Elearning as an engine of educational innovation: comparing discourses and practices of educational

1
E-learning as an engine of educational
innovation comparing discourses and practices
of educational change

• Mart Laanpere, MartL_at_tpu.ee
• Centre for Educational Technology
• Tallinn Pedagogical University
• Estonia

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Introduction

• My background math physics teacher, school
  headmaster, MSc in educational technology from
  University of Twente, doctorate in eduational
  science, lecturer in Tallinn Pedagogical
  University, head of Centre for Educational
  Technology
• Estonia 1,3 million inhabitants, less than a
  millon speak Estonian language, the smallest
  continental nation state with the higher
  education provided in own language

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Roadmap

• Engines of educational innovation throughout the
  history
• E-learning as the grand narrative of
  educational innovation
• Comparing the role of e-learning in educational
  innovations in three countries Estonia, Finland
  and Georgia
• Competing discourses and practices of e-learning
  political, managerial, theoretical, pragmatic
• Discussion

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Engines of educational innovation in the past

• Educational innovation broad changes in goals,
  contents, methods and organisation of schooling
  (why, what and how)
• Engines of educational innovations in the past
• Writing
• Reformation, associated with the use of printing
  technology
• Science, pedagogy, ideology, industrialisation,
  national awakening

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E-learning as the grand narrative of
educational innovation?

• e-Europe 2005
• Finland Information society programme
• Estonia Tiger Leap programme 1997-2005
• Goal modernising education and society
• Results
• Infrastructure All schools connected to the
  Internet
• ICT competence for all 80 of teachers passed
  ICT course, national ICT skills test in form 9
• E-learning educational software, portals, Web
  services, school projects

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Context for comparison
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Estonia discourses

• Policy-makers e-learning as means for
• Individualising curriculum, providing equal
  opportunities, integrating formal and non-formal
  education, opening school up for the public,
  monitoring the performance of schools,
  integration to European educational space
• Educational administrators ICT skills, access,
  cost, systems, technical support, transparence
• Research use of ICT and educational software,
  the impact of ICT on shcool culture

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Estonia teachers e-learning

• Discourses
• Kids like it. Parents and headmaster demand it.
• I would use, but... Extra work, takes a lot of
  time. Distracting., I have no control. Cheating.
  Not enough computers. Can't be integrated into
  all subjects. Heterogenity of the student body.
• Strong feelings from pride to shame and fear
• Practices
• Widely used Online quiz and drawing
  competitions, e-worksheets, online encyclopedia,
  presentations, Hello, spring!, online journal
  (gradebook)
• Less popular simulation games, online
  newsletters, storytelling, environmental projects
• E-learning as advantage in competition between
  schools

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Finland discourses

• Policy-makers towards information society (the
  best in the world) e-learning and use of ICT as
  means for raising competitiveness of the Finnish
  economy
• Research new teachership, social
  constructivist learning environments, mobile
  learning, self-directed and life-long learning,
  re-usable learning objects...

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Finland teachers e-learning

• Discourses
• Collaborative knowledge building, developing the
  learning skills, media competences, creative use
  of technology, 2-3 computers in my classroom is
  enough
• Not too much emotions, ICT and e-learning is a
  part of the normal school-life
• Practices
• Project-based learning, authentic tasks
• E-learning as means for networking with other
  schools

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Georgia discourses

• Policymakers wider societal impact, managing
  change, avoiding corruption, European dimension,
  opening schools up for the public and for
  competition with each other
• Administrators second-hand computers will do,
  equality principle is important (all schools
  should receive same amount of computers), high
  academic standards should be followed

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Georgia teachers e-learning

• Discourses they should fix first our roof and
  windows do we really need it, does it improve
  the learning and teaching?
• Practices computers are used for programming
  mainly, Web design and projects are something
  extracurricular, computer lab (if exists) is the
  domain of informatics teacher only. Few existing
  multimedia books (Georgian history, culture) are
  practically not used in schools.

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Conclusion

• High hopes are associated with e-learning and its
  impact to educational innovation, but discourses
  differ a lot from country to country and among
  different professional groups.
• There is a chasm between policy jargon and
  everyday practice of teaching and learning in the
  classroom, especially in Estonia and Georgia.
• Less developed countries are trying to imitate
  the richer ones (kind of a cargo cult), fear of
  being left outside of the network society, hope
  of becoming another tiger.

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Discussion