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A World Bank Blog on ICT use in Education

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Exploring issues related to the use of information and communication technologies to benefit education in developing countries

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Linking up with Enlaces (Chile)

Submitted by Michael Trucano on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 23:03

Enlaces logoWith apologies in advance to initiatives in a handful of other countries considered world leaders in this area (including Costa Rica, Namibia, Thailand, Mexico and Brazil):

Of all the programs in middle income and developing countries that have sought to introduce ICTs systematically into the education, the Chilean experience is perhaps the most lauded.  Enlaces has been the subject of much scholarly and policy attention since its inception almost two decades ago (including a publication from the World Bank back in 2004 [pdf]).

The fact that Chile and Enlaces is considered by many to be a global model of good practice presents policymakers in Chile with a(n enviable) challenge:

Where should Chile look for inspiration as it continues to evolve its programs exploring the effective use of ICTs in education?

On-line safety for students in developing countries

Submitted by Michael Trucano on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 23:01

just how safe and secure? | public domain image courtesy of Membeth at the German Wikipedia project When participating in discussions with officials planning for the use of computers and the Internet in schools in many developing countries, I am struck by how child Internet safety issues are often only considered as an afterthought -- if indeed they are considered at all.  Yet these issues almost *always* present themselves during implementation, and schools (and education systems) then scramble to figure out what to do.

What do we know about child Internet saftey issues in developing countries?

Preliminary work done by the Berkman Center up at Harvard, in partnership with UNICEF, suggests: Not much.

What do we know about using mobile phones in education? (part 2)

Submitted by Michael Trucano on Thu, 05/14/2009 - 23:36

image courtesy kiwanja.netRecent posts to this blog about the use of mobile phones in education in developing countries have generated a *lot* of page views.  News earlier this year that firms in the United States are beginning to make a pitch for greater use of mobile phones in the education sector highlights the increased attention that this topic is now receiving in OECD member countries as well.

Are they really using Nintendo in schools in Japan? (and why might developing countries care?)

Submitted by Michael Trucano on Fri, 04/24/2009 - 05:20

*Other* mobile devices in education - thinking beyond netbooks, mobile phones and PDAs

CC licensed image courtesy of diebmx via FlickrLast week's blog entry on 'What do we know about the use of mobile phones in education?' generated a lot of email.  Some correspondents (rightly) noted that a variety of mobile devices in multiple form factors are being tested for use in educational settings outside of the three categories most people commonly think about: PDAs, phones and netbooks. 

A case in point: Last month reports emerged in the Japanese media (English re-cap here) about the 'mandatory' use of Nintendo DS portable video gaming devices in a set of schools in Osaka.  (Please note that the word 'mandatory' does not appear in the Japanese article linked to here; the English re-cap may or may not be based on other sources.)  Reports about use of the DS (and before that the Nintendo GameBoy) in education in Japan appear sporadically in the press.