assessment
ICT for Learning
An International Perspective on the Irish Initiative
Eileen Freeman, Bryn Holmes, Brendan Tangney.
Centre for Research in IT in Education, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. e-mail Tangney@tcd.ie Web www.crite.net
Abstract
“Where the appropriate systems of support are in place, then ICT can be experienced as a ‘transformative technology’ both for staff and for students [Comber & Lawson 1999, p 51].
Around the world governments are investing heavily in promoting the use of ICT within the school system. Our research explores the Irish Policy Framework (IT 2000) and the National Action Strategies of two European countries, Finland and Sweden. The focus is on curriculum and assessment, and evaluation of the use of ICT in the classroom, as these are key factors in forming policies to influence the use of ICT as tools to reshape learning. An underlying aspect of the research is that, due to the use of ICT by governments for the dissemination of their national strategies, concerned individuals can be empowered to compare and contrast policies, identify best practice and make a contribution to the formation of the policies of their own nation by publishing in turn their research.
The Irish Initiative - An Overview
In 1997, the International Data Corporation (IDC), ranked Ireland in the third division (position 23) with respect to the country’s preparedness for the Information Age [IDC 2000]. Recognising that Ireland was lagging significantly behind, the Irish Government’s Schools IT 2000 initiative was launched in November 1997 to redress the balance in the area of education [DES 1997]. IT 2000 has yet to be fully evaluated but the implementation of the programme allows for its comparison to similar initiatives in other countries and to assess and expand the programme.
IT 2000 is a policy framework for the integration of ICT in first and second-level schools. The core objective of the policy was to put in place an infrastructure to
An International Perspective on the Irish Initiative
Eileen Freeman, Bryn Holmes, Brendan Tangney.
Centre for Research in IT in Education, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. e-mail Tangney@tcd.ie Web www.crite.net
Abstract
“Where the appropriate systems of support are in place, then ICT can be experienced as a ‘transformative technology’ both for staff and for students [Comber & Lawson 1999, p 51].
Around the world governments are investing heavily in promoting the use of ICT within the school system. Our research explores the Irish Policy Framework (IT 2000) and the National Action Strategies of two European countries, Finland and Sweden. The focus is on curriculum and assessment, and evaluation of the use of ICT in the classroom, as these are key factors in forming policies to influence the use of ICT as tools to reshape learning. An underlying aspect of the research is that, due to the use of ICT by governments for the dissemination of their national strategies, concerned individuals can be empowered to compare and contrast policies, identify best practice and make a contribution to the formation of the policies of their own nation by publishing in turn their research.
The Irish Initiative - An Overview
In 1997, the International Data Corporation (IDC), ranked Ireland in the third division (position 23) with respect to the country’s preparedness for the Information Age [IDC 2000]. Recognising that Ireland was lagging significantly behind, the Irish Government’s Schools IT 2000 initiative was launched in November 1997 to redress the balance in the area of education [DES 1997]. IT 2000 has yet to be fully evaluated but the implementation of the programme allows for its comparison to similar initiatives in other countries and to assess and expand the programme.
IT 2000 is a policy framework for the integration of ICT in first and second-level schools. The core objective of the policy was to put in place an infrastructure to
References: ITiS [1998] Swedish National Action programme for ICT in Schools. 1999-2001. Delegation for ICT in Schools. Stockholm: Ministry of Education and Science. http://www.itis.gov.se/english/ITiSEng.pdf KK Foundation [2000] Examples of Projects