Portal: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Education

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become an integral part of the way modern communities behave and conduct business.  If we are to attain societies equipped with 21st Century Competencies, ICTs must also be utilized in classroom instruction and pedagogical assessment.  Moreover, ICTs have been recognized as a cross-cutting priority area that will benefit the various goals of EDNET and the Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG).

The Summit on Education Reform, held in Beijing in 2004, considered this tool to be fundamental to future success in the APEC region.  In a paper delivered at that meeting, "A Striking Balance of Shared Perspectives," Ricki Goldman of the New Jersey Institute of Technology addressed the need for cooperation in education and the role that technologies may play in such collaboration.  A report by Korea and Singapore was also given recommending the use of ICT to found communities of shared practice and to better collaborate on research and development of improved education techniques. After the summit, the APEC Learning Community Builders (ALCoB) project was launched to help bridge knowledge divide, enhance knowledge capacity, and to promote human exchange and a learning community.

The issue of ICT was again picked up in Xi'an, China at the 2008 Education Reform Symposium and then again at the 4th Annual Education Ministerial Meeting in Lima, Peru.  The overall theme for the 4th Education Ministerial, as discussed in the Ministerial papers, is Education To Achieve 21st Century Competencies for All. In order to help APEC education systems achieve these 21st Century Skills, the APEC Ministers have identified four priority areas: math and science, career and technical education (CTE), language learning, and information & communications technologies (ICT) and systemic reform. Specifically in the priority area of ICT, the ministers addressed improving teacher quality and instruction as well as policies and research including open education resources. Presentations that included information on ICT in education were given by representatives from Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.

Most recently, APEC nations discussed issues concerning ICT at the APEC ICT4E Exposition 2010 Conference held in Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines. Members at the Conference discussed issues concerning APEC-led initiatives on ICT4E; ICT4E initiatives by government and non-government organizations in all 21 APEC Member Economies; support from mulilateral, bilateral, and private aid agencies for ICT4E; basic education, higher education and technical and vocational education training (TVET) and non-formal education.

Projects and resources on ICT in Education can be found in the following links: