Vision Paper - ICT in Education

Departing from their key task, the Flemish education authorities focused their ICT policy on three goals: providing infrastructure, delivering training and supporting schools via projects and awareness-raising initiatives. The outcome of these actions is that most schools largely fulfil the prerequisites of a full- fledged integration of ICT in schools. This vision paper wants to mark a new era. The authorities want to help schools convert into open learning centres and multimedia learning environments.

This vision paper starts from a new vision of learning and fits in with a broader innovative educational policy. The introduction of ICT is not an aim in itself. The principal aim is to provide high quality education for everyone. ICT can make a contribution to this.

This vision paper highlights the educational context of ICT use. Other initiatives and policy strands, such as introducing ICT in administration or e-government, are left out of consideration.

The vision paper is composed of eight parts. The current situation and social trends are described in part 1. Consecutively, the evolution of learning and teaching is dwelt on part 2. In Part 3, the meaning of the ICT concept and its various components are elucidated. Part 4 tackles the learning and teaching aspect and explains what the concept multimedia learning environment is about. Part 5 deals with the impact of the new way of learning on the school organisation. Part 6 summarises the lines of force of the policy. Finally, parts 7 and 8 translate the policy vision in respectively strategic and operational objectives.

The recent afflux of information makes lifelong learning absolutely necessary for everyone who wants to stay updated. In addition, it nurtures the need for systems capable of storing and handling this information. Recent research into the educational demands of Flemish adults pointed out that the ever progressing technological innovation is the main trend that will reinforce these demands in future.

The increasing impact of information and communications technology (ICT) fits in with the broader evolution towards a knowledge-based society. Professional environments are already largely geared to ICT. Being able to handle e-mail, text processing and databases is self-evident in the professional world. Experts and technicians are increasingly using artificial intelligence systems in order to make diagnoses and solve problems.

ICT also offers many perspectives for the participation in a democratic society and the services provision to the citizen by the government. Electronic voting has already been introduced, e-mail is used more and more to respond to policy options. E-government or electronic public services (the virtual desk) are fully expanding. A lot of young people make daily use of advanced technologies, all citizens are increasingly confronted with these technologies.

This technological evolution has not yet come to a close. The convergence of personal computers, television, telephone and mobile phones proceeds with great strides. Personal, portable ICT (the mobile Internet, palm tops, PDA and the like) and other applications (e.g. home automation; GPS or positioning systems) are becoming more and more sophisticated. Their potentialities gain social significance. The explosive growth of cell phone use is evident, but also e-learning and telecommuting are penetrating into a large range of social sectors.

The labour market insists very strongly to fully integrate ICT in education. Flexibility, economic advantages and the threat that education would fail to get on the digital highway are arguments that are often used to invest maximally in ICT. Pupils must learn as quickly and as efficiently as possible to use a computer. The Flemish Economic Association (VEV) stresses the importance and the necessity of ICT-literacy and in addition underlines the ever growing need for highly qualified ICT personnel. Moreover, the VEV advocates self-regulated learning through the use of multimedia so as to enable education to play its role in the knowledge society.

Also on the international forum, attention is increasingly devoted to ICT and education. The European Commission described an Action Plan in its eEurope paper to connect all European citizens to the world wide information highway. During the Lisbon summit (March 2000) this report was endorsed by all Member States. But the Flemish Government already committed itself earlier on to concretise these eEurope objectives.

All these trends should not tempt us to put the optimisation of education on a par with the use of technology. The central question should be: How can we better attain our learning objectives or improve the learning process through the use of technology?

Parallel with the developments in society, the different visions of learning developed. The government by no means wants to use this vision paper to put forward one single vision. A large number of emerging educational visions are underpinned by the idea that learning is a social process by which knowledge is construed instead of acquired passively. Learning becomes a social and interactive process. It is substantiated in interaction with other "actors" of the learning environment such as teachers, fellow pupils and different learning resources.

In this framework, high quality teaching is tantamount to launching, guiding and supporting the active learning process of every pupil. This asks for an intensive and phased guidance.

When actively acquiring knowledge and skills, interaction and collaboration with fellow pupils play an important part. Collaborative learning as a way of teaching is increasingly applied. Pupils can learn from others, by copying and imitating others in socialisation processes,… In this way they get the opportunity to see their own ideas and experiences in a different light and take alternatives into account. The value of this method corresponds with the capability of the pupil to continually adapt his already acquired knowledge and skills by confronting them with interpretations of other group members.

Apart from the learner him/herself and the "mediators" (teachers, fellow pupils, parents, …), learning resources are a third category of components of a learning environment. Moreover, learning contents are growing exponentially. As a consequence, knowledge acquisition becomes more complex. In order to convert all this information into knowledge, pupils should have the necessary reference frameworks at their disposal. In addition to education, other social networks such as the family and peers help pupils convert information into valuable and relevant knowledge.

The range of tools and learning materials is also gradually expanding. The blackboard and the textbook were the teaching aids par excellence for decades, but now the variety of resources has been enlarged considerably. This diversity offers the teacher additional opportunities to guide each pupil during his active learning process, support him sufficiently and respond to the individual differences. Anyway, not only teachers but also a large number of pupils have several tools and teaching aids at their disposal.

As stated before, the didactical triangle can no longer be used as the visual presentation of a teaching- learning situation. In the present vision of learning not only the number of components (actors and resources) has increased but also the nature of the relations between these components has grown more complex. A possible visual presentation of this new and complex reality is the learning polymorph.

Before outlining the functions of ICT as an educational technology, its features are summed up briefly.

IT is a technology which gives the user direct access to a wide range of diverse information types. In contrast with the more traditional educational media, IT integrates various media and has a non linear character. Apart from static information, also sound and moving images are available. IT combines text, image and sound, makes it possible to present things three-dimensionally and to highlight one and the same idea from these three angles. We can look repeatedly at this information from the different data carriers.

IT differs from other information resources, like books for instance, with regard to structure. We can discover and run through the information in many different ways. The structure depends on the relationships or links between the information parts. The way we go through the information is not fixed beforehand and as a consequence we can approach it from various angles.

Generally, we distinguish two types of information systems that are used in education: unstructured systems like the Internet and structured systems like CD-ROMs. The Internet is a clear example of a very open system that is characterised by the absence of any steering. This is applicable to the processing as well as the definition of learning objectives.

ICT enables you to exchange messages in very different ways. Communications between people do not necessarily happen at the same time and place. Telecommunications are both swift and asynchronous. The recent developments ensure communication between schools and across national borders. The current technology already creates opportunities to talk in other ways than face-to-face. In addition, networking has been introduced: we can exchange different data between several people at the same time.

Just as we have access to information independent of place and time thanks to IT, communications technology ensures that we can communicate about this information at any place and at any time – and what's more with everyone. E –mail, discussion forums, chat boxes, web pages and videoconferencing: the different applications and carriers give an extra dimension to this interaction.

Nevertheless, this form of communication also has a number of disadvantages, such as the verbal and non verbal aspect of communication that disappears. Telematics developments such as videoconferences do not have these disadvantages. Besides, critics denounce the slipshod language that is used in some forms of communication.

Learning about ICT, learning with the assistance of ICT and learning by means of ICT are three ways of educational ICT use. Learning about ICT is an essential precondition to learn with the assistance or by means of ICT, but is a component of them at the same time . Although the three functions are dealt with independently here, they will always occur in an integrated way in practice. The sequence of the functions mentioned here cannot be viewed linearly as "ICT is a building block of a powerful learning environment" that marks the end of an evolution starting with "learning about ICT".

Moreover, ICT is one learning resource amongst many others. Therefore, the ICT option must be based on the added value it creates in the learning-teaching situation.

ICT is a source of information, a means of communication and an infrastructure that pupils have to learn to use efficiently. To this end, they have to acquire the necessary basic knowledge and in particular be able to apply it.

Concretely, a number of basic technical and instrumental skills to use the computer, a number of necessary skills to use the basic software and to familiarise with ICT are tackled here…

ICT skills can best be acquired cross-curricularly and be integrated in a variety of subjects. Learning contents inherent in the curriculum of specific courses – like learning how to programme – are NOT part of these basic skills. It is obvious that teachers have an important task. Evidently they have to master these basic skills before they can teach them to the pupils.

No matter who (the pupils or the teachers) has to learn(teach) these basic skills, this process needs embedding in a wide range of context-rich learning situations. An illustration here is learning how to use e-mail. Sending electronic post is not part of a specific subject matter or area of learning, but is instructed in the context of communicating, for example with someone speaking another language within language teaching. As the evolution of ICT is a continuous process, learning about it will remain a permanent task within education.

Being able to use this new technology does not only imply that you have to master the technological knowledge and skills, but also that you have general knowledge: knowledge, skills and attitudes to deal with information, to evaluate it and to process it into knowledge. Having access to a wealth of information through ICT does not mean that one automatically masters this "knowledge". One has to have a number of skills to manage, organise and use this supply of information. Someone who does not have these skills, is overwhelmed by this flood of information that is characterised by its inconsistency. Everyone who wants to "learn" something needs "meta-knowledge": this means the knowledge and skills to deal with knowledge. It is a kind of general knowledge that functions as a compass helping the individual to find his way through the flood of information. This general knowledge not only comprises the skills to process the information but also necessitates communicative and social skills to distribute and transfer knowledge.

Pupils need assistance when seeking, selecting, processing and evaluating information. Of course, there are various systems that can offer some "navigation help". But they do not suffice. The ability to process information into knowledge requires more than navigation beacons. Education has more than ever the task to develop a critical power among pupils so that they can choose autonomously from the variety of information and decide which data have to be processed into "knowledge".

Education shall have to continuously pay attention to boosting a critical attitude, a debate culture and social skills and participation. In order to prevent that ICT widens the gap between high qualified people and low qualified people, it is of importance that education instructs general basic education as well as the necessary ICT literacy to youngsters.

ICT can take over several tasks of the pupil and/or the teacher. The computer takes over routine tasks and simplifies the attainment of a number of learning and teaching objectives.

Also this use of ICT is integrated in several subject matters, as some kind of tool assisting the learning process. ICT can be used for assignments, the assembling, selecting and processing of information and documentation, communicating with information resources, fellow students and teachers, executing research, recording, dealing with and processing data and diagnosing, making (graphic) presentations, …

Hardware and software carry out chemical and physical measurements and translate them into clear-cut tables and charts, do algebraic and geometric operations and transformations, … For linguistic culture, history, geography and other social subject matters, databases can easily be kept up to date via Internet connections and combined with all types of representation such as texts, computer programmes, stationary/moving images and sound.

ICT can be a helpful means to execute tasks more quickly and more efficiently and, in this way, (in)directly interferes with learning itself. In the mean time, this interference has become the central starting point for a large number of applications.

As soon as ICT partly takes over the role of disseminator of (metacognitive) knowledge and skills, we speak of ICT-based learning. This means activities executed by the teachers and pupils themselves until now, with the aid of textbooks, handbooks and tests. The computer contributes to the social interactive learning process, that provides ready knowledge or transforms information clusters into significant knowledge. ICT is used here in direct relation to concrete learning contents. There are three important dimensions of multimedia use: ICT as instructor, assessor and supervisor.

Well known examples are the many application programmes and types of computer-based education by which the computer makes the pupils exercise specific learning contents on the basis of concrete instructions. Also a number of pedagogical computer games (so-called infotainment) have this function.

Automated assessment systems offer teachers a number of advantages when drawing up, administering and assessing tests and examinations as well as processing them in clear tendencies and visual presentations. They save time and lead to quality improvement. These automated assessment systems are also designed to give the pupils the advantage to use them for self-assessment in each stage of the learning process. In this way they get a better understanding of the quality of their study approach and are better prepared to the actual final assessment. Besides giving assistance in course writing (or independent learning packages) by integrating the course content, this type of software also delineates pathways to absorb the learning content at one's own pace. They contain a lot of possibilities to help the pupil control his own learning process at his own speed, according to his own capacities.

You can speak of an intelligent tutoring system if it tries to take over the role of the individual coach. Such a programme indicates how you can deal with different learning contents and study them. It is interactive as it responds to the pupil's attitude and to the level of knowledge and mastery this attitude reveals. Just like a good teacher this system holds three types of knowledge: about the learning contents, about the pupil who uses the system and about the best strategy to support the pupil during his learning process.

By means of an electronic learning environment the pupil is able to experiment step by step and to correct his errors immediately. Communicative and negotiation skills can be practised virtually but in a sufficiently realistic way or within a real business environment.

Using ICT as an educational resource allows teachers to differentiate as regards learning content and assistance in the learning process. This leads to experiences of success among pupils and helps pupils who are tired of learning to enhance their motivation to learn. These extra possibilities are not an automatic consequence of the decision to introduce ICT as an educational resource in a teaching/learning environment.

There are a number of reflections that could play a crucial role in the social interaction that is necessary in the learning process.

Some people think that ICT and the Internet in particular are not yet able to meet the high expectations. Indeed, some sources emphasise that there is little proof of effective learning gains as a result of learning through multimedia.

The same sources argue that ICT integration as regards support (the provision of infrastructure and training) is ahead of its educational aspects: the teaching methods and use of ICT. Compared to the many policy plans and the focus on infrastructure, relatively little attention is paid to pedagogical research and development. The indicators designed in the framework of the European eEurope policy plan "designing tomorrow's education" are typical of this trend. Almost all of them relate to infrastructure (the much talked- of pupil/computer ratios) and training. From this point of view, the criticism that didactics monitoring an efficient ICT integration are lacking, should be taken seriously.

This does not necessarily mean that investments in infrastructure are superfluous. Indeed, it is evident from the preceding that a successful integration of ICT necessitates simultaneous measures in many fields. Developing teaching methods, building a modern infrastructure; promoting adapted educational resources and fostering a permanent professional development are all part of that process, and a single aspect cannot be tackled without paying attention to another. However it should be clear to everyone that different actors are responsible for these different partial aspects. Each of the actors should be prepared to take this responsibility seriously.

Other critics lay emphasis on the possible physical and psychological dangers of frequent computer use or of a premature introduction of it in education. We should also take these criticism seriously. An adapted infrastructure, a well-balanced computer use and a correct ICT use are issues on which the awareness- raising actions should focus.

Finally, there is the critique that questions the added value of ICT – apart from learning. Until now, digital exchanges and participation in Internet forums did not stimulate social participation or reinforce social cohesion. Virtual communities appear to be rather poor reflections of social networks. These remarks are very true but should be confronted with the many and new possibilities of e-government and e-learning.

The different characteristics of ICT and the ways in which it can be used may prove to be an added value for learning and teaching. Indeed, ICT can boost the creation of an optimal teaching/learning environment, containing all components of the learning polymorph.

In the most far-reaching implementation of a multimedia teaching/learning environment, all above- mentioned educational potentialities of ICT are integrated. In such a powerful learning environment the pupil can choose between various (combinations of) media to carry out his learning tasks. There are written and oral texts, still and moving images and sounds. Moreover, this environment has the advantage that it is interactive and fosters communication with people from all over the world. Electronic learning environments have an extra added value as they enable teachers to exchange lesson preparations, course programmes and educational resources in a swift and efficient manner.

Furthermore, the initial knowledge as well as the expertise and the final skills of the learner can be checked with the aid of databases. On the basis of measurements the learning method and educational attitude of the learner can be discovered and then be translated in study hints and counselling.

In this model, the learner is monitored to a high extent by programmes and materials (external monitoring), but also continuously makes choices himself (self-monitoring). He does not only base himself on the concrete situation but also on his experience with the assignments he has carried out until then. He can immediately obtain a definite answer because the online instructor follows and registers his movements and in addition gives him the opportunity or even instructs him to assess his progress.

This teaching/learning environment model offers a wide range of possibilities to achieve the right balance between the independent search experiments of the learner and a sufficiently systematic guidance, taking the individual differences between pupils into account.

It is evident that when describing this model it should be stressed that programmes and resources will never fully take over the necessary support and external monitoring of the learning process of the pupils. The teachers and peers still are important actors in the guidance and support of the learning process of each pupil, as learning will always be a social and interactive experience. During the learning process basic skills play a crucial role, as they stimulate explicit formulation of and reflection on opinions, strategies, lines of thinking and solutions.

Undoubtedly, less far-reaching variations of the above-mentioned multimedia teaching/learning environment will emerge in the long run. These variations must allow the creation of an appropriate and, what is more, a powerful environment which does justice to the needs and capabilities of the pupils and provides for the necessary support and guidance by teachers and peers. A justified introduction of ICT should be directed at a maximum use of the possibilities and, simultaneously, at the prevention of a vision of education that is too technological.

The new vision of learning and the developments and innovations mentioned cannot be dissociated from the educational organisation as a whole and the school organisation in particular. In the ICT policy as it has been conducted so far, a single aspect ,i.e. technology, was emphasised too much. If the introduction of ICT is to be successful and has to play a role in the broad educational innovation, other conditions have to be fulfilled: investing in ICT means also investing in a learning environment and especially in people.

Learning processes at school are determined by the interaction of two aspects. On the one hand, the instructional aspects: the educational philosophy and its translation into didactical concepts. On the other hand, organisational aspects: the staff, operating budget, infrastructure and school policy in this field. It is evident that the school must have a sound vision of staff policy, staff development and the use of the operating budget in order to play its role in society. Extension of the special needs provision, internationalisation, pupil and parent participation, ICT-integration are among the general aspects of school policy.

Educational aspects were looked into earlier on, this chapter deals with organisational aspects. Nevertheless, we keep in mind that school policy implies an interaction between both. In order to respond to the new visions of learning and to benefit from the opportunities provided, schools will gradually evolve into a model with at its core the different aspects of the multimedia learning environment. As a consequence they will have to continuously check their limitations and introduce innovations, i.e. the developments of ICT as part of the organisation itself. Schools must permanently reflect on their raison d'être and introduce flexibility in their organisational structure. We examine the implications for the school policy in the field of infrastructure and staff policy.

In a continuously changing society in which lifelong learning is a key principle, schools must be prepared to take on an educational assignment after school hours. Schools will evolve into open learning centres. Making (expensive) ICT-infrastructure available to the local community will be one of their tasks. Besides, schools will also check the possibilities to make a more goal-oriented use of infrastructure through electronic learning environments.

Developing towards instruction in a multimedia learning environment and open learning centres requires important financial and logistic efforts. A lot of progress has been made in this field. Via the PC/KD project primary and secondary schools have already modern basic infrastructure at their disposal.

However, ICT-integration should be carried through at all educational levels. Teachers also need sound ICT-equipment for drawing up learning contents and preparing courses. As not all pupils have a computer at home, the school should provide for a solid infrastructure which can be used by every pupil, student or learner outside school hours.

Apart from infrastructure also high quality learning contents are necessary. We expect that the provision of digital learning resources and electronic learning environments will increase sharply. New portal sites give structure to the existing provision of Web educational resources and deliver quality labels. Many educational resources and tools originate from the industrial world and are not fully adapted to the school environment. Private training providers and publishers recognise this little by little and now a specific, high quality and adapted market for education technology is growing.

The description of the multimedia learning environment teaches us that we should reflect on the role of the teacher as well as on the new possibilities of a flexible and differentiated guidance. Staff policy shall have to take alternative job descriptions into account. It is evident that schools that want to realise a full- fledged ICT-integration, need a "change agent": someone who has the educational knowledge to guide and motivate colleagues and management teams in the process of ICT-integration. He or she has in the first place a vision and organisational talent, draws up an ICT policy plan and a phased plan to carry through innovation and gives advice on the different aspects.

Moreover, schools need a purely technical support. The network technology and the management of it are becoming so complex that they require the calling in of experts. The role of IT co-ordinators and the wish to integrate their job in the organisational diagram was discussed in great detail at the ICT-Forum of December 2000. This problem should be solved in the short run.

Although some steps have been undertaken, not every teaching team has enough initial skills to use ICT. Internal professional development in schools and among subject teachers is indeed an important task. In recent years authorities, in-service training providers and a lot of external bodies already shaped a whole range of preconditions and in-service training packages. Nevertheless, permanent attention should be paid to this. As an increasing number of schools become multimedia learning environments, the basic requirements for educational ICT-usage expand. This evolution linked to an innovative cycle of two to three years within the IT-market, calls for a continuous effort with regard to retraining and in-service training programmes: at technical, equipmental and software level as well as at content level. We expect the schools to conduct an efficient policy with regard to professional development.

Apart from in-service training of teachers, initial teacher training should follow suit. The assessment report on teacher training (2001) is very transparent as regards ICT-integration. The assessment steering group concluded that ICT is almost absent in teacher training. The steering group holds the view that the (future) teacher does not only have to master ICT himself but also has to learn to effectively use ICT in his/her further career.

The incentive policy conducted so far made it possible for all primary and secondary schools to acquire modern basic ICT resources, it also disseminated a number of good practices, launched awareness- raising actions and created an in-service training provision for teachers. These initiatives put education on the road to the information highway, but additional efforts will still have to be made. In parts 7 and 8 we define the goals of ICT-policy in education for the coming years. First we set the general principles of ICT- policy.

ICT creates opportunities for the innovation of instruction in education. The described new didactical concepts – with or without ICT-support – have indeed an in-depth influence on the learning organisation. This learning organisation will evolve in the course of time from schools into open learning centres and multimedia learning environments. ICT must be viewed as a means that supports teaching aspects such as extension of the special needs provision, participation, internationalisation, lifelong learning and intercultural education. Therefore, in future, ICT will be purposefully integrated in these innovations.

Being able to use ICT as a technology and all its information and communication possibilities, is a skill all young people should master when graduating. Also adults should be able to acquire this skill. The ultimate goal is integrating ICT in all subjects and all educational levels. This aim should best be achieved by making children use ICT from an early age (from nursery school). ICT-literacy will not be taught as a subject in its own right.

However, we should make sure that pupils and learners acquire the necessary skills to smoothly apply the various possibilities. So using ICT cannot only be considered a means but also a target.

The educational added value of ICT will only pay off if it is combined with other teaching resources. Of course our aim is not a class without a teacher. Teachers must be able to guide youngsters in such a way that they develop reference frameworks for themselves which help them sort out information and process it into useful knowledge. Young people should have a critical attitude towards computers. Interpersonal communication and collaboration in face-to-face relations remain essential in the learning process.

The integration of ICT starts with the schools and the teachers. It is of importance to put beginning ICT- users on their way and give enthusiastic teachers extra support. The teacher becomes the mentor and stands in the centre of the classroom instead of in front of the classroom. In the medium term schools will look different organisationally and architecturally. The introduction of ICT has an important influence on the entire education structure. That is why the collaboration and commitment of schools and teachers are essential to concretise the renewal.

Government provides the necessary basic infrastructure; formulates pedagogical targets (attainment targets and educational objectives) and verifies if the schools attain these effectively ; supports schools through good practice examples, research, development of training profiles, in-service training and pilot projects. The schools are expected to make use of their autonomy to develop a policy plan in view of a high quality educational provision. This policy plan contains: the state of development (where are we?), a vision (what are we aiming at?) and an action plan (how are we to make this happen?). Teachers are expected to give proof of openness and willingness towards using ICT and to introduce the new media in their educational work. The professional world can support education by sharing infrastructure and providing training to use it. Of course, optimising the participation of all citizens in the knowledge society is not the task of education alone. In the field of adult education scale effects and job requirements will be created in collaboration with other education providers. By means of pupil-oriented pedagogical methods within powerful learning environments we develop learning processes which foster enthusiasm and pleasure in learning. Therefore, co-operation with culture and youth work policy makers should be aimed at. One of the main actors is teacher training. The poor integration of ICT in teacher training is a restraining factor to educational ICT use. Together with teacher trainers it will be examined how a wider take up can be achieved as soon as possible.

In spite of the technological changes in the business world and society, ICT is being introduced at a slow pace in education. In this field Flanders scores average in Europe. A lot of changes are still needed if Flanders wants to consolidate its position as a prosperous region in the European knowledge society.

The intention is also that pupils learn to use ICT in the context of their learning process. Therefore the computer and other multimedia must get their place in the classroom in addition to the traditional educational resources.

Integrating education in the knowledge society means of course that teachers acquire the necessary knowledge and skills as well as the attitudes to integrate multimedia in their subject matter. Teachers should effectively use ICT in their daily practice. We must encourage and support schools in their efforts to elaborate their own ICT-policy.

On the one hand, ICT is the means par excellence to support the lifelong and lifewide process of knowledge acquisition. On the other hand, the evolution of knowledge intensifies the need for permanent training and in-service training. After initial education people will constantly have to update or even retrain. In order to make this possible we have to provide a flexible range of training programmes and courses. This supposes that the different education and training providers reach an understanding and develop an integrated provision.

A flexible education system that ensures lifelong learning also offers opportunities to youngsters who, for various reasons, drop out before completing primary or secondary school or cannot move on to higher education. ICT is a non-formal learning pathway which will become increasingly relevant where lifelong learning is concerned. That is why this pathway should get the necessary attention in the policy focussing on the recognition of the equivalence of competencies acquired elsewhere.

The continual innovations of the technological environment require that people constantly actualise their skills and attitudes. The access to high-quality information sources – often on electronic carriers – is paramount for a full-fledged participation in the knowledge society.

ICT can still widen the growing divide in society between high-qualified and low-qualified people. In the knowledge society ICT will not only open up access to knowledge and information but also to social participation. Flemish research revealed that 80% of all youngsters in compulsory education have a computer at home. For young people who have no access to ICT, education can create opportunities. As all youngsters move through compulsory education, it is the place par excellence to combat inequality and narrow the digital gap.

ICT is fully integrated in the professional world and in daily life. Consequently, every citizen has to master basic ICT skills and to learn how to deal with the new media. Education should maximise young people's opportunities to develop in the knowledge society. They should be taught in an effective and agreeable way to use the new media.

By bringing each pupil into contact with ICT through the attainment targets set, education provides equal basic education to all pupils regardless of their backgrounds. Moreover ICT offers the opportunity to tailor the learning processes to the initial situation and the learning pace of the pupils.

Education and the professional world share the responsibility for preparing young people to the labour market and for providing the necessary in-service training and retraining in the framework of lifelong learning. Basic ICT skills are a precondition for finding a job on the present job market. The ICT target is part of job-oriented basic skills.

However we should mention in this context the shortage of highly qualified information technology professionals which over time can hamper the knowledge society.

Infrastructure is an important but insufficient condition to integrate ICT in education. This integration succeeds or fails according to the willingness and efforts of the schools and the teachers to use ICT. Innovative literature already repeatedly stressed the fact that large-scale innovations have to fulfil a number of conditions in order to be successful.

Form and content of the innovation must be determined in interaction with the users in the concrete context. It is important that the users experience a sense of ownership with regard to the innovations. The authorities cannot impose the ICT policy on schools from top down. Schools have to set their own priorities on the basis of their educational philosophy and see to their implementation. The authorities have to give sufficient support in this matter.

Teachers play a key role in the integration of education in the knowledge society. They are expected to be open to use ICT in a meaningful way in their teaching. The development and implementation of an adapted teaching method is paramount if the integration is to be successful. Teachers must have the adequate infrastructure, master the skills and benefit from the necessary support to assume this new role. In order to attain this operational target, maximum attention should be paid to teacher training.

Moreover this is one of the objectives of the Lisbon Summit, to which the Flemish Government committed itself: by the end of 2002 all teachers must have individual access to and be skilled in the use of the Internet and multimedia resources.

Equal opportunities ask for an adequate infrastructure to which each pupil, student and learner has access. We must carry through the integration of ICT in all educational levels: even in nursery school, adult education and part-time education in the arts. Teachers also have a personal need for performing ICT equipment for the design of learning contents and the preparation of their lessons.

The Flemish community committed itself to the following e-Europe objectives in this field: all schools must have access to the Internet and multimedia resources by the end of 2001 ; all teachers and pupils must have access by then to all supportive services, among which internet-based information sources and educational resources; by 2002 all young people, even in less-favoured regions, must have access to the Internet and multimedia resources via public centres.

ICT fits in with a broad educational reform. The ICT support for the extension of the special needs provision, participation, lifelong learning and intercultural education can create a significant added value for these policy reforms.

ICT literacy must be instructed as a basic skill (tool) within the framework of the teaching strategy aiming at learning to learn or self-monitored learning. Therefore ICT should be fully introduced in the developmental objectives, attainment targets and minimum competencies. A screening of the developmental objectives and attainment targets in primary education and the first stage of secondary education as well as of the minimum competencies of teacher training reveals that the ICT elements are only present to a limited degree. This is due to the stage of development. In the attainment targets of the second and third stages of secondary education the present evolution of ICT is already taken into account. It is evident that when further designing the development objectives, attainment targets and minimum competencies the new general and socially accepted ICT developments will be incorporated.

ICT brings the collaboration between adult education centres, VDAB (Flemish Employment and Training Agency) and VIZO (Flemish Institute for the Self-Employed) to the fore, but also underlines the position of formal education in the whole of education providers.

In the framework of lifelong and lifewide learning we want to give more citizens the opportunity to acquire basic ICT skills or familiarise with the new media. Therefore the education institutions should be converted into open learning centres. They can make their ICT infrastructure available or even go one step further and create and use electronic learning environments. Modern ways of certification and qualification should be elaborated and efforts should be made to establish standards for recognising the equivalence of competencies acquired elsewhere.

In Flanders, a quality control system was opted for in which developmental objectives, attainment targets and minimum competencies play a substantial part. When ICT elements will be increasingly integrated in the developmental objectives, attainment targets and minimum competencies, quality control will stimulate the implementation of ICT in education.

The eEurope objectives of the Lisbon Summit stipulate that by the end of 2003 all school-leavers must have the possibility to be digitally literate. Qualification and certification of competencies acquired via various learning pathways and in diverging contexts also form part of quality control.

In the knowledge society gradually emerges a new paradigm about learning and teaching: the learning polymorph, with at its core the active learning process of every learner. This implies the setting up of powerful learning environments that are able to strike a balance between the self-monitoring of learners on the one hand and the range of assisting actors (the teacher, peers, the teaching team) and the processes (ranging from strictly controlled to total self-monitoring) on the other hand. Schools are able and have to grow as an organisation on the impetus of ICT and the new learning. They evolve towards multimedia, open learning centres. Teachers play a key role in schools. Within this learning environment ICT is one of educational resources – as a tool and as a target - but it can support learners, teachers and peers in the social and interactive process which is learning.

The educational authorities do not have to take up the challenges of the knowledge society alone: schools, teachers, the professional world, other education providers and other authorities are evident partners to ensure high quality education for all. This last aspect is indeed the ultimate goal of the ICT policy.

The government policy aims at six key objectives: awareness-raising of the education sector ; supporting teachers ; providing the necessary basic infrastructure ; introducing ICT literacy in the attainment targets and developmental objectives ; stimulating schools to become open learning centres ; ensuring that the (minimum) quality standards are respected. This means a complete break with the policy of the past five years. Although permanent efforts to fulfil the preconditions (infrastructure, training, digital contents) have to be made, attention is shifting towards the learning environment itself. It is our firm conviction that only in this way a successful and valuable integration of ICT can be carried through.

The PC/KD action programme that funds hardware and software and in-service training ensures that Flemish primary and secondary schools have a modern basic equipment. The PC/KD target is a ratio of 1 computer per 10 pupils by the end of 2002 in secondary education and in the three upper forms of primary education ; the same ratio by the end of 2003 in nursery education and the first three years of primary education. The 1997 federal Telecom Act ensures that schools can get connected to the Internet via ISDN technology at a fixed price. Via the Belgacom I-line and a similar Telenet project more than half of all Flemish schools have a fast and cheap access to the Internet. A collaborative project between the Education Department, the VEV (Flemish Economic Association) and ECO-PC company disseminated second-hand computers in education. Schools that have a wish to take part in videoconferencing with foreign partners can obtain a grant. They can also attend a training and use the infrastructure at Landcommanderij Alden Biesen.

A variety of projects have been created in order to help schools introduce ICT. A phased plan was designed to enable schools to conduct an own ICT policy in the context of their educational project. Furthermore databases have been developed with descriptions of Dutch language educational software for primary and secondary education. Through the "Virtual School" project of the European Schoolnet the possibilities of on-line teaching resources are explored. 27 schools have been selected as good practice examples that show other schools how innovation in education can prove to be successful.

The prime objective is to convince teachers of the added value of ICT use. Moreover they are expected to be sufficiently ICT literate to integrate innovations in their teaching practice. That is why in-service training as well as initial teacher training should be updated. Five regional expertise networks are trying to catch up with regard to ICT in-service training at pedagogical, technical and organisational level. In order to further integrate ICT in tertiary education, the government is funding innovative projects via STIHO: Incentive policy on Tertiary education innovation.

The European Schoolnet established in 1998 presents a framework for networking and exchanging information and projects. The GENT-agreements led to a close co-operation with the Netherlands in the field of ICT. Collaborative actions are also undertaken with OECD in the context of the ICT and the quality of learning survey.

The ICT policy is underpinned by scientific research and is regularly evaluated. In December 2000, teachers, management teams, youth work, the business world and policy makers examined the ICT policy during the debates of a three day ICT Forum.

From a recent survey report "PC/KD: Results of the survey of the 1999-2000 school year" Clarebout and others 2001) the following appears:

At the launch of the ICT policy a number of urgent needs and requirements were focussed on: the provision of the necessary basic infrastructure and teacher training. However, the challenges and possibilities of ICT in education reach much further. Therefore we urgently need to adapt and widen our policy. Flanders obviously does not take the lead in Europe. We take up a middle position:

Vlaamse Onderwijsraad (2000). Advies bij de beleidsbrief van onderwijs en vorming 2000-2001. Brussel: VLOR.

EMP/SKILLS - Skills and Employability Department