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The Education Bureau (EDB) today (October 26) launched a month-long consultation on Third Strategy on Information Technology (IT) in Education by releasing a document entitled "Right Technology at the Right Time for the Right Task".
"The consultation is about the integration of IT into learning and teaching to improve learning outcomes," said an EDB spokesman. "It highlights that the success of IT in education hinges on enabling teachers and students to use suitable technologies for learning and teaching, instead of relying solely on the provision of IT hardware and software without critical assessment of their positive impact on learning outcomes."
"We are aware that the use of web-based environment for collaboration and sharing (or Web 2.0 applications) and m-learning (using wireless technologies to enable learning anywhere, anytime) will make learning environment more flexible, interactive, and student-centred." the spokesman added.
"The role of the Government is to provide necessary conditions and practical advice on pedagogical applications of IT to reduce the barriers to integration of IT into education. We will also seek to enhance administrative flexibility, especially in funding, to enable schools to embrace appropriate technologies smoothly."
The focus of the Third Strategy is on the human factor rather than the technical factor. IT is only one of many mediators in learning and teaching. Teachers and students will need to decide whether the use of IT is the most effective mediator for a particular learning and teaching activity.
The focuses of the proposed Third Strategy are:-
(a) to reduce teachers' workload in selecting appropriate digital resources and integrating them into learning and teaching activities by providing an on-line depository of curriculum-based teaching modules with appropriate digital resources. Each teaching module will contain practical advice on how to use IT for teaching, student activities, and assessment, as well as recommended digital resources for these activities;
(b) to emphasise on pedagogical applications of IT in future teacher professional development activities;
(c) to assist schools to draw up and implement school-based plans to integrate IT into education. To reduce the workload of school leaders, EDB will prepare sample IT in education roadmap, strategies, and evaluation tools for schoolsˇ¦ reference; and organise training on implementation of school-based plans;
(d) to enable schools to maintain effective IT facilities by providing a $200 million one-off grant for replacing and upgrading their IT facilities. EDB will seek to make existing recurrent operational grants more flexible for schools to meet the recurrent need of replacing and upgrading IT facilities, in addition to using the existing recurrent Composite IT Grant to meet expenses on IT consumables and technical services;
(e) to continue collaboration with IT organisations to provide back-up technical services to schools. EDB will set up a dedicated team to support schools in integrating IT into education; and
(f) to collaborate with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to raise information literacy of parents and launch programmes on parental guidance on e-learning at home.
The consultation documents and leaflets on "Right Technology at the Right Time for the Right Task" are now available at EDB's Regional Education Offices, district offices of the Home Affairs Department and public libraries of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, and can be downloaded from EDB website (http://www.edb.gov.hk/consultation_2007).
Comments and suggestions can be sent to the EDB by post to IT in Education Section, Education Infrastructure Division, Education Bureau at Room E420, 4/F., East Block, EDB Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre, 19 Suffolk Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon; by fax to 2382 4403 or by e-mail to consultation_ited@edb.gov.hk on or before November 28, 2007.
EDB will also organise briefing sessions for the school sector, parent associations and the IT industry to gather their views on the proposals. The strategy document is expected to be released by January 2008.
The First IT in Education Strategy document entitled "Information Technology for Learning in A New Era: Five-Year Strategy 1998/99 to 2002/03" was released in 1998 with an aim of turning schools into dynamic and innovative learning institutions where students can become more motivated and creative learners. It focused on equipping schools with necessary IT facilities, connecting them to the Internet and the provision of digital resources for learning and teaching.
In 2004, the Second IT in Education Strategy document entitled "Empowering Learning and Teaching with Information Technology" was published to enhance students' information literacy, build up the capacity of teachers and disseminate best practices in using IT in the learning and teaching process among teachers, nurture e-leadership among school leaders, engage the community in creating an environment conducive to the use of IT in education, and narrow the digital divide.
At present, all public sector schools are connected to the Internet. The student-to-computer ratios in secondary schools and primary schools are 4:1 and 6:1 respectively. All teachers have received basic IT skills training.
Ends/Friday, October 26, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:00
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