http://www.ncte.

ie/AbouttheNCTE/ICTPolicy/ ICT Policy Current ICT policy seeks to build on the progress that has been made over the past nine years in integrating ICT into every school in the country. From a situation in which ICT often seemed remote to the education mainstream, it is now seen as a central and integral part of the way forward. ICT In Schools Programme The ICT in Schools Programme commenced in 1998, following the publication of the three year programme IT 2000 - A Policy Framework for the New Millennium by the Department of Education and Science in November 1997. This was followed from 2001 2003 with the Blueprint for the Future of ICT in Education Programme. The Schools Internet Access Scheme ran in parallel to these two initiatives while Computer Networking Grants were paid in 2004. Between 1998 and 2004, the Department invested some EUR157m under the Programme, comprising EUR108m in capital investment and EUR49m in current investment. The core objectives of the ICT in Schools Programme are to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to achieve computer literacy and to equip themselves for participation in the information society and teachers are supported to develop and renew their professional skills, so as to enable them to utilise ICTs as part of the learning environment.

The Schools IT 2000 project aimed to ensure that every pupil at primary and second level education had the opportunity to achieve computer and Internet literacy and be equipped for full participation in the information society. It had three main strategies for achieving its objectives: Development of a technology infrastructure: through the provision of multimedia computers and Internet access to schools Development of a skills infrastructure: through the provision of training to over 20,000 teachers in the use of ICT Development of a support infrastructure: providing advice and guidance to schools, supporting ICT-led innovation in teaching and learning, provision of curricular resources and information through the development of Scoilnet and the development of multimedia tools

Building on this success in policy implementation terms, the Department published Blueprint for the Future of ICT in Irish Education a three-year strategic action plan 2001 2003 (December 2000) which set out a three year strategic action plan for ICT in schools. While recognising some new areas and necessary shifts in emphases the core policy objectives and implementation priorities remained the same in both policies. In broad terms, the Plan sought to advance the use of ICT in education by: Expanding the ICT capital provision to schools Increasing access to, and use of Internet technologies Further integrating ICT into the school curricula Improving professional development for teachers

In more specific terms, the objectives and strategies of the Plan were: augmenting the ICT capital provision to schools; with EUR78.72m capital grant aid for primary and second-level schools A significant lowering of the Computer/Pupil ratio expanding access to, and use of Internet technologies; Priority for special needs students EUR29.2m for support services including teacher training Locally based teacher training and the further development of the teaching skills to fully integrate ICT into learning and teaching A development of wiring-networking infrastructure in all schools and the introduction of broadband access to the Internet. The facilitation of Software/Multimedia Resources development for use in schools The development of ICT school plans to meet individual school needs The development of education Web resources primarily through Scoilnet A new scheme of innovative ICT projects Collaboration with other European countries Partnership with the social partners, industry and with the broader community Feedback from schools to determine future priorities A total investment of EUR107.92m was allocated under this Plan for the period 2001-2003.

Schools ICT Support Service The National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) was established in 1998 as the lead implementation agency for the Schools ICT Programme. The NCTE was charged with overall responsibility for the national implementation of ICT policy including the provision of a range of school supports for ICT in primary and post primary schools and the direction of a regional ICT advisory service. The NCTE was set up under a Memorandum of Agreement between the Department and Dublin City University (DCU) and is located on the DCU campus. Since its establishment, the NCTEs workplan has focused on the key operational responsibilities deriving from IT 2000 - A Policy Framework for the New Millennium and the Blueprint for the Future of ICT in Irish Education of the Department of Education and Science. Over the past nine years the NCTE has implemented strategies to provide a national programme of teacher professional development in the use of ICT in collaboration with the Teacher Education Centres and other partners; worked with a regional network of ICT advisors to support ICT integration in local schools; supported all schools in relation to ICT planning and infrastructural development; championed school-based innovation in the use of ICT; developed Scoilnet and made digital resources available for teaching and learning; implemented initiatives to integrate ICT in special needs; provided ICT advice to the DES and jointly developed internet safety awareness campaigns with EC colleagues. To demonstrate and assess progress, the NCTE has carried out three national surveys of ICT in schools. The findings of these surveys show that consistent and very significant progress has been made over the past nine years. A national census of levels of ICT infrastructure and usage in schools was carried out in 2005 by the NCTE. This new census provided an opportunity for Principals, to inform the NCTE as to what their current priorities and needs are in relation to the ICT infrastructure in their school and to inform NCTE about the

ICT supports and services required going forward. The findings provide the most accurate and up to date information on the status of ICT in Irish schools and will inform future policy. In the meantime, the NCTE is continuing to operationalise the DES ICT policy priorities. The strategy of the NCTE will be revised in line with the evolving ICT in Education strategy of the Department of Education & Science.

http://www.fmmc.or.jp/rd1/reports/02j07e.htm ICT Education Policies in the U.S.and the U.K. - Information Literacy and Education Level Up RITE02-J07

Published by Research Institute of Telecommunications and Economics, Japan (RITE) (June 2003) Contents & Authors Chapter 1 The Bridging of the Digital Divide and the Transformation of the Educational Policy in the U.S. Shoko Kiyohara (Assistant Researcher, Info-Communications Research Dept., RITE) Chapter 2 The Issue of ICT in Schools and Solution of Digital Divide in the U.K. Education Policy Ayako Kurokawa (Senior Researcher, Info-Communications Research Dept., RITE) Mikiko Ota (Researcher, Logistics and Finance Research Dept., RITE)

n Chapter 1, we will analyze the transformation of the educational technology policy in the U.S. from the Clinton Administration to the Bush Administration. First of all, we will take a general review of the governments role in education. In the United States, education is primarily a state and local responsibility. That fact requires us to understand not only the grant programs of the federal government but also those of the states and private sectors to get the whole picture of the educational technology in the U.S. Second, we will provide some case studies to demonstrate how the grant programs and other activities help advancing the educational technology. In conclusion, we will explain the way the current Bush Administration handles the educational technology, which we consider is one of the most critical factors that affect the future development of the digital divide.

Chapter 2 reviews ICT education policy in the U.K. (England). In England, national school budget and curriculums are under the jurisdiction of Governmental Department for Education and Skill (DfES). School budget is funded mainly from DfES grants distributed through regional Local Education Authorities (LEAs). As for the Digital Divide, U.K. Government acknowledges it as one of the educational environmental gaps based on wealth-gaps across the country. Since the 1970s, U.K. government has implemented educational reforms in three phases in order to raise academic standards. The introduction of ICT in schools in 1990s is also part of actions taken under the reforms. Not only the implementation of computers at schools, but guidelines for ICT practices at classroom are also made by related institutions under DfES. In October 1997, the U.K. government set up the national ICT education program (National Grid for Leaning: NGfL). In the following year, it implemented a policy, Education Action Zone (EAZ), with an aim to improve the ICT infrastructure at primary and second school in deprived area. A DfES research in 2002 indicates that ICT provision in U.K. schools has met NGfL targets and regional gaps have shrunken. However, the research failed to prove the direct linkage between improvement of ICT environment at schools and the improvement of academic skills. For its reasons, DfEShas pointed out that the ICT training for teachers was unsatisfactory, so that ICT schools has not been used with maximum effects, also that there were unresolved gaps between schools instead of regions. In order to deal with these issues, the government has announced the 2003-2006 funding plans for implementing of regional school networks and more effective training programs for teachers. In Japan, the number of primary and second schools implemented computers and internet access has increased in recent years. The Ministry of Educations, Culture, Sports and Technology has recognized that introducing computers at schools facilities teachers workloads and collecting educational materials, therefore recommended the development of educational software and ICT trainings for teachers. However, ICT education policies in Japan, e-Japan program for example, do not seem to be aware of the needs for guidelines for raising academic skills, standards for evaluating the effects and solutions of the divide. Therefore, further study of practices in foreign countries would be necessary in order to inform the presence of these problems and solutions.