Welcome and introduction

Nation building and you - What is your role in terms of the country's technology and education priorities?

Governments and their education ministries across the globe have for some years now been reflecting on what role information and communication technologies (ICT) might play in the provision of national education. As you will see when working through these units, simply supplying technology will not enhance teaching, learning and school administration. In fact ICT, when not implemented thoughtfully, has proved an enormous waste of precious resources in some countries. To this end, many ministries are releasing policies that outline their vision and strategy to integrate technology into education. 

Some countries have developed and published policies that focus specifically on the relationship between ICT and education, sometimes called an ICT in Education policy, while others have amended existing policies, such as the education and/or technology policies, to provide directives on how ICT should be integrated into education. In all of these policies however, the role of the teacher, and what they do with technology, is key.

In this unit of study we will investigate what has emerged as global good practice in terms of ICT and education, as well as identify what your role is in this regard. As an introduction consider the video below that demonstrates how educators, ICT and development are linked to national priorities.

By the end of this unit, you should be able to use ICT to:

• Appreciate your significant role in national development
• Be aware of the potential benefits of ICT in teaching and learning
• Be aware of the potential benefits of ICT in class and school administration 
• Be aware of the potential benefits of ICT to your own continuing professional development
• Be able to identify specific ICT skills you wish to acquire using the UNESCO ICT competency framework for teachers (CFT).