BRIDGING THE GAP: Technology trends and use of technology in schools

Presented by

Sania and Zoya

Content

• Modern technology and the way we work, live and play

• Modern technology and schools

• Nature of technological innovations and schools as ecological system

• The gap between the technology trends and use of technology in schools

• Defining effective teaching

• ICT planning

• Implications and conclusions

Modern technology and the way we live, work and play

• Multiple uses in the digital world (e-learning and e-business)

• 800 million internet users in 2004

• 1.97 billion internet users in 2010 (28.7% world population)

• Improved productivity saving costs in all sectors

• Work practices and business performances

• Product and service innovation

• Social networking and rules

Modern technology and schools

• Schools have not benefitted much

• Schools under pressure from the media and policy makers

• Methodological constraints of validity

• Benchmarking is impossible

• Undesirable uses of modern technology by students

• Affect the internal equilibrium of schools

Nature of technological innovations and schools as ecological system

• Elements of ecosystem: users, school system and relationship between the sub-systems

• Technology as a change agent

• Complex socio-cultural environment of schools

• Dependent on larger ecological systems (Education system and society)

• Technology innovation is not independent or isolated (pedagogy, curriculum, assessment and school organizations)

• Affects the operation of whole school system

The gap between technology trends and use of technology in schools

• School system is influenced and constrained by many conditions

• No “once and for all” solution to technology implementation

• Expensive and tedious

• Difficult to judge the success of technology implementation

• No quantitative goals and outcomes are specified

• Clueless school leaders

Defining Effective Teaching

• No clear indication of effective teaching

• Academic performance is creating inequalities of social and intellectual capital

• Three problems by Campbell:

Conceptualization of teacher effectiveness

Relationship between school effectiveness and teaching effectiveness

No clear indication of improvement

ICT Planning

• Lack of technology planning (vision building, professional development and evaluation)

• Research and development

• Four characteristics of success planning

Technology plan as a policy document

Available for teachers

A technology plan is never static

Requires support, commitment and collaboration

Implications and Conclusions

• Teachers are working with “digital natives”

• Integrating technology in learning systems is complicated

• Involves dynamic interacting factors

• Importance of national policies in promoting technology

• Curriculum development

• It has not yet achieved a systemic or systematic way in schools

• Capacity building of teachers

• Training of principals

• Holistic approach when exploring the gap between technology trends and use of technology in schools

Thank you