LESSON 3: Educational Technology in the Asia Pacific Region

To provide confidence to educators that they are taking the right steps in adopting technology in education, it is good to know that during the last few years, progressive countries in the Asia Pacific region have formulated state policies and strategies to infuse technology in schools.

Progressive States/City Programs:

New Zealand 2001 ICT Goals and Strategy
Australia IT Initiatives
Malaysia Smart School-level Technology Project
Singapore Masterplan for IT in Education
Hong Kong Education Program Highlights

ET in the Asia Pacific Region 


Progressive countries in the Asia Pacific Region have formulated state policies and strategies to infuse technology in schools to provide confidence to educators that they are taking the right steps in adopting technology in education. Five progressive states/city imposing ICT policies and strategies in schools, namely New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. 


ET in the New Zealand Goal


 Government with the education and technology sectors, community groups, and industry envisions supporting to the development of the capability of schools to use information and communication technologies in teaching-and-learning and in administration. 


Strategy • Improving learning outcomes for students using ICT to support curriculum • Using ICT to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of educational administration • Developing partnerships with communities to enhance access to learning through ICT


Focus areas • Infrastructure for increasing schools' access to ICTs to enhance education • Professional development so that school managers and teachers can increase their capacity to use ICT


 Initiatives • An on-line resource center with centrally managed website for the delivery of multi- • A computer recycling scheme • A planning and implementation guide for schools • media resources to schools • ICT professional development school/clusters


 ET in the Australia Planning, funding and implementation strategies:


 Fast local and wide area networks linking schools across the state and territory • Substantial number of computers in schools, ensuring adequate access • Continuing teacher training in the use of technology for instruction • Technical support to each school • Sufficient hardware and software • Digital library resources • Technology demonstrations as models for schools 


ET in the Malaysia Teaching-and-Learning includes: 


Classroom with multi-media, presentation facilities, e-mail and groupware for collaborative work • Library media center with database for multimedia courseware and network access to the internet • Computer laboratory for teaching, readily accessible multimedia and audiovisual equipment • Multimedia development center • Studio / theatre with control room • Teachers' room with on-lie access to courseware catalogues and databases, information and resource management systems and professional networking tools, such as e-mail and groupware • Server room • Administration offices capable of accessing the network 


ET in the Singapore Curriculum and assessment


 A balance between acquisition of factual knowledge and mastery concepts and skills • Students in more active and independent learning • Assessment to measure abilities in applying information and communicating


 ET in the Singapore Learning resources


• Development of a wide range of educational software for instruction • Use relevant internet resources for teaching- and-learning • Convenient and timely procurement of software materials 


Teacher development• Training on purposeful use of IT for teaching • Equipping each trainee teacher with core skills in teaching with IT • Tie-ups with institutions for higher learning and industry partners 


Physical and technological infrastructure •Pupil computer ratio 2:1 • Access to IT in all learning areas in the school • School wide network and school linkages through wide area network (WAN), eventually connected to Singapore ONE


 ET in the Hong Kong IT initiatives 


 40 computers for each primary schools and 82 computers for each secondary schools • About 85,000 IT training places for teachers at four levels • Technical support for all schools • Information Education Resource Center • IT coordinator for each of 250 schools • Computer rooms for the use of students after normal school hours • An IT Pilot Scheme • Review of school curriculum to incorporate IT elements • Development of appropriate software in collaboration with government, the private sector, tertiary institutions and schools • Exploring feasibility of setting up an education- specific Intranet.


If only our country can only have a program at least at a minimal program like just having a simple plan and goal for the next 2-3 years from now, we could see that there is a changes by doing that. There will be only slight development of our country's improvement if we are not doing any actions like having a program.