ICTs and educational reform

Applying new technologies in basic education
This article charts the development of ICT in basic education through the 1990s and into the new millennium. In suggesting the future direction of e-learning in primary education, the author emphasizes that technology can only support education, not replace it.

Changing how and what children learn in school with computer-based technology
In this article, several ways that technology can enhance learning for children are described, with examples of how ICT can support the four fundamental characteristics of learning: active engagement; participation in groups; frequent interaction and feedback; and connections to real-world contexts.

Education and ICTs: current legal, ethical and economic issues
This article discusses the ethical issues connected to ICTs and education. With providers and subscribers to education spanning regional and national borders, a host of new issues have arisen concerning intellectual property rights and private economic interests. With the increasing presence of the private sector in education, in terms of ICT manufacturing and delivery, the authors are led to ask, Has education become a public good or a commodity?

The impact of ICTs on schools: Classroom design and curriculum delivery
This report on the topic of education reform is oriented by two preliminary observations: that ICT is responsible for major changes in primary and secondary education; and teaching practices are being guided by the question of what students need to know to succeed in the 21st century. Taking in studies from Australia and Hong Kong, as well the UK and US, this paper describes how schools are reforming their curricula, timetables and use of buildings in response to ICTs.

Techknowlogia – July-September issue (Links subscription page - quick to subscribe, and worth it!)
An issue of the online journal TechKnowLogia, which focuses on Technologies for All – Issues of Equity, and includes an editorial describing some of the factors hindering the positive impact of ICTs on the developing world, in education among other sectors, as well as reasons for optimism. Other articles focusing explicitly on ICTs and education reform include: India's `Hole in the Wall:’ Key to Bridging the Digital Divide?; Uganda School-Based Telecenters: An Approach to Rural Access to ICTs; and, ICTs and Non-Formal Education: Technology for a brighter future?

Education in the information age
Technology in education has certainly promised much, not least to developing countries eager to harness the immense potential of the knowledge society. This article asks whether this potential has been fulfilled, and how best to use technology to meet the specific needs of non-industrialised nations.

The International Review of Open and Distance Learning
Like Techknowlogie, this e-journal is by subscription only, although this is free, and is devoted to research and theory in open and distance learning worldwide. Access the current edition online, search back issues or submit articles for inclusion in forthcoming editions.

New technologies for human resource development: what works; what makes sense?
This article explores the role technology can play in meeting the changing demands of education and growing numbers of students, comparing the current situation to the 19th century introduction of new technologies to food production in response to exploding population numbers.

Lessons for ICT and Education in the Developing World
Dealing with key questions, such as: What defines a quality education in today’s global information-based economy? Has education kept pace with a rapidly changing world? Are there good models for reform that we can follow?

Information and Communication Technology in Developing Countries of Asia
This paper, by Bhahm Prakash, reviews the development of ICT in the recent past and focuses on the pattern of its growth in Asian countries. It tries to assess the development potential of ICT for developing countries of the region and to assess some of the related challenges now faced there.

UNESCO and the World Summit on the Information Society
In introduction to the World Summit on the Information Society, 10th - 12 December 2003 in Geneva, and in 2005 in Tunis, this thorough paper offers UNESCO's perceptions on the function and purpose of the WSIS, and UNESCO's contribution therein.

Implementing Thai Educational Reform: Issues and Challenges in ICT
This is a report by the Asia Development Forum.