46635 KNOWLEDGE MAP: CONTENT AND CURRICULUM ISSUES GUIDING QUESTIONS: What do we know about how ICTs can enhance access to and dissemination of educational content? What do we know about the relationships between ICT use, curricula and standardized testing? What do we know about language and content This Knowledge Map is an excerpt issues related to ICT use in education? from the publication, Knowledge CURRENT Maps: ICTs in Education: What Do KNOWLEDGEBASE We Know About the Effective Uses What we know, what we believe-- of Information and Communica- and what we don't tion Technologies in Education in Developing Countries? produced "Accessing information" is the main use of by the Information for Development ICTs in education Program (infoDev). "Access to information" is considered to be one of the most important benefits of the uses of ICTs in education. Accessing information-- not using ICTs for communication purposes--is the most common use of the Internet in schools beyond providing a tool for the development of basic computer literacy skills. Learning materials in electronic format are most useful when they are directly linked to the curricu- lum e absence of educational content directly linked to curricula is one of the key inhibiters of ICT use by teachers and learners. Creating digital/electronic content is difficult, and expensive Adapting and/or digitizing curricular content for access via ICTs is a lengthy and expensive process. is holds for digitized content accessible on PCs, and is especially true with regards to educational television and video production. Radio dissemination may offer cost savings. e large up-front costs related to the adaptation and/or digitization of curricular content for access via ICTs may make such initiatives attractive for donor aid. Simply importing educational content is to be avoided Where indigenous educational content expertise on the uses of ICTs does not exist, it is necessary to have international and local groups work together. Simply importing existing educational content and expertise from abroad is fraught with difficulties; total reliance on local companies and organizations is often not practical in the early stages. Content and Curriculum issues 41 Digital clearing houses and evergreen curricula are useful Establishing a clearing house or digital libraries of ready-to-use and customizable ICT-based resources promotes better use of ICTs in teaching and facilitates quick and easy access to resources for making lesson plans and for teaching. Evaluation of `imported' content for cultural relevance must not be neglected Guidelines, resources and mechanisms for evaluation of content are critical if such content is to be culturally relevant. Digitizing content has important equity implications Because of large up-front costs in digitizing content, minority language use may suffer when ICTs are introduced in education and minority language users are at risk of becoming further marginalized. Because of limitations in using minority languages to disseminate content via the Internet, radio may provide a more appropriate mechanism for disseminating content in minority languages. ICT use in testing requires new processes When ICTs are introduced into the testing and assessment processes and procedures, such processes and procedures need to be evaluated and possibly reconfigured. Public-private partnerships can be key Public-private partnerships are often crucial for the development of digital content. ICT use often promotes English language use ICT-enabled teaching and learning is often seen as an important vehicle for the development of English (and other linguas francas) language competencies by teachers and learners. is is especially true with science and mathematics instruction, which are delivered in English in many countries where English is not an indigenous or dominant local language. is raises important issues related to learner equity and access to education. Intellectual property issues are very real Intellectual property issues are of tremendous importance when developing digital content for use in education. Ownership of content developed is a key issue to consider. Licensing of content is often an option, but may contain hidden costs. Official guidelines and directives enhance use of ICT-enabled content Guidelines from the Ministry of Education relating to the integration of ICTs in and with the curricu- lum greatly facilitate the use of ICTs in schools. COMMENTS General At first glance, content issues related to ICT use in education might seem to some to be of minor importance. After all, access to the Internet (to cite one example) means access to an entire world of educational resources. Access to the Internet provides access to seemingly endless sets of educational resources--and indeed it does. However, experience shows that there is a dearth of educational resources in a format that makes them easily accessible and relevant to most teachers and learners in LDCs, especially as they relate to a given country's current curriculum. Experience tells us that, unless electronic educational resources are directly related to the curriculum, and to the assessment methods used to evaluate educational outcomes (especially standardized testing), lack of appropriate and relevant educational content is actually an important barrier to ICT use in schools. Applicability to LDC/EFA context e applicability of all content issues noted above to an LDC/EFA context is quite clear. e use of ICTs to create, disseminate and/or access educational content can have profound impacts on issues of equity and access to education. 42 Knowledge Maps: ICT in Education Some areas for further investigation and research What are the best practices for creating electronic/digital curricular content? What is the relationship between uses of ICTs, curricular issues and standardized testing? What special issues relate to the creation, dissemination and use of curricular content in indigenous languages? Some Recommended Resources to learn more .... Enhancing Learning Opportunities in Africa: Distance Education and Communication Technologies for Learning [Murphy 2002] ICTs in African Schools: Using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTS) in Education: Challenges for Curriculum Integration and Strategies for Success in African Schools [Ngu 2003] Interactive Radio Instruction: Twenty-three Years of Improving Educational Quality [Bosch 1997] Integrating ICTs into Education: Lessons Learned [UNESCO-Bangkok 2004] IT in Education Innovation for Development--Interfacing Global and Indigenous Knowledge [UNESCO- ACEID 2003] e Second Information Technology in Education Study: Module 2 (SITES: M2) Case Reports [ISTE 2003] Teacher Education through Distance Learning: Technology, Curriculum, Evaluation and Cost. Summary of Case Studies: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, India, Mongolia, Nigeria, South Africa (two studies), United Kingdom [UNESCO 2001] Schoolnet Toolkit [UNESCO-Bangkok 2004] About these Briefing Sheets: infoDev's Knowledge Maps on ICTs in education are intended to serve as quick snapshots of what the research literature reveals in a number of key areas. ey are not meant to be an exhaustive catalog of everything that is known (or has been debated) about the use of ICTs in education in a particular topic; rather, taken together they are an attempt to summarize and give shape to a very large body of knowledge and to highlight certain issues in a format quickly accessible to busy policymakers. e infoDev knowledge mapping exercise is meant to identify key general assertions and gaps in the knowledge base of what is known about the use of ICTs in education, especially as such knowledge may relate to the education-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Content and Curriculum issues 43 About infoDev infoDev is a partnership of international development agencies, coordinated and served by an expert Secretariat housed at the World Bank, one of its key donors and founders. It acts as a neutral convener of dialogue, and as a coordinator of joint action among bilateral and multilateral donors--supporting global sharing of information on ICT for development (ICT4D), and helping to reduce duplication of efforts and investments. infoDev also forms partnerships with public and private-sector organizations who are innovators in the field of ICT4D. For more information visit www.infoDev.org or send an email to info@infodev.org 70 Knowledge Maps: ICT in Education