BOTTOM-UP TO TOP-DOWN APPROACH OF INTEGRATING ICT

IN NATIONAL SCHOOL CURRICULUM IN CROATIA

Aleksandra Mudrinić Ribić, Maja Quien Croatian Academic and Research Network- CARNet, Croatia

Introduction

• technology is changing education principles and

methods – that’s nothing new!

• in Croatia potential of ICT not exploited enough

• ˝new learning revolution˝

• a shift of focus from teaching to learning must

lead to the focus on curriculum

• a large scale technological change requires a

large scale change on a formal level of the

education system

• activites of CARNet for involvement of ICT in

education system and national school

curriculum

Issues and possibilities of involving ICT in the contemporary education system

Classroom of the future

• a distant vision

• average school is poorly

equipped with ICT and

unable to take part in most

activities of advanced e-

education

2001. - Croatian Ministry of Science, Education

and Sport project: all schools were provided

with ISDN 1750 computers donated

2014. - 1651 institutions on 3299 locations have

Internet via CARNet

CARNet is a government agency, which

operates under the Ministry of Science,

Education and Sports

providing infrastructure for Internet access for

all educational institutions in the country

Making each teacher count: good practice example of combining approaches for implementing ICT in the national education system

two levels of activities integrating ICT in the

education system:

1. bottom-up

2. top-down approach

crucial combining!

bottom-up approach

starts at the level of each school or even each

teacher by getting them interested in ICT,

educating them how to use it in the classroom,

and finally implement it in their class.

essential involvement of each techer

teachers as change agents

top-down approach

formal decisions, activities or large scale

projects that involve ICT in the education

system on a national level

…examples of activities

• technology enhanced teaching and learning in

Croatia at first was mainly focusing on

academic community

• end of the 90’s - CARNet started with the

development of free online courses on specific

subjects involving technology integration into

teaching and learning practices

• successful integration of technology into

education through raising awareness of its

presence and possibilities

• 1st CARNet Users Conferences – CUC,

presented innovative tools, methods, examples

of good practice that could be integrated into

teaching and learning concepts

• by 2000 dozens of online courses and face-to-

face trainings with a focus on encouraging and

supporting teachers and learners to develop

their own online courses

• provided a Learning Management System for

all its users as a platform for providing

education and as a place to store and share

users learning materials

• 2007 was a milestone in the work of CARNet

because of the decision of the Ministry of

Science, Education and Sport to officially

include all primary and secondary schools in

the country in the CARNet network, what

enabled them to use all existing CARNet

services

five main groups of activities of ICT integration in the national educational system

1. awareness

2. education

3. implementation

4. promotion

5. support

eSchools

Awareness

Education

Implementation

Promotion

Support

• EU funded projects such as Open Discovery

Space – ODS, Inspiring Science Education –

ISE, e-Vet Ready, eVET2EDU, and leader of

Amores, ICT Curricula and Study Visit project

• they target stakeholders and decision-makers

that have impact on Croatian education policies

• CARNet organises education of school

teachers and other relevant users, such as the

Croatian Education and Teacher Training

Agency advisors

• 2007 - CARNet initiated education for all

primary and secondary teachers in the country

on the subject reflecting ICT integration into

their teaching and learning activities

• project ICTEdu with the Ministry of Science,

Education and Sport and the Croatian

Education and Teacher Training Agency - more

than 45000 teachers, school staff and principals

of primary and secondary schools were trained

in 3790 workshops, making about 98% of the

total school staff in Croatia

• this year our first Massive Open Online Course

• project Schools2.0 - provided broadband

Internet connection, videoconference systems,

Smart-School systems and tablets for all

teachers and students in 27 Croatian schools

• idea for creating digitally

mature schools was

the leading point

Elementary school Vežica, Croatia

a long term project ˝eSchools˝

• will apply for funding from two EU structural

funds

• received support from the Croatian Ministry of

Science, Education and Sport

• ambitious budget of approximately 280.000.000

€, the project aims to create digitally mature

schools that can produce competent and

research-oriented students adaptable to both

the educational and labour-market challenges

• Digitally mature schools are considered to be

schools that are able to accept, use and exploit

the benefits of ICT for the development of

educational and business activities of the

school and school system

• A result of long term cooperation of CARNet

with some of the key stakeholders (the Croatian

Education and Teacher Training Agency, Agency for

Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education,

several Faculties of Teacher Education and other higher

education institutions)

˝eSchools˝

Conclusion

• five main activities: Awareness, Education,

Implementation, Promotion and Support

• importance and inevitability of bottom - up

approach (probably impossible to start with a

top-down approach)

• top-down approach: necessary to have strong

teachers’ communities, which are ready for ICT

adoption, reliable technology to work with,

constant educational and technical support and

society as a whole ready to change.

• influencing stakeholders and decision-makers

that have the ability to implement ICT in the

school curriculum

Thank you for your

attention!

Aleksandra Mudrinić Ribić, Maja Quien Croatian Academic and Research Network- CARNet, Croatia Aleksandra.Mudrinic@CARNet.hr, Maja.Quien@CARNet.hr