ICTs and the Development of eLearning in Europe: the role of the public and private sectors

Autor: Olivier Debande
Rok vydání: 2004
Předmět:
Zdroj: European Journal of Education. 39:191-208
ISSN: 1465-3435
0141-8211
DOI: 10.1111/j.1465-3435.2004.00175.x
Popis: The implementation and development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the education sector have been posing a challenge to the traditional learning environment by introducing new educational tools, including eLearning. In the framework of the 'eLearning Action Plan' of the European Commission terminology, the notion of eLearning refers to 'the use of new multimedia technologies and the Internet to improve the quality of Learning by facilitating access to resources and services as well as remote exchanges and collaboration'. It encompasses four different strands which must be integrated into a comprehensive policy: (i) infrastructure and equipment; (ii) high-quality educational multimedia services and content; (iii) training services and facilities for teachers and for lifelong learning; and (iv) dialogue and cooperation at all levels. Four principal rationales have been identified to support the introduction of ICT in education: (i) social, based on the recognition of the role played by technology in society, the need for education to reflect the concerns of society and to demystify technology for pupils/students; (ii) vocational, driven by the requisite of ensuring that the system is preparing students for jobs which require skills in technology; (iii) pedagogical, linked to the fact that technology will assist the teaching learning process through better communication and higher quality material and hence enhance the teaching of traditional subjects; and (iv) catalytic, through external effects on society by improving the cost-effectiveness of the delivery of educational services; on the education system by reshaping the power relationships between teachers and learners and by facilitating the transmission of knowledge and the acquisition of skills for disadvantaged communities. In recent years, boosted by the development of ICT, a largely uncritical consensus emerged amongst policy-makers about the potential benefits of new information and communication instruments in education. As an illustration, in the US, a web-based education commission (www.webcommission.org) emphasised the awe-inspiring power of the Internet to transform the educational experience and to meet the education challenges of the information age. In the EU, in addition to the various national policies supporting the introduction of ICT into the educational system, the European Commission was implementing different measures to accelerate the changes in the education and training systems for the move * DISCLAIMER The findings, interpretations and conclusions presented in this article are entirely those of the author(s)
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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