Techknowlogia Journal 1999 Nov Dec

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    Volume 1, Introductory Issue 2 November/ December, 1999

    5555 If Technology is the Solution, Where is the Problem?Wadi D. Haddad, Editor

    If technologies have the potential to significantly improve the teaching/learning process and revolution-ize the education enterprise, how come that we have not experienced such drastic effects?

    7777 ICT in Education: What Is At Stake?Tom Alexander, Director for Education, Employment and Social Policy, OECD

    The author sketches out five main fields of interest: knowledge-information society, globalization, life-long learning, ICT in education and training, and investments and costs.

    1 01 01 01 0 Information Technology and School AccountabilityDenis P. Doyle, Hudson Institute

    This article is an excerpt of a paper commissioned for the 1999 Education Summit in the USA. Themain thesis is that IT can vastly improve the uses of data, for both policy and practice. This can best beseen in technology's potential to strengthen accountability for students and adults.

    1 21 21 21 2 How Large Is the International Market for Educational Technologies and Services?Stephen P. Heyneman, Vice President, International Management and Development Group

    Educational programs cannot operate without textbooks, teaching materials, vocational and scientificequipment, educational software, videos, multimedia, and school furniture as well as school suppliesThis article provides an analysis of the international market potential, size, and trends for educationaltechnologies.

    1 51 51 51 5 TechKnowNews

    LNT Perspectives Computer Literacy Vital to a Country's Growth Laptops Without a Leach Video Email Connects Indian Villages SUN CEO Calls for Web-based Educational Programs De-veloping Country Internet Education Provided by Cisco and UNDP Canada's Online Learning Feature Home Computers Help Homework Completion

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    1 71 71 71 7 AMIC@S in Asuncion: Leapfrogging DevelopmentMary Fontaine, LearnLink Project, Academy for Educational Development

    This is a success story from Paraguay that demonstrates the use and sustainability of Communitylearning centers.

    2 12 12 12 1 Brazil's Telecurso 2000: The Flexible Solution for Secondary School EquivalencyClaudio de Moura Castro, Chief Education Adviser, Inter-American Development Bank

    Telecurso, aired for more than 15 years, has been considered a major success. This article describesTelecurso's history, content, approach, users, economics and effectiveness.

    2 42 42 42 4 Searching the Web for Educational Research and EvaluationGregg Jackson, Associate Professor and Coordinator, George Washington University

    This article discusses various ways in which developing countries can make good use of existing re-

    search and evaluation to improve their planning and management of education and training. It intro-duces several search tools that are particularly helpful for finding these resources on the Web. It alsoexplains how to avoid problems and errors that can arise when using existing research and evaluations

    2 92 92 92 9 Costa Rica: Are Computers in School Cost-Effective?Laurence Wolff, Inter-American Development Bank

    This article describes the Computers in Secondary Education program and analyzes implementation is-sues, cost, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. , Despite the issues and uncertainties about usingcomputers for the learning process, the long-term economic and social payoff of the Costa Rican pro-gram could well be significant.

    3 13 13 13 1 Computers in the Classroom: How Effective???Sonia Jurich

    The debate regarding the effectiveness of computers in the classroom is critical, particularly for devel-oping countries, due to the magnitude of the investment involved in buying and maintaining computerhardware and software, and providing adequate training for teachers and school staff. This articlesummarizes four research reports on this subject.

    3 53 53 53 5 Virtual Education: Trends and Potential Uses (A Review of Literature)

    This article summarizes an overview report prepared by the Commonwealth of Learning. The Reportprovides a snapshot of the trends, advances and challenges of virtual education in different regions ofthe world. This summary focuses on five dimensions: major findings, driving forces, opposing forces,emerging models and recommendations.

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    3 93 93 93 9 Education in the Information Age: Promises and FrustrationsClaudio de Moura Castro, Chief Education Adviser, Inter-American Development Bank

    This article explores the successes and failures of information technologies in education. It points to

    their great potential: the tangible dream of using them to bring serious education to a vast number ofpeople. But it also points to the difficulties of fulfilling this dream, due to modes of utilization that fail toadapt the potential offered by the vast array of technological innovations in existence to developingcountries.

    4 34 34 34 3 Are You Talking to Me? Interactive Radio Instruction

    Interactive Radio Instruction, a methodology developed to turn a typically one-way technology into atool for active learning inside and outside of the classroom, continues to be an attractive educationalstrategy in developing countries twenty-five years after it was first used. This article provides helpfulpointers regarding program development, implementation and sustainability.

    4 74 74 74 7 Dumb as a Board? That's not so dumb!

    This article describes electronic whiteboards, what they do and what the benefits are from using them.

    4 84 84 84 8 Bulky Books to Compact Disks: The way of Reference Software

    This article describes computer-based reference software such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, andworld atlases. It describes their advantages, where you can get them, and what you need to know whenpurchasing them.

    4 94 94 94 9 WorthWhileWebsGregg Jackson, Associate Professor and Coordinator, George Washington University

    This article introduces web sites of organizations that are major resources for research and evaluationstudies applicable to education development policy and planning in developing countries.

    5 25 25 25 2 Today:VCR Tomorrow:DVD?

    What is DVD? Can DVD videos be played on a computer? What are the advantages of DVD? Howmuch does it cost? Is DVD the video storage technology of tomorrow?

    5 35 35 35 3 !Download A Computer!

    Research on nanotechnology is pointing in the direction of constructing things of the size of few hun-dred nanometers, or billionths of a meter. That is the span of few atoms lined together. As a result, bythe year 2020 we may be able to use the Internet to download not just software but hardware also.

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    5 45 45 45 4 The Many "Fathers" of Video Technology

    This article tells the story of development of video technology by a group of individuals from diverse

    nationalities, working in different periods.

    5 55 55 55 5 UNESCO: Use of Technology in EducationJens Johansen, UNESCO, Associate Expert, Task Force for the Twenty-first Century

    UNESCO, the organization responsible for education and communication within the UN family, has longbeen advocating the use of new technologies in education. This article profiles the activities and ap-proach of UNESCO in this field.

    5 65 65 65 6 The GINIE Project: Education During Crisis and TransitionMaureen W. McClure, Director, GINIE project, University of Pittsburgh

    GINIE provides 'one-stop shopping' for busy education professionals working in nations with crises and

    transitions. It is organized by country and theme web sites related to relief and development education.Users can browse for free materials, contribute their own documents and links to share with the profes-sion, ask questions, and make professional contacts across international agencies, NGOs/PVOs anduniversities.

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    Wadi D. Haddad, Editor

    I f Tec h n o l o g yTec h n o l o g yTec h n o l o g yTec h n o l o g y Is t h eSo l u t io nWh er e I s t h ePr o bl em?

    Thomas Edison, in 1922, predicted that "the motion picture isdestined to revolutionize our educational system and ... in afew years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use oftextbooks." Similar claims have been made about radio,teaching machines, and now computers and the Internet. Iftechnologies have the potential to significantly improve theteaching/learning process and revolutionize the educationenterprise, in the same manner that they revolutionized busi-ness and entertainment, how come we have not experiencedsuch drastic effects? If technologies are the solution theyclaim to be, then where is the problem? Experience pointsto five areas:

    1 .1 .1 .1 . I s t h e ed u c at io n al ph i l o s o ph y r ig h t ?I s t h e ed u c at io n al ph il o s o ph y r ig h t ?I s t h e ed u c at io n al ph i l o s o ph y r ig h t ?I s t h e ed u c at io n al ph il o s o ph y r ig h t ?

    Technology is only a tool. Educational choices have to bemade first in terms of objectives, methodologies, and roles ofteachers and students before decisions on the appropriatetechnologies can be made. No technology can fix bad educa-tional philosophy and practice. The challenge is to rethinklearning objectives and to align the learning technologieswith these objectives. Education quality must be redefinedand framed to include critical thinking, information man-agement and sense-making capacities. It is no longer enoughmerely to be efficient in helping learners achieve mastery of

    content and basic skills. The need is for a different education,with success measured more by the ability of learners tothink independently, exercise appropriate judgment andskepticism, and collaborate with others to make sense of theirchanging environment. Perhaps the most profound shift isfrom systems of teaching to systems of learning and fromsupervision of learning to facilitation of learning. Theseshifts will be as difficult for advantaged communities tomake, with established schooling authorities and capacitiesin place, as for disadvantaged communities which have yet toestablish the physical capacities and for which questions ofappropriate knowledge and relevant skills are still open.

    There is a basic difference between using technology as anadd-on to make the present model of education more effi-cient, more equitable and cheaper, on the one hand, and inte-grating technology into the entire education system to realizestructural rethinking and re-engineering on the other. It is adifference between a marginal addition and a radical sys-temic change. It is in the second scenario that technology canprovide the greatest impact. This opportunity was clearlyarticulated by Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Chairman and CEO of

    IBM, in a 1995 speech to the U.S. National Governors As-sociation:

    Information technology is the fundamental under-

    pinning of the science of structural re-engineering.

    It is the force that revolutionizes business, stream-

    lines government, and enables instant communica-

    tions and the exchange of information among peo-

    ple and institutions around the world. But infor-

    mation technology has not made even its barest

    appearance in most public schools. Before we

    can get the education revolution rolling, we need to

    recognize that our public schools are low-tech in-stitutions in a high-tech society. The same changes

    that have brought cataclysmic change to every face

    of business can improve the way we teach students

    and teachers. And it can also improve the effi-

    ciency and effectiveness of how we run our schools.

    2 .2 .2 .2 . A r e t h e p eo pl e in v o l v ed wel l o rA r e t h e p eo pl e i n vo l v ed wel l o rA r e t h e p eo pl e in v o l v ed wel l o rA r e t h e peo pl e in v o l v ed wel l o r iiii ----en t ed a n d t r a in ed ?en t ed a n d t r a in ed ?en t ed a n d t r a in ed ?en t ed a n d t r a in ed ?

    People involved in the integration of technologies into theteaching /learning process have to be convinced of the value

    of the technologies, comfortable with them and skilled inusing them. So a program of orientation and training of ALLCONCERNED STAFF in the strategic, technical and peda-gogical dimensions of the process is a necessary conditionfor success.

    3 .3 .3 .3 . I s t h e h ar d wa r e i n pl a c e?I s t h e h ar d wa r e i n pl a c e?I s t h e h ar d wa r e i n pl a c e?I s t h e h ar d wa r e i n pl a c e?

    A choice of the appropriate technologies needs to be made onthe basis of educational objectives and affordability. Thenthe entire hardware infrastructure needs to be in place withthe supporting elements, such as electricity, maintenance andtechnical services. It is not realistic to expect teachers, whowill be struggling with a new role and pedagogy, to assume

    technical responsibility for the hardware.

    4 .4 .4 .4 . I s ap pr o p r i at e c o n t en t -wa r e av ai l a bl e?I s a ppr o p r ia t e c o n t en t -wa r e av a il a bl e?I s ap pr o p r i at e c o n t en t -wa r e av ai l a bl e?I s a ppr o p r ia t e c o n t en t -wa r e av a il a bl e?

    This is one of the most forgotten areas. Yet when you thinkabout it, it is the most crucial component. Introducing TVs,radios, computers and connectivity into schools without suf-ficient curriculum-related content-ware is like building roadsbut without making cars available, or buying a CD-player at

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    home when there are no CDs. The development of contentsoftware that is an integral part of the teaching/learning proc-ess is a must.

    5 .5 .5 .5 . H a s t h e pr o g r a m b een t es t ed ?H a s t h e pr o g r a m b een t es t ed ?H a s t h e pr o g r a m b een t es t ed ?H a s t h e pr o g r a m b een t es t ed ?

    Integrating technologies into education is a very sophisti-cated multifaceted process, and just like any innovation itshould not be introduced without piloting its different com-ponents on a small scale. Even the technologies, about whichwe are sure, need to be piloted in new contexts. Moreover,pilot schemes should be well designed to provide prognosticfeedback, allowance for adjustment and scaling up.

    Technologies have great potential for knowledge dissemina-tion, effective learning and efficient education services. Yet,if the educational strategies are not right and if the prerequi-site conditions are not met concurrently, this potential willnot be realized. Let us not automatically doubt the solution.Let us get rid of the problems.

    ***

    An Update

    The launching of TechKnowLogia on September 1, 1999,was received with great acceptance that surpassed our ex-pectations. This validated our view that such a journal is anecessity in this field that is evolving exceedingly fast. Weare pleased to report that the journal is now read by about10,000 in over 100 countries in all regions of the world. Oursubscribers are a highly influential group of people: decision-makers at policy and program levels, CEOs of Informationand Communication Technology firms, senior academics,officers of development agencies and practitioners in educa-

    tion and technology. We are also featured on a number ofprominent web sites - and the circle is ever widening.

    I am deeply appreciative of the concerted efforts of our col-laborators, members of our International Advisory Board andthe Advisory Editorial Committee, our contributing editors,and staff that have been very crucial in the preparation andlaunching of the introductory issue. We will continue to lookto them for support, advice, and contribution.

    I am equally appreciative of the enthusiasm by which ourreaders have responded to the Journal. I am particularlygrateful to those of you who took the time to send us your

    comments and feedback (especially that the vast majoritywas exceedingly positive!). As you will notice in this issue,we took your suggestions very seriously and have tried toincorporate them immediately. We hope that you will con-tinue your support and that you will call the attention of yourcolleagues to the benefits ofTechKnowLogia.

    TTeecchhKKnnoowwLLooggiiaaPublished by

    Knowledge Enterprise, Inc.

    In collaboration withUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Or-

    ganization (UNESCO)Organization for Economic Co-operation

    and Development (OECD )Global Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC)

    EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:Wadi D. Haddad, President, Knowledge Enterprise, Inc.

    INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD:Thomas Alexander,Director, Employment, Labour and

    Social Affairs Directorate, OECD

    Gajaraj Dhanarajan, President & CEO,

    The Commonwealth of Learning

    Dee Dickenson, CEO, New Horizons for LearningAlexandra Draxler,Director, Task force on Education for

    the Twenty-first Century (UNESCO)

    Jacques Hallak,Director, Int'l Bureau of Education

    Pedro Paulo Poppovic, Secretary of Distance Education,Federal Ministry of Education, Brazil

    Nicholas Veliotes, President Emeritus,

    Association of American Publishers

    Joe Young,Executive Director, GIIC

    ADVISORY EDITORIAL COMMITTEE:Joanne Capper, Sr. Education Specialist, World BankClaudio Castro, Chief Education Adviser, IDBDennis Foote,Director, LearnLinks, AEDGregg Jackson,Assoc. Prof., George Washington Univ.James Johnson,Deputy Director, GIICFrank Method,Dir., Washington Office, UNESCOLaurence Wolff, Sr. Consultant, IDB

    MANAGING EDITOR:

    Sandra Haddad

    CONTRIBUTING EDITORS:Jarl Bengtsson,Head, CERI, OEDCSonia Jurich, ConsultantGlenn Kleiman, VP, Education Development CenterDan Wagner,Director, International Literacy Institute

    EDITORIAL ASSISTANT:

    Mark Dessauer

    GENERAL QUESTIONS OR [email protected]

    FEEDBACK ON [email protected] MATTERS:[email protected]

    SPONSORSHIP AND [email protected]

    ADDRESS AND FAXKnowledge Enterprise, Inc.P.O. Box 3027Oakton, VA 22124U.S.A.Fax: 703-242-2279

    http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/
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    Tom AlexanderDirector for Education, Employment and Social Policy, OECD

    ICT in Edu cat io nICT in Educ at io nICT in Edu cat io nICT in Educ at io nWhy Ar e We In t er es t ed? Wha t I s at S t ake?Why Ar e We In t er es t ed? Wha t I s at S t ake?Why Ar e We In t er es t ed? Wha t I s at S t ake?Why Ar e We In t er es t ed? Wha t I s at S t ake?

    In this article* I sketch out five main fields of interest that address the questions in the

    title. They range from broad over-arching developments to specific educational realities.

    The intense interest in information and communication technologies (ICT) and education

    has resulted in the launching of the major new CERI study described by Jarl Bengtsson

    in the September/October Issue of TechKnowLogia.

    Knowledge Society, Information Society

    The knowledge society and the information society --

    once more -- slogans are increasingly being given substancein OECD countries. More and more people are knowledgeworkers. Development competitive edge, whether it be forthe individual, the enterprise, the region or the country,depends increasingly on how knowledge is used and howexpertise is deployed. A premium is placed on accessing andusing information rapidly and strategically. Generally, ourcultures become increasingly technological cultures: athome, in the community, at work, and - importantly for us -in education.

    It is hardly surprising that education is caught up in the midstof these fast-moving developments. Can we tolerate a

    situation where Education might fall increasingly behind soas to become out of step with these other characteristics ofcontemporary life? The political response to this question isclear - education and schools in particular should not beisolated but instead be an integral part of all these changes.A major fear often expressed by countries is that if educationwere to become any more isolated, they will fall behind,socially and economically, compared with elsewhere. It ishardly surprising that the political interest has thus becomeso high: some countries have adopted ambitious, nationalplans to open access to computers and the Internet to allschool students - the Technology Literacy Challenge in theUSA, The National Grid for Learning in the UK, Schulen am

    Netz in Germany, andEducnetin France.

    Despite the enthusiasm some words of caution are warranted.First, there is a world of difference between the knowledgesociety and the information society, between knowledgeitself and information. More and more information may evenmake us less knowledgeable if we become overloaded bydata and instant communication. Paradoxical as it may seem,some of the most important issues that the burgeoningtechnological world creates for education are those of values

    and the ability to make choices, not technical matters at all.There might be a temptation to forget this when sights arefixed firmly on huge investments in hardware for education.

    Second, there are profound concerns now about the gapsopening up between the ICT haves and have-nots, betweenthose who reinforce their access to, and use of, ICT ineducation by what they have and do at home, and those whoenjoy little of either. This digital divide may become everybit as profound as earlier forms of rigid social and educationselection. Again, enthusiasm for ICTs potential should notmake us blind to very real accompanying risks.

    Globalisation

    Globalisation is another term that is heard regularly in

    international circles and again there is a risk that it can be aslogan devoid of substance. Yet it is increasingly obviousthat it is a term that refers to some of the most profoundchanges taking place across our countries where ICT is rightat the heart of the matter. Indeed, globalisation is closelylinked to the notion of the information society in the sensethat increasingly national frontiers are put in question, withthe myriad exchanges taking place electronically andinstantly across frontiers. All of this raises profound issuesfor education, some highly controversial.

    Globalisation offers considerable opportunities. All sorts oflimits can be stretched - the very purpose of education.

    Students can dialogue with their counterparts across theglobe. Teachers can create networks and be members ofprofessional teams drawn from far and wide, rather than feeltrapped within the boundaries of the single classroom or eventhe single school. New sources of learning materials drawnfrom right around the world are accessible via the Internetand these different networks.

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    The mos t impo r t an t i s suest h a t t h e b ur g eo n in g

    t ec h n ol o g ic al wo r l d c r eat esf o r ed u ca t io n ar e t h o s e o f

    v al u es a nd t h e a bil it y t omake cho ices , no t t echn ica l

    mat t er s at al l .

    Other implications of globalisation are, however, a good dealmore controversial. Education, especially school education,is a matter of intense national cultural interest. Flourishingeducation accountability mechanisms are largely predicatedon accountability to national, provincial/state or local bodies,and are placed in an uneasy tension by the spread of globalcommunications. At the same time, much of the materialavailable on the Internet, through cable networks or majorsoftware publishers, comes from North America, raising formany countries issues about the placefor other languages, cultures andidentities. (Recent Oxford UniversityPress figures suggest that the UScommands nearly 70% of theeducational CD-ROM market world-wide.) Hence, globalisation gives riseto major and thorny questions as wellas creating exciting new potential opportunities, but

    underlines once more the interest in this field.

    Lifelong Learning

    The lifelong learning agenda defines a third set of issuesunderpinning the keen interest in ICT and education relatingboth to broader economic, social and cultural change, and tomore specifically educational matters. This agenda hasbecome a priority for policy at the end of the 20 th centuryright across OECD countries, stemming from recognition ofthe key role of learning throughout the life span to meet awide set of ambitious policy and personal objectives. And,for this to work, learning must be available in a much

    broader and more flexible manner than that which can besqueezed into school and college walls and syllabuses in thefirst quarter of our lives. Some countries have still properlyto face up to the fact that education is not just for the young.

    It is not difficult to see why ICT becomes so important inthis context. The search is on for flexible, individualisedforms of learning and accreditation suitable to the broadlifelong learning agenda, often outside institutional walls -the promise of ICT here is obvious. Despite the promise, weshould ask how far this potential for extending lifelonglearning on a much broader scale has been realised so far andhow it can best be organised. How far are the benefits of

    lifelong learning being enjoyed primarily by the alreadyeducated, the already equipped, and the alreadytechnologically literate? Will ICTs burgeoning educationalrole mean that the aim of lifelong learning for all will bebrought nearer or pushed further away? These are urgentpolicy questions for today and tomorrow.

    The Nature, Quality and Use of ICT inEducation and Teaching

    There is also need for clarity on what the different roles and

    uses are of ICT in education, and some of the most importanttrends that are emerging in assessing its potential. First,educational software, sometimes, is referred to as if it werean additional teaching and learning resource that differs in

    format, but not in kind, from thenon-electronic materials oftextbooks and the like. It can be just this. Increasingly, however, itis something radically different -through using the World WideWeb, Intranets and networks - tocreate interactive, individualisedlearning situations. And, some of

    the important uses of ICT in schools do not use educationalsoftware as such at all - whether networking betweenstudents and teachers using e-mail or bulletin boards ordifferent forms of document formatting and publishingapplications. We need to be sensitive to this diversity offorms and use, which give rise to increasingly complexissues concerning quality, partnerships and policy steering.

    The second point is obvious once stated but fundamental: therole and potential of ICT in education is not a matter distinctfrom all other conventional factors of schooling - students,teachers, curricula, parents, assessment, evaluation and soforth - but intimately embedded in them. Whether ICT willlive up to the many far-reaching educational promises beingtouted depends enormously on how it is used in practice. Itdoes not represent a technical solution to long-standingchallenges but a profoundly educational one. The manyambitious policy targets that abound today - to wire up everyschool, to get the student/computer ratios right down, to giveteachers laptops, etc. - are excellent as far as they go, but arestill only ingredients rather than the sufficient conditions ofchange. Putting computers in classrooms and wiring upschools does not of itself create exciting new learningsituations that are about changing the ethos of classroomsand the culture of institutions. It is on this latter point thatthe CERI case studies will focus (see Jarl Bengtssons articlein TechKnowLogia, Sept./Oct. 9, 1999).

    The third point to highlight is the key role of teachers. Howsuccessfully ICT is used in education and how much it doesbreak the mould, depends so much on teachers. Thisobservation stands in contrast to those who have advocatedtechnology in the classrooms with the aim of makinglearning teacher-proof. The emerging generations of ICTuse in education might well be described as learner centredbut they can equally be described as teacher-intensive,

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    calling for a highly demanding repertoire of teachingknowledge, skills, and competence. Issues of teachereducation, pre-service and in-service, are thus veryimportant. Overcoming teacher resistance is critical. Thefocus should be on the skills possessed by individuals andteams of teachers, on the attitudes and learning environmentswhere the open, imaginative use of ICT is both possible andencouraged, and on the incentives for teachers to developnew approaches and forms of competence. Pre- and in-service teacher education programmes, however important,will be rendered ineffective if there is not also genuine scopefor exploring the potential of ICT in day-to-day teaching.

    Investments and Costs

    One very attractive argument in favour of ICT, particularlyfor a treasury (finance) minister, is that it will be a significantroute to efficiency savings in a sector that commands asignificant share of public expenditure. It is certainly to behoped that some major shifts in resource use and allocationwill be possible. Yet, radical change also brings it own cost,and much of that is not about hardware and access. The lattercosts can themselves be very substantial - recent estimatessuggest that over the OECD as a whole, approximatelyUS$16bn are invested annually in hardware, software andcommunication links in education. The very flexibility andinteractivity of the new forms of learning with ICT, and the

    demanding nature of teaching and learning that goes withthem, suggest that intensive investments in people andorganisations are needed over and above the investments inhardware and software.

    Moreover, augmenting quality through ICT in someshowcase pilot situations or in already-affluent schools isrelatively straightforward; proportionally greater efforts andinvestments will be needed precisely in those schools thatenjoy least.

    I hope that CERI will have more to say about costs andinvestments at the end of our own project in a couple ofyears. Even if it turns out that actual savings are hard tomake, by working towards realising the exciting potential ofICT, in combination with the other ingredients in goodeducation, there should be an expectation of a clear upwardhike in the quality of teaching and learning. If realised, thiswould represent value for money in a very real sense -genuine educational investment. This is what we should be

    aiming for.

    * This is an abridged version of a keynote speech given at anInternational Conference on Dissolving Boundaries: ICTsand Learning in the Information Age, in Dublin 4 - 5 May1999.

    Coming in the next Issue - January 1, 2000

    Main Focus: Technology and Higher Education

    Think Pieces On:! Challenges for Higher Education for the 21st Century Worldwide! Determinants and Constraints for the Potential of Technology for Higher Education! Issues of Quality Control and Accreditation

    Case Studies Featuring:! Open University of Korea! Phoenix Virtual University, USA! Monteray University, Mexico! Tertiary Distance and Virtual Education in Africa! University of the Highlands and Islands, Scotland

    Review of Experience in Open and Virtual Universities, and Research on Their Effectiveness

    Practical Treatment Of:! Cost and Finance of Different Modern Models! Management Challenges

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    Denis P. Doyle*

    IIIInformationnformationnformationnformationTTTTechnology and School Accountabilityechnology and School Accountabil ityechnology and School Accountabilityechnology and School Accountabil ity

    Learning From the Corporate ModelLearning From the Corporate ModelLearning From the Corporate ModelLearning From the Corporate ModelThirty years ago companies with massive transactional needs

    - banks and insurance companies, for example - realized thatmodern computational power made it possible to store andmanage huge data sets electronically, with greater speed,easier access and increased accuracy. The age of hand-posting came to an end as the era of management informa-tion systems (MIS) began. Twenty years ago decision-support systems emerged, growing organically from MIS.Using electronically stored operational data, it became possi-ble for trained decision-support specialists to accuratelymonitor corporate performance and plot trends. Transactionaldata - originally burdensome to track - became a resource.

    Hard on the heels of decision-support systems came expert

    systems, recognizing knowledge as a key corporate asset, andexecutive information systems (EIS) put IT in the hands ofsenior executives themselves. Designed to serve decision-makers, EIS pushed data management and its exploitation tocenter stage. The chief information officer (CIO) became akey figure in the successful firm and a data warehouse be-came a strategic resource.

    Next came vendor information systems, giving suppliers andvendors access to corporate databases, making just-in-timemanufacturing and delivery a reality for both firms and theirsubcontractors. At the end of the business day Wal-Mart, alarge US discount store, suppliers know how much stock hasmoved and how much inventory remains. The most recentparadigm shift is customer information systems, providingcustomers direct access to selected corporate databases. In-deed, some modern, high visibility e-corporations (such asAmazon.com or e-Bay) are essentially electronic databases;others, like Federal Express, give customers access to thecorporate database for package tracking purposes. For manyInternet users, the most dramatic capacity is the ability toroutinely download software patches and upgrades, as wellas music, video and other materials over the Internet, com-

    pletely bypassing CD-ROMs, floppy discs or other physicaldistribution media.

    IT in Today's SchoolsIT in Today's SchoolsIT in Today's SchoolsIT in Today's SchoolsIn the modern firm, information has moved from the backroom to the boardroom to the living room; it must travel thesame route in schools. Most schools today have at least arudimentary MIS in place. However, few have decision-support systems, experts systems or electronic tie-ins withvendors. Almost none have customer information systems.The issue is not lack of data - indeed, even small school dis-tricts are awash in data. The issue is the strategic use of dataand attention to data integrity.

    In effective organizations, strategic data use takes two broad

    forms. First, and most important, is continuous attention toachieving the institution's mission. Modern IT helps a schoolachieve its primary mission: improved teaching and learningfor all. The second form is the use of data to improve poli-cymaking. That is what accountability is all about. Everysuccessful institution must regularly ask (and answer) ques-tions such as:How are we doing? What is our mission? Howdo we measure success? How do we improve our perform-

    ance? The answers must be clear, concise and, to the extentpossible, measurable. True, not everything a school does canbe reduced to a number, but most of what schools do can berendered in objective and measurable terms. Do all of ourstudents know mathematics? Can they all spell? Which stu-

    dents do not have the knowledge and skills they need? Which

    schools do they attend? What practices will be most effective

    in raising these students' achievement?

    Answering such questions objectively does not interfere withmore nuanced, less precise measures. Is our school a good place to teach? A good place to learn? Does IT reinforce

    habits of mind that make all our students better citizens?

    These are proper measures and deserve attention. And theycan be approached systematically, even if they cannot be

    The paper excerpted here was one of four commissioned for the September 30-October 1, 1999, Education Summitin theUSA, sponsored by ACHIEVE -- an education reform organization led by six CEOs and six State Governors -- (seewww.achieve.org). Held at the IBM conference center in Palisades, NY, the summit was kicked off by President Clinton.This (the third Summit in ten years) was co-chaired by IBM CEO Lou Gerstner and Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thom-son. It brought together 30 US Governors and an equal number of CEOs and education leaders for two days of discussionand debate about education reform. The Summit participants unanimously adopted an action statement committing theparticipants to four carefully defined activities in their home states: improving educator quality; committing to help allstudents achieve high standards; strengthening accountability; and staying the course. The Summit also reflected a grow-ing confidence in and commitment to technology as a key to accelerating and sustaining reform.

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    given a numerical score. Such indicators reinforce academicassessments; they do not compete with them.

    But large data sets are especially useful when they are kept ina data warehouse, where data can be used in new ways fornew purposes. Data mining is a powerful tool for identifyingprogrammatic strengths and weaknesses, spotting hithertoinvisible opportunities and solving real problems in real time.On the other hand, data's usefulness can be severely limitedif it is not brought into play in a timely fashion. A classicexample is test score reporting. Results from state mandatedtests are frequently not available for weeks or months, givingnew meaning to Parkinson's last law: delay is the deadliestform of denial. Old data have little strategic value.

    IT can vastly improve the uses of data, for both policy andpractice. This can best be seen in technology's potential tostrengthen accountability for students and adults.

    AccountabilityAccountabilityAccountabilityAccountabilityAccountability, like benchmarking, is not a matter of fingerpointing. To be useful, accountability systems must diagnoseand prescribe. High-stakes exams are a liability if they do notencourage improvements in policy and practice. Withoutsuch improvements, they demoralize and discourage studentsand teachers alike. In contrast, by making scores availableinstantly, IT encourages everyone to work smarter. Learningfrom mistakes can be a powerful learning tool if feedback isimmediate.

    Properly conceived and implemented, accountability be-comes a system improvement opportunity, not a hammer. Ina performance-driven school, IT helps everyone meet aca-

    demic targets. Technology applications - dynamic web sites,e-mail, data warehouses, relational databases, analytic soft-ware and the like - make it possible to use performance dataconstructively. IT can change "all children can learn" from awistful mantra to reality.

    One deceptively powerful tool practically unique to IT is thecapacity to pull up illustrative examples of student work thatsatisfy a given standard. Students and their parents should beable to see examples of first-rate work. The Achieve web site(www.achieve.org) has begun to load examples, and othersites are not far behind.

    Achieving high standards is first a matter of knowing whatthey are. What must I know and be able to do to earn a di-ploma? Every student must be able to ask and answer thisquestion. Teachers should ask: What must all my studentsknow and be able to do to earn a diploma? Equally impor-tant: As a teacher, what must I know and be able to do tohelp my students earn a diploma?

    In this quest, no tool has greater potential power thanbrowser-based standards sites. Indexing standards languagein an online database in a uniform way - known as commoncoding - allows users to compare standards from different jurisdictions. Common coding on the Achieve site, for ex-ample, makes it possible to compare and contrast the aca-demic standards of 40 states and one foreign country. Linkedto state assessments and lesson plans, common coding makesthe next step inevitable: comprehensive links to academicand intellectual resources. The New York Times'lesson planlink (www.nytimes.com/learning) is an example of things tocome. Dynamic web sites will make it possible for teachers,

    students, board members and citizens to move from the ab-stract to the real world of standards-based education.

    Posting school accountability data on a dynamic web sitealso puts schools on firm footing with their constituencies. Itbecomes the education equivalent of a vendor or customerinformation system. Maryland offers an excellent example ofa public web site that provides comprehensive information inan easy-to-navigate format (www. mdk12.org). On the TexasState site (www.tea.state.tx.us), one can examine and down-load all the state's school performance data. And the Achieveweb site is hot-linked to all 50-state governors' offices andstate departments of education.

    *****It is clear, as past is prologue, that schools will continue toreflect the demands, needs and opportunities of the largersociety of which they are a part. That is their role. They maynot lead change, but change they must. And the most signifi-cant change sweeping through our larger society is the in-formation revolution. Educators should not be threatened byIT. To the contrary, they should take comfort in the fact thatthe information revolution is a standing vote of confidence ineducation. Schools are the ultimate wellspring of IT. As longas our schools embrace the technologies they make possible,they may face the future with confidence.

    *Denis P. Doyle is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., and the author of numerous books and articles.His most recent book isRaising the Standard(Corwin Press, 1998). He is also co-author with Lou Gerstner ofReinventingEducation (Putnam, NY, 1993) and co-author with Xerox CEO David T. Kearns ofWinning the Brain Race (ICS Press, SF,1989). Doyle is the co-founder and Chairman of SchoolNet.com, an education reform Internet Company.

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    Stephen P. HeynemanVice President,

    International Management and Development Group

    How Large Is the International Marketfor Educational Technologies and Services?

    Educational programs cannot operate without textbooks, teaching materials, vocational and scientific equipment,educational software, videos, multimedia, and school furniture as well as school supplies. No matter how wellmanufactured, these educational materials and equipment cannot be used efficiently unless there is available asupply of high quality education services. These services are necessary in any complex sector that has to managefairly the needs of millions of individuals, hundreds of millions in pieces of equipment, and significant political visibil-ity associated with the results. These services include the design, marketing and sales of testing, certification, testpreparation, tutoring and other enhancement programs, management consulting, administrative and human re-sources -- accounting, pension, health care, in service training. This article provides an analysis of the internationalmarket potential, size, and trends for educational technologies.

    Market Size and Trends

    In North America1alone, education companies have raisedUS$ 3.4 billion in equity capital since 1994 through 38 InitialPublic Offerings (IPOs). Education and training stocks haveseen a rise of 134% since 1994. The Education and Trainingindustry is now North Americas second largest, accountingfor nearly 10% of GDP. Education services constitute thefifth largest service export (US$ 8.5 billion in 1997).

    Twenty-six billion dollars were spent on education-relatedgoods and services in 1997. These included: US$ 11.6 billionon textbooks and supplementary materials, US$ 4.8 billionon technology, US$ 3.0 billion on testing and test prepara-

    tion. Within the government and corporate sector, US$ 9.6billion was spent on goods and services, US$ 6.1 billion onIT training.

    How large is the market in the private provision of educationby comparison to the private market for education goods andservices? In the United States the three are approximatelyequal in terms of their proportion of overall revenues (Serv-ices, 37%; Products, 29%; Education programs, 34%) (seeGraph 1).

    The market for educational products in the U.S. consists of

    Publishing (35%), School Supplies (29%), Hardware (27%),and Electronic Media (9%) (see Graph 2). Hardware consistsof computers, networking, VCRs, televisions and otheraudiovisual systems to schools. School Supplies consist oflearning tools and equipment (maps, blackboards, chalk,laboratory equipment marketed to schools, teachers or indi-vidual consumers). Publishing consists of textbooks andother print-based materials, but also electronic media cur-riculum materials designed either for students or instructors.Electronic Media consists of software and Internet deliveredproducts and services to home and school markets. Thesemay include CD-ROMs, videos and laser disks. Internetproducts include tools for online student publishing. Web

    services include school-home based connections, educationand tutoring Web-based sites, and network systems. (Reve-nues in 1998: US$ 2.1 billion).

    Market Trends

    There is an increasing emphasis on educational software, andInternet use is growing rapidly. Throughout the world, Inter-net use has grown from 61 million users in 1996, to 147 mil-lion in 1998, and is expected to grow to 320 million in 2000

    Graph 2: Products Sector MarketsElectronic Media

    9%

    29%School

    Hardware27%

    35%Publishing

    Source: EduVenture Research

    :

    Graph 1: Education Industry Re-$82 billion

    School$28 b

    Services$30 b

    Prod-$24 b

    Source: DOE, Eduventure Research

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    Table 2: Global School Market forEducational Software(in millions of US $)

    1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

    USA 775 1,040 1,400 1,900 2,500Europe 130 180 245 335 460

    Rest of World 200 320 510 820 1,140

    TOTAL 1,105 1,540 2,155 3,055 4,100

    Source: IDC Financial Times

    Table 4: Amount Spent on Non-SalaryExpenditures

    Country

    Percent of cur-rent Expendi-tures

    Per-studentcosts

    Sweden 44% $2,394

    Finland 28% $1,228

    UnitedStates

    20% $1,168

    Denmark 20% $1,168

    United King-dom

    30% $1,092

    Germany 24% $1,057

    Canada 19% $1,012

    France 21% $975

    Norway 18% $900

    Switzerland 14% $858

    Netherlands 22% $792

    Australia 21% $741

    Israel 24% $698

    Spain 16% $486

    Hungary 25% $374Malaysia 18% $252

    Brazil 16% $133

    Iceland 29%

    Austria 24%

    Belgium 14% $673

    Japan 13% $479

    Italy 11% $532

    Ireland 11% $288

    Philippines 10% $30

    Mexico 9% $101

    India 9%

    Uruguay 8% $69

    Portugal 4%

    Greece 3% $57

    Argentina 3% $34Source: OECD: Education at a Glance, 1998

    and to 720 million in 2005. The US led the list of Internetusing countries followed by Japan, UK, Germany, Canada,Australia, France, Sweden, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands,Taiwan, Peoples Republic of China, Finland and Norway.These top 15 countries account for 89% of the Internet useworldwide.2

    The outlook for sales of educational hardware and softwareis healthy. Between 1995 and 1998, the number of computersin homes rose from 13 to 31 million in the US, from 7.5 to32 million in Europe and from 9.5 to 28 million in the rest ofthe world (see Table 1).The market for educational software is rising in parallel

    fashion, from US$ 775 million in 1996 to US$ 2.5 billion inthe U.S. in the year 2000, from US$ 130 million to US$ 460million in Europe, and from US$ 200 million to US$ 1.1billion in the rest of the world (see Table 2).

    The world wide market in educational software, worth US$4.1 billion in the year 2000 in schools, is augmented by anadditional US$ 2.1 billion in educational software sales tothe consumer market outside of schools, with a total marketfor educational software worth $ US 6.2 billion in the year2,000 (see Table 3). 3

    Markets in Developing Countries

    It is clear that the spending per student on teaching-materialsand other non-salary expenditures varies considerably bycountry. Some countries spend within the range of OECDcountries (Table 4) while others spend significantly less than

    in OECD countries (Table 5).

    Table 1: Consumer MarketHome Multimedia Computers (in 000s of units)

    1995 1996 1997 1998USA 13,000 16,000 22,000 31,000

    Europe 7,500 11,000 19,000 32,000

    Rest of World 9,500 13,000 19,000 28,000TOTAL 30,000 40,000 60,000 91,000

    Table 3: Education Software Market for Schools &Private Consumers (in millions of US$)

    1996 1997 1998 1999 2000School Market 1,105 1,540 2,155 3,055 4,100

    Consumer Market 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,830 2,120

    TOTAL 2,305 2,940 3,755 4,885 6,220

    Source: IDC Financial Times

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    The question is whether this is sufficient information to sug-gest that the market in educational goods and services is in-sufficient to justify commercial interest.

    It would be unwise to assume that low expenditures/studentimplies small markets, for two reasons. The first reason isthat some low-spending countries have a large number ofstudents. In Benin, for instance, low expenditures/student isexacerbated by the smallnumber of students, thus suggestinga market size of about US$ three million per year. In India,however, even low unit expenditures combined with thenumber of students would suggest a market size of US$ 123million, and China a market size of just under US$ one bil-lion.

    The second reason is that these markets are not stagnant. Thepublic education expenditures have doubled around theworld between 1980 and 1994. In North America they grewby 103%, and in Europe by 135%. But in East Asia publicexpenditures grew by over 200% in the same time period.

    If economies grow, more is spent on educational goods andservices per student. This will significantly raise the size ofthe education markets in large countries with healthy rates ofeconomic growth. It is projected that by the year 2009, theeducation market in India will grow to US$ 200 million, inSouth Africa to US$ 580 million and in China to US$ 1.7billion.

    Conclusion

    Education has greatly benefited from the privatization trendsand would similarly benefit from a new emphasis on thegrowing trade in educational commerce. There is sometimesa perception that commerce and education are incompatible.

    In fact, the opposite is true. There will be no effective publiceducation system without a vibrant and competitive commer-cial sector that can provide education goods and services.The two are interdependent.

    It is sometimes believedthat developing countrieswill be exploited by com-mercial enterprises in edu-cation, whether local orinternational. There is justification for the con-cern that some commer-cial suppliers will have acomparative advantage;that some will be quickerto supply higher quality, less expensive, even more relevantproducts. And there is justification to the concern that theseproducts may derive from international rather than local sup-pliers. This is no less the case in education than with otherservice sectors -- health, agriculture, transport, banking andtelecommunications.

    If one is convinced that open competition in these other sec-tors is against the interests of developing countries, then oneis unlikely to believe it is in their interest in the case of edu-cation. But the reverse is also true. If one appreciates the

    virtues of fast and inexpensive services, and the growingparticipation and competition from developing countrieswith open economies, then one is more likely to appreciatethe utility of an open economy with respect to educationservices.

    The debate, however, is more than of academic interest. Formuch of this century in many parts of the world the qualityof education provided to children and youth has been ad-versely affected by public policy that constrains the privateprovision of goods and services. It is not too much for par-ents and teachers to ask that they have materials targeted tostudents with different learning needs, at varying prices and

    qualities from which they may choose. It is, in fact, theirhuman right.

    1

    Source: David T. Kearns, The Education Industry: Markets and Opportunities, Boston, Mass.: EduVentures, Spring, 1999.2

    Nua Ltd. Computer Almanac Industry Inc. Report Ranks Worlds Most Wired Countries, 1999.3

    The Heller Reports, International Markets for Educational Technology, EduSoft, 1999.

    Is the market foreducational tech-

    nologies sufficientto justify commer-

    cial interest?

    Table 5: Low Spending on Teaching Materialsper Student in Developing Countries (in US$)

    Seychelles 94.98Thailand 28.80

    Chile 26.13South Africa 23.26Malaysia 10.78Lithuania 10.03

    China 4.71Benin 3.54

    Zimbabwe 3.11Swaziland 1.55India 0.68Source: UNESCO StatisticalYearbook, 1998

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    TTeecchhKKnnoowwNNeewwssLNT Perspectives: An Online Journal De-signed to Help School District LeadersKeep Up-to-date About Technologies inEducation.

    LNT Perspectives: The Online Journal of the Leadershipand the New Technologies Community, published by Educa-tion Development Center Inc. (EDC), presents feature arti-cles that examine relevant topics in-depth and highlightmodel practices from LNT districts, special articles from

    practitioners and researchers, and important news and eventsof interest to the LNT community. Highlights of each issueare sent via email to subscribers. Members of the LNT com-munity involved in the projects described in LNT Perspec-tives participate in online discussions about their work. Toread the Journal or subscribe visit the web site:http://www.edc.org/LNT/news.htm

    Computer Literacy Vital to A CountrysGrowth

    The African countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe present twodifferent examples of computer use and growth in developingcountries. Computer literacy is an essential requirement forsuccess in the Information Age and the type of computersused may assist or impede the spread of this literacy. Bothcountries have a viable computer market but their future isnot guaranteed. Zambias market is stuck with big brandnames which made maintenance very expensive, and re-quired services of professionals who are not readily avail-able. Zambia had few computer specialists with only threeMicrosoft specialists, two of whom were from Zimbabweand Kenya while two others were in the process of complet-ing their systems engineering courses. Zimbabwe, on theother hand, which has at least 60 systems engineers, has

    modest and accessible computers that school children wereable to maintain and fix with spare parts on their own.

    http://www.africanews.org/education/stories/19990917_feat20.html

    Laptops Without a Leash

    Apple and Dell Computer companies are settingthe next standard in mobile computing. Wire-

    less laptop computers are to be released by each companythis fall. The advantage of wireless laptops is allowing usersto access the Internet and email without having to remain inone location tethered by cables. Dell Computers product isthe Aironet Wireless Communication's 4800 series wirelessLAN cards, available for its Latitude notebook PCs. The802.11-compliant cards support wireless connections from

    up to 300 feet from a network access point. Pricing for theAironet is around $800 per card. Dell plans to eventuallyexpand the wireless LAN card offering to its entire line ofportable products and desktop PCs. Apple has made wirelesslaptops an integral part of its iBook product. The notebookversion of the successful iMac employs a wireless LANcalled AirPort. Although AirPort will cost less than Dell'soffering, the device supports shorter ranges of an estimated140 feet. This technology is welcomed by the growing num-bers of mobile workers and flexible office environments.Schools will also find this technology a blessing as it allowsfor a more open classroom rather than a static computer lab.

    Video Email Connects Indian Villages

    Before there are phones there is Internet. Eighttowns in the two poorest states, Uttar Pradesh

    and Bihar, will be the testing beds of a public/private videoemail network. A group of Indian high-tech companies haveannounced a program to wire booths, complete with videocameras, for which villagers will be charged 15 rupees -- or35 cents -- to send or receive a three-minute message withvoice and video images through email. Most villages in Indiastill do not have phone connections, and only about half ofthe country's entire population has a telephone. "The Internetis beginning to go beyond what was considered the elite of

    the city," said Dewang Mehta, head of the National Associa-tion of Software and Service Companies. "Common peoplewho do not have a personal computer or a telephone canhave an email address."

    http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/merc/docs/012091.htm

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    SUN Microsystems CEO Calls for Web-based Educational Programs

    The Internet is in the process of revolutionizingeducation, but the medium still has far to go to live up to itspromise as a learning tool, says Scott McNealy, CEO of SunMicrosystems. Educational institutions have been quick totake advantage of the rapid advancements in networked tech-nology. International Data Corp. reports that 84% of four-year colleges will be offering distance learning courses by2002. The educational content online, however, is still a longway from meeting the technology's potential. Mr. McNealysuggests that the government should take a leading role infunding, developing, and propagating quality Web-basededucational programs. "Then the most effective courses - theones proven to help students pass standardized tests - couldbe posted on the Internet for students and teachers in allschools to use, free of charge," which, according toMcNealy, "would ensure that any student could receive the

    best educational content anytime, anywhere, using any Web-enabled device."

    http://www.usatoday.com/news/comment/ncguest.htm

    Developing Country Internet Educationprovided by Cisco and UNDP

    The United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) and Cisco Systems, Inc. formed a partnership tobring Internet education to students in developing countriesin the Asia Pacific region. The UNDP Asia Pacific Devel-

    opment Information Programme (APDIP) and Cisco Systemswill jointly fund and set up ten Cisco Networking Academiesin nine developing countries in the region. The program willseek to provide students with advanced IT curricula to lever-age the enormous opportunities created by the Internet whilecreating a qualified talent pool for building and maintainingnetworks. The partnership builds upon NetAid, a global pro-gram that harnesses the Internet to battle extreme poverty inthe world. "The Networking Academy Program is a pivotalpoint in our vision to use the Internet to bring new opportu-nities to the developing world, and to find new tools to defeatpoverty," said Gabriel Accascina, regional coordinator ofAPDIP in Kuala Lumpur. Accascina said that the UNDP is

    looking at this initial set as a pilot to be eventually expandedto other regions. Richard Freemantle, Senior Vice President,Asia Pacific, Cisco Systems, commented, "One way for thesecountries to compete in the Internet Economy is by develop-

    ing a workforce with Internet skills and knowledge. We areteaming with APDIP to help them achieve that." The CiscoNetworking Academy Program is a not-for-profit educationinitiative designed to equip students with conceptual andpractical skills that will enable them to design, build, main-tain and troubleshoot the networks that connect computers.

    http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/146/august99/27.html

    Canadas Online Learning Future

    Online learning is taking off across the world. Many coun-tries have embraced this type of education to overcome geo-graphic constraints. Other countries have invested in onlinelearning as a new way to reach life long learners. Of the17,000 courses currently available over the Internet, onlyabout 2,700 of these are offered by Canadian schools. Inter-national Data Corp. estimates that in the U.S. about 2.2 mil-

    lion people will be registered for online courses by 2002.Canada now has three leading universities that specialize inonline offerings, including Alberta's Athabasca University,British Columbia's Open University, and Tele-Universite duQuebec. This fall Canada launches Canadian Learning Tele-vision, which provides programming that compliments Ca-nadian online courses. Like the U.S., Canada is increasinglylinking its universities and colleges to corporate interests.Many teachers are alarmed by this trend, as they believe thatcommercial interests will result in a need to reduce costs andincrease profits, which in turn will lead to a loss of teachingjobs.

    Home Computers Help Homework Com-pletion

    Two out of three children who have access to a computer athome use it to help them do their homework according to thelatest findings from NPD Online Research. In a survey of2143 parents, the study found that, on average, children withhousehold PCs use them for one hour every night to do theirhomework. Eighty-eight percent of children use their com-puters to access special reports and research, 85 percent usethem as a reference source, 54 percent use them for educa-tional software and 50 percent use them for nightly home-

    work. Eighty-five percent of children used a shared PC while15 percent used their own personal PCs.

    http://www.npd.com/corp/press/press_990817.htm

    Compiled by Mark Dessauer

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    Community Learning Centers (CLCs) are known by a variety of names around the worldtelecenters, telecottages, digitalclubhouses, cyber cafes, cabinas pblicas, espaces numriss, and telestugen, to name a few.1 Just as the post office ortelegraph center provided people with public access to communication services, CLCs today serve a similar purpose. However,todays CLCs are digital, with access to email, the Internet and the World Wide Web. Some think that CLCs are a fad thatcannot sustain operations once external funding ends. Others argue that they are not appropriate for developing countries giventhe multitude of other, more basic and important needs. Furthermore, few CLC projects have tried to quantify their impact,

    prompting evaluators to conclude that, until adequate tools are developed to effectively assess the social impact of theapplicationefforts to demonstrate how people are empowered by knowledge will lack credibility.2

    Here is a story from Paraguay that sheds light on these and other important issues.

    AMIC@SIN ASUNCINLEAPFROGGING DEVELOPMENT

    By Mary FontaineThe LearnLink Project

    3, Academy for Educational Development (AED)

    Two years ago, Mayor Martin Burt spoke at a signingceremony in Asuncin. Celebrating an agreement betweenUSAID and the municipal government, the Mayor welcomedthe establishment of Community Learning Centers (CLCs) inneighborhoods throughout Paraguays capitol city. Withthese Centers, he said, we are pursuing a hypothesis and adream. By giving communities greater access to informationand opportunities to solve their own problems, he postulated,they can leapfrog development, moving into the 21 st centurywhile skipping some of the stages and sidestepping some ofthe struggles that industrialized countries experienced duringthe 20th century.

    Asuncins CLCs are known affectionately as amic@s(aulas municipales de informacin, comunicacin yaprendizaje, loosely translated as municipal classrooms forinformation, communication and learning), a play on theword amiga or friend in Spanish. The original goal of theproject was to provide less advantaged communities with thebenefits of computers and communications technology forcivic development purposes. In particular, the project soughtto contribute to an overall process of democratization bydecentralizing municipal systems and services, improvingcommunication between citizens and government officials,and strengthening popular participation in civic activities.

    A Picture of Paraguay

    Paraguay is South Americas empty quarter, a country little known even to its neighbors. For much of itshistory, it has distanced itself from the Latin American mainstream, and for a substantial period of thiscentury was South Americas most notorious and durable police state. PJ ORourke summed it up bluntlywhen he wrote, Paraguay is nowhere and famous for nothing, and then, on a short visit to cover elections,promptly fell in love with the place.

    Destination Paraguay, Lonely Planet, http://www.eskimo.com/~krautm

    Paraguay is relatively new to the concept of democracy andthe practice of participatory governance. Since the turn of the

    last century, periods of instability were followed by 34 yearsof limited political freedom and isolation from the globalcommunity. A military coup in 1989 led to free presidentialand congressional elections, followed by political, legal andeconomic reforms. In 1992, a new constitution was drafted,establishing a democratic republic. Today, despite anunstable political and institutional system, a high level ofgovernment corruption, and a low level of public confidence,

    the government is starting to implement democratic systems,reform the economy and enhance human rights.

    Economic challenges include a thriving informal commercialsector unconnected to the formal economy,underemployment, and a low level of basic infrastructureroads, sewer services, running water, electricity, trashcollection and telecommunications. As a member of theMercosur, a group of trading partners in the region, Paraguaymust run to catch up with Argentina, Brazil and Chile, itsbig, aggressive neighbors.

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    Paraguay is home to approximately 5,300,000 people, 60%of whom are under the age of 30. One million live inAsuncin, the administrative, economic and commercialcenter of the country. Though schools are crowded and lacklearning resources, the literacy rate is 90%, with six years of

    compulsory education and an attendance rate of 86.6%.

    When the CLC were launched in 1998, Paraguay was facingmore challenges than usual. El Nino had devastated thecountry, especially Asuncin, causing emergency situationsthat had to be addressed with municipal funds earmarked forother projects. This weakened the implementation of avariety of projects, including street repair, trash collectionand the CLCs.4

    A Place To Pay Taxes?

    Initially, the amic@s suffered from an image problem.Designed by development people and municipal authorities,the Centers baffled many of the local residents. Pressingissues confronted poor communities, especially in the wakeof El Nino. Yet word spread that the centers were eitherplaces to pay taxes, which excited no one, or free schools,which disappointed those who came expecting to findteachers and a classroom.

    Unfortunately, even the practical services that AsuncinsCLCs were intended to providesuch as automated voterregistration, fee collection for licenses, permits and bills, anddistribution of tax formswere delayed. El Nino changedthe municipalitys budget, diverting funds for CLC activitiesto other, more immediate needs and delaying production of

    official materials that were to be available through theCenters. Moreover, the local governments computernetwork was found to be inaccessible from the Centerswithout the purchase of new, expensive equipment thatexceeded the budget for the amic@s. All of this left theCenters largely unable to provide the services that originallyhad been planned.

    Bless This Project!

    The first lesson from the amic@ experience is one thatdevelopment professionals already know. It is to consult thecommunity, enable local decision making, promote popular

    ownership, and make sure the project meets the needs andhas the blessing of the beneficiaries. Though more of thiswas needed at the outset of the amic@ activity, projectpersonnel made up for it fast.

    As Sergio Aranda, Coordinator of the amic@s, explains, Itbecame clear that the framework of this project needed to belooked at in terms of social demand. It needed to be tied intothe daily lives of the residents of the city.

    Using his notebook computer and information from themunicipality, Aranda divided the city into districts. He thenconducted a needs assessment in each neighborhood,canvassing communities and engaging local people,community groups, churches and schools to help determinethe design and services to be provided at their amic@. Withthat information, he publicized the project, tailoring themessage for each community and involving influentialmembers of the municipality and communities in hisoutreach activities.

    Arandas efforts proved so successful that in one area, a poorneighborhood known for the active involvement of its

    residents in community projects (it boasts 17 communitygroups), an association of bricklayers, carpenters andbuilders literally built the center, voluntarily, from theground up. Today the amic@s are so popular that the launchof each new CLC is a major community event, complete withdancing, music, food, and speeches from local dignitaries.The entire neighborhood celebrates, along with the localpriest who blesses the center.

    Where Are the amic@s?

    Nine amic@s are now operating, with three more in theworks. Located throughout the city, each site has taken on

    the personality and character of its surroundingneighborhood, offering different services depending on whatthe local community wants.

    At the bus station, shoeshine boys and girls and childrenfrom a nearby homeless shelter come daily to the amic@,which is now competing favorably with the video gameparlor next door. The children talked recently with MayorBurt via a video teleconference, have learned to surf the web

    The entire neighborhood celebrates, along with the local priest who

    blesses the center.

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    and explore interactive, multimedia learning materials.Commuters stop by on their way to and from work.

    At the library, part of a cultural complex that includes amuseum and a theater, patrons take virtual visits to museumsand libraries around the world every Wednesday afternoon,

    organized and hosted by local artists.

    The amic@ at the largest market center in the city providesvendors with email access and a web site and introduces themerchants children, at the nearby municipal kindergarten, tocomputers.

    Amic@ Banado Sur, located inside a public school (and nearthe main city garbage dump), will serve as a technicaltraining center at night, using the equipment for adulteducation.

    In a poor and dangerous neighborhood near the river, theamic@ was placed inside a Catholic Church, where an

    elderly but enthusiastic nun runs the show for orphans anddelinquents.

    In a school near the countrys principal prison, Amic@Tacumbu is operated by a network of collaborators,including the church, police, military, and educational andmunicipal officials.

    At all the amic@s, teachers and students are among the mostenthusiastic visitors, taking advantage of the computertraining sessions that most centers offer and the access toinformation that their resource-poor schools cannot provide.

    If This Guy Were a Company, Id Invest InHim.5

    Another lesson from Asuncin is the importance of finding aSergio Aranda to run the project. A systems engineer, whoowns a computer-consulting firm, Sergio has strong technical

    skills. More important for the amic@s, however, are hisabundant social, interpersonal and entrepreneurial skills,which he does not use sparingly. Considering every personand group in town a potential partner, he has forged allianceson behalf of the centers that are expected to prove invaluableto their long-term sustainability.

    When Peace Corps volunteers wanted to use an amic@computer to send emails home, Sergio worked out a dealwith them whereby their online time would be exchanged forwork at the center to train community members in basiccomputer functions. Planet Internet, a local Internet ServiceProvider, gives free Internet connectivity for one year in

    return for placing advertisements and other PR materials inthe Centers. With Catholic University, one of the amic@s isdesigning a course in training and facilitation, and with thepolice station in the Chacarita neighborhood, the localamic@ offers professional development courses to officers.Another barter deal enables college students to use the centerin exchange for designing web sites for the municipality.Current efforts are focused on the private sector, a criticalpartner for the long-term viability of the Centers, whereAranda hopes to close corporate sponsorship deals.

    Exploring innovative ways to keep the Centers going withlimited funding is one of Sergios fortes. Another is hiscommitment to ensuring that the project reaches its targetaudience. As with similar activities involving technology, thefirst visitors to the Centers were municipal employees,friends, computer professionals and the educated elitethehaves. The intended beneficiaries, the have nots, werenot even aware of them. Sergio and others workedproactively and effectively to correct this. Aranda relays ananecdote: I met with a man who was a poor auto mechanic.He scoffed at the idea of computers helping him in his dailylife. So I showed him how to buy distributor caps through theInternet, where he discovered significant cost savingsbetween those from Brazil and the ones he had beenpurchasing from Venezuela.

    Thank you for not giving us more books.Thank you for giving us all the libraries inthe world.6

    Sergio Aranda is not the only local champion who hasbefriended the amic@s. Mayor Burt has been described asone of the most progressive mayors the city has ever had. Healso has ensured strong support for the Centers from the

    At all the Amic@s, teachers and students are among themost enthusiastic visitors.

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    municipal government, which has been crucial to theirsuccess. Despite funding problems that have plagued theproject, the government has been able to cover basicmaintenance costs for the Centers, including electricity,telephone, water and rent, and today the amic@s appear asa line item in the municipal budget. Moreover, useful

    official functions now have evolved to the local level.Common forms are available at the CLCs, eliminating theneed for people to travel downtown and stand in long linesat the city center office. Even a CD-ROM was produced toinform people about the location of their local voting placeduring the April 1998 election. In addition, Mayor Burtparticipates in low-end video conferences with constituentsgathered in amic@s, where topics of interest andimportance to the people can be discussed.

    Bravo Asuncin

    While the initial vision of an electronic municipal centerhas changed, the amic@ project is proving what MayorBurt and others have said about the possibility ofleapfrogging development stages and coming out ahead.Students who have never seen a good school library areusing CD-ROMs and the Internet to help with theirhomework. Public market vendors who know little aboutadvertising are posting their wares, services and fees ontheir web site. Individuals who have never traveled aremaking friends in cyberspace from around the world.

    Currently, the project is still fairly new and experimental,and the amic@s are undertaken on a pilot basis. After theimplementation phase is over, in June 2000, a completeassessment is planned to measure the impact of access toinformation and communication technologies on local

    communities. In the meantime, one has only to lookaround Asuncinat schools, the bus station, communitycenters, markets and the public libraryto see the positiveimpact the amic@s have had in a short time. As onecommentator noted, the amic@s are slowly changingpeoples attitudes, not only due to the benefits oftechnology that is at their disposal, but also due to agrowing confidence of the active forces of the communityin their capacity to work and learn with the municipalgovernment.7

    Although the amic@s have evolved differently than whatwas initially conceived, the project is successfullyachieving some of the original goals set out by USAID and

    the municipality. What better example of the growth of thedemocratic process than the manner in which each amic@ended up being planned, inaugurated and used in relationto its immediate neighborhood and under the direction ofits immediate community. Bravo to the Municipality ofAsuncin for having the wisdom to allow the amic@s todevelop as they have.

    1 Steve Cisler, Telecenters and Libraries: New Technologies and New Partnerships, August 4, 1998,http://home.inreach.com/cisler/telecenters.htm.

    2 Enchanted by Telecentres: A Critical look at Universal Access to Information Technologies for International Development,paper presented at the conference New IT and Inequality, University of Maryland, February 16-17, 1999, Ricardo Gomez,Patrik Hunt, Emmanuelle Lamoureau, International Development Research Center (IDRC), Canada.

    3 LearnLink, USAID Contract HNE-I-96-00018-00, is funded by the Human Capacity Development Center in the GlobalBureau, the Africa Bureau, and other Bureaus, offices and missions.

    4 Aranda, Sergio and Steve Cisler,Amic@s: Public Access Centers in Asuncion, Paraguay,INET 99, Internet Societys AnnualConference, June 22-25, 1999, San Jose, California.

    5 Steve Cisler, Letter from Paraguay, October 1998. http://home.inreach.com/cisler/paraguay.htm.

    6 Dr. Martin Burt, Mayor of Asuncion, January 1998.

    7 Aranda, Sergio and Steve Cisler,Amic@s: Public Access Centers in Asuncion, Paraguay, INET 99, Internet Societys AnnualConference, June 22-25, 1999, San Jose, California.

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    BBBBrazil'srazil'srazil'srazil'sTTTTelecursoelecursoelecursoelecurso 2000200020002000

    The Flexible Solut ion for Secondary School EquivalencyThe Flexible Solut ion for Secondary School EquivalencyThe Flexible Solut ion for Secondary School EquivalencyThe Flexible Solut ion for Secondary School EquivalencyBy Claudio de Moura Castro

    Chief Education AdviserInter-American Development Bank

    Histor y of Telecur so 2000

    Brazil, with its large territory and low school attendance, hasbeen experimenting with radio and television education formore than three decades. Two states in the Northeast (Cearand Maranho) created secondary schools through television

    in the 1970s. Yet, a bit later, another player - a privateenterprise, the Globo Television Network stepped on to thestage and completely changed the relationship betweensecondary schools and television. Being the worlds fourthlargest network, Globo had ample experience in production,excelling in soap operas that found huge markets in allcontinents. Twenty years ago, the Roberto MarinhoFoundation (FRM), the education branch of Globo, createdthe first Telecurso, adding a number of importantinnovations. First, it used very expensive production.Second, it used actors instead of teachers. This program wasa major success and was aired for more than 15 years.

    By contrast to Mexico's Telesecundaria (seeTechKnowLogia, Sept./Oct., 1999), Telecurso targetedyoung adults who left primary or secondary schools beforegraduation. Brazil always had open examinations for primary(eight years) and secondary (11 years) certificates (examesupletivo) for young adults who are beyond a certain age.Since these were open examinations, students could prepareon their own or enroll in preparatory courses. The Telecursotook the place of these preparatory courses, allowing studentsto follow the curricula by watching television. A number ofinstitutions received supervision from FRM to createclassrooms where, under the supervision of a teacher,improvised or certified, students could watch theprograms/classes and use the complementary written

    materials.

    In the early 1990s, with the rapid transformation andglobalization of the Brazilian economy, industrialists werehaving problems with the appallingly low schooling levels oftheir workers. In many cases, they provided sponsorship fortheir students to take the preparatory courses leading to thegovernment examinations. However, the quality of thesecourses was, at best, mediocre.

    The Federation of Industries of the State of So Paulo thenstruck a deal with FRM to prepare a new Telecurso for itsworkers. In this joint venture, the industrialists contributedUS$30 million to produce a new program and Globo offeredto broadcast it without any charges. Globo also donated the

    equivalent to US$60 million worth of commercial TV time topromote the new program, called Telecurso 2000.

    Cont ent of Telecur so 2000

    Telecurso 2000 is a condensed version of a basic curriculumfor distance education, which is to be provided through acombination of videotaped classroom sessions and books.Thus, both television sets and videocassette equipment areused. In addition, an optional curriculum is offered thatfocuses on teaching basic mechanical skills (the vocationalcourse on mechanics).

    The initial discussions on the development of a curriculumfor the three courses to be offered by Telecurso 2000 (LevelOne, Level Two and the Vocational Course on Mechanics)were subsidized by education specialists who wished toelucidate the teaching of basic skills in the context of apostindustrial society.

    With that beginning, the guiding principles for theeducational program of Telecurso 2000 were developed asfollows:

    1. Job-oriented education. The purpose is to educateindividuals for a job: to educate workers so as to enablethem to relate in a meaningful way to life in society,bearing in mind the fundamental role of education inensuring worker productivity.

    2. Development of basic skills. In a society marked byscientific and technological progress, it is not enoughsimply to learn to read, write, count and solve simplearithmetic and geometry problems. It is essential toenable people to organize their thoughts, solve problemsinvolving numbers, interpret what they read and apply it

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    Th e n ew p r o gr a m

    emp loys on ly

    profess iona l

    ( soa p ope r a )

    a c t o r s

    in different situations, read and express themselves inanother language, understand instruction manuals,develop basic know-how in economics and qualitycontrol so as to be able to produce more and betterproducts and eliminate waste, and hold discussions bymaking use of cognitive and social skills.

    3. Citizenship education. The nature of the newrelationship between science, technology and societymakes it necessary for workers in all categories and atall levels to broaden the scope of their learning, so as toenable them to play an active role in the political andcultural scenes. Production-oriented skills must go hand-in-hand with civic responsibility.

    4. Contextualization. The most advanced teachingpractices stress the importance of applying what islearned in class to situations that arise in daily life. Inother words, daily life provides the material for theteaching of specific skills.

    These four principles - job-oriented education, developmentof basic skills, citizenship education and contextualization -underlie all the disciplines that are taught through Telecurso2000. The development of the program content for eachdiscipline was entrusted to teams of professors associatedwith the major universities, all of whom were required tohave ample experience in the field of basic education. Thisrequirement was particularly important given the highlyspecialized nature of adult education and the need to adjustthe language to be used accordingly. Textbooks had to beeasy to read without being childish.

    Table 1 shows the content of the curricula for the threecourses offered by Telecurso 2000, as well as the number ofTV classrooms and books used in each discipline.

    A p p r o a c h

    The new programemploys onlyprofessional (soapopera) actors, thusmaking the productioneven more expensivethan in the first

    Telecurso. There areother differences as well. Since it is aimed at young adults, itdoes not put classrooms, teachers or students on the screen.All scenes take place in factories, streets, homes, offices,newspaper stands and travel agencies. Real life problemsprecede the presentation of theories and explanations.Telecu