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FACTS ABOUT FINLAND

FACTS ABOUT FINLAND. Total area: 338,000 sq km Population: 5.2 million Capital: Helsinki Languages: Finnish and Swedish Member of the European Union since 1995 3,800 primary schools, 480 upper secondary schools 887 public libraries 20 universities, 31 polytechnics

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FACTS ABOUT FINLAND

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  1. FACTS ABOUT FINLAND • Total area: 338,000 sq km • Population: 5.2 million • Capital: Helsinki • Languages: Finnish and Swedish • Member of the European Union since 1995 • 3,800 primary schools, 480 upper secondary schools • 887 public libraries • 20 universities, 31 polytechnics • R&D funding 3.6 % of GDP • Exports: 23 % high technology

  2. NATIONAL STRATEGY • Knowledge-based-society • Consistent, long-term policy • Broad commitment to common policy • Devolution of decision power and responsibilities • Change - Stability: Balance between reforms and continuity • Knowing strengths - Anticipating threats • Collaboration between education policy and other policies

  3. Problems • The changes in educational culture take place quite slowly • Lack of funding • Aging technology • Implementation of ICT in the national curriculum • The findings of the research are spreading to schools quite slowly

  4. Factors preventing the use of ICT • unequality of financial resources in municipalities • unequality in teachers’ knowledge and skills • lack of pedagogical support • lack of equipment and slow connection • teachers’ attitudes

  5. Information Society Programmesfor Education, Training and Research • 1995 - 1999 ; equipment and connectivity, also • teacher training started • 2000 - 2004: National Virtual School –project • started • 3. 2004 - 2006: aim; use of ICT in learning and in • teaching is part of everyday school life • http://www.minedu.fi/julkaisut/koulutus/2004/opm14/opm14.pdf

  6. ICT in education • National strategy 2004 - 2006 • Four segments: computers for schools, school network development, teacher in-service training, teaching methods development • The schools are assumed to write their own ICT strategy to be a part of their local curriculum • Finland has an advanced infrastructure in telecommunication • Students/computer ratio approximately 9 • All schools have access to the Internet • Most of the schools have a high speed network connection • National Virtual School • Efficient tool for creating equality

  7. Implementation of the strategy

  8. ICT as a tool • Internet is available in all schools • Contents in Finnish language are available in the Internet • Almost all the students have a personal email account • Videoconferencing is becoming popular

  9. Cross-curricular themes in basic education • Growth as a Person • Cultural Identity and Internationalism • Media Skills and Communication • Active Citizenship and Entrepreneurship • Responsibility for the Environment, Well-Being, and a Sustainable Future • Safety and Traffic • Technology and the Individual

  10. Quotations from the framework curriculum • “learning to hold a pen or pencil properly, use appropriate writing posture, coordinate hand and eye, and write on a computer ” • “are able to connect letters when writing by hand, and to produce original text on a computer” • “be able to produce their texts both by hand and with a computer program, and to take advantage of information technology and different media otherwise in their work, too” • ” critical study and investigation of visual communication in television, computer games, films, comic strips, and advertising ”

  11. Positive • Highly educated and committed teachers • Good infrastructure in telecommunication • Social problems are not insurmountable • Drop out rate is low

  12. Reasons for ICT in Education • Eqality • regional • boys and girls • life-long learning • different language groups • handicapped learners • skills development

  13. Features of the Virtual School • Means of creating equality • Full virtual learning is not the purpose • Requires skills and responsibility • Teacher has a role as a resource • Means of diversified and genuine interaction • Internet is an enormous resource

  14. Networks • Aimed to create an open and flexible learning environment • Permanent or ADSL connections • 100 % of all 6000 schools are connected to the Internet • School networks are being renewed regularly • Wireless connections are becoming popular

  15. Methods development projects • Aimed to develop and test own models of implementing ICT as an essential element of learning environment • About 100 pilot projects in various parts of the country • Selected on the basis of innovation and pedagogical value

  16. Infrastructure in basic education • one PC per 8 students, aim 4-5 students by 2007 • all schools connected to Internet; broadband 81%, ISDN 17% and modem 3 % aim -> 10 Mbps • co-funding; state 50-70%, the rest by the municipality

  17. In-service training for teachers • target group in basic education: about 60 000 teachers • basic skills in using ICT by municipalities (OPE.FI I) • pedagogic skills in using ICT by in-service training institutions (OPE.FI II) • special ICT skills - by in-service training institutions (OPE.FI III)

  18. Further information • Ministry of Education www.minedu.fi • Information Society Programme http://www.tietoyhteiskuntaohjelma.fi/en_GB/ • All about Finland’s information society http://e.Finland.fi • Statistics Finland www.stat.fi

  19. Results of the Virtual School Project in 2000-2004 2/2 • teaching and working methods in schools have changed: • in schools using ICT teaching and learning culture is more open and collaborative, professional networks of educational staff have started to work and student centered learning is used • support of the principal is essential • local curriculum has been planned in collaboration using ICT • individual teaching, tailoring of instruction, combined grades • web-based learning material and Internet have been used to support face-to-face teaching and distance education • ICT strategy of a school and a municipality is an importand tool to implement ICT; vision of the use, equipment, in service training, ICT team and its responsibilities, evaluation etc. • collaboration with school and home, also with outside experts • ability to assess if the use of ICT is necessary, not always

  20. Aims of the Virtual School –pilot project in basic education • to guarantee high quality and diverse basic education in all parts of the country – regional equality and networks • to improve teaching and learning (pedagogical) methods and teachers’ and students’ ICT skills • to develop the teaching and learning culture in schools • to develop innovations to organize education services; minority languages, special needs education • ICT integreted to the implementation of the curriculum

  21. Moore’s chasm 34% 34% 13.5% 16% 2.5% Laggards Innovators Early adaptors Early majority Late majority Percentages suggested by Everett M. Rogers (1995), Diffusion of Innovations. The Free Press: New York

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