Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age - MEHE

1 Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age: lebanon s National Educational Technology Strategic PlanThe Ministry of education and Higher education Strategic Planning Development TeamJuly 31, 2012 Table of ContentsForeword ..vA word from the Minister of education and Higher education (MEHE): Dr. Hassan Diab, ..1A word from the President of the Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD): Dr. Leila Maliha Fayad, ..2A word from the Director-General of education for the Ministry of education and Higher education : Mr. Fadi Yarak ..3 Strategic Planning Development Team ..4 Contributors ..4 Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age: lebanon s National Educational Technology Strategic Plan ..5 About This Strategic Plan ..5 Organization of This Strategic Plan.

2 7 Opportunities on which the Strategic Plan Capitalizes ..7 Challenges Faced by the Lebanese Educational System and Ways This Strategic Plan May Begin to Address Those Challenges ..10 Immediate Steps Following Adoption of This Strategic Plan ..12 Implementation Cycle: From Now to 2017 ..14 Section 1: A National Vision for Teaching and Learning with Technology in Lebanese Schools ..15 Attaining This Underlying This Vision ..20 Section 2: Goals and Objectives ..23 Chapter 1: Access to Technology ..27 Overview ..27 Overarching Goal ..27 Access to Technology: Individual Goals and Objectives ..28 Chapter 2: Technology and Curriculum ..37 Overview ..37 Overarching Goal ..38 Technology and Curriculum: Individual Goals and Objectives ..38 Chapter 3: Technology and Instruction.

3 43 Overview ..43 Overarching Goal ..44 Technology and Instruction: Individual Goals and Objectives ..44 Chapter 4: Technology and Assessment ..49 Overview ..49 Overarching Goal ..51 Technology and Assessment: Individual Goals and Objectives ..51 Chapter 5: Technology and Professional Development ..57 Overview ..57 Overarching Goal ..59 Technology and Professional Development: Individual Goals and Objectives ..59 Chapter 6: Technology and Leadership ..67 Overview ..67 Overarching Goal ..67 Technology and Leadership: Individual Goals and Accountability, Actions, and Resources by National, Regional, and Local Educational Entities ..71 Section 3: Recommended Actions ..75 National Policies, Initiatives, and Procedures ..77 Human and Institutional Capacity Building.

4 81 School-based Technology Provision and Related Supports ..86 Section 4: Final Thoughts ..97 Section 5: Concepts into Action: Definitions of and Expectations for Educational Terms Used in This Strategic Plan ..103 Appendices ..119 Appendix A: Summary Table: Goals, Objectives, and Recommended Actions ..121 Appendix B: Technology Evaluation Recommendations ..149 Appendix C: Open education Resources ..153 Appendix D: Energy Provision Contingency Strategies ..155 Appendix E: Strategies for Lowering the Costs Associated with Technology ..161 Review of This Strategic Plan ..169 Group Reviewers ..169 Individual Reviewers ..170 This strategic plan is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

5 The contents are the responsibility of education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States | 1 | Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age: lebanon s National Educational Technology Strategic PlanA word from the Minister of education and Higher education (MEHE): Dr. Hassan Diab, essential component of lebanon s education Reform Strategy and Action Plan (LERSAP), announced in October 2011, is employing and harnessing information and communications technology (ICT) to support Teaching and Learning , as well as educational management and leadership. This component is an important contribution to the strategic goal of transforming education in the Lebanese schools so that the economic, social, and personal needs of our young people in the 21st century will be document, lebanon s National Educational Technology Strategic Plan, aims to realize the above mentioned component in the LERSAP.

6 Our vision is that lebanon s young people will be able to adapt smoothly to the Digital age and maximize the benefits from it. To achieve this, we intend to invest in ICT and human resources in schools and to provide enhanced Learning experiences. As a result, graduated students will contribute to the economy and society by becoming better employees, employers, and citizens. On the personal level, they will also become more creative, better lifelong learners, and more competent applicants to higher- education institutions. lebanon s National Educational Technology Strategic Plan provides a roadmap and a set of recommended actions to ensure the integration of ICT within the Lebanese general education system. It is based on six pillars infrastructure, curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional development, and management and initial draft of the strategic plan was developed by a task force supported by an international consultant.

7 A consultation process followed, involving national experts and stakeholders. This process concluded with a workshop and led to this document. Next, the strategic plan will be extended, with implementation plans that will provide detailed action steps with associated timelines, budgets, priorities, and key performance indicators. However, we recognize that these plans will be revised later as we make progress and learn from practical experience within a Lebanese Ministry of education and Higher education asserts its unwavering commitment to the implementation of lebanon s National Educational Technology Strategic Plan. I am confident that this implementation will elevate the education experience of students to the next higher level of , I wish to thank the task force that developed this strategic plan, led by Ms.

8 Paulette Assaf; the external consultant, Ms. Mary Burns; the reviewers and advisors; and the national experts and the participants of the consultation workshop for their efforts in the production of this final version of the document.| 2 | Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age: lebanon s National Educational Technology Strategic PlanA word from the President of the Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD): Dr. Leila Maliha Fayad, a Digital age, schools need teachers and learners ready to meet the challenges of Teaching , Learning , and working in a hyper-connected, collaborative, creative, and information-rich world. Teachers and students need just-in-time and just-as-needed access to computers in their classrooms to support content-based instruction.

9 They need access to experts and resources and the ability to use powerful and high-speed Internet tools such as video and multimedia. However, technical infrastructure, as important as it may be, is not enough. For the promise of educational technology to be fulfilled, as lebanon s National Educational Technology Strategic Plan rightly notes, technology needs to be matched with Digital -age curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The Ministry of education and Higher education (MEHE) and the Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD) recognize that technology can equip learners with the necessary knowledge, aptitudes, competencies, and expertise to meet the demands of a Digital world. But it can do so only when technology is embedded in a curriculum that focuses on promoting the skills and competencies necessary in the workforce of today and tomorrow the ability to communicate using electronic tools, collaborate with online communities, organize data, evaluate information, and create new knowledge.

10 To accomplish this, CERD has revised the national curriculum, developing competency-based outcomes that reflect the skills that students need to succeed in a world where problem-solving, entrepreneurship, intellectual risk-taking, and creativity are highly prized forms of human capital. Beginning in the next academic year, CERD will integrate technology outcomes into this revised curriculum so that technology and Digital content are aligned with curriculum-based standards and revising the curriculum will not lead to high-quality outcomes if instruction remains static. As this strategic plan notes, teachers need ongoing opportunities to attain and refine the highly specialized skills needed to instruct in new ways demanded by technology and a competency-based curriculum.