Cross National Policies And Practices On Computers In Education

This book presents some of the results from the second stage of lEA's study of Computers in Education (CompEd). lEA, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, conducts international comparative studies focussing on educational achievement, practices, and policies in various countries and education systems around the world. It has a Secretariat located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. lEA studies have reported on a wide range of topics, each contributing to a deeper understanding of educational processes. The CompEd study is a project that sheds light on the way computers have been introduced in education and on how they are being used across the world today. The study proceeded in two stages with data collected for stage 1 in 1989 and for stage 2 in 1992. Results from both stages have been published in a variety of publications. This book reports about a special part of the study. Student achievement and school processes come into being in the context of the structure and the policies of national (or regional) education systems. The variety found in the CompEd results led us to ask how much might be explained by differences in these national or regional contexts. That is the reason the CompEd study took the initiative to invite the countries participating in the study, as well as some other countries that have had interesting developments in the domain of educational computers, to write a chapter describing their policies and practices regarding computers in education.

This compendium of papers documents educational ICT policies and practices in 37 countries, making it a valuable resource for understanding and comparing ICT-related national policy developments in education. We believe that this work offers a unique in-depth examination of the trends within major education systems and how they have adapted to and taken advantage of the challenges and opportunities posed by the new information and communication technologies. A special feature of this edition is that it allows for interesting comparative analyses of sub-groups of countries, as many Asian, European Union, and former eastern-European countries, as well as the United States and Canada (among others), are included in the book. But it allows also for other than regional comparisons given that a number of newly industrialized countries (such as Brazil, Chile, Malaysia, and South Africa) are represented in this book, together with many OECD countries. This book is the result of the effort and hard work of the contributing authors, many of whom are the NRCs for IEA SITES in their respective countries. Special thanks must go to the Norwegian Royal Ministry of Education and Research and the Netherlands Kennisnet ICT OP School Foundation, both of which provided generous support for the preparation and dissemination of the book, to the Center for Information Technology in Education (CITE) of the University of Hong Kong, which assisted in the technical preparation of the manuscript, and to the IEA Secretariat, which facilitated the copyediting of the chapters. We want to acknowledge especially the professional contribution of Paula Wagemaker, who has copyedited the entire volume. This copyediting work is especially critical and challenging, as many of the chapters were written by authors for whom English is a foreign language. We also want to express our appreciation to David Robitaille, chair of the IEA Publications and Editorial Committee, and his committee for the critical and constructive review of the manuscript.

Situated at the intersection of two of the most important areas in educational research today — literacy and technology — this handbook draws on the potential of each while carving out important new territory. It provides leadership for this newly emerging field, directing scholars to the major issues, theoretical perspectives, and interdisciplinary research pertaining to new literacies. Reviews of research are organized into six sections: Methodologies Knowledge and Inquiry Communication Popular Culture, Community, and Citizenship: Everyday Literacies Instructional Practices and Assessment Multiple Perspectives on New Literacies Research FEATURES Brings together a diverse international team of editors and chapter authors Provides an extensive collection of research reviews in a critical area of educational research Makes visible the multiple perspectives and theoretical frames that currently drive work in new literacies Establishes important space for the emerging field of new literacies research Includes a unique Commentary section: The final section of the Handbook reprints five central research studies. Each is reviewed by two prominent researchers from their individual, and different, theoretical position. This provides the field with a sense of how diverse lenses can be brought to bear on research as well as the benefits that accrue from doing so. It also provides models of critical review for new scholars and demonstrates how one might bring multiple perspectives to the study of an area as complex as new literacies research. The Handbook of Research on New Literacies is intended for the literacy research community, broadly conceived, including scholars and students from the traditional reading and writing research communities in education and educational psychology as well as those from information science, cognitive science, psychology, sociolinguistics, computer mediated communication, and other related areas that find literacy to be an important area of investigation.

Increasing learner access to information and communication technologies (ICT) in the curriculum is strategically important to ensure that school leavers moving into the labour market or into further study have the appropriate background and capacities to succeed.

The authors conducted a two-year study on the implementation of computer technologies, including in-depth interviews and classroom observation at thirty-two elementary and secondary schools across Canada. Based on this research, Policy Unplugged explores the intersections and disconnections between provincial technology policy, school board policy, and school-based practices. The authors consider the ways in which technology policy has become "unplugged" from daily experience, showing that teachers, students, and administrators are part of complex pedagogical and social systems that have been badly served by the enforced and hasty introduction of technology. They also show how small, often unquestioned practices and power relations in schools can create seemingly insurmountable impediments to technological implementation.

The Routledge International Companion to Education addresses the key issues underpinning the rethinking and restructuring of education at the beginning of the new millennium. The volume contains over fifty major contributions exploring a wide range of issues, including: * philosophy of education * the economics and resourcing of education * testing and assessment: current issues and future prospects * standards * multiculturalism * anti-racism * computers in classrooms * mother tongue education * civics and moral education. Each chapter gives a contemporary account of developments in the field, and looks to the future and the directions that new activity and inquiry are likely to take. All the chapters are written from an international perspective.

Written by members of the International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching, the papers in this volume were presented at an international teaching conference on the issues of theory and practice. Using these contributions from experienced researchers, most of whom are practising teachers, this single volume is international in scope and context, demonstrating differences and similarities between and within countries. This detailed book is clearly split into five sections focusing on the following themes: * teacher education – professional identity, professional research, and quality of teacher education * teacher practice – basic values, ethics, and cultural scaffolding * higher education – academic motivation, discourse dissonance concerning intellectual property, self studies of teacher education practice * teacher development – the challenge to be the best teacher, the link between policy and practice, personal theory and practice in tertiary development * research and theory – reflective practice, shared democratic values, teachers as researchers.

A volume in Research in Educational Policy: Local, National, and Global Perspectives Series Editor Kenneth K. Wong, Brown University This compendium of papers documents educational ICT policies and practices in 37 countries, making it a valuable resource for understanding and comparing ICT-related national policy developments in education. We believe that this work offers a unique in-depth examination of the trends within major education systems and how they have adapted to and taken advantage of the challenges and opportunities posed by the new information and communication technologies. A special feature of this edition is that it allows for interesting comparative analyses of sub-groups of countries, as many Asian, European Union, and former eastern-European countries, as well as the United States and Canada (among others), are included in the book. But it allows also for other than regional comparisons given that a number of newly industrialized countries (such as Brazil, Chile, Malaysia, and South Africa) are represented in this book, together with many OECD countries. This book is the result of the effort and hard work of the contributing authors, many of whom are the National Research Coordinators for the Second IT in Education Study (SITES) conducted under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) for which the data collection took place in 2006. The structure of this book is similar to the previous edition published in 2003 in that it contains both country chapters and summary chapters. The country (or education system) chapters demonstrate the rich variation in policies and strategies on ICT in education around the world. To allow for comparisons across countries, all authors followed an outline consisting of the following main topics: the structure and nature of their educational system; ICT-related policies (illustrated with examples); special issues (such as equal opportunities or problems with sustainability); current trends in policies and practices; and expectations for the future. There are clear differences between countries in economic condition, information technology development, and historical background. In essence, the approach followed resulted in a set of country papers that show a number of commonalities but also reflect the cultural richness and variation.