(For details see Masterplan II for IT in Education)

When the first Masterplan was launched in 1997, the underlying rationale behind the plan was that students needed to acquire skills such as the ability to think independently and creatively, to be competent and confident problem-solvers, and to be life-long learners. The use of Information Technology was seen as a means of preparing students with such skills, and it would thus be important to equip schools and teachers with the necessary infrastructure.

This rationale is still applicable today. The government sees technology as a key enabler in making student-centred learning and assessment a reality, helping to reach the goal of ability-driven education and the government's vision of Thinking Schools, Learning Nation. Dubbed mp2, this second Masterplan aims to build on what has been achieved in the first, and bring the use of IT in Education to greater heights.

mp2 adopts a systemic and holistic approach. All the key pieces - curriculum, assessment, instruction, professional development, and culture of the school are integrated and addressed. The approach calls for the involvement of the major stakeholders in education and emphasises that they work together to tap the potential of IT.

Outcomes

• Pupils use IT effectively for active learning
• Connections between curriculum, instruction and assessment are enhanced using IT
• Teachers use IT effectively for professional and personal growth
• Schools have the capacity and capability in using IT for school improvement
• There is active research in IT in education
• There is an infrastructure that supports widespread and effective use of IT

Goals and Strategies

IT in Curriculum & Assessment

• Integrate IT into content to create a dynamic and flexible curriculum
• Leverage on IT to expand the scope and nature of assessment

Professional Development

Teachers are the key to the effective use of IT to enhance teaching and learning. The focus of professional development is to create sustainable proficiency and to meet the varied needs of our teacher who are at different stages of IT use in their curriculum. Teachers should also be supported and recognised for their efforts in using IT.

• Develop an integrated and sustained model of professional development for IT in Education
• Promote an e-learning culture
• Create enabling structures to recognise and sustain teachers

Capacity and Capability Building

A strong IT culture in schools will depend highly on building the capacity and capability of schools to use IT effectively to enhance teaching and learning processes. To do this, mutually supportive strategies are needed.

• Active promotion of IT in education
• Sustained support and enabling structures for schools
• Empower schools with more autonomy through leadership capacity building

Research and Development

To harness the full potential of IT, research and development work has to be conducted on the use of IT in education. In general, most advances in technology take place in business and industrial settings and research is required to experiment and adapt emerging technologies for education. Research & Development, or R&D, will also provide important evidence on how models of technology in education could be fine-tuned and modified to meet future educational needs.

• Build a strong R&D programme for IT in education -
  There is a need to initiate an R&D programme for IT in education to research how pupils learn and how IT can best be deployed to support learning and achievement, so that educators and policy makers can be better informed about the most effective uses and impact of technology and telecommunications in education.

Infrastructure and Support

• Provide dependable, flexible and safe network access
• Provide a multi-purpose, multi-functional, pervasive and ubiquitous IT-enriched environment
• Provide IT support services

As teachers and pupils will increasingly be accessing rich online resources, access should be readily available as and when needed. The infrastructure should be able to support the delivery of rich multimedia instructional content.

Increasingly, schools are also making requests for an IT-enriched learning environment with full capabilities and easy access to computing devices and power to support a range of teaching and learning needs. When schools are provided with more and varied IT equipment, there will also be the need for more and relevant technical support to maintain the system.