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An updated publication designed to help training teachers on ways to optimize the use of information and communication technologies in the classroom has been launched early November 2011 by UNESCO in cooperation with the Commonwealth of Learning, Intel and Microsoft. The ICT Competency Framework for Teachers aims at helping countries to develop comprehensive national teacher ICT competency policies and standards, and should be seen as an important component of an overall ICT in Education Master Plan.

"What excited me about the Digital Technologies curriculum in particular is the way that it has embraced the Digital Technologies as a way of thinking and a tool for creativity. The problem I've always had with the teaching of ICT in schools is that it has largely been seen as a tool that should be integrated to assist the teaching of other subjects - that's fine, but that's captured in the ICT General Capability in the Australian Curriculum and is very different to the study of ICT as a discipline, sometimes branded as Computer Science, Informatics, Computing or similar. Given the ubiquitous nature of ICT in our world today, it has always struck me as odd that we've relegated the understanding of ICT to being all about its use, rather than how it manages to achieve the "magic" that many people mistake it to be."

"If adopting 'best practice' is fraught with difficulties, and 'good practice' often noted but ignored, perhaps it is useful instead to look at 'worst practice'. The good news is that, in the area of ICT use in education, there appears to be a good deal of agreement about what this is! Here's a list of some of what I consider to be the preeminent 'worst practices' related to the large scale use of ICTs in education in developing countries, based on first hand observation over the past dozen or so years"

Reading an interesting World Bank blog post that asks us to consider what is worst practice. A good reality check, it would be good for eLearning and ICT educators to stop and glance at this list every month.

"I have embarked on a completely new approach to teaching three Year 10 classes the dreaded and much maligned OCR Nationals ICT course .. Here is a step-by-step outline of the approach to teaching of this. In my opinion, with the right approach, ICT can and will be an essential part of your students' learning."

"Due to the very high tempo of innovation and subsequent refresh rate of technology assets, when compared to other types of assets, frontline ICT assets can quickly become obsolete if they are not carefully managed on a life cycle basis."

"Despite substantial investment in ICT in education and a significant body of relevant research and literature ICT has had a limited impact on education. We need to understand reasons why this might be in order to improve the situation. 'Computer frameworks' may be part of the solution. There are lots of existing frameworks, but these share several important limitations. The CPF (Computer Practice Framework) was designed to overcome these limitations and thus help to increase the effectiveness of future investments in ICT in education."

ICT in Primary Education: Transforming children's learning across the curriculum Why and how are teachers integrating ICT (Information and Communication Technology) into primary education? In this course we analyse examples from schools in different parts of the world, and bring professional teachers, headteachers and policymakers together to share their best ideas and inspiring stories. The materials in the course are based on studies carried out for the UNESCO Institute of IT in Education, Moscow.

ICT in Primary Education: Transforming children's learning across the curriculum Why and how are teachers integrating ICT (Information and Communication Technology) into primary education? In this course we analyse examples from schools in different parts of the world, and bring professional teachers, headteachers and policymakers together to share their best ideas and inspiring stories. The materials in the course are based on studies carried out for the UNESCO Institute of IT in Education, Moscow.

"In the Australian Curriculum students develop ICT competence as they learn to use ICT effectively and appropriately when investigating, creating and communicating ideas and information at school, at home, at work and in their communities.

"I'm firmly of the opinion that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in schools is misplaced and therefore misused. In essence, the way it is conventionally deployed negates much of the potential of ICT, and unless there is a dramatic reappraisal, we won't be witnessing much in the way of learning gains in schools. Here's my argument in two points:"

Information Communication Technologies in Science Education The aim of this wiki is to provide a useful set of ICTs and other tech tools for Science Teachers to utilise in their classrooms. Each type of technology will be briefly explained and a classroom example will also be attached, together with a comprehensive list of links.

An interesting look at ICT in Australian education and the influence of professional development and conferences.

"National data released this week confirms an ongoing trend that now sees nearly half of Australian secondary school students failing to meet minimum digital literacy standards. Current data underpinning decision-making and the new digital technologies curriculum isn't working for ICT in schools for these four reasons:"

This website is part of a research project exploring the use of ICTs for learning and teaching Languages in ICT-enhanced government schools.

Blog posts which contributed provocation/stimulus material for the #RethinkingICT initiative

Smart Classrooms Bytes provides school teachers and administrators with advice on the latest ICT trends for education.The publication supports school teachers and administrators to embrace ICT as an everyday part of education so students can achieve the best possible outcomes.Queensland Department of Education & Training

"I was asked by a colleague in another school the other day if I could give her a snapshot into what I actually do, and what the role of an ICT Integrator actually looks like (from my perspective anyway). Apparently she wants to talk to her school leaders about having an integrator on their staff and was trying to get an idea of what the role would entail from someone who does it..." A great read from Chris Betcher continuing on with the theme of what does an ICT and an e-Learning coordinator do.

"Bebras is an international student challenge whose goal is to promote computational thinking for teachers and students (ages 8-17 / school years 3-12). Bebras is aligned with and supports information and communication technology curricula across Australia. Bebras Australia is run by NICTA under the Digital Careers program, funded by the Australian Government. It's a great way to get students interested and participating in information and communication technology (ICT) which could lead to an interest in pursuing a career in the exciting ICT industry!"

"The idea of students sitting in front of PCs learning how to use Word is as dead as the proverbial dead parrot. It is already an antiquated model of learning - like chalk or fountain pens with ink-wells; it has a whiff of the twentieth century about it, rather than preparing our students for the future. Whilst the DfE dithers about what they should do with technology (Mr Gove clearly wants to reboot the chalk and talk bygone age), schools are left with a rapidly changing world, where budgets are at a premium and ICT often stretches what budgets now allow. All the while, students are learning on their iPads, Android tablets and smart phones, writing more in texts and tweets daily than in their collective writing experience during the school week. We aren't harnessing this expertise, never mind guiding it to a place of higher learning!"

The current programme of information and communications technology (ICT) study in England's schools will be scrapped from September, the education secretary has announced. It will be replaced by an "open source" curriculum in computer science and programming designed with the help of universities and industry.