ICT - EDUCATION

ICT - Education



ICT - EDUCATION

Introduction

An important step towards the successful integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools is to facilitate their capacity to develop a school-based ICT policy resulting in an ICT policy plan. Such a plan can be defined as a school document containing strategic and operational elements concerning the integration of ICT in education. To write such a plan in an efficient way is challenging for schools. Therefore, an online tool [Planning for ICT in Schools (pICTos)] has been developed to guide schools in this process. A multiple case study research project was conducted with three Flemish primary schools to explore the process of developing a school-based ICT policy plan and the supportive role of pICTos within this process. Data from multiple sources (i.e. interviews with school leaders and ICT coordinators, school policy documents analysis and a teacher questionnaire) were collected and analysed. The results indicate that schools shape their ICT policy based on specific school data collected and presented by the pICTos environment. School teams learned about the actual and future place of ICT in teaching and learning. Consequently, different policy decisions were made according to each school's vision on 'good' education and ICT integration.

Statement of Problem

Several strategies and conditions have been described in the research literature as contributing to the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in educational settings (e.g. Hew & Brush 2007; Tondeur et al. 2008). Traditionally, researchers have focused on individual teacher characteristics such as attitudes to technology or gender differences. Recently, however, attention has shifted to school-level characteristics that lead to successful ICT integration (e.g. Tondeur et al. 2008). Examining school characteristics (e.g. leadership) or school conditions (e.g. infrastructure) is useful for understanding which factors best explain successful integration of ICT in teaching and learning. Based on a review of the research literature, Hew and Brush (2007) identified one important school-level condition as 'having a shared vision and ICT policy plan.' This specific condition - further defined as ICT policy planning - is the focus of this study. The complex process of ICT policy planning which is described in this article is situated within the Flemish ICT policy context. We further present a previously developed online tool [Planning for ICT in Schools (pICTos)] which supports schools in the policy planning process. Following this, we outline a multiple case study research carried out to explore the process of ICT policy planning in three primary schools, and the supportive role of pICTos within this process.

Research Questions

An important step towards the successful integration of ICT in schools is to facilitate their capacity to develop a local ICT policy (e.g. Hew & Brush 2007). ICT policy needs to be grounded in a shared vision of teaching and learning and ICT integration (Vanderlinde et al. 2009). Furthermore, local ICT policy must be related to particular curriculum content and to the enhancement of student learning (Staples et al. 2005 in Hew & Brush 2007), and should be reflected in a school-based ICT policy plan (Picciano ...