ICT in education

The issue of the European Journal of Education provides a critical review of evidence and opens the discussion on identifying and implementing major changes in education systems to meet the challenges of 21st century learning and society. In-house research by JRC provided 3 of the 7 articles of this special number.

Continuing on this research line, the learning and skills JRC-IPTS research team is working on European Commission's recent Communication on Rethinking Education, and the initiative “Opening-up Education”. Through the Open Educational Resources in Europe project (OEREU), JRC is to provide empirical evidence to policy makers in order to guide policies on the field of Open Education.

The OEREU project is managing a call for visionary papers, several workshops, and an online debate around a dedicated blog, to come up with visions and scenarios on how Open Education in 2030 in Europe might be for Lifelong Learning, School Education, and Higher Education. It is an opportunity for the Educational community to be involved in a European expert network that could have a direct impact on European Policies, especially now when MOOC's (Massive Open Online Courses) have become a hot topic for debate.

"It's a big issue and there'll be a bare-knuckle fight," says Harold Elletson, who will chair the debate alongside Honourable Silvia Makgone, Deputy Minister of Education, Namibia. According to Dr Elletson, "Some people think that the focus on innovation and technology has just persuaded governments and consumers to invest in equipment that soon becomes redundant. They say that the priority should be to support projects that are sustainable. Other people argue that innovation is vital to Africa's competitiveness and future economic growth. They say that it should be at the heart of the education system."

The eLearning Africa Debate has become the highlight of the eLearning Africa conference, an annual gathering of experts and decision-makers from all over Africa and beyond. Traditionally one of the liveliest and best attended events at the conference, this year's debate is likely to stir up real controversy.

"It's an issue which affects everyone and on which everyone has an opinion," says Dr Elletson. "The debate is an opportunity for conference participants to say what they think about one of the most important issues for the future of education in Africa."

The motion for debate, which will be put to a vote, is "This house believes that sustainability is more important than innovation for education in Africa". The debate will be held at the Safari Conference Centre in Windhoek, Namibia. All conference participants are welcome to attend and to take part in what promises to be a tense and exciting climax to a fascinating conference.

Information on the debate can be found at http://www.elearning-africa.com/programme_debate.php, and the full conference programme can be found at http://www.elearning-africa.com/programme_table.php%20.

Notes for editors

eLearning Africa, 8th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training

May 29 - 31, 2013

Safari Conference Centre, Windhoek, Namibia

Organisers: ICWE GmbH (www.icwe.net), Government of the Republic of Namibia

Contact

ICWE GmbH, Ms Rebecca Stromeyer

info@elearning-africa.com, www.eLearning-africa.com, Tel.: +49 (0)30 310 18 18-0

Open to 18-26 year-olds worldwide, the Young Innovators’ Competition is looking for concrete solutions using cutting-edge technology to one of six Global Challenges developed in partnership with specialized UN agencies and leading private sector players:

• Improve employment opportunities for young people and migrant workers
• Reduce food and water wastage at individual and retail level
• Facilitate access to public services for the elderly
• Improve natural disaster prediction and response
• Improve road safety for both drivers and pedestrians
• Protect sensitive personal data and inspire the creation of local digital content

ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology. The competition seeks pragmatic, market-oriented, scalable solutions making use of connected technologies, such as augmented reality, mobile apps, 3D printing or geospatial tracking.

Submissions may be either in the form of a concept, well-researched or documented ideas which have not yet been implemented, or a start-up, which is already up and running but in need of funding to take it to the next stage.

Ten finalists selected by a committee of experts will win the chance to attend ITU Telecom World 2013, the platform for high-level debate, networking and knowledge-sharing, as well as an ICT showcase, which will be held 19-22 November in Bangkok, Thailand, on the theme "Embracing Change in a Digital World".

The deadline for initial submissions is 30 June 2013.

The joint project consisted of a significant study, country by country in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, elucidating achievements and shortfalls, while demonstrating that democratizing free access to ICTs for persons with disabilities in the field of education is an attainable goal.

As a result, the final report provides a meaningful assessment of the status of access to ICTs for such persons and identifies both the good practices and the problems and pending needs that require the most support. It also evinces the need to enhance access to ICTs and the duty for all societal stakeholders, both governmental and non-governmental, as well as international organisations, to work toward attaining this goal.

The overall goal of the study is to provide recommendations to improve information policies, strategies for using ICTs to educate persons with disabilities and incorporate issues related to disability.

The publication targets especially decision-makers, national and regional educational institutions, organisations and associative movements of and for persons with disabilities.