Estonia has seen improvements in PISA test scores and has invested heavily in educational technology. The "Tiger Leap" program beginning in the 1990s brought computers and internet access to Estonian schools and helped drive a digital transformation. However, measuring the impact of technology on learning outcomes has proven difficult. Estonia is now pursuing a "digital turn" with a national strategy emphasizing 1:1 computing models, digital learning resources, and developing teachers' digital competencies. The goal is a digital learning ecosystem that supports learning anywhere through mobile devices.

1. Education in Estonia:
PISA & digital turn
Mart Laanpere, PhD
Head of the Centre for Educational Technology
Tallinn University

2. Estonia: facts & figures
O Population: 1,3 million
O Tallinn: 400 000
O Area: larger than
the Netherlans
O Estonian is the mother
tongue: 65%
O In NATO: since 2003
O In EU: since 2004
O In Schengen: since 2007
O EURO currency: since
2011
O 520 K-12 schools, 14 000
teachers, 148 000 pupils

4. Teacher’s salary

5. PISA results
2006 2009 2012
Maths 7% 4 13% 3 10% 1
Reading 12% 3 12% 2 9% 1
Science 7% 2 8% 2 5% 1

6. In addition
O Estonian pupils are the most active users
of e-school and school web site
O Only 66% of Estonian pupils feel happy at
school
O Only 14% on the level 5-6 (maths)
O Boys’ reading skills are worse
O Differences between schools with
Estonian and Russian language of
instruction

7. IT in schools:
Estonian Juku
computers
E-mail
projects,
PCs for
schools
1986
Tiger Leap
Foundation,
1st strategy
1993
Internet
arrives
Estonia
New
national
curriculum
19971989
Graduated
teachers’
college
Became
school
principal
In TLF
regional
committee

8. Miksike,
Teachers
portal
TigerLeap +
Intel TTF,
Digital content
1998
CNC, anima,
variety of
trainings
2002
New nat-l
curriculum,
Moodle
E-uni, IT
Foundation
20042001
IT in teacher
ed, VIKO, MA
Educ.
multimedia
Tiger in
Focus, IVA,
DigiDidaktika
TiF 2, study
on IT & school
culture
WebCT
arrives
Estonia

9. 3rd strategy:
Learning Tiger
TLF strategy,
indicators,
SITES, iTEC
2006
Nat-l strategy
of lifelong
learning 2020
2010
Havike
New nat-l
curriculum,
iPads
20132008
Calibrate,
LeMill, TATS,
PETS, Deer
Leap
Koolielu portal,
MA EdTech,
OER, EduFeedr
Dippler,
TEL@workpla
ceDLE,
DigiComp
E-VET

10. IEA SITES 2006-2008

11. Vocabulary shifts in national
ICT strategies for education
O 1986: programming is the second literacy for
each citizen of the Soviet Union!
O 1997: school computerisation, use of IT
O 2001: ICT integration in schools & curricula
O 2006: e-learning environments, methods
O 2012: learning and teaching in the digital
age
O 2014: digital turn towards 1:1 computing,
educational cloud, e-textbooks, e-schoolbag

12. Tiger Leap: ups & downs
O Success factors:
O Flexibility, support for innovators, agility
O IT managers in schools, infrastructure
upgrades
O Well designed and managed teacher training
O TLF: small team (no IT experts), NGO, funding,
PR
O Failures:
O Collaboration with different partners
O Little research, no evidence-based policies
O Moore’s chasm not crossed
O Loss of vision, replacing with indicators

13. No clear paradigm
O Programming as the second literacy?
O Key skills for today’s jobs?
O Improving access to learning resources?
O Modernizing the learning environment?
O Catalyst for wider educational change?
O Looking for “silver bullet”, that can
provide measurable success,
understandable by laymen (politicians),
within 4 years

14. How to measure the impact?
O Conference in Astana: scientific proof needed!
O Tiger in Focus, SITES and other studies: no impact on
grades, school budget, minor impact on paradigm shift
O Tiger Leap commissioned a whole-class 1:1 laptop
study, teachers: no need to change, students: take
them away!
O OLPC & Inter-America Bank: 2.5million laptops later,
no or marginal effect on learning outcomes (math test
scores)
O Systemic approach is needed: infrastructure, services,
educational technology support, staff training,
leadership, curriculum reform, research-based
decisions, room for experimentation and failures

15. 3 generations of TEL systems
Dimension 1.generation 2.generation 3.generation
Software
architecture
Educational
software
Course
management
systems
Digital Learning
Ecosystems
Pedagogical
foundation
Bihaviorism Cognitivism Knowledge
building,
connectivism
Content
management
Integrated with
code
Learning Objects,
content packages
Mash-up, remixed,
user-generated
Dominant
affordances
E-textbook, drill &
practice, tests
Sharing LO’s,
forum discussions,
quiz
Reflections, collab.
production, design
Access Computer lab in
school
Home computer Everywhere –
thanks to mobile

16. National Lifelong Learning
Strategy 2014 – 2020: rationale
O “Use of ICT” model, based on computer labs,
has reached its limits
O PPT/IWB is not enough, does not change
learning
O E-learning (Moodle) model did not take off,
does not suit primary and secondary schools
O No good ideas for e-textbook model in current
settings (1 computer lab per school)
O Ergo: learning in the digital age, 1:1 and BYOD
model, digital learning ecosystem

17. LLS2020: Action Plan
O Digital turn in formal education system: digital culture
into curricula, bottom-up innovation, sharing good
practice, educational technologists in schools
O Digital learning resources: digital textbooks, OER,
quality management, recommender systems
O Digital infrastructure for learning : 1:1 computing,
BYOD, interoperable ecosystem of services, mobile
clients, school-wide digital turn (first in 20 pilot schools,
then in others)
O Digital competences of teachers and students:
competence models, self-assessment tools, mapping
with course offerings and accreditation procedures,
updating initial teacher education curricula

18. MA Programme: Ed. Technology
O Intake: 15 experienced teachers enroll every year,
based on competence-based e-portfolio
O Envisaged jobs: educational technologist,
technology integration specialist, instructional
designer, HRD
O Blended learning: blog-based Personal Learning
Environment + contact hours: every second
weekend
O Duration: 2 years, 120 ECTS
O Structure: general courses 8 ECTS, specialisation
courses 66 ECTS, free electives 16, thesis 30
ECTS
O Instructional design; Learning environments;
Digital learning resources; Knowledge

19. Thank you!
O Questions?

20. Teacher education in Estonia
O Initial teacher education: on the Masters’ level, 120
ECTS (incl. thesis)
O Tallinn University and University of Tartu are the
largest providers, others are teacher colleges in
Narva, Rakvere, Haapsalu, also music and arts
academies as well as Tallinn University of
Technology
O Successful “Teach First” programme
O In-service teacher education: teachers are
expected to attend 160 hrs within 5 years, funded
by MoER
O A dedicated 80 hrs programme “Teacher of the
Future” based on ISTE NETS-T standard

21. Teacher education: innovation
O Centres of Educational Innovation in Tallinn &
Tartu
O Curricula renewed to meet the new teachers’
professional qualification standard, more and
earlier practice in schools
O Experimental curriculum for science teachers
O New portal eDidaktikum.ee, created by the
consortium of teacher education institutions
O Educational technology: DigiTurn programme for
school teams in TLU, sponsored by Samsung

22. Thank you!
O Questions?