brief on ICT4E ijn Laos...

1. Understanding ICT4E developments in
MOES Supported by SESDP
--Joel Wayne Ganibe, DPTL SESDP Component 2
2014. On its 2nd
year of implementation, SESDP has achieved important ICT4E development milestones under
Component 2. We started in 2013 by defining it in both global and Lao contexts, exploring with MOES where and which
among its implementing units will it be operationalized and what specific support can be provided under the ADB grant
project.
1.1 DEFINING ICTE4E. Information, Communications Technology (ICT) consists of hardware, software, networks, and
media for collection, storage, processing, transmission, and presentation of information (voice, data, text, images).
ICT4E is the use of hardware, software, networks and media for education, the benefits of which, is also an MDG
target. Kofi Anan himself advocates that “We must ensure that information and communication technologies
(ICTs) are used to help unlock the door to education. (2005).
ICT in Education – Global. On a global scale, the use of ICT in education is well underway. The extent to which a
country has created and diffused technology and built a human skill base, varies considerably. Leaders are
countries such as Finland, the United States and the United Kingdom who are at the cutting edge of technological
innovation.
ICT in Education – Asia-Pacific. Asia-Pacific countries have recognized the importance of ICT in education. They
have responded to this challenge by formulating policies and developing strategies in different ways. Some, such
as South Korea and Singapore are more ahead in the path of ICT for education, while others, such as Thailand and
Cambodia are in the early stages of planning and preparation. Philippines has developed its Digital Strategy and
its institutions are in various stages of implementation.
Lessons for Laos—from its neighbors, Laos can learn from their experience and instead of repeating the same
mistakes can accelerate its development by leveraging on lessons learned. The major lesson is: What technologies
are being used is not as important as how we are using them. From the perspective of developing countries this
has to be understood as stronger opportunities for open source and/or low cost technologies as equally valuable
instruments to better prepare learners for the already changing society.
1.2 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK. For a fuller appreciation of ICT4E, SESDP refers to the following framework (see figure
1)that looks at inputs and processes that determine the stages of development towards both intermediate and final
impacts. Consistent with SESDP Component 2, the final impact for the learner, is increased learning, evidenced by
learner’s skills and assessment scores.

2. Figure 1: Conceptual Framework for Design, Implementation and M&E of ICT4E
INPUTS
MOES through the ITC (Information & communications Technology Center), is addressing infrastructure (connectivity
and hardware investment issues, information systems). For resources, content and the ICT curriculum is being
addressed by the DTE, DSE and RIES. ICT training, is integrated into the pre-service teacher training by DTE via the
Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) as well as an informal continuous professional education learning
program (in-service teacher training) delivered via social media. For, technical and logistical support, the Educational
Technology Center (ETC) of the RIES is tasked to develop supplementary instructional materials for teachers and will
pilot these through a pilot scheme with 5 district Secondary Pedagogical Advisers (dSPAs) for Natural Science, who in
turn will be enabled with a special mobile-learning kit under (pegagogy and technical support) SESDP.
PROCESSES
So far, processes for ICT4E have just begun with the MOES ICT Policy having just been recently approved and the ICT4E
Strategy still to be designed.
I. For component 2: the strategic objective is the IMPROVED DELIVERY OF NEW SECONDARY EDUCATION
SUBSECTOR CURRICULA. As with any program or strategy, the acid test is the outcome in terms of
immediate (short term), midterm and long term results. We can say the curricula are delivered effectively
when we have, at the end of the day, increased student learning.
II. To increase student learning, the quality of instruction at secondary schools nationwide should improve.
For this to happen, SESDP supports changes in the following key results areas (KRAs). These key results
areas are coded as specific program activities.

3. Figure 1: Key Results Areas for Quality
ICT cross-cuts all four: What to teach, how to teach, the selection, training and deployment of who will
teach, and the design and development of the tools with which to teach, including how to tract progress
in all these areas (the ICT Policy is a deliverable under Component 3: Strengthening Sector Management
Capacity)
III. WHAT TO TEACH is responded to by the reformed Secondary Education Curriculum achieved under
BESDP when the RIES led the improvements to both the lower secondary education (LSE) and upper
secondary education (USE) curriculum which was approved by Ministerial decree in 2009. Among the
important improvements to the secondary curriculum is the inclusion of ICT as subject from M1 to M7 in
order for students to learn 21st
century skills.
What to teach is further developed in SESDP as Program activity 2A1: Pre-service teacher training
curriculum to be aligned with M1-M7 school curriculum and develop procedures for TEI QA accreditation
system.
This area has been led by the Department of Teacher Education (DTE) which has achieved this through
MINISTER'S DECREE NO. 3799 promulgated on 9 September November 2013 approving the new 15
courses under the Secondary Teacher Education Pre-service program (STEP)where ICT has been included
both as a basic teacher’s skill (8 units in general education as computer science & education technology)
and as a course major (48 units).
IV. HOW TO TEACH.
Pre-service: ICT is now integrated in all 15 majors of the STEP curriculum which will ensure minimum
competencies in pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for Bachelor in Secondary Education graduates by
2017.
In-Service: SESDP activity 2B1 supports the nationwide roll-out of the new LSE-USE curriculum and
curriculum materials via the SESDP in-service trainings (now for M5 continuing to M6 in 2015 and M7 on
2016) implemented by the Department of Secondary Education (DSE) and RIES for teachers in the 5 subject
strands; the DSE shall also support school-based in-service trainings focusing on Science education, via
pilot deployment of District-Secondary Pedagogical Advisers (dSPAs) in 5 districts.

4. theory of change logic: Quality of instruction at secondary schools in Laos increases IF Secondary
teachers meet the minimum competencies in PCK. Minimum competencies in PCK are assured IF
condition 1: Pre-Service Training is improved and purposely develops PCK skills for all graduates;
Condition 2: Learner-centered/competency building Learning Materials are effectively made available
and efficiently accessible to teachers/teacher trainers via multiple channels
(print/broadcast/online/optical media) Condition 3: Even if missed in pre-service training, new
practices/techniques are continuously and effectively introduced during in-service training events;
reinforced by clear signals from MOES that these are to be adapted as soon as possible and that teacher
performance standards will check it and these practices inspected.
V.
Looking at Technology Literacy, awareness has to be increased via official memoranda followed up by learning
discussions to increase policy understanding (knowledge deepening). Innovation is really a function of creative
thinking which is a higher order thinking skill being emphasized since BESDP but not taking traction in classroom
practices as fast as possible. This is because of the limited understanding that MOES has long ago adapted the "student-
centered" approach and concepts. Until now, during in-service trainings PESS and DESB people are not so sure and
confident that they should adapt into practice these new techniques even though they can "see" its effectiveness and
efficiency in bringing about learning. They seem to need a literal spelling out of this policy as it is expected to be
experienced in the classroom. They are afraid that unaligned units such as the DOI/DESB/PESS inspectors and school
principals themselves will look for the old formats and expect the old practices when evaluating teacher performance.

5. Since 2009, BESDP/SESDP began mainstreaming the term "learner-centered" instead of "Student-centered"
specifically to emphasize the TEACHER as model LEARNER. (Realizing how only so much can be absorbed in 5-day
training-of-trainers/in-service training runs on new pedagogical practices at province levels, we shifted to online
support to self-learners as follow-through activities). The limiting factor is not access to internet facilities but a more
fundamental paradigm-shift for local education personnel. Lacking in solid theoretical foundations it would be difficult
to expect policy innovations and practice at the different levels or points of education service delivery.
Back at central, the DOP must have a way to check the
levels of technology literacy of the entire personnel
(central units officers and staff complement). Very
basic indicators such as "do you have your own email?
do you have any social media (facebook/linked-
in/slideshare) account? " need to be established.
Why? Everyone in the MOES must be a self-directed
lifelong learner himself/herself--and learning happens
in the online discussions, in curating of relevant
knowledge materials to each department, in updating
content-knowledge especially for Teacher Trainers at
NUOL/TTCs/RIES who are the same people tapped to
design and develop content for textbooks and teacher
guides; and the same people who assess and evaluate performance of "learning-delivery units" (schools, libraries,
any/all departments conducting workshops/consultations/IEC with internal and external stakeholders).
Indeed, using modern communications channels such as sms, email, Facebook, chat box, and curating (searching for,
evaluating, adapting, repurposing) materials are basic knowledge society skills that every personnel of the Ministry
of Education and Sports must master and be known for, being the central LEARNING INSTITUTION for the whole of
Laos. This is then top of the training needs analysis mission of the MOES through its Department of Organization and
Personnel.
It is not far when the DOP will realize new plantilla1 positions such
as "social media manager" are needed for each department to
manage more effective/efficient flow of communications to and
from groups/individuals/departments/other ministries and even
general public.
The recommended strategy is thus, using ICT to build a "CULTURE
OF LEARNING" and habits of discovery throughout the MOES
system.
Enabling this, is why SESDP Team set about creating and recruiting as many MOES central stakeholders into
collaborative learning groups.
We can see where this initiative is taking strategic traction right where the most basic training for all teachers and
future MOES officials happen.
1 Organic, permanent position in an organization with clear task sets and defined performance measurements.

6. PRODUCTS/OUTPUTS:
SESDP Products include various curated content delivered online via the virtual communities of practice created for
and populated by MOES stakeholders; the In-service Training Manuals, the Textbooks and Teacher Guides (ICT for
M1 to M7); the multimedia materials produced by RIES-ETC delivered via radio and tv program as well as online and
physically through CD-ROM copies.
LEARNING AREAS
1. Basic operations and concepts 3 (Content/process)
2. Social, ethical and human issues (Context/meaning-making)
3. ICT for Producing (reports, memos, projects, instructional materials)
4. ICT for Communicating (coding, uploading/transfer, downloading/retrieve)
5. ICT for Researching (searching, screening, analyzing, evaluating, creating)
6. ICT for Problem-solving (apply all skills to a specific situation/solution)
ENGAGING THE YOUTH
As with all change management initiatives, stakeholder engagement is key. If we look for dynamism and
enthusiasm for change and the right attitudes to learning something new or thinking up fresh approaches,
we politely smile at the gatekeepers and more rigid seniors of an organization and aggressively engage the
young and bright, who seem more delighted and less threatened by "disruption". Of course for sustainability
we look at the next leaders even as we try to excite those who are just waiting for retirement and would do
their best to maintain the status quo.
SUCCESS STORIES
2015. At the Department of Teacher Education, Ajan Maaly Vorabouth is moderating
www.facebook.com/groups/TE.LAO/ even on Saturdays and Sundays or when on the go towards a training
workshop. What began as a small group in 2013 for coordinating reforms to the pre-service curriculum for
SESDP has now grown into a dynamic support group and informal in-service training delivery channel that
continues to grow by the day.
Informal learning is a pervasive ongoing phenomenon of learning via participation or learning via
knowledge creation, in contrast with the traditional view of teacher-centered learning via knowledge
acquisition.
Towards responding more effectively to developments in the world of Learning, these developments are
notable enabling factors and can be tracked as "positive, intended impacts" even this early for Lao education
to not just catch up with the rest of the world but to transform at pace.
The future of learning sees shifts from "teaching" to an emphasis on the result which is "learning". Earlier,
BESDP-SESDP has already emphasized this along with the term "learner" because it wanted to communicate
about "lifelong learning" and of course intends that the teachers are the model-learners. the MOES with the
help of the implementation advisers has been the first Ministry in Laos to use social media (2009 BESDP) to
reach out to both internal and external audiences. By also emphasizing higher order thinking skills and

7. backwards design/UbD, the program has been able to slowly wean more teachers away from the limited
rote learning oriented instructional techniques.
Despite initial misgivings on "online, social media communities"--the response from teachers from various
levels to the DTE led community is evidence that this initiative has hit a felt and expressed need for multiple
ways of learning and for continuous learning conversations among colleagues (peer learning).
The future of learning Lieve Van den Brande, European Commission, DG Education and Culture
SUSTAINABLE. By being demand-driven (the user pays for own access to online community and materials)
and topics directed by the users themselves (personal relevance/context); the learning delivered or acquired
is more sustainable than the occasional formal learning workshops and without the cost of venue,
transportation, and daily supply allowance (DSA) and the inefficiencies of "mass training". External enabling
factors like the proliferation of cheap Smartphone's from China and the promotional "free Facebook" promos
of local TelCos in Laos also help.
 BLENDED LEARNING. At the end of in-service training workshops, the SESDP Team
recruited and oriented all teacher trainers (central and provincial) into their own above-
mentioned social media group moderated by DTE which also provides for a feedback channel
from the ground (school/classroom). This enables the training and technical mentorship to
continue beyond workshop time allowing for synchronous and asynchronous
communications.

8. Emerging outcomes2. As a result of promotions during the workshops, more and more Lao teachers are
coming online, voluntarily joining and interacting in the various communities SESDP has created for them.
www.facebook.com/groups/TE.LAO/ now has grown to 6,464 members and growing, composed of teachers
and teaching instructors at the Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) and in the various schools in Laos, as
well as PESS and DESB. It is now influencing the culture of current and future key leaders at the Ministry of
Education. Topics vary from day to day, from Physics and Math (their favorites) to pedagogy and learning
theories to humorous anecdotes about their experience as teachers. They also use the survey function of
their Facebook group and post inspiring quotes for each other. Accessed via smart phones, tablets, laptops
and office PCs it has made learning conversations available on demand. It is "safe", friendly, informal and
open to any topic or concern as these are easily managed as "threads".
As MOES, through its implementing units becomes more comfortable with the use of ICT, particularly
managing informal learning communities online and other stakeholder engagement strategies, MULTIPLE
WAYS OF LEARNING can be implemented with specific work contexts. Evidence of this is the RIES creating
on its own, a community for SCIENCE Teachers where it can feed both content-mastery developing modules
and pedagogical skills enhancement references.
 RIES has Suksamai Radio (weekly), Suksamai Magazine (tri-annual) and Suksamai TV (weekly runs)
 There is limited ways to measure audience reach and impact of the above existing communications
channels
 The additional online channels apart from the RIES FB Page and Suksamai FB page can at least track
actual number of views and downloads as well as individual profiles of those who accessed materials
from site.
 The following channels have been created and are now managed by the RIES, DTE, DSE:
URL of SESDP FB Channels/Group pages Main Theme Active
Members
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LaosLearn2013/ Assessment 65
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SESDP.QUALITY.COUNCIL/ Task Force 40
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Laocurriculum/ Curriculum Design 147
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TE.LAO/ Teacher Training 6,464
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MOES.TTIs/ TTIs, Teacher Training 210
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BESDP.friends/ General Educ./ Project
Updates
784
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LaoScience.Teachers/ Science Instruction 171
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Laocurriculum/ Curriculum Design 147
https://www.facebook.com/LAO.EDUC.HEALTH.DEVELOPMENT Educ. & Health Page
https://www.facebook.com/MOES.SPA.Laos/ Page for SPAs
http://www.facebook.com/MOES.DSE.LAOS. DSE Page 1,579 likes
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ICT.Development.TE/ Internal 53
2
The following are important observations and insights: (i) SESDP’s strategy to increase quality of education by improving quality of instruction
during pre-service and in-service training must be at a level where some significant impact can be measured; (ii). SESDP’s in-service training budget
is for teachers teaching at the secondary schools only. There is a felt and expressed need to also mainstream new pedagogical approaches
(authentic/Learner-centered) and techniques at the pre-service institutions; (iii) Teaching habits form hard at the TTIs during the 4 years of pre-
service training exposure, and the brief, one-time 5-day in-service trainings done by SESDP at the secondary levels can hardly transform ineffective
approaches learned earlier and used by the secondary teachers’ own former instructors; (iv) Meanwhile, teacher trainers at the TTI’s expressed
their need (during the STEP curriculum orientation workshops) for more intensive capability strengthening so as to be able to truly shift paradigms
from old teacher-centered approaches ingrained in the system, to the new learner-centered/authentic learning models being promoted by SESDP;
(v) While a few of those who have demonstrated initiative are trying to learn via our online support, there is nothing yet even structured as a distance-
learning course for CPE (continuous professional education) to ensure lifelong learning, nor is there a course yet, specifically designed to upgrade
“unqualified” to “qualified” (and aligned to the STEP curriculum) since the program stopped even before SESDP. (vi) this seems to call for a focused
in-service training course for instructors at the TTIs on basic Learner-centered modules to ensure PCK competencies. While not specifically designed
in the PAM under 2A1, it could be an agile implementation solution to increase relevance and enhance effectiveness to achieve higher individual and
institutional impact levels.

9. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ICT4LE.LAOS/ Internal for Policy/Strategy
Formulation
https://www.facebook.com/SESDP.Laos/ Project Page 1,318 likes
OTHER LAOS channels now influencing
https://www.facebook.com/groups/educationoflaos/ General educational reform 35,370
Coming from a beginning experience of stakeholders not even opening their emails, the new found facility for social
media is encouraging and can be attributed directly to the efforts of the BESDP/SESDP team which intended it as an
efficient way of sharing files (and ensuring there is no excuse that stakeholders never got hold of the most current
version, or did not have access on time (there is a "seen by" facility) and as instant/group messaging platform to open
up information silo's and make information available immediately to all who need it. It also helped build consensus
more efficiently as conversations prior to and after formal meetings and workshops are easily facilitated and
recorded/documented.
 www.facebook.com/groups/MOES.SPA/ is up and running for all SPA’s to join and be able to
share files, run online surveys (for training needs analysis for example), and access the ICT4LE
materials that will be produced by RIES-ETC in case (as expected) they do not catch the
broadcasts of TV/Radio episodes. To date, it has some initial content and 26 active members and
co-administered by DSE and RIES.

10. YOUNG TEACHERS AT THE FRONTLINE
5 young, shy, science teachers, 4 of them with practically zero laptop experience and all from disadvantaged
districts...
A 5-day crash course on learner-centered instruction tools and techniques and basic gadget operations...
then turning over of the "toys" they practiced in then released "back into the wild"

11. URL of SESDP FB Group/pages for SPAs Main
Theme
Active
Members
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MOES.SPA/ Support
group
43
www.facebook.com/pages/MOES-Nong-District-Educ-Sports-Service-
Bureau/923552487684627
For dSPA sharing of
ICT4E status
www.facebook.com/pages/Taoy-District-Educ-Sports-Service-
Bureau/1564574210489920
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Xaichamphone-District-Educ-Sports-
Service-Bureau/1103757069641058
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Phontong-District-Educ-Sports-Service-
Bureau-of-Luang-Prabang/461347144015376
www.facebook.com/pages/Viengxay-District-Educ-Sports-Service-
Bureau/1426033374374857
More MOES users/representatives have also joined private sector led FB communities and from "critical" comments,
the conversations have become for constructive and "assessment for" in tone, as more stakeholders are informed of
positive developments from the MOES.
The Official MOES website takes up so much bandwidth and is understandably slow. By adapting social media
channels, content is delivered faster and wider. It is of course driven by adaptive behavior of youth and the efforts of
young education managers/leaders encouraged by our successful implementation.