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# At first glance, content issues related to ICT use in education might seem to some to be of minor importance. After all, access to the Internet (to cite one example) means access to an entire world of educational resources. Access to the Internet provides access to seemingly endless sets of educational resources -- and indeed it does. However, experience shows that there is a dearth of educational resources in a format that makes them easily accessible and relevant to most teachers and learners in LDCs, especially as they relate to a given country's current curriculum. # Experience tells us that, unless electronic educational resources are directly related to the curriculum, and to the assessment methods used to evaluate educational outcomes (especially standardized testing), lack of appropriate and relevant educational content is actually an important barrier to ICT use in schools.

The (lack of) implementation plan is only part of the OLPC hubris on this project. Underlying that is the more insidious educational theory level of the program. Teacher-centric approach While this philosophy is essential to the mission of OLPC, it's also a source of tension. Current educational leaders in Peru embrace Constructionism, but most countries base their education systems on the idea that teachers pass their knowledge to receptive students. That was a problem for OLPC in China as well as India. India's education department, for instance, calls the idea of giving each child a laptop "pedagogically suspect," and, when asked about it recently, Education Secretary Arun Kumar Rath barked: "Our primary-school children need reading and writing habits, not expensive laptops."

Unions keep saying the best people won't go into teaching unless we pay them what doctors and lawyers and CEOs make. Not only are Teach for America salaries significantly lower than what J.P. Morgan might offer, but these individuals go to some very rough classrooms. What's going on? It seems that Teach for America offers smart young people something even better than money - the chance to avoid the vast education bureaucracy. Participants need only pass academic muster and attend the summer training before entering a classroom. If they took the traditional route into teaching, they would have to endure years of "education" courses to be certified. The American Federation of Teachers commonly derides Teach for America as a "band-aid." One of its arguments is that the program only lasts two years, barely enough time, they say, to get a handle on managing a classroom. However, it turns out that two-thirds of its grads stay in the education field, sometimes as teachers, but also as principals or policy makers.

# The greatest need related to this topic is for existing knowledge and information to be delivered to the relevant people in charge of ICT in education initiatives in LDCs, as well as those (in donor agencies, NGOs and the private sector) who advise or contribute to such initiatives. Short workshops could be delivered to target countries preparing to scale up ICT in education initiatives to transmit such lesson learned. # What are successful examples of how ICTs have been introduced and maintained in schools? # What types of information must be provided to schools to aid in the introduction and maintenance of ICT-related equipment and to promote ICT-related instruction?

This handbook helps decision makers improve their abilities to: * Understand the complex relationships between ICT use, professional learning, the change process, types of TPD and classroom implementation so as to aid the development of requests for proposals (RFPs) that address these issues Recognize best practices and essential supports in the use of ICTs for TPD in order to evaluate proposals of national, regional, and local scale * Propose types of TPD and ICT implementations that can achieve specific objectives in relation to educational improvement * Identify cost considerations, potential partnerships, evaluation requirements and other factors essential to the planning of effective ICT-enabled TPD * Communicate effectively with researchers, representatives of NGOs, policymakers, donor-agency personnel, and others about the roles played by TPD and ICTs in educational reform

I love the idea of using new and fun technologies in the classroom. However, it needs to be balanced with real teaching, and a human touch. I think the best thing teachers can do with technologies such as Nintendo DS is use them to get students using English outside of the classroom. If all the kids have a Nintendo, and enjoy using the technology, what better way could there be to get them studying at home? One of the great dangers presented by technology in the classroom is for teachers to rely on the software to be the teacher. Japanese education is way too textbook reliant as it is. Now the teacher can stand at the front of class and say, do Level 2 and I'll give you a sticker.

Most revealing was the percentage of Tokyo pupils who thought education was necessary "to live a happy and fulfilled life": only 40%, compared with over 50% in Seoul and Beijing, and almost 75% in London and Washington DC. Also, only 25% of Tokyo pupils believed they would be happy "if I graduate from a good university (40% in Beijing, 60% in Seoul, 80% in London, 85% in Washington DC.) It was also revealed that a whopping 87% of Japanese pupils say they "talk with my family a lot," compared with about 75% of pupils in the other cities.

Key questions: * How are ICTs currently being used in the education sector in Africa, and what are the strategies and policies related to this use? * What are the common challenges and constraints faced by African countries in this area? * What is actually happening on the ground, and to what extent are donors involved?

"We are moving toward modeling our schools after today's workplaces," Baker said, "where technology is handled in a digital manner. Computers are one of the main tools. But too often there is too much focus on the tool rather than the purpose. It's about giving teachers the tools they need to become better educators."

Pedagogy should not even be a consideration during the planning stages of technology use. Harsh statement? Perhaps, but it's a reality. Few Utopian situations exist where our decisions on how to teach can be based exclusively on pedagogy. Resources, expertise, technology, needs (of learners, educators, society), and funds impact what we choose to do. In a world: context. The mix of multiple, mutually influencing factors determine what we types of technology we select.

The rub in all this is: at what point in time are students going to be exposed to these tools so that they can use them effectively? Curriculum's are already bursting at the seams with 'required content' making setting aside time to engage students in useful technology a great challenge.

Mission Statement: One Laptop per Child creates educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning.

Junior high school teacher Motoko Okubo has used the handheld DS and textbook software since May in weekly sessions focusing on vocabulary, penmanship and audio comprehension. With years of games such as Super Mario on the prohibited list, she says students weren't expecting the Nintendo welcome. "They've been using it at home playing games, so at first they were surprised they can use it at school," Okubo said. Still early in a one-year free trial period, vice principal Junko Tatsumi says results so far have been encouraging in Japan's long struggle with English language education.

In 1994, Dr. Christopher Moersch developed the Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTi) scale in an effort to accurately measure authentic classroom technology use. This scale focuses on the use of technology as an interactive learning medium because this particular component has the greatest and lasting impact on classroom pedagogy and is the most difficult to implement and assess. The challenge is not merely to use technology to achieve isolated tasks (e.g., word processing a research paper, creating a multimedia slide show, browsing the Internet), but rather to integrate technology in an exemplary manner that supports purposeful problem-solving, performance-based assessment practices, and experiential learning--all vital characteristics of the Target Technology level established by the CEO Forum on Education and Technology.

Instruments for Assessing Educator Progress in Technology Integration