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Education IT
Role of ICT in education debated at FutureCampus
Is technology driving teaching, or teaching driving technology? This question was at the centre of debate among Asia’s leading educators at the FutureCampus Forum in Singapore last week (Wednesday 12th May 2010).
In the opening address, Alice Cheong, Principal Assistant Secretary (Education infrastructure), Hong Kong Education Bureau, told delegates that although more than US$1 billion has been invested in ICT in education in Hong Kong over the past decade, a “quantum leap” was needed to ensure that pedagogy changes in step with technological advances.
“We need to better align technology with pedagogy,” said Cheong. “In Hong Kong, we’ve invested a lot in capital terms in ICT in education. But we still face big challenges in terms of changing the culture, habits, and beliefs of educators towards technology. Likewise, teachers repeatedly tell us that the e-content providers do not know their curriculum well enough.”
A paradigm shift in understanding how technology can be embedded in teaching practices is necessary to ensure that education can move into a new era of learner-centric education, said Cheong.
Hong Kong is currently going through its third IT in Education Strategy in a bid to focus on the human element to ICT-enabled teaching.
“Technology is not an issue in Hong Kong. People are,” said Cheong. “Teachers tell us that they are convinced of the benefits of technology. But they do not have the time to select the technologies that are most suitable for them, adapt them to their curriculae or keep up with the pace at which their students are using new technologies.”
Planning how IT can drive the future of education should not be done in parallel with pedagogical practices, it should be embedded in the centre of education strategy, Cheong concluded. “This is not just the responsibility of government. We need to work harder to share our experiences – good and bad – of the changing relationship between education and technology.”
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3 Comments
On 3 June 2010 Werner Willeke wrote:
Indeed, I fully agree, it is NOT a questions of IC technology, ICT has always been and is a supporting technology. It is a matter of teaching teachers how to integrate ICT into education and teaching students how to use ICT in learning. This is a big challenge and students can, due to their open mind also help teachers. Using ICT in education can be a real win-win situation and the beginning of cooperative and social learning.
Using ICT in education will mainly have an impact on HOW we learn, but less on WHAT we learn.
On 9 September 2010 irene wrote:
totally agree that technology isn't the issue here but more so the educators. i've come across far too many educators who preach 'open-mindedness' and life-long learning but have never really embraced this axiom is reality!!
On 19 May 2011 abdusalam kasim wrote:
The mere presence of computers and other new technologies in the classroom is not sufficient; ICT interventions need to be designed and implemented strategically in order to be effective and live up to their full potential