Role of ICT in Education

14th Nov 2011
10.00am – 12.00pm

THE ROLE MA International
Education core module:

OF ICT Contemporary Issues in
Education,
Session 9

IN Dr Palitha Edirisingha
Beyond Distance
Research Alliance
University of Leicester
105, Princess Road

EDUCATION East, LE1 7LG

pe27@le.ac.uk
+44 (0)116 252 3753
+44 (0)7525 246 592

This is a ‘longer’ and slightly
‘modified’ version of the
slides I used during the
session on the 14th of November
2011. Please email me at
pe27@le.ac.uk if you have any
questions regarding this set of
slides.

Learning outcomes
Gain an in-depth understanding of
the developments of ICT in various
national and cultural contexts

Develop critical
Recognise the awareness of young
potential uses of new people’s new digital
technologies to media skills and their
support learning in implications for
schools teaching and learning
in schools

Understand the nature and
implications of differential access to
technology for educational and
social inclusion

The Role of ICT in Education, Session 9, MA IE Core Module Contemporary Issues in Education, Dr Palitha Edirisingha, 14 Nov 2011

Learning activities

Pre-session: internet research
Pre-session reading
Group activities
Discussions
Post-session reading
A presentation, an essay?


Key themes and concepts

Learners: digital
generation,
Net generation

Digital divide
Digital exclusion
and inclusion

Pedagogy, Digital
literacy
learning

Key concepts
and terms


1). ICT? What do we mean by
it?
Responses from the class..
[---]


2). Digital natives? Who are
they?
[---]


3). Digital divide? What is
it?
[---]


4). Digital literacy? What
is it?
[---]


Internet use
across the world


Internet access

(Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm, accessed 14 Nov 2011)


Internet Use across the World

 There are roughly the same number of Internet users in the G8
countries as in the whole rest of the world combined
 The top 20 countries in terms of Internet bandwidth are home
to roughly 80% of all Internet users worldwide.
 The entire African continent - home to over 50 countries - has
fewer Internet users than France alone.
 There are more Internet users in London than in the whole of
Pakistan.
 Denmark has more than twice the international Internet
bandwidth that the whole of Latin American and the
Caribbean combined.
 There are still 30 countries with an Internet penetration of less
than 1%


International Picture
1. Western Europe:
 ICT widely available to general public in both
accessibility & cost. 47% between the ages of
16 & 74 used the Internet
 But gaps remain, e.g:
 Age; Employment status; Educational level;
Rural/urban location
 Contributory factors
 Poor infrastructure; Low ICT literacy; Lack
of incentives to use ICT
 Largest gaps between higher & lower educated in
Portugal, Slovenia & Spain [70%, 68% & 61%
respectively]
 Smallest in Lithuania (11%), Sweden (24%) &
Germany (25%)
(EU Study: Eurostat, 2004/5)


International picture
2. Global digital divide

 Unlike the traditional notion of digital
divide between social classes, the "global
digital divide" is essentially a
geographical division.
 Originally referred to disparity in
Internet access between rural/urban areas
of the US
 Now, generally used to describe gap
between developed & developing world


Global divide

 Differing rates of technological progress widen
economic disparity between most developed
nations…..
 (primarily Western, Northern America, Europe,
Canada, Japan)
…& the underdeveloped/developing ones…
 (primarily Latin America, Africa, & Southeast
Asia)

….create a digital (or digitally fostered) divide


Schools: UK
 100% of UK schools have internet access
 The majority of schools are well-equipped with
modern technology
 Main divide is for home access which disadvantages
students with limited access to or no ICT at home:
 Schools increasingly require homework to involve
use of ICT
 School intranets
 Online submission & marking
 eLearning portals / virtual learning environments


Schools: Developing countries

Example: Namibia
 Namibia is a vast country with a population of less
than two million. A major portion of the country's
annual budget is being spent on education, but
state coffers are stretched to the limit ….Towns &
villages are far apart, many do not have running
water & electricity, let alone access to phone
lines. There is a general lack of clinics, schools,
qualified teachers, libraries & educational
materials.

 Namibia has 1,519 schools of which 924 presently do
not have a telephone, electricity or a library.


Pre-class activity -1: Access

Global

Geo-political
region

Country

Region

Specific
contexts,
groups,
sectors


Activity 1: What does it mean to have
access to, and devices for using internet
for education? (Think about your chosen
sector of education)
Positives? Negatives?


Access to hardware and the
internet

Useful websites
 http://www.nationmaster.com

 http://www.nationmaster.com/cat/med-media

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_
of_mobile_phones_in_use


Access in your country /
region?

 Internet
 Computers
 Mobile phones
 Other digital devices


Digital divide


Digital divide

‘the gap between the technology
rich and the technology poor,
both within and between
societies’ (Buckingham, 2008, p.
10)


Digital divide

'the gap between those who do and those
who do not have access to computers and
the Internet’. …access considered as
'physical access' - 'having personal
computer and Internet connection.' (van
Dijk, 2005, p. 1)


Digital divide

‘the gap between
individuals, households, businesses and
geographic areas at different socio-
economic levels with regard both to
their opportunities to access
information and communication
technologies (ICTs) and their use of the
Internet for a wide variety of activities
(OECD, 2001).

Can we close
the digital
divide? If so,
how?


The ‘trickle- What are the
limitations with this
down’ view/ approach to
principle solving the access
problem?


digital divide as a ‘social and
political problem’ (van
Dijk, 2005, p. 3), not a technical
one.


physical access is only one kind of
(material) access among at least
four: motivational, material,
skills and usage.


What are the
disadvantages of being
in the ‘have not’ side of
the digital divide? What
are the consequences of
digital divide for
learners, for teachers,
for schools, and for
education as a whole? Does digital divide
intensify the existing
social inequalities (of
age, gender,
ethnicity, social class,
disabilities)?

Digital divide – examples

In pictures: Nairobi's digital divide

‘… with broadband internet access costing more than
the average Kenyan annual wage, the digital divide
appears set to remain’ (BBC, 2010)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/8259533.stm


Access


Access

Four kinds :
1. Motivational access -- motivation to use digital
technology
2. Material or physical access -- possession of
computers and Internet connections /
permission to use them and their content
3. Skills access -- possession of digital skills:
operational, informational, and strategic
4. Usage access -- number and diversity of
applications, usage of time
(van Dijk, 2005).


Approaches to closing
digital divide?

 Hole in the Wall - Sugta Mitra’s video on
YouTube
 Your reflections … any similar approaches in
your context?


BBC Janala receives Tech Award for
educational innovation
Innovative projects using Bangladesh
new ICT
BBC Janala has been awarded the prestigious Microsoft Education Award
at the 2010 Tech Awards in Silicon Valley, California.

The Tech Awards celebrate the power of technology to address global
challenges in the environment, economic development, education,
equality and health.

"BBC Janala’s genius is it uses the existing cellular network to provide
people with educational content rather than waiting for what we have in
the developed world.”

BBC Janala impressed judges with its use of mobile technology to reach
some of the poorest people in the country, offering a simple and
affordable way to learn.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/trust/whatwedo/where/asia/banglades
h/2010/11/101020_tech_award_for_bbc_janala.shtml


Digital / net
generation


A digital generation

‘a generation defined in and through its
experience of digital computer
technology’ (Buckingham, 2006, p. 1).


A digital generation

Other terms
the Nintendo generation (Green and Bigum,
1993)
the Playstation generation (Blair, 2004)
the ‘net generation’ (Tapscott, 1998)
‘cyberkids’ (Holloway and Valentine, 2003)
‘thumb generation’ - in Japan (Brooke, 2002)

A generation?

 ‘an age cohort that comes to have social
significance by by virtue of constituting itself as a
cultural identity’ (Edmunds and Turner, 2002, p.
7).
 ‘a cohort of individuals born within a particular
time frame’ (Buckingham, 2008, p. 2)
 a cohort having a relationship with a particular
traumatic event’ (Edmunds and Turner, 2002), for
example a world war..., a defining moment in the
history.

Generations

Generations (according to Tapscott, 1998)
The Boomers - born between 1946 - 1964.
The TV generation.
conservative, Hierarchical, inflexible, centralis
ed (like the TV medium). incompetent
technophobes.

The Bust - born between 1965 - 1976.


The net generation: expressive, savvy,
self-reliant, analytical, creative, inquisitive,
accept diversity, socially conscious.
Possess intuitive, spontaneous relationship
with digital technology.

‘using new technology is as natural as
breathing’ (Tapscott, 1997, p. 40).

generational differences are produced by
the technology.

Claims about the digital
generation

‘Although specific forms of technology
uptake are highly diverse, a generation is
growing up in an era where digital media are
part of the taken-for-granted social and
cultural fabric of learning, play, and social
communication’ (Ito et al, p. vii, 2008).


Claims about the digital
generation

‘…those immersed in new digital tools and
networks are engaged in an unprecedented
exploration of language, games, social
interaction, problem solving, and self-
directed activity that leads to diverse forms of
learning.’ (Ito et al, p. vii, 2008).


Research on digital natives
Please click on the link at the bottom of this slide to download a keynote address
by Dr Chris Davies (Oxford University).
Abstract of the keynote address:
Ever since the inflated claims about how technology can transform learning
during the 1980s, education professionals have been scanning the horizon for
the first signs of the future to arrive, and complaining about how long the wait
has been. This paper will argue that the big transformation has already
happened, but in the form simply of very many small and relatively
unremarkable changes that are rapidly becoming embedded in the lives and
learning of young people. The paper will discuss these issues with reference to
findings from a current Becta-funded research project: The Learner and their
Context.
Click on the URL below and download the 1st and the 2nd files from the top. Named
“day3_keynote_cd_present_med” AND “day3_keynote_cd_qa_med”
After downloading, you can play back these files on your iPod, mobile phone, iPad or
laptop.
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=1371316d87c549bf&id=1371316D87C549BF%21211

If there is a problem accessing this keynote address and/or playing back the files, please email
me and I’ll try to help..


Activity 2: Questions…

 Do young people who are growing up with
digital media have a different orientation to
the world, a different set of dispositions or
characteristics?
 How do the net generation learn? what are
the characteristics of their learning? based on
your own experience, own educational
context?


Digital native’s own claims

‘I don’t find it hard to use a computer because
I got into it quickly. You learn quick because
it’s a very fun thing to do.” (Amir, 15, from
London).

‘My Dad hasn’t even got a clue. Can’t even
work the mouse.... So I have to go on the
Internet for him” (Lorna, 17, from
Manchester).
(Livingstone, 2008).

How true are these claims?

‘While these claims contain a sizeable grain of
truth, we must also recognise their rhetorical
value for the speakers. Only in rare
circumstances in history have children
gained greater expertise than parents in
skills highly values by society.’ (e.g.,
diasporic children’s learning of the host
language before their parents, youthful
expertise in music, games, play).
(Livingstone, 2008).


Growing up ‘analogue’ Vs
growing up digital
Please read the extract from Heverly (2008,
pp.199-200) and identify any similarities and
differences between your own, your parents’
and your pupils’ generations.
How far is this true as far as yourself and your
pupils are concerned? Does a ‘digital
generation’ exist in your context? What do
they do with digital technologies? Do they
use technologies for their learning? if so,
how? Make notes and share with the class.


Implications for
learning: digital
literacy


Digital literacy

[…] is much more than a functional matter of
learning how to use a computer and keyboard, or
how to do online searches. […] As with
print, they also need to be able to evaluate and
use information critically if they are to transform
it into knowledge. This means asking questions
about the sources of that information, the
interests of its producers, and the ways in which
it represents the world.
(Buckingham, 2006, p. 267)

Three concerns that need our
attention:

1. The participation gap. An unequal access to the
opportunities, experiences, skills, and knowledge that will
prepare youth for full participation in the world tomorrow.
2. The transparency problem. The difficulty that the young
people face in making sense of how the new media tools
that they use can shape their perceptions of the world.
3. The ethics challenge. The use of new media tools which
can breakdown the traditional norms and practices as
professionals, such as the fair use of content and
consideration for intellectual property rights, and young
people need support in understanding these issues as they
are socialised in a Web 2.0 world.
Jenkins et al (2006, p. 3)


Digital literacy –
implications for learning


Implications for
learning

Pupils without internet
'disadvantaged in education'

An increasing amount of homework requires use of the internet
More than half of teachers believe that children with no internet access are
seriously disadvantaged in their education, a survey has suggested.
A fifth of the 585 teachers surveyed for the Times Educational Supplement and
charity E-Learning Foundation said internet access was essential for pupil's
homework.

The charity also warned it was seeing support from the government cut.
It is estimated two million children live in homes without internet access.
An increasing amount of schoolwork, especially at secondary school, is
dependent on computer use.
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11738519]


More questions..

 How might we deploy new ICT to improve
learning and studying at schools / universities
/ other contexts?


More questions..

 How can schools / formal education
system help pupils growing in a digital
age?


Towards a model of educational digital inclusion

Reliable Up-to-date
Governmental Institutional

Access to technology Policy

Digital
Inclusion

Socio/economic factors ??

? ? ? ?


Activity 3
 In your groups,
 Identify a Scribe; Facilitator & Timekeeper
 Add to/build upon the existing model on the
previous slide:
 Identify additional factors which affect digital
inclusion:
 generally
 which are likely to relate to education
 Scribe presents (2 minutes) summary of
discussion


Activity 4
 In your groups,
 ( NEW Scribe; Facilitator & Timekeeper)
 ‘Think about your own national/cultural context
 Where do you see the key barriers to inclusion?
 What would be required to bring about greater inclusion:
 generally
 which are likely to relate to education
 Identify possible intervention points
 Scribe presents (2 minutes) summary of
discussion


Finally, a question for educators:
How can schools / formal education
system help pupils growing in a
digital age?
 equalising access to technology (not only physical access, but other
forms of access too..)
 providing both critical perspectives on technology and creative
opportunities to use it. not just teaching ‘ICT skills’.
 provide opportunities to use the skills they learned outside the
school in meaningful ways
 online safety
 ethical use of information


References and further reading

Berners-Lee, T. (2000). Weaving the Web: The Past, Present and Future of the World Wide Web by its
Inventor, London, Texere.
Buckingham, D., and Willett, R. (eds) (2006) Digital Generation: Children, Young People, and New
Media, Mahwah (New Jersey): Lawrence Erlbaum.
DCMS (2009) Digital Britain: Final Report, URL
http://interactive.bis.gov.uk/digitalbritain/report/being-digital/getting-britain-online/.
[Accessed 3 Sept 2009].
Cuban, L. (2001). Oversold and Underused: Computers in the Classroom, London: Harvard University
Press.
Cuban, L. (1986). Teachers and Machines: The Classroom Use of Technology Since 1920, New York:
Teachers’ College, Colombia University.
Facer, K. (2011). Learning Futures: Education, technology and social change, Routledge: London.
Facer, K., Furlong, J., Furlon, R., and Sutherland, R. (2003). ScreenPlay: Children and Computing in
the Home, London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Gill, T. (ed) (1996) Electronic children: How children are responding to the information revolution,
London: National children's Bureau.
Heverly, R. A. (2008). Growing Up Digital: Control and the Pieces of a Digital Life, in in T.
McPherson (ed.). Digital Youth, Innovation, and the Unexpected, Cambridge (Massachusetts):
The MIT Press. (pp. 199 – 218)
Hawkridge, D. (1983). New Information Technology in Education, London: Croom Helm.


References and further reading

Hellawell, S. (2001). Beyond Access: ICT and social inclusion, London: Fabian Society.
Holloway, S. L., and Valentine, G. (2003) Cyberkids: children in the information age, London:
RoutledgeFalmer.
Jenkins, H., Purushotma, R., Clinton, K., Weigel, M., & Robinson, A. (2006). Confronting the Challenges
of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. Cambridge, MA: Comparative Media
Studies Programme at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. URL
http://www.projectnml.org/files/working/NMLWhitePaper.pdf [Accessed 2 Nov 2010].
Livingstone, S. (2008). Internet Literacy: Young People’s Negotiation of New Online Opportunities, in T.
McPherson (ed.). Digital Youth, Innovation, and the Unexpected, Cambridge (Massachusetts): The
MIT Press. (pp. 101– 122).
McPherson, T. (ed) (2008) Digital Youth, Innovation, and the Unexpected, London: The MIT Press.
Melville, D. (2009) Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World: Report of Committee of Enquiry into the
Changing Learner Experience, URL http://www.clex.org.uk/CLEX_Report_v1-final.pdf. [Accessed
29 May 2009].
Sharpe, R., Beethem, H., and De Freitas, S.( eds) (2010). Rethinking Learning for a Digital Age: How
learners are shaping their own experiences, London: Routledge. [see Chapter 12].
van Dijk, J.A.G.M. (2005). The Deepening Divide: Inequality in the Information Society, London: Sage.
Wilhelm, A.G. (2004) Digital Nation: Towards an Inclusive Information Society, London: The MIT Press.


Resources - UK

Organisation URL

Futurelab http://www.futurelab.org.uk/

Becta http://www.becta.org/postnuke/index.php

BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ict/


Resources - Europe

European Union
 http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/
 http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/projects/home_en.h
tml


Resources - International

Unesco
 http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/

Commonwealth of Learning
 http://www.col.org/ [then use search terms such as ‘ict learning schools’]

The World Bank
 http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTINFORMATIONANDCO
MMUNICATIONANDTECHNOLOGIES/0,,menuPK:282828~pagePK:149018~piPK:149
093~theSitePK:282823,00.html]


ICT for Education: look out
for!!
 OERs (Open Educational
Resources, e.g., OpenLearn, MIT open
resources, OpenCulture.

 ‘Folk teachers’ (e.g., Khan Academy)

 Repositories of recorded lectures (e.g, TED Talks)

 Learning material on iTunes U

 Informal and formal learning material on
YouTube and other social media

And finally … some fun!

Visualising the internet growth and use

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8552410.stm


Thank you!

hope you enjoyed the class

If you have any questions or suggestions to
improve / contribute to this presentation,
please feel free to contact me at:
pe27@le.ac.uk
@palithaed
+44 (0)116 252 3753
+44 (0)7525 246 592
Office location:
No. 105, Beyond Distance Research Alliance, University of Leicester, Princess Road East, LE1 7LG

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