Do We Really Need to Assess ICT4E Initiatives? And If So, How?
Back when One Laptop Per Child started, they made an interesting point around evaluations of computer usage in schools. Their core belief was that all evaluations were flawed because we don’t have the right tools to assess the impact of ICT in education, and therefore talking about testing the efficacy of 1:1 computing was wasted effort.
I’ve heard this refrain repeated often since then, and not just by those promoting technology in schools. Its a equal thought from those that feel geek lust is clouding our judgment and we should focus on teachers, not technology. Its also promoted by those that point out changes to educational methodologies have often happened by force of will, not empirical results.
Now, Nicholas Negroponte is putting forth the idea that one computer per child is like electricity – such an accepted benefit for society that we’ve moved on from discussing its impact to just looking for the right models to fund it.
While we may have differencing opinions on OLPC or its benefits, the basic questioning of ICT4E evaluations is compelling. Starting with the simple question of “Do we need assessments?” we can branch into related questions that examine the basic assumptions we hold dear, like:
- Are ICT4E assessments effective in measuring outcomes?
- Do we even have the tools to tell if they are effective?
- What tools are those?
- Are we really using these assessment tools correctly?
- And regardless of the outcomes, should we really wait for long-term results, or should we implement ICT4E deployments now, as the case is compelling enough already?
For November, the Educational Technology Debate will focus on assessments of ICT initiatives in education – how we can both validate them and use them correctly to improve ICT4E overall. For discussants we’ll be joined by the following experts:
- Mary Hooker
Mary Hooker is an education specialist with over 30 years experience working in the educational sector in Ireland and Africa. Since 2007 Mary has been working with the Global eSchools and Communities Initiative. Mary is currently engaged in studies for a Doctorate in Education with Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. - Rob van Son
Rob van Son was a subject in early Computer Supported Education experiment in the 1980′s, and since worked on everything from small 8088 PCs and the first Mac to modern multi-core file and web servers. Rob is a linguistics expert with a focus on integrating information in spoken communication for Universiteit van Amsterdam. Rob has a PhD in linguistics.
Please join us for what we all expect to be a lively and informative conversation exploring assessment validity and tools for ICT4E. Your input can start right now in the comments below, and Mary and Rob will post their opening remarks beginning Monday, November 9.
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Written by Wayan Vota on November 3, 2009 in Assessing ICT4E Evaluations.
Tagged: Assessment Evaluations ICT4E Mary Hooker OLPC Outcomes Rob van Son | Trackbacks
Assessment has been very much on my mind, lately. And I've been thinking that a high-level "More, Better, Faster, Cheaper" framework could potentially be a very simple yet effective means of evaluating ICT4D across all sectors, including education (and I wrote a little bit about it recently @ http://linearityofexpectation.blogspot.com/2009/1... I look forward to what this month's discussants have to share!
Assessment is important at it provides a snapshot of the current state of affairs and provides guidance for future action. Just because we don’t have a perfect assessment tool, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t employ them. With experience, they will be refined to meet the needs of all stakeholders including learners, instructors/facilitators, parents, government officials, employers, and commercial interests.
The case is compelling for us to use and modify existing tools to assess the effective implementation of ICT4D. These assessment tools may need to be contextualized to ensure that it takes into account the needs and circumstances of learners particularly those in rural areas or those who live in foreign countries and may have different life experiences than those who live in urban areas or in more developed nations in which many of the current assessment tools have been developed. Measuring long term outcomes is a challenge for all educators not just for those involved in international development work.
I look forward to following this discussion.
[...] the lack of such a common framework for understanding and assessment, I would agree with Clayton’s comment in this forum that even if we don’t have a perfect tool to evaluate ICT impact as yet, we should [...]
As Negroponte makes clear in his talk, olpc is not about ICT, it is about giving laptops to children who will use them in the classroom, but also the rest of their lives. The laptops are not education computers, they are learning computers, family computers, village computers.
The key mistake people make is to think of olpc as an educational initiative. It is really a development project. As Negroponte said at one point, "It still works, it still makes economic sense, it still makes development sense."