BRIDGING THE GAP:
Technology trends and use of technology in schools
Presented by
Sania and Zoya 

Content
• Modern technology and the way we work, live and play
• Modern technology and schools
• Nature of technological innovations and schools as ecological
system
• The gap between the technology trends and use of technology in
schools
• Defining effective teaching
• ICT planning
• Implications and conclusions

Modern technology and the way we live, work and
play
• Multiple uses in the digital world (e-learning and e-business)
• 800 million internet users in 2004
• 1.97 billion internet users in 2010 (28.7% world population)
• Improved productivity saving costs in all sectors
• Work practices and business performances
• Product and service innovation
• Social networking and rules

Modern technology and schools
• Schools have not benefitted much
• Schools under pressure from the media and policy makers
• Methodological constraints of validity
• Benchmarking is impossible
• Undesirable uses of modern technology by students
• Affect the internal equilibrium of schools

Nature of technological innovations and schools as
ecological system
• Elements of ecosystem: users, school system and relationship between the sub-
systems
• Technology as a change agent
• Complex socio-cultural environment of schools
• Dependent on larger ecological systems (Education system and society)
• Technology innovation is not independent or isolated (pedagogy, curriculum,
assessment and school organizations)
• Affects the operation of whole school system

The gap between technology trends and use of
technology in schools
• School system is influenced and constrained by many conditions
• No “once and for all” solution to technology implementation
• Expensive and tedious
• Difficult to judge the success of technology implementation
• No quantitative goals and outcomes are specified
• Clueless school leaders

Defining Effective Teaching
• No clear indication of effective teaching
• Academic performance is creating inequalities of social and
intellectual capital
• Three problems by Campbell:
Conceptualization of teacher effectiveness
Relationship between school effectiveness and teaching effectiveness
No clear indication of improvement

ICT Planning
• Lack of technology planning (vision building, professional development and
evaluation)
• Research and development
• Four characteristics of success planning
Technology plan as a policy document
Available for teachers
A technology plan is never static
Requires support, commitment and collaboration

Implications and Conclusions
• Teachers are working with “digital natives”
• Integrating technology in learning systems is complicated
• Involves dynamic interacting factors
• Importance of national policies in promoting technology
• Curriculum development
• It has not yet achieved a systemic or systematic way in schools
• Capacity building of teachers
• Training of principals
• Holistic approach when exploring the gap between technology trends and use of
technology in schools

Thank you 