Chapter 9

Information and communication technologies education

The policy context

There are several policy initiatives that acknowledge the importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) in improving the quality of teaching and learning throughout all Australian schools. They include: Australia's National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-first Century, the Joint MCEETYA Ministerial Statement on the Information Economy, Learning for the Knowledge Society: an education and training action plan for the information economy and Learning in an Online World: a school education action plan for the information economy.

Australia's national goals for schooling and ICT

The rationale for the pursuit of student learning outcomes in the area of ICT is derived from Goal 1.6 of the National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-first Century:

When students leave school they should be confident, creative and productive users of new technologies, particularly information and communication technologies, and understand the impact of those technologies on society.

Joint Ministerial Statement on Education and Training in the Information Economy

In the information economy, quality education and training is fundamental to the wellbeing of individuals, communities and nations. Schools, vocational education and training providers and universities all have a key role to play in contributing to Australia's development as an equitable, imaginative and economically strong knowledge society. Education and training will continue to grow in importance as Australia's economy and society become more knowledge-based and globally integrated.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) offer the education and training sector a vast array of opportunities to deliver its services better, more accessibly and more cost-effectively, while taking full advantage of the benefits of networked learning communities. These technologies are also exposing the sector, as well as the community generally, to the challenges of global competition.

The Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) acknowledged that the opportunities and challenges posed by Australia's development as an economically strong knowledge society would not be met by the school community alone. If education and training is to be truly effective in supporting Australia's transition to the information economy, then collaborative strategic action is required across all education and training sectors.

In December 2000, MCEETYA released a joint statement to provide a strategic agenda for the period 2001-03 for the Commonwealth, States and Territories, and all parts of the education and training sector to work together to achieve key outcomes identified in Learning for the Knowledge Society.

Underpinning this statement is a shared vision of the key role that education and training must play in supporting the development of Australia's information economy and knowledge society. To achieve this shared vision, MCEETYA set the following priorities for 2001-03:

• to ensure that the education and training sector is able to provide all learners with opportunities to develop their ability to use technology confidently and creatively, and to develop the specialist skills needed to service the needs of the information economy
• to support education and training workers, especially teachers, to acquire and maintain the skills needed to take full advantage of the potential of ICT to transform learning
• to provide effective and affordable access to the Internet for all learners, regardless of their geographic location
• to promote collaboration in the development and dissemination of high-quality digital educational content, services and applications that enable Australian learners to gain maximum education benefits from the online revolution, and that also develop a market and generate export income
• to share leading practice and research on ICT issues
• to work across agencies at all levels of government to ensure the development of a policy and regulatory framework that also supports the uptake of ICT in education and training.

More information can be found at: http://www.curriculum.edu.au/mceetya/public/pub3313.htm.

Learning for the Knowledge Society

Launched in September 2000, following Commonwealth consultation with the education and training sector, Learning for the Knowledge Society (http://www.dest.gov.au/edu/edactplan.htm) is a focus for change. It comprises an action plan for the education and training sector as a whole, including strategic priorities, and a set of action plans for each part of the sector (schools, vocational education and training, and higher education). It establishes a framework under which the sector can:

• develop strategies and implement key initiatives to ensure that all citizens possess the skills for life and work and that there are adequate numbers of people with the specialist skills for the ICT industries and other Australian industries to service the needs of the economy
• reconsider the ways that all stakeholders do business to achieve and maintain their national and international competitiveness.

The education and training action plan is based on five interrelated action areas: People, Infrastructure, Online Content, Policy and Organisational Framework and Regulatory Framework. Key strategic priorities have been identified for each action area.

A review of the plan was commenced in 2002.

Learning in an Online World: A School Education Action Plan for the Information Economy

This is the schools' sector component of Learning for the Knowledge Society. Endorsed by MCEETYA in March 2000, the action plan sets out a vision for the future and an agreed national framework for change. By implementing strategies identified in the action plan, school sector stakeholders will help ensure that young people have the school education that is needed for the knowledge society and the information economy. The MCEETYA Information and Communication Technologies in Schools Taskforce has responsibility for monitoring progress against the identified goals and strategies of the action plan through a comprehensive annual survey in conjunction with the jurisdictions. The data generated through the monitoring process are analysed and form the basis of the annual report to MCEETYA.

During 2002, the taskforce extended the various strategies of the action plan. In particular, it commenced work on:

• a learning architecture framework to enable connections between curriculum and administration software systems in support of learner-centred schooling
• a bandwidth action plan to enable schools to have access to the high bandwidth communication services that they require for educational and administrative purposes
• a research strategy to ensure that teachers, parents and the community understand how the innovative application of technology can enable advances in learning.

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