International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education

'Under which conditions does ICT have a positive effect on teaching and learning?' This was the leading question of the International EDUsummIT in The Hague, the Netherlands. The bases for the discussion were the scholarly findings of the International Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education, a synthesis of research in the field of information and communication technology ICT in education. Seventy international policymakers, researchers, and practitioners developed a Call to Action, which summarizes the main action points where policy, research, and leadership need to join forces in order to successfully implement ICT in educational practice. These main action points include a view on the role of ICT in 21st century learning; conditions for realizing the potential of multiple technologies to address individual needs of students; better understanding of the relationship between formal and informal learning; the implications of technology for student assessment; the need for models for leadership and teacher learning to successfully implement technology; the potential of ICT for digital equity; and the development of a list of essential conditions to ensure benefit from ICT investments. In this contribution, we present the Call to Action and synthesize the research on which the Call is based.

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Under which conditions does ICT have a positive effect on teaching and learning? A Call to Action

Background
There is a growing interest in STEAM (STEM + the Arts) education as a means to enhance the creativity of STEM students and broaden interest in STEM fields. Many art educators, however, object to the instrumental justification for study in the arts as a way to improve student performance in other areas.

Purpose
Drawing on the first two authors' engagement in an interdisciplinary design studio, this study develops an expanded view of how STEAM might enrich engineering education in ways that more closely align with the pedagogical commitments of the arts.

Design/Method
This article is written as a collaborative autoethnography between the first two authors, educators in environmental engineering and art education, respectively. The study is grounded in the educational philosophy of arts advocate Maxine Greene, who views learning as an active, collaborative search for meaning, “wide-awakeness,” and social change.

Results
Our dialogue reveals the potential for STEAM to provide students and educators with opportunities to explore personally relevant connections between materials, design, society, and the natural environment and to critically engage with implicit and explicit facets of disciplinary identity.

Conclusions
This view of STEAM simultaneously complements and challenges current conceptions of this emerging educational movement that, almost without exception, are underpinned by calls for competitive economic growth and technological development. We hope future research will build on our perspectives to continue a conversation about STEAM that considers the diverse contributions of, and mutual benefits to, all parties involved.

Learning Together: A Collaborative Autoethnographic Exploration of STEAM (STEM + the Arts) Education

Digital equity and intercultural education continue to be areas of concern in the emerging knowledge-based society. The digital divide is present across the globe as the result of a complex of factors such as the inequality in: access to hardware and connectivity; autonomy of use; digital and literacy skills; availability of technical and social support; and access to educators skilled in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Although there is rapid progress in the growth of mobile subscriptions across the globe, there remain groups of digitally excluded peoples within and across countries. Moreover, although progress has been made in addressing connectivity issues and challenges in learning about digital technology, teachers and learners continue to face issues and challenges related to teaching-and-learning with digital technologies and resources within local contexts and beyond. For instance, in an era of rapid global cultural, political, economic and social changes, the need for intercultural education has never been greater. Not only does digital exclusion contribute to a knowledge divide but it also limits opportunities for intercultural connections, communications and understandings. Building on the work of previous EDUsummITs, the EDUsumIT 2013 participants focused on exploring how digital equity and intercultural education are intertwined. This paper describes current needs and challenges as well as opportunities related to digital equity and intercultural education, as well as the increasingly important role technology plays in helping to foster intercultural understanding and education. These are illustrated by examples of how access to digital resources may help bridge both the digital and cultural divides and relate them to some of the recommendations for policy and practice made by the EduSummit 2013 Digital Equity and Intercultural Education Workgroup to help address these needs.

Digital equity and intercultural education

Although there has been significant growth worldwide in access to computers and the Internet, the digital divide continues to be a major form of social and economic exclusion for many peoples across the globe. This section focuses on research related to digital-related issues and challenges encountered in the field of primary and secondary education. Five issues and related challenges and possible strategies are identified: 1) access to hardware, software and connectivity to the Internet; 2) access to meaningful, high quality, culturally relevant content in local languages; 3) access to educators who know how to use digital tools and resources; 4) access to high quality research on the application of digital technologies to enhance learning; 5) access to content creation.

Issues and Challenges Related to Digital Equity

This chapter discusses the role of information technology and its application in the lives of indigenous peoples. We explore the role of technology as an agent of cultural preservation, the influence of IT on cultural erosion, and its implications on social inclusion and exclusion. We discuss briefly how indigenous peoples have engaged with technology in the past, followed by an introduction to issues of sovereignty. Intellectual and cultural property rights also figure prominently in this discussion.

The Relationship of Technology, Culture and Demography

Virtual museum projects that are partnerships between museums with Native American collections and tribally controlled schools offer a model of culturally responsive teaching practice and culturally responsible museum practice. In the projects students selected culturally relevant items from museum collections, imaged them in interactive digital formats, researched the items with the help of museum staff, academic professionals, and tribal elders and community members, and wrote essays to accompany the images in a virtual exhibition on the World Wide Web. Students learned about museums, new imaging technologies, and new ways to communicate their culture to the world. Tribal members saw the projects as mechanisms for improving relations between Native communities, museums, and non-Native communities. Museums responsibly served their Native constituents and gained new community-based information about their collections.

Antony Cherian

Papers

The Relationship of Technology, Culture and Demography

Stories told: Tribal communities and the development of virtual museums