Create & Innovate ICTs for Education? Technology without Context lacks Purpose

The problem is not the technology NOR IS IT THE STAND-ALONE SOLUTION The real constraints are: Lack of focus on education objectives Failure to consider all the elements of the end-to-end system Failure to consider long-term costs or Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) ICTs have no impact on teaching and learning ICTs break down frequently with no money for repairs ICTs are too expensive for schools

How Do We Know? Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative Transforming Education, Empowering Communities and Promoting Development What do we do? We provide end-to-end advisory support on the effective integration of ICTs into education To whom do we provide support? Developing countries seeking to transform education through ICTs What are our guiding principles? GeSCI acts on the premise that ICT initiatives must be demand driven. We act as guides, fostering country ownership of ideas, strategies and implementation.

Why Integrate ICTs into Education? New Competencies are required to respond to a changing world Higher order thinking and problem solving skills ICT literacy Life skills (including lifelong learning skills) Pedagogy Curriculum Content Assessment Special Needs Teacher Professional Development Teachers are agents of change – need to be defined as facilitators of learning Learning needs to extend beyond the classroom walls

How do we address this challenge? GeSCI has identified 5 critical Work Streams/Thematic Areas through which we work 1.Policy – Problem: doesn’t exist or piecemeal SOLUTION - FROM THE TOP - DOWN ICTs must be integrated into regional and/or national policy. Piecemeal ICT integration and disparate ICT projects are unsustainable. 2.Strategic Implementation & Planning – Problem: lack of resources SOLUTION - FORESIGHT IS FOREKNOWLEDGE Every stage of the process, from policy development to monitoring and evaluation must be anticipated for integration to succeed 3.Teaching & Learning – Problem: no training or content SOLUTION - TEACHERS ARE AGENTS OF CHANGE Children require new competencies to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world 4.Infrastructure & Connectivity – Problem: inadequate & expensive SOLUTION - ACCESS, CAPACITY, AVAILABILITY Lack of adequate infrastructure is probably the greatest obstacle to the effective integration of ICTs into the social fabric of developing countries today; debilitating the advancement of education, research, and the private sector 5.Monitoring & Evaluation – Problem: no feedback mechanism SOLUTION - CONTINUOUS LEARNING Monitoring and evaluation is an integral part of the process of ICT integration. Without it the entire initiative is flawed, as continuous learning on different levels cannot be realised.

END-TO-END –Common goals –Partners –Funding Deployment of ICT platform Content User training and support Technic al support Monitori ng and reporting Technical support Monitoring and reporting User training and support An efficient ‘end-to-end’ system, being demand-driven and based on strong partnership and close co-ordination, is the key to achieving real impact: Key Inputs System User

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