Information and communication technology for development in the field of comparative and international education

• In Event: ICT4D (ICT for Development) SIG Highlighted Session: Innovations in ICT for development

Abstract

Objectives

Information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) focuses on how modern digital technologies are used for teaching and learning in less developed countries. ICT4D is at the core of Globalization 3.0. By understanding how technology is being used in comparative situations, opportunities are created and new futures to come to light. While the ICT4D field began with a focus on formal education, it has expanded to include non-formal and informal learning environments. In this presentation, we describe how the ICT4D field aligns with the greater study of comparative and international education.

Main Perspective
ICT4D research is firmly rooted within the field of comparative and international education. The very act of adopting technologies in less developed countries is enacted vis-à-vis comparing what others have done. Policy transfer, best practices, educational reformation, and human resource development are major themes in both fields. Traditionally, researchers of ICT4D have learned from researchers of comparative international education. The field of ICT4D however is quickly maturing and bidirectional impact is inevitable, mutually beneficial, and promising. For example, technology policies in less developed countries have traditionally been borrowed from the West and thus have often not localized to the needs of schools, teachers, and students. Today’s technology policies have evolved and are becoming more reflective of local needs. This has been made possible through the work done by ICT4D researchers who approach their work from a comparative paradigm.

Methods
This presentation will focus on various examples of how ICT4D is theoretically and practically situated in the field of comparative and international education.
Evidence

Today, there are national and local policies that have been created through a robust process of understanding endogenous needs, and looking at lessons learned exogenously. For example, India has been developing its National Policy on ICT in School Education. This has been an iterative and interactive process of receiving feedback from stakeholders, understanding the research that has been conducted in other countries (including Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka, among others), and localizing technology solutions to the stakeholders’ need (e.g., creating the Indian National Repository of Open Educational Resources).

The synergy between the two fields is inspiring, albeit nascent. One would be hard pressed to find a teacher training program in a less developed country that does not have some focus on technology. The push to implement laptops and handheld devices has created a surge in comparative studies around ICT4D Thus the need for more research in this area is growing.

Modern digital technology affords opportunities for youth citizenship at many levels. The affordances are unparalleled by any innovation of the past. One affordance is the shift of power as exemplified through the Arab Spring which began in Tunisia but was later solidified in the minds of many through the January 25, 2011 Egyptian Revolution.

This presentation will detail these and other examples and situate the examples in the field of comparative and international education.

Conclusions

As members of the ICT4D community, we believe that creative innovation inspires change, especially in less developed countries. We believe that if used properly, ICTs are the single most significant and powerful tools for change. We also believe that the future will be an exciting one, especially in communities in transition. We welcome further discussions and hold out hope for synergistic ICT4D and comparative and international education projects. We will also continue to engage in empirical research studies that help these communities leapfrog into futures not yet imagined.

Authors

• Jayson Richardson, University of Kentucky

• Jeffrey Lee, Brandman University