUSA) – watched the Ge-neva discussion.

Mr John Daniel, AssistantDirector-General for Edu-cation, UNESCO, and MrVladimir Kinelev, Director,UNESCO Institute for Infor-mation Technologies in Edu-cation, opened the roundtable. Each session com-prised an introduction of amoderator, three main pre-sentations and 20-minutedebate. The following invitedspeakers made the presenta-tions on the main issuesunder discussion:

Mr Valdas Adamkus (Lithu-ania), UNESCO GoodwillAmbassador for the Construc-tion of Knowledge Societies;Former President of the Re-public of Lithuania;

Prof. Klaus Brunnstein (Ger-many), President of the Inter-national Federation for Infor-mation Processing (IFIP);

Mrs Monique Fouilhoux, Pre-sident of the NGO-UNESCOLiaison Committee, Presidentof the International NGOsConference;

Dr Claudine Langlois, Direc-tor, International Association ofUniversities (IAU)/UNESCOInformation Centre on HigherEducation;

Prof. Bernard Loing (Fran-ce), Intergovernmental Lia-ison Officer and GeneralDelegate of the InternationalCouncil for Open and Dis-tance Education (ICDE) atUNESCO;

Dr Anton Mangstl, Direc-tor, Library and Documen-tation Systems Division, Fo-od and Agriculture Orga-nization of the United Na-tions (FAO);

Mr Blagovest Sendov (Bulga-ria), Ambassador of Bulgaria toJapan; Former President of theParliament of the Republic ofBulgaria;

Dr Stephen Rudgard, Chief,WAICENT Outreach, Libraryand Documentation SystemsDivision, Food and AgricultureOrganization of the UnitedNations (FAO);

Drs. Tom J. van Weert (theNetherlands), Chair ICT andHigher Education, ProfessionalUniversity of Utrecht;

Dr Yu Wei (China), Director,Research Center of LearningSciences, Southeast University;Vice President of China Asso-ciation of Science and Techno-logy; Former Vice President ofAll China Women’s Federation;Former Vice-Minister of Edu-cationof the People’s Republicof China;

Prof. Raoul Weiler (Belgium),University of Leuven, Memberof the Executive Committee(International) of the Club ofRome (CoR).

Prof. Alain Senteni (Mauri-tius), Director, Virtual Ce-ntre for Innovative LearningTechnologies (VCILT), Uni-versity of Mauritius, andDr Sally M. Johnstone (USA),Executive Director, WesternCooperative for Educatio-nal Telecommunications(WCET), Western InterstateCommission for HigherEducation (WICHE) partic-ipated in the round table dis-cussion and made their pre-sentations via videoconfer-ence with ICOOL organizedin the middle of Decemberunder UNESCO's sponsor-ship in Mauritius. The WSISand ICOOL participantsexchanged questions andanswers as well.

The round table ended with the general debate andanswers to the phone ques-tions from Pretoria rece-ived in the course of theround table, as well as thediscussion of the final docu-ment. The participants ac-knowledged the UNESCO’sapproach, according towhich global InformationSociety makes ground foroncoming Knowledge Soci-eties. They agreed thatKnowledge Societies to eme-rge depends on several fac-tors, among which Edu-cation is a major one playinga key role of a catalyst for future Knowledge Socie-ties. The participants re-affirmed that UNESCO has a crucial function inthe development of Know-ledge Societies for All en-couraging the Organizationto foster its leading and con-solidating position in thisfield.

Closing the round table dis-cussion Mr John Daniel con-gratulated the participantswith the success of the eventand highly appreciated thework accomplished by theUNESCO Institute forInformation Technologies inEducation, Mr VladimirKinelev, its Director, and staffmembers.

Irina Smirnovairina.smirnova@iite.ru

technical services to MemberStates Capacity Building forEducation for All (EFA). Theproject is the next step in thelong-term IITE activity ICTs inDistance Education providingthe three-stage training session

Training Activities4IIT

E N

EWSL

ETTE

RN

o. 1

’ 20

04

/ Ja

nuar

y-M

arch

2. Online training session (7weeks)

3. Face-to-face training semi-nar (5 days) – 8–14 De-cember 2003

The face-to-face training sem-inars were held at the Institutefor Continuing Education,University of South Africa(UNISA), Pretoria.

Participants of the training ses-sion – 25 educators from 14countries (11 from Sub-Saharan Africa) watched theGeneva discussion at the roundtable Education and Know-ledge Societies, one of theUNESCO events at the WorldSummit on the InformationSociety (WSIS) organized byIITE. The round table wasaccessible in the Internetthrough streaming broadcastfrom the IITE web site. Theparticipants of the training ses-sion stated their questions byphone and received answersthrough the Internet.

The successful outcomes of thetraining session were achievedthanks to the joint active col-laboration of IITE and leadingexperts in the field of ICTs forDE – academicians, method-ologists, and ICT specialists –from four continents.

The proposed project on ICTusage in HDE in SSA coun-tries has the following ob-jectives:

• to assist UNESCO Mem-ber States in SSA countriesin integration and applica-tion of information andcommunication technolo-gies in HDE;

• to share relevant informa-tion and materials at thedisposal of IITE with theSSA countries;

• to elaborate plans on train-ing and retraining of educa-tional personnel on ICTusage in HDE in the SSAcountries;

• to develop networking fortraining and retraining ofeducational personnel onICT usage in HDE in theSSA countries;

• to contribute to the rein-forcement and multiplica-tion of training capacities inthe crucial related areas;

• to provide a pilot trainingcourse for future trainers inICTs for distance educationin countries in Africa usingthe IITE specialized train-ing course ICTs in DistanceEducation.

Main results obtained via theproject implementation are thefollowing:1. Under the guidance of lead-

ing experts, namely, Prof.Wayne Mackintosh (NewZealand), Dr Robert Day(South Africa) and Dr Lin-da Black (USA). IITE has trained 17 highly quali-fied specialists from 11 SSA countries, namely,

Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana,Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia,Seychelles, South Africa,Swaziland, Tanzania andUganda, and two represen-tatives from the UNESCOInternational Institute forCapacity Building in Afri-ca (IICBA). Among the participants were two Deputy Vice-Chancellors from Kenyatta University(Kenya); Secretary to theExecutive Committee ofUganda National Associ-ation for Distance andOpen Learning (UNADOL)(Uganda); National Co-ordinator of the ScienceResource Centers of theGhana Education Service(Ghana); Director of theInstitute for Education De-velopment and Extension(IEDE) (Ghana); Electro-nic Database Specialist ofthe Inter-University Councilfor East Africa (Uganda);Director of Institute of Edu-cational Technology in theOpen University of Tanzania(Tanzania); Assistant Direc-tor for Studies of the Nati-onal Institute of Education(Seychelles) and others.

2. IITE has developed me-thodological basis for train-ing session:

• specialized training courseICTs in Distance Educationelaborated by IITE interna-tional team of experts. It wasadapted to the needs of SSAcountries and transferred to

the format for distance usa-ge. The course covers mainproblems, issues and teach-ing principles with specialattention to ICT application,system at large, programmeand course procedures ofICT usage, special needs oflearners and correspondingimplications for ICTs in DEand principal aspects of pol-icy-making at institutionaland national levels;

• instruction guide and gui-delines for trainers of train-ers on ICT usage in higherdistance education in theSSA countries;

• CD-ROM Information andCommunication Technolo-gies in Distance Education.Readings. Readings are theexcerpts from publicationsfor deeper comprehensionof the specialized IITEtraining course.

3. IITE has developed thetechnological basis for thetraining session and furtherdevelopment of regionaland sub-regional networkfor DE:

• WWW distance educationplatform (DEP), operatingnetwork for training andretraining of educationalpersonnel on ICT usage inHDE in the SSA countries.

4. IITE has elaborated theunderlying principles forfurther development of theregional and sub-regionalnetwork based on DEP,which could be the ground

The participants of the training session First training seminar. Computer laboratory

Second training seminar. Discussion

Training Activities 5

for future regional and sub-regional network of DE, toestablish an InternationalVirtual Institute with par-ticipation of the repre-sented countries and IITE.

5. In the course of the projectpreparation and implemen-tation IITE encounteredseveral problems. To solvethem it was necessary:

• to select a group of highlyqualified representatives ofthe SSA countries whowould be able after thetraining session to train andretrain specialists in thesphere of ICT usage in DEin their countries;

• to form the group of inter-national experts and mod-erators – distinguished spe-cialists of ICT usage in DEin the SSA countries;

• to adapt the IITE special-ized training course ICTs inDistance Education to theneeds of the DE system inthe SSA countries;

• to prepare necessary met-hodological and practicalguides and materials whichwould match the outcomesof the project;

• to elaborate the require-ments for analysis, andterms of reference as a basisfor the WWW distance edu-cation platform. Accordingto the terms of reference itwas necessary to providethe evaluation of alterna-tives. Several existing solu-tions, such as LearningSpace by Lotus Software

IBM Software Group,WebCT by WebCT, Inc.,Blackboard by Blackbo-ard Inc., FirstClass byFirstClass Division of OpenText Corp., Hypermethodby HyperMethod Co., Pro-meteus by Prometeus Co.software packages wereanalyzed. As a result, theIITE WWW distance edu-cation platform was createdas the most useful environ-ment to be implemented inthe SSA countries;

• to develop and test the soft-ware for DEP;

• to adapt the IITE special-ized training course for dis-tance form usage;

• to transfer the IITE special-ized training course contentinto the DEP;

• to solve numerous organi-zational problems concern-ing the training session onthe basis of UNISA tomaintain contacts withNational Commissions forUNESCO and Ministriesof Education of 13 SSAcountries and candidatesfor participation;

• to design and produce theCD-ROM Information andCommunication technologiesin Distance Education. Re-adings;

• to implement completetechnical and contextualsupport for the DEP to beused at two face-to-facesessions and in online activ-ities, including the stableDEP – Internet connec-

Second training seminar. Work in groups

tion via the IITE special-ized server;

• to prepare subject outlinesand timetables for face-to-face training seminars andhome assignments for theinterim period.

The training session pursued itsobjectives through mastery of theIITE specialized training courseICTs in DE in the context of thestate-of-the-art distance educa-tion and ICT application in SSAcountries as well as of theoverview of the IITE-elaboratedDEP for the training session.

The trainees worked individuallyand in groups accomplishing thefollowing activities under theguidance of moderators: study oflearning materials and articles,exchange of messages on themain issues of distance educa-tion, fulfillment of tasks (in theclassroom and at home), face-to-face discussions, further dis-cussion of the main issues of theapplication of ICTs in distanceeducation in open onlineforums, work with distanceinformation sources in the web-library. Participation in thegroup and plenary discussionshelped the representatives inter-act and learn from one another.

Main objectives achieved:• capacity building of the

participants from SSA co-untries and representativesfrom IICBA has been raisedto the level enabling theirfuture work in training ofnational specialists in the

sphere of ICT applicationin HDE;

• methodological basis forfuture training and retrain-ing of educational person-nel on ICT usage in HDEin the SSA countries hasbeen created;

• technological basis for fur-ther development of net-working for training andretraining of educationalpersonnel on ICT usage inHDE in the SSA English-speaking countries on thebasis of the IITE WWWdistance education plat-form has been developed;

• national institutional ca-pacities in EFA planningand implementation insuch areas as teacher train-ing and appropriate use ofICTs in DE in SSA coun-tries have been strength-ened. The representativesof each country prepa-red the projects (businessplans) on ICT implementa-tion in DE in their homecountries. The similar proj-ects were prepared for threeSSA sub-regions: Centraland Eastern SSA countries,South African countries,and Island States.

In conclusion of the trainingsession the participants receivedIITE and UNISA certificate.The participants (trainees andmoderators) highly evaluatedthe methodological materials,WWW DEP developed byIITE, and the training session asa whole. Most of the trainees

IITE

NEW

SLET

TER

No

. 1’ 2

00

4/

Janu

ary-

Mar

ch

Training Activities6IIT

E N

EWSL

ETTE

RN

o. 1

’ 20

04

/ Ja

nuar

y-M

arch

stressed that the experience ofDEP usage essentially im-proved their skills of onlineteaching/learning and comput-ing in general. They noted thatthe DEP reliable operation, itsdidactical features, embeddedcommunication tools and train-ing resources allowed to shapethe virtual learning communityof DE professionals in the SSAregion.

Here we present assessments ofthe project participants.

Dr Habtamu Zewdie(Ethiopia, IICBA)

The course Information andCommunication Technologiesin Distance Education organ-ized by IITE and UNISA hasgiven me a wonderful oppor-tunity to reinforce my experi-ence in distance educationwith theoretical basis.

In particular, I have gainedgood knowledge of how toimplement ICTs in education,

and understanding of the fun-damental issues to influencedistance education policy inmy country.

Ms Rholene Bok(Namibia)

This course has proved that dis-tance education is the educa-tion for the future. It keeps upwith the global trends in educa-tion, and using ICTs in DE isthe way to meet the demands ofEducation For All programmeto alleviate poverty in theworld. I am privileged to bepart of such dynamic courseand group. The course wasstructured and presented well,one of the best that I have everdone, and I have done manycourses in my life.

Altogether, this course is highlyrelevant and timely. You know,I have learnt about the DE dy-namics, and how to ride onthe wave of its changes. Thecourse is a must, especially,for professional DE practi-

tioners to ensure the qualitydelivery of material in any ofthe many chosen modes.Thank you, IITE.

Dr Theophilus AquinasOssei-Anto (Ghana)

Going through this course hasbeen one of the best things thatever happened to me.

My ideas of the systems, opera-tions, mechanisms, concepts,and generations of DE havebeen nourished very much.

In addition, I have beenexposed to the fundamentalprinciples behind the integra-tion of both existing andemerging ICTs into DE.

I can confidently say that I haveacquired new skills, and I amnow in a much better andrefined position to carry out DEoperations in Ghana – irrespec-tive of whether my services areneeded locally or nationally.

I have also encountered DEcolleagues and experts, who Ican either collaborate with orfall upon for advice.

I can hardly thank IITEenough for the unique, won-derful and life-longlearningexperience.

Mr Alex Souffe(Seychelles)

Honestly, the IITE course hassimultaneously enhanced my

knowledge in distance educationand computer skills pertaining toonline courses, and the potentialof digital ICTs in DE. It has alsoprovided me with sufficienttechnical know-how of compil-ing a business plan.

Furthermore, it has enabled theestablishment of a ‘true collegialand supportive group’ whom Ifeel at ease to seek for assistanceor advice in any areas of theirexpertise. It has, undoubtedly,created the means for us to sup-port each other on the Africancontinent. Now it is up to us tokeep this network active. Thanksto everyone.

Mr Geoffrey N. Shakwa(Namibia)

The cutting-edge, contempo-rary, thought-provoking and,yet, very informative course onICTs and distance education.The most significant parts whereI have gained tremendously werethe theoretical issues of distanceeducation and the variety ofICTs that are relevant in thedelivery of DE. Further, throughthis course I have established

The presentation of certificates

end of the course, I am con-vinced that if Africa has to forgeahead in development, ICTs area key, and more so for DE.

The course has afforded me theopportunity to reflect on theexperiences of other players inthe global field of DE and tobuild networks, which I believewill prove invaluable in myfuture contributions, in what-ever way, to bridge the learningdivide via ICTs. The experiencewas worthwhile. The courseobjectives were covered fairlywell. The presentation of theo-retical content was well doneboth in the face-to-face mode,on CD-ROM (Readings) andonline. If only more time wereavailed, this is an excellentcourse design.

Mr Emmanuel AttaGyamera (Ghana)

The course objectives, I amsure, have been achieved. Thecourse has exposed to me somuch as far as the organizationof DE programmes is con-cerned. It includes various def-initions of DE, delivery modes,

applications of ICTs in the DEorganization or delivery, andthe advantages that my countrywill derive making use of DEcompared to the convectionalface-to-face delivery.

The problems associated withDE and how to overcome themhave been addressed in thisworkshop. The online appro-ach has exposed a lot of experi-ences in how to work online.On the whole, it is a veryimportant course, that will helpme build DE capacity in mycountry.

Prof. Satoki T. Mahenge(Tanzania)

At the entry point to this courseI had no skills of online learn-ing and scanty understandingof distance education.

However, I thank the coursedesigners, moderators andIITE that at present I have theskills of online teaching/learn-ing and better understanding ofDE concept and process ofdelivery. I will be able to teachothers in Tanzania particularlythe online learning and widerunderstanding of DE.

Dr C.W.S. Sukati(Swaziland)

This was a well-planned andorganized course, which wasrun by the facilitators who havepassion for ICTs in distanceeducation. A lot of work hasgone into the planning and

running of the course, and weare grateful to the facilitators.

The course should continue tobe offered to other DE practi-tioners, so that DE can con-tinue to develop and afford ourbrothers and sisters an oppor-tunity to access tertiary educa-tion. Without providing Edu-cation For All, our countrieswill not develop.

I would, however, suggest thatwhen it is offered next time, thefull details on the course shouldbe given to the participants andthe organizations they comefrom, so that they can appraisethe time requirements for thecourse.

Prof. Olive N. Mugenda(Kenya)

This is the most useful course Ihave undertaken in recent ti-mes. It was very informative,well-thought over, well-pre-sented and professionally articu-lated. The facilitators were veryknowledgeable and committedto their work. Having organizedthe Nairobi workshop where the IIT

E N

EWSL

ETTE

RN

o. 1

’ 20

04

/ Ja

nuar

y-M

arch

Training Activities 7

contacts that, otherwise, wouldnot have been possible withpractitioners and researchersalike in Sub-Saharan Africa andthe world over, who are passion-ate about making the access toeducation a reality to all peopleon this planet. It has been such awonderful experience for me!

Prof. RoshunDhurbarrylall (Mauritius)

The objectives were attained inrecord time, bearing in mind theamount of material covered.

Online delivery of DE wasunknown to me before. I cannow appreciate what it is andunderstand the implications.I have gained a lot from thisonline experience.

This will assist the MCA(Mauritius College of theAir) to proceed with itsonline projects.

The facilitators were veryaccommodating and willing toshare their experience andknowledge with us.

We all have benefited.

Mr Sam Siminyu(Uganda)

I started the course with a lot ofskepticism over whether it wasappropriate to even initiate thediscussion of ICTs in DE on acontinent like Africa. Thecourse gave me an opportunityto think it all over again. By the

course was recommended, it ismy personal satisfaction that therecommendation was imple-mented, and I became one ofthe beneficiaries.

The course has given me thenecessary skills to mount a sim-ilar course to my colleagues inmy Institute. It has opened upnew opportunities for me toundertake online courses withease. I wish to thank IITE andthe facilitators for the wonder-ful idea/work.

I think the course objectiveswere met specifically, as theyrelated to the concept of DEand the whole DE system,ICTs and how they can beapplied, the teaching principlesassociated with DE, organiza-tional and management issuesand relevant logistics, theapplication of DE for learnerswith special needs and the pol-icy-shaping in DE. The facili-tators used both the face-to-face and online activities tomeet the course objectives. Iplan to use the informationgained to streamline someareas in the way DE is beinghandled in my institution.

Prof. S. M. Rajab (Kenya)

The course was extremelyinformative, I am truly de-lighted to have made the deci-sion to come to Pretoria. WhatI learned in this course will def-initely help me and my institu-tion improve the quality ofdelivery of distance education.IIT

E N

EWSL

ETTE

RN

o. 1

’ 20

04

/ Ja

nuar

y-M

arch

Training Activities8

The impact the course will havein the delivery of distance edu-cation in Africa is guaranteed.

1. The concept of DE, its his-tory and the role of ICTs inthis form of education werewell articulated both in thecourse modules and theassignments, which we did.I now have a better under-standing of the concepts ofdistance and open learning.

2. The core functions ofteaching and learning inDE and correspondingorganizational, social andtechnological implicationswere adequately covered.

3. The overall DE system,including programme andcourse design proceduresusing ICTs, was coveredduring the course. Howe-ver, I believe more timeneeds to be allocated forthis if this course is offeredin future.

4. Teaching principles withspecial attention to ICTswere adequately addressed,and sufficient examples weregiven.

5. Special needs of learnersand corresponding implica-tions for ICTs in DE werecovered well, adequate lit-erature was provided. Wehad the opportunity to visita facility at UNISA, whichhandles demands of learn-ers with special needs.

6. Policy issues at institutionaland national levels werefully presented.

7. The use of distance educa-tion platform for onlineactivities was clearly intro-duced. I can now confidentlysurf the IITE platform.

8. We prepared a draft busi-ness plan to launch a simi-lar course in our own coun-try. I would like to thank thefacilitators most profuselyfor assisting us in doing this.

9. I strongly believe that moretime should have been

availed, and a practicalexample given to demon-strate web delivery of DE.

Ms Lindiwe Shabala(UNISA)

This is a useful and relevantcourse for open distance learn-ing (ODL) practitioners.

I particularly see it as very rele-vant to material developers(instructional designers), tutorsand managers and/or leader-ship in distance education. Inthat sense I perceive it as aneffective staff developmenttool. It provides with the onlinedistance learner perspectives,which so many of us have yet toexperience, although we areworking in distance education.

Mr Philip Ouma Ayoo(Uganda)

The course was very heavy,both in content and activities.The two face-to-face sessionswere quite demanding not onlyfor the students (who had toattend the forums, post threadson the discussions, submit

assignments and do the read-ings for the course), but also forthe tutors (who had to deliverthe content, set exercises andassignments, give evaluations,and guide the learners on thewhole course).

This programme has laid a firmfoundation in trying to achievethe overall objective of thecourse: “building capacity inICTs for DE in countries inAfrica”, as most participantsare very confident in their abil-ity to make the process in theircountries.

Generally, the course hasachieved its main objectives.The theoretical and practicalissues on DE were excellentlyexplained with focused practi-cal assignments to reinforcethis; the role of ICTs in DE wasrevealed and emphasized; theneed and feasibility of openingup DE to the marginalized andchallenged groups using ICTswere examined; policy issueswere studied at both institu-tional and national levels; and,what is most important, theparticipants were taken througha practical step-by-step sessionon how to structure variousproposals to enable themimplement this course in theirrespective countries.

Personally, I have enjoyed thetraining. I have learnt a lot, andam confident that, in spite ofthe many challenges ahead, theproject is implemental.

Mrs Fiona Ernesta-Uranie(Seychelles)

The IITE course has been aneye opener and a journey intothe practical realities of dis-tance education in general anduse of ICTs in distance educa-tion in particular.

It was not easy; in fact, it wasvery demanding and required

The 13th International Con-gress of the Conferences Infor-mation Technologies in Edu-cation (ITE–2003) took placein Moscow from 16 to 20 No-vember 2003 under the aegisand co-sponsorship of theUNESCO Institute for Infor-mation Technologies in Educa-

personal commitment and self-discipline to some extent.

However, the formal coursecontent blended with the practi-cal realities of various countriesand the input of the facilitatorsrendered this course commend-able. The course is based on theuse of ICTs in distance educa-tion, and I believe it achieved itsoverall aim. We learned by actu-ally using various technologiesand experiences of the countries.Facilitators have enabled us toavoid many of the pitfalls associ-ated with use of ICTs in ourfuture development of distanceeducation courses and ourchoice of appropriate technolo-gies. The online component wasparticularly interesting, and arange of skills was acquired inthe process. It has been anenriching experience.

Mr Benjamin Bussu(Tanzania)

The course has been of greatimportance to me. I have

understood well how to usethe distance education plat-form for the online activities.I got informed on the con-cept of distance education,its history and the role ofICTs in the form of educa-tion, as well as the core func-tions of teaching and learningin distance education, orga-nizational, social and tech-nological implications.

The overall DE system, includ-ing programme and coursedesign procedures using ICTs,has been well presented.

The objectives achieved, I feelvery comfortable with how theywere delivered and absorbed.

Mr Eric L. Setabo(Botswana)

Though quite demanding for afull-time employee, this courseis a necessary tool for any ODLpractitioner. It gives a holisticpicture of what a successfulODL programme could and

tion (IITE). In the frameworkof the Congress IITE organizedthe round table The Develop-ment of the Open and DistanceLearning Knowledge Base forHigher Education. More than50 participants, experts in thefield of ICTs from the coun-tries, namely, Armenia, Azer-

should entail. To start with, thereis a lot of theory on ODL, whichwill benefit the newcomers in theworld of ODL.

Then there is a comprehensivehands-on experience on howto work online. It gives theparticipants the theory ofusing ICTs in ODL alongsidewith practical experience onhow one of the many ICTs canenhance learning.

It is apparent that time wasshort for most of practicalactivities though. But all in all,the course has met all of itsobjectives.

This course has helped me real-ize that with critical and properplanning, it is possible forAfrica to go into technology-enhanced DE.

Ms Irine Chadibe(UNISA)

It was a very interestingcourse, indeed. I enjoyed the

face-to-face and group dis-cussions, Forums, mostly. Ithink I have gained moreknowledge about the types ofICTs in relation to differentcontexts.

Mr Henok Workye(IICBA)

It has been really great. The moderators were veryresourceful and coopera-tive, UNISA was great inhosting the programme. I'dsay it was a successful work-shop.

Finally, thanks to everyone.

baijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan,Lithuania, Republic of Mol-dova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, USAand different regions of theRussian Federation took part inthis event.

The round table was devoted to the development of the

UNESCO cross-cutting the-me project Higher EducationOpen and Distance LearningKnowledge Base (ODLKB) forDecision-Makers for CIS andBaltic states.

The participants, who took partin the discussions, were familiar- IIT

E N

EWSL

ETTE

RN

o. 1

’ 20

04

/ Ja

nuar

y-M

arch

Training Activities 9

ROUND TABLE “THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNINGKNOWLEDGE BASE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION”

IITE, Moscow, 18 November 2003

The UNESCO Institute forInformation Technologies inEducation (IITE) in accor-dance with its Workplan for2003 held a working meetingof the focal points for cooper-ation with IITE in the CIS andBaltic states at IITE on 18 and19 November 2003. The meet-ing was devoted to the plans ofcooperation between IITE andits focal points in the nextbiennium (2004–2005). Theheads of the IITE focal pointsfrom the countries, namely,Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Repu-blic of Moldova, Tajikistan,Ukraine took part in this event.

The agenda of the meetingincluded:

• information about the out-comes of the 32nd sessionof UNESCO’s GeneralConference (Paris, Septe-mber-October 2003);

• project proposals of theInstitute in the frameworkof the UNESCO pro-

Evolution of the informationsociety entails dramatic chan-ges in production and businessactivities, as well as in a largersocial context. Informationsociety is not only about digi-

tized information or electronicnetworks. The transformationof information society can beunderstood if we view it inbroader context where bits,networks and knowledge have

gramme Education For All;• information about the pro-

gramme of the Council ofthe Ministers of Educationof the Commonwealth ofIndependent States onInformatization of Edu-cation;

• participation of the IITEfocal points in UNESCOcross-cutting theme proj-ects Higher Education Openand Distance LearningKnowledge Base (ODLKB)for Decision-Makers andMethodologies for DigitalLibraries;

• information about thetraining sessions IITE heldin Lithuania and Azerbai-jan in 2003, and presenta-tion of the IITE planof training activities for2004–2005;

• presentation of the infor-mation environment beingdeveloped by IITE for focalpoint interaction within thenetwork.

The sets of documents, includ-ing IITE Workplan for 2004, as

ized with the prototype of Know-ledge Base developed at NationalTechnical University (NTU) inKiev (Ukraine). The discussionshowed the timeliness and inter-est of many participants in cre-ation and usage of ODLKB fortheir educational activities. Therecommendation on adaptationand pilot launching of the NTU-

designed prototype of Know-ledge Base were proposed. Theparticipants suggested the proto-type should be integrated in theIITE Information System onInformation Technologies inEducation (ISITE). The mecha-nisms of filling in the KnowledgeBase with the national resourceswere discussed, and coordina-

tion scheme of this activity wereaccepted. Moreover, followingthe request of the Baltic coun-tries the participants agreed thatthe experience and legislationdocuments on Open and Dis-tance Learning of the EuropeanUnion States should be includedin ODLKB. They stressed theimportance of cooperation with

partners from Africa and Asia-Pacific regions taking part in thisUNESCO cross-cutting themeproject. Finally, the working planon the development of theUNESCO cross-cutting the-me project Higher EducationODLKB for Decision-Makers forCIS and Baltic states wasapproved for 2004–2005 years.

well as recent IITE publica-tions were distributed amongthe participants.

Members of the meeting sur-veyed the outcomes of the 32ndsession of UNESCO’s GeneralConference and endorsed newUNESCO’s policy and initia-tives in the field of education.Recognizing the necessity andurgency of providing Edu-cation For All, the participantssupported the IITE proposalsin the framework of the similarUNESCO programme. More-over, they pointed out the im-portance of being the partnersin the programme activities.

Discussing the issues of coop-eration of the IITE focal pointswithin the framework of theInstitute’s regular programmefor 2004–2005, the partici-pants expressed their interestand willingness to partake inthe IITE projects for2004–2005 as well as in theIITE training activities. In par-ticular, the experiences and

results of the training sessionsheld by IITE in Lithuania andAzerbaijan were highlyassessed. The participants sug-gested that the same arrange-ments be organized in theircountries.

At the meeting great atten-tion was paid to the structureand functions of the informa-tion environment beingdeveloped by IITE. Repre-sentatives of focal pointsexpressed their aptitude toprovide content for the Insti-tute’s web site, as well as in-formation materials on theiractivities within the frame-work of the IITE projects tobe published on the Web onthe regular basis using theIITE tools. Furthermore, therepresentatives of the focalpoints expressed their wish toparticipate in presenting theIITE Information System onInformation Technologies inEducation (ISITE) databasewith available resources onICTs in education.

IITE

NEW

SLET

TER

No

. 1’ 2

00

4/

Janu

ary-

Mar

ch

Chronicle10

WORKING MEETING OF THE FOCAL POINTS FOR COOPERATION WITH IITE IN THE CIS AND BALTIC STATES

IITE, Moscow, 18–19 November 2003

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIESIN SECONDARY EDUCATION

Review on the IITE Position Paper

Knowledge and information increasingly determine new

patterns of national development and wealth creation.

The use of computers and the WWW is essential for the

further progress of education.

a social meaning. To under-stand the results of technolog-ical change we have to studythe social dimension of infor-mation society. Rapid devel-opment of the informationsphere of society is drasticallyaltering the structure of workand employment, and pro-duces new occupations andjobs. More and more peopleare being drawn into the infor-mation society as learners,workers and consumers.

ICTs have become a criticaltool for professional training;the sooner learners know howto use ICTs, the easier theycan find their way to capturethe newest methods of dataacquisition and transforma-tion to knowledge. Scientificand technical progress and theglobal spread of technologiesdeveloped in the most ad-vanced countries of the worldconstitute one of the mainarguments in favour of theleading role of education inthe 21st century. The level oftechnological development isindicative nowadays not onlyof the economic power andliving standards of a particularcountry, but also of the placeand role of this country in theglobal community and thescope and prospects of its eco-nomic and political integra-tion with the rest of the world.At the same time, the level ofdevelopment and utilization

of modern technologies in dif-ferent countries is determinednot only by their materialresources, but, to a largeextent, by the degree of soci-ety’s ability to produce, ab-sorb and apply new knowl-

edge. These achievements, inturn, are tightly linked withthe level of education.

The present IITE positionpaper Information and Com-munication Technologies inSecondary Education is com-posed by Vladimir Kinelev,Director of IITE, Piet Kom-mers, Professor of TWENTEUniversity, Boris Kotsik, Chiefof IITE Training Unit. Thepaper provides an in-depthreview of the new strategiesand tactics that aim to achievelearning progress for success-ful participation of new gener-ations in the Knowledge So-ciety. It answers questionsconcerning the role of educa-tion for the society develop-ment in the information age,the role of ICTs in the devel-opment of modern education.It gives an account of the mainfeatures of ICT-mediated tea-ching and learning, the mainfeatures of teachers’ ICT com-petence to provide appropriateknowledge and proficiency,the place of ICTs in the overallspectrum of modern didacticmethods. Finally, the ques-tions of education quality arediscussed, as well as theUNESCO actions to providethis quality of education.

The paper consists of intro-duction, five main sections,summary, conclusion and ref-erences.

In the first section of thepaper, Education for theEmerging Information So-ciety, the issues of nationaleducation policies and soci-ety development are re-viewed. The main features of

the educational system in theinformation society are thefollowing: production ofknowledge, geographical andtemporal independence fromknowledge acquisition, pe-dagogical and structural in-novation in teaching-lear-ning process. To provide thisthe educational policy mustensure:

• up-to-date pedagogicalcompetence in the infor-mation society;

• integration of new peda-gogic opportunities;

• equal and flexible access toeducation;

• effective and flexible edu-cation structure and orga-nization.

The second part of the section isdevoted to the ethical, psycho-logical and legal issues of theICT application in education.

As the issues of teaching andlearning are of central impor-tance to the evolving informa-tion society, the second sectionof the paper Teaching andLearning for Information Societyis about a fundamentally newapproach to education. Huma-nity must embrace and promotea culture of lifelong learning.Learning can no longer beviewed as a ritual that oneengages in during the early partof a human life. ICTs are beingused to cross age, time and spacebarriers to bring lifelong learningto all. People of all ages whateverthey are doing, in all places andin all different environmentalcontexts are learning all thetime. Thus, they constitute thelearning society.

In the third section the ques-tions of ICT application forteaching and learning in se-condary education are con-sidered. With the focus onthe role of ICTs in secondary

education, it becomes clearthat it cannot be measuredwith a criterion of learningoutcomes to get prepared fornational final examinationonly. The most sensitivephase for attaining learningskills is the years betweeneleven and sixteen. A clearindication backing up thisthesis of developmental psy-chology and didactics is thenew secondary school para-digm. Its underlying messageis the fact that studentsshould invest in learningskills and attitudes, driven byintrinsic motivation and cu-riosity rather than by pressureof covering a large number ofsubject domains in order topass a final examination.

The combination of ICT in-frastructures and softwarefacilities in schools and theparticipation in Learning

IITE

NEW

SLET

TER

No

. 1’ 2

00

4/

Janu

ary-

Mar

ch

IITE Publications 11

The global education problem cannot be solved by con-

ventional means like building classrooms and training

large numbers of teachers. Building a new society heavily

relies on the introduction of ICTs in education.

ICTs are potentially a very powerful dimension to trans-

form the way the young generation prepares for further

studying.

Students should invest in learning skills and attitudes,

driven by intrinsic motivation.

Networks is expected to bethe critical factor in a longer-term sustainable innovationin Education. The first-ordereffect is the change in teacherroles, once information ac-cess becomes widely avail-able. The second feature isnew learning environment atschool that allows learners tobe involved in distributedlearning communities. Suchsynergy will result in anongoing process where teach-ers and students work to-gether, partly face-to-face inthe same physical location,partly in the virtual learningcommunities.

In the next section of theposition paper the issues ofeducation quality are dis-cussed. Necessary and suffi-cient conditions can be iden-tified in the process ofimproving education qualitythat allows meeting thisimportant final objective ofeducation. The necessaryconditions would includesuch educational compo-nents as:

• well-equipped class roomsand lecture halls,

• highly professional admin-istrators in managerial posi-tions at educational insti-tutions,

• highly qualified teachingand technical personnel,

• easy access for students andteachers to quality text-books and professional lit-erature, as well as to mod-ern teaching aids and sup-plementary information.

The sufficient conditions arecoupled with a person’s abilityto transform the knowledgeand skills received into educa-tion, i.e. into customized sys-tem of ethical, cultural andprofessional values, and withthe ability to apply this systemin various areas of intellectualand practical activity. The suffi-cient conditions of educationquality are defined by a per-son’s ability to meet thedemands of contemporary so-ciety. The unique role of infor-mation and communicationtechnologies in improving edu-cation quality is based on thefact that they can effectively

facilitate the fulfillment of bothnecessary and sufficient condi-tions to receive quality educa-tion. ICTs do not merelyenhance intellect; they desig-nate new dimensions of ahuman mind, produce anorderly system of a new globalculture and open up vast andexciting perspectives of theirusage in improving the qualityof education.

The last part of the Paper indi-cates the actions undertaken byUNESCO to provide qualityICT usage in education. In theUNESCO Medium-Term Stra-tegy 2002–2007 it was stressedthat ICTs play a significant rolein the field of competence ofUNESCO. ICTs disclose newhorizons for progress andexchange of knowledge, educa-tion and training to promotecreativity and intercultural dia-logue. These technologies canhelp strengthen social cohesion

of individuals and groupswithin a society. Nevertheless,the growing digital divide isactually leading to greaterinequalities in the develop-ment, which exclude entiregroups and countries frompotential benefits of digitalopportunities in the networkedsocieties and lead to a globalgap between those who are“online” and those who are

“stand-alone”. Therefore, thelast section of the paperdescribes bridging of the digitaldivide between developing anddeveloped countries and withincountries, which becomes theprime strategic challenge thro-ughout UNESCO’s activities.It leads to the activities thatstrengthen national capacitiesand professional attitude of ahuman to create a new contentof education, enlarge access toinformation, foster scientificresearch and share scientificknowledge and informationthrough networking, commu-nication media and informa-tion systems.

The IITE position paper In-formation and Communica-tion Technologies in Secon-dary Education is a plea forEducational Policies thatpromote and sustain the fur-ther ICT infrastructures forsecondary schools. It signalsthat school institutions facethe need to become “Lear-ning Organizations”. Thisdocument goes more in-depth to the new strategies

and tactics at the didacticlevel, in order to achievelearning progress and con-tribute to the new genera-tion’s participation in theKnowledge Society. The mostspecific effect of new ICTfacilities is a catalytic one –not only in the continuousevolution of the innovativeteaching/learning in tradi-tional secondary education.

Yet more important are theICT effects on the contextualfactors like the restructuringof classroom-based learningand its complement for ho-me-based learning, vocati-onal training, and the mostimportant are the oncomingWeb-based Learning Net-works and subsequent Web-based Learning Communiti-es. Most likely is the introdu-ction of Web-based Com-munities for Teachers. As inmany cases teachers are topexperts in local school set-tings, it seems an interestingoption to let them refreshand operationalize the con-tent expertise and didacticmethods via participation inlarger WBTC (Web-basedTeacher Communities.) Thecombination of ICT infra-structures and software facili-ties in schools and participa-tion in Learning Networks areexpected to be the critical fac-tor in a longer-term sustain-able innovation in Education.

Boris Kotsikkotsik@iite.ru

IITE

NEW

SLET

TER

No

. 1’ 2

00

4/

Janu

ary-

Mar

ch

IITE Publications12

UNESCO INST ITUTE FOR INFORMAT ION TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCAT ION8 Kedrova St . (B ld . 3 ) , Moscow, 117292, Russ ian Federat ion

Te l . : 7 095 129 2990 Fax : 7 095 129 1225 E -ma i l : i n fo@ i i t e .ru Web: www. i i t e -unesco .org

Decisions about the application of ICTs and their relation

with improving quality of education can be considered

only in view of overall strategic goals of education devel-

opment.

It is a mistake to think that the application of new ICTs

automatically raises the quality of education.