Second Information Technology in Education Study Module 2
SITES-M2 (1999—2002)
SITES-M2 was a qualitative study of innovative pedagogical practices that use information and communication technology (ICT). National research teams in each of the participating countries applied a common set of case study methods to collect data on the pedagogical practices of teachers and learners, the role that ICT plays in these practices, and the contextual factors that support and influence them. One hundred and seventy-four case studies from exemplary implementation sites around the world were collected and analyzed. The goals of SITES Module 2 were to:
- Identify and describe innovations that are considered valuable by each country and that might be considered for large-scale implementation or adoptions by schools in other countries.
- Provide policy-makers with information to be used to make decisions related to ICT and the role it might play in advancing educational goals.
- Provide teachers and practitioners with new ideas about using ICT in classroom practices.
- Identify factors that contribute to the successful use of innovative technology- based pedagogical practices.
The case selection and the collection of data were conducted in all participating countries in 2000–2001.
Participating Educational Systems
Australia, Canada, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong (SAR), Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain (Catalonia), Thailand, United States.
Key Findings
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The 174 collected cases were distributed across a wide range of grade levels and subject areas. As a group, the cases were evenly divided among primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary grades. A large number of cases were in the sciences, mother tongue, and foreign languages. A smaller group of cases were in the social sciences or creative arts. Many of these ICT-based innovations involved multidisciplinary projects.
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An analysis of the 174 cases found that technology is supporting significant changes in classroom teaching and learning. These changes portray a classroom that is very different from that of the traditional classroom where the teacher lectures in front of the classroom and students take notes or do worksheets. They also show important similarities in how technology is being used in many countries around the world.
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In the selected cases, students were actively engaged in “constructivist activities”, such as searching for information, designing products, and publishing or presenting the results of their work. Students often collaborated with each other on these projects and occasionally collaborated with others outside the classroom, such as students in other countries. Productivity tools, such as word-processors and presentation software, were being used in a majority of the cases, as were World Wide Web resources, email, and multimedia software. These tools and resources were being used to create products and presentations, to support communication, and to search for information.
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In a small number of the reported cases, teachers lectured. A large number of case reports said that teachers created structure for students by organizing student activities and monitoring or assessing student performance. In more than half of the cases, teachers collaborated with other teachers as part of their innovation. In about one quarter of the cases reported, teachers collaborated with people outside the class, such as professors, scientists, or business people.
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The study found that the innovations had limited impact on other classrooms or schools. In the schools where the innovations had been both continued and disseminated, continuation depended on the energy and commitment of teachers, student support, the perceived value for the innovation, availability of teacher professional development opportunities, and administrative support. Beyond these factors, innovations were more likely to continue if there was support from others in the school as well as from external sources, innovation champions, and funding, and also if policies and plans were also supportive. Particularly important was the connection with national technology plans that provided resources that often enabled the innovation to succeed.
Major Publications
Kozma, R.B. (Ed.). (2003).
Technology, Innovation, and Educational Change: A Global Perspective.
Eugene, OR: ISTE
Available here.
Tjeerd Plomp, Ronald E. Anderson, Nancy Law and Andreas Quale (Eds.). (2003).
Cross-national Policies and Practices on Information and Communication Technology in Education.
Greenwich: Information Age Publishing
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