Digital Literacy in the Education Sector

1. Digital Literacy in the Education Sector

2. Daniel Palmer • Regional Manager – Middle East & Africa • ECDL Foundation

3. ECDL Foundation– Overview & Background • A not-for-profit global governing body of the world’s leading computer skills certification programme • Members - computer societies in Europe • Established in January 1997 by CEPIS (Council of European Professional Informatics Societies)

4. Our Mission & Values

5. 146 Countries 36 Languages 6.5 Million People 22 Million Examinations 20,000 Centres

6. National development from technology • “ICT is the ‘enabling technology’ par excellence. It is responsible for around half of productivity growth in modern economies. It drives improved efficiency and better services and products across the entirety of the private and public sectors”. • (EU Commissioner Viviane Reding, 2005)

7. What enables IT adoption? • Continuous development creates opportunity • Hardware • Software • Connectivity • Content But IT systems are not independent - the “user” enables the technology

8. Interface between people and technology • IT creators focus on creating more accessible systems • We focus on “User skills” as the key interface

9. Effective communication • Person to person • Requires language, literacy and numeracy • Person to computer • Requires a new literacy – Digital Literacy

10. What is Digital Literacy? • “Digital Literacy involves the confident and critical use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for work, leisure and communication. Digital Literacy is underpinned by basic ICT skills: the use of computers to retrieve, assess, store, produce, present and exchange information, and to communicate and participate via the Internet.” [Demunter 2006].

11. Digital Literacy enables national development • National development is enabled by technology adoption • Technology adoption is enabled by Digital Literacy • Investment in technology must be matched by investment in Digital Literacy

12. Education sector role • Leadership – setting the agenda for development of national human resources • Influence – direct responsibility for capabilities of future generations • Delivery – starting point for investment in Digital Literacy development

13. Investing in Digital Literacy • Need for systematic approach • Define a set of skills and knowledge requirements • Provide training and certification

14. Why Certification? • Defines skill & knowledge requirements • Provides objective measure of learning • Offers external validation • Establishes consistent benchmark • Benefits to Candidates, Organisations and Society

15. Why ICDL? • Proven track record • Vendor neutral • Not-for-profit ethos • Endorsed by industry, govt and academia • Worldwide recognition • Quality assured

16. Why ICDL for Teachers? The Education Reform should start with Teachers. High quality, relevant, and efficient opportunities well matched to their needs as classroom practitioners Handle the Technology with confidence rather than only one step in front “or behind!” the students. Difference to their teaching and a fundamental difference to children’s learning. Technical and Pedagogical Confidences in ICT make a major contribution to Learning.

17. Productivity Studies • Cost of Ignorance Study, Italy: • 10% reduction in time spent carrying out computer tasks • 47% increase in competence from pre-training levels.  • Return-on-investment of €2,261 per person per year

18. Productivity Studies • NHS, National Health Service, UK • ICDL holders were saving approx. 38 minutes per day. • This equates to over 3 hours per week or 22 extra working days per year. • With 150,000 staff qualified the NHS has the potential to achieve 3.3 million extra working days through efficiency !

19. ICDL in Education • The ICDL programme has an unparalleled reputation within the education sector in countries around the world – an important validation of the academic rigour with which the programme was conceived and continues to be developed • The ICDL programme is recognised and supported by Ministries of Education and Higher Education in Italy, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Chile, Egypt, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Estonia, Poland, Norway, UAE, Kuwait, Romania, Jordan, Lithuania, Ireland and Great Britain amongst others, for Ministry staff, teaching professionals, teaching support staff and for students themselves. • In UAE, Egypt, Jordan and Italy it is mandatory for all teachers to complete the ICDL before they can be considered fully qualified as teachers • In Great Britain and the United States of America the ICDL is mapped into the national qualifications frameworks of those countries (called NQF and ISTI respectively) allowing universities and colleges the opportunity to offer academic credits for students who have completed the course or who gain the qualification whilst at university

20. Italian Education System • Ministries of Labour / Education and the Headmasters Organization of Italian Universities have signed an agreement for the universal recognition of ICDL. • The agreement entails the implementation of ICDL in all schools (2600 secondary schools). • 572,000 young people under 18 receive compensation for the purchase of PC, provided they acquire ICDL.

21. UAE Education System • Ministry of Education has made ICDL certification mandatory for all • Year 10 Pupils • Teachers • Principals • As the central part of a drive to improve digital literacy amongst public sector employees • Supported by several decrees from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum

22. Algerian Education System - Context • MEN (Ministère de l’Education Nationale) has ambitious plans to integrate modern Information and Communication Technologies into the infrastructure and working practices of schools, and across the entire education sector • An important part of this investment will be the provision of training in order to ensure that MEN employees have the capabilities to make the most of the new technology • CNIIPDTICE will co-ordinate this activity and proposes to put in place a national programme of education and development in partnership with the international standard of ICDL

23. Algerian Education System - Requirements • 60,000 teachers plus 2,500 other staff • Duration • Preparation (7 months) • Deployment (7 months) • 340,000 further teachers and assistants can be processed by the same system once established

24. Algerian Education System - Infrastructure • Training – 1500 training centres accredited to ICDL standards utilising school computer rooms • Certification – 200 centres accredited to ICDL standards and supplied with approved Automated Testing Software for examinations • Organisation & Project Management – central project oversight, systems, support and transfer of skills provided by ECDL Foundation and its Licensee network, including UNESCO Office in Cairo • Training and examinations available in Arabic and French

25. Exam Invigilators Help desk Administration Office Certification Office ATES ELiSS Approved E-learningContent 200 Test Centres 1500 Training Centres

26. Benefits For Teachers Increase computer skills and gain a Recognized Qualification Maintain a Continuing Professional Development Maintain Professional Status with students and colleagues Improve classroom practice Progress in the depth and complexity of abstract thinking.

27. Benefits For Teachers Be ready for the changes in their professional practice. Create Lessons Plan using a Word Processing. Search the Internet for lessons resources. Use a spreadsheet to demonstrate mathematical procedures and processes in the classroom. Use Graphs and Charts to visually show students facts and figures clearly and concisely

28. Benefits For Teachers Add fun to a classroom while increasing the concentration level of the class using presentations Access the Internet to provide themselves and the students with a vast source of information in all subjects. Use the databases to access extensive reporting facilities, synchronize and communicate schedules, and collate detailed students information. Reduce workloads and raise students’ achievements levels by making better use of ICT in the classroom

29. Thank You