LESSON 3:

ED U CAT I O NA L
TECHNOLOGY
I N T H E A S I A PA C I F I C R EG I O N
Progressive countries in the Asia Pacific Region have formulated
state policies and strategies to infuse technology in schools to
provide confidence to educators that they are taking the right
steps in adopting technology in education.

Five progressive states/city imposing ICT policies and strategies in

schools, namely :
New Zealand,
Australia
Malaysia
Singapore
Hong Kong
.
To provide confidence to educators that they are
taking the right steps in adopting technology in
education, it is good to know that during the last few
years, progressive countries in the Asia Pacific region
have formulated state policies and strategies to
infuse technology in schools.
NEW ZEALAND 2001 ICT Goals and Strategy

Government with the education and technology

sectors, community groups, and industry envisions
to support to the development of the capability of
schools to use information and communication
technologies in teaching-and-learning and in
administration.
 Strategy

• Improving learning outcomes for students using ICT

to support curriculum
• Using ICT to improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of educational administration
• Developing partnerships with communities to
enhance access to learning through ICT
 Focus Areas

 Infrastructure for increasing school’s access to

ICTs to enhance education.
Professional development so that school managers
and teachers can increase their capacity to use ICT
 INITIATIVES

An On-line Resource Center with a centrally

managed website for the delivery of multimedia
resources to schools
. A computer recycling scheme.
 A planning and implementation guide for schools.
ICT professional development schools/clusters
 AUSTRALIA IT INITIATIVES

Students should be confident, creative and

productive users of new technologies, particularly
ICT enables better and more personalized learning
ICT provides powerful and effective tool
ICT can improve efficiency and more effective
decision-making.
ICTs, and understand the impact of these
technologies on society (Adelaide Declaration on
National Goals for schools)AUSTRALIA IT
INITIATIVES
 Australia Strategy
 ICT-enabled Smart Schools act as a catalyst within
this process.
 The Government envisages that all schools will be
converted into Smart Schools by the year 2010.
 The three pilot applications are:
 teaching learning materials;
 a more accurate assessment system; and
 an integrated management system.
 Examples of elements to be considered in using ICT to
improve learning :

How will we change learning and teaching practices?

What are the digital resources that are available and
how will us them?
How will teachers and other staff learn to use ICT
resources?
How will we maintain student’s online safety?
How can ICT be used to help us introduce the
national curriculum?
 Australia IT Initiatives

Funding and Implementation Strategies

 Fast local and wide area networks linking schools across the
state and territory
Substantial number of computers in schools,
ensuring adequate access
Continuing teacher training in the use of technology
Technical support to each school
Sufficient hardware and software
Digital library resources
Technology demonstrations as models for schools
 MALAYSIA

To become a fully developed country by year 2020

• Learning institution
• Systematically reinvented
• In order to prepare students for the information age
 Fully equipped schools include :

 Classrooms with multimedia, presentation facilities,

email and groupware for collaborative work.
 Library media canter
 Computer laboratory
 Multimedia development center
 Studio/ theater ete
 Teachers’ room with on-line access
 Administration offices capable of managing
databases of students and facilities
 Three main policies in education

ICT for all students

The role and function of ICT in education as
teaching and learning tool
 Using ICT to increase productivity, efficiency, and
effectiveness of the management system.
 MALAYSIA SMART SCHOOL-LEVEL TECHNOLOGY PROJECT

Classrooms with multimedia, presentation

facilities, e-mail, and groupware for collaborative
work
Library media center with database for multimedia
courseware and network access to the internet
Computer laboratory for teaching, readily
accessible multimedia and audiovisual equipment
Multimedia development center with tools for creating multimedia
materials. Computer studies as a subject Studio /theater with
control room for centralized audiovisual equipment,
teleconferencing studio, audio room, video and laser disc room
Server room equipped to handle applications, management
databases and webservers
Teachers’ room with on-lie access to courseware catalogues and
databases, information and resource management systems and
professional networking tools, such as and group ware
Administration offices capable of managing databases of students
and facilities, tracking student and teacher performance and
resources, distributing notices and other information electronically
 SINGAPOREAN MASTERPLAN FOR IT IN
EDUCATION

OUR KEY DIMENSIONS:

 Curriculum and Assessment .
A balance between acquisition of factual knowledge
and mastery of concepts and skills .
Students in more active and independent learning .
 Assessments to measure abilities in applying
information, thinking and communicating
 LEARNING RESOURCES

Development of a wide range of educational software

for instruction
Use of relevant Internet resources for teaching-and-
learning
Convenient and timely procurement of software
materials
 Goals

 The goal of the “in 2015” Education and Learning plan is to

foster an engaging learning experience to meet the diverse
needs of learners in Singapore.  The plan aims to achieve
these outcomes:
Our people experience engaged learning and enriched lives,
and Singapore benefits from enhanced national capacity
Our educational institutions, with their pervasive and
innovative use of ICT, are magnets for global talent
 Our ICT industry is recognized for its innovative Education
and Learning products and services.
 3 strategies thrusts have been developed :

 Creating an enriching and personalized learner-

centric environment in educational institutions
Building a nation-wide Education and Learning
infrastructure 
Positioning Singapore as a center for innovation in
the use of ICT technologies for the Education and
Learning sector.
 The master plan has four key dimensions :

Curriculum and Assessment

• A balance between acquisition of factual knowledge
and mastery of concepts and skills. 
• Students in more active and independent learning.
•  Assessment to measure abilities in applying
information, thinking and communicating
 Learning resources teachers Development

Development of a wide  Training on purposeful

range of educational use of IT for teaching
software for instruction Equipping each trainee
Use of relevant Internet teacher with core skills
resources for teaching- and teaching with IT
and- learning Tie- ups with institutions
Convenient and timely of higher learning and
procurement of software industry partners
materials
 Physical and Technological Infrastructure

 Pupil computer ratio of 2:1

 Access to IT in all learning areas
in the school
School wide network and school
linkages through wide are network
 Hongkong

 The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

(SAR) government launched a five-year ICT strategy
in schools in late 1998.
 During the past decade there has been an
exponential growth in the use of information and
communication technology (ICT) which has made
pervasive impacts both on society and on our daily
lives.
 The IT Initiatives

On average, 40 computers for each primary school

and 82 computers for each secondary school.
 About 85, 000 IT training places for teachers at four
levels 
Technical support for all schools
An information Education Resource Center for all
schools and teachers
An IT coordinator for each of 250 schools should
have sound IT plans 
 Initiatives

 Computer rooms for use by students after normal

school hours
 An IT Pilot Scheme
 Review of school curriculum
 Development of appropriate software in
collaboration with government, private sector and
tertiary institutions and schools
 Exploring the feasibility of setting up an education-
specific Intranet
Basic concepts on integrating Technology in instruction

External manifestations of technology integration

Into instruction:
• There’s a change in the way classes are traditionally
conducted
• The quality of instruction is improve to higher level
• There is planning by the teacher on the process of
determining how and when technology fits into the
teaching-learning process
Basic concepts on integrating Technology in instruction

• The teacher sets instructional strategies to address

specific instructional issues/problems
• The use of technology provides the opening of
opportunities to respond to these issues/problems
• Technology occupies a position in the instructional
process