ICT AND EDUCATION
Information and communication technology (ICT) has become, within a
very short time, one of the basic building blocks of modern society. Many
countries now regard understanding ICT and mastering the basic skills and
concepts of ICT as part of the core of education, alongside reading, writing
and numeracy.
This book deals with ICT in secondary schools, and with the changing
competencies required of both students and teachers if they are to
function effectively in today's society. It specifies an ICT curriculum for
secondary schools, and outlines an accompanying programme of teacher
development to implement such a curriculum.
AIMS AND PURPOSES
UNESCO aims to ensure that all countries, both developed and developing,
have access to the best educational facilities necessary to prepare young
people to play full roles in modern society and to contribute to a knowledge
nation. Because of the fundamental importance of ICT in the task of
schools today, UNESCO has previously published books in this area as a
practical means of helping Member States: for example, Informatics for
Secondary Education: A Curriculum for Schools (1994) and Informatics for
Primary Education (2000). Rapid developments in ICT now demand
a completely new document in place of the first of these publications.
This book has two key purposes. The first is to specify a curriculum in
ICT for secondary schools that is in line with current international trends.
The second purpose is to outline a programme of professional development
for teachers necessary to implement the specified ICT curriculum
successfully.