Rainbow Room, 5th Floor

13.00 – 13.20

7.A.1 Using the Internet for Participatory Educational Development in Uzbekistan
Ari Katz, IREX
This paper reviews practices introduced by IREX and UNDP in implementing the “Global Connections and Exchange” (GC) programme in Uzbekistan (www.connect.uz), which involved establishing 60 school Internet centres. Two models developed by the programme serve as best -practice for technology-enhanced education. One of the two models was a system through which teachers submitted interactive lesson plans online and received expert feedback. The creators of the best lesson plans were rewarded monthly with stipends towards training their colleagues, who then submitted their own lesson plans. All submissions were filed in an e-library, now cataloguing more than 1000 lesson plans. These lesson plans are freely available and form the foundation for long-term adoption of modern teaching practices. The second model was established with the aim of ensuring that the schools Internet centres were sustainable. The GC programme engaged parent committees of schools to provide funds for centre maintenance. Funds are recorded using an online mechanism, publicly documenting on the school website totals contributed and spent. This online recording system increases transparency, support and confidence in the effort.

Download the paper (word, 80kb) and presentation (pdf, 740kb)

13.20 – 13.40
7.A.2 Different Cultures Make Very Different Use of ICT: Two Case Studies on the Integration of ICT into Teacher Education.
Bart Cornille, Flemish Office for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance, Viet Nam
Much can be learned from teacher training institutions in well-to-do Western countries that efficiently and effectively utilize ICT in teaching and learning, management and administration. But it is not always possible to implement the same practices in classrooms where the culture, infrastructure and other factors are completely different. This paper suggests that it is important to consider how learning environments differ in terms of culture and to examine how the needs of teachers and students may differ from country to country. Action research in two projects of the Flemish Office for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance (VVOB) in Kenya and Viet Nam indicates that teachers in different societies use ICT in different ways. This paper shows how we can adjust to differing needs, while still ensuring that basic ICT concepts and active learning methodologies are utilized.

Download the paper (word, 160kb)