The ICT Education Report is ongoing, in order to address the challenge of a developing context, as the authors explain: "Two approaches have been adopted in the survey [… ] The first approach is comprised of a longitudinal qualitative module, in which 12 schools will be monitored over four years, starting in 2010 and finishing in 2013, with two annual visits for observation, monitoring the changes in broadband access and its impacts on teaching practices. Results of this study will be analysed and published in the future. The second stage comprises a quantitative sample, which is presented in this publication". (ICT Education Report, p.141)
The first stage of the ICT Education Report is therefore not yet available, but its publication will significantly add to the current understanding and awareness of online or e-learning and ‘virtual schools’ in Brazil. In order to achieve its goals, the ICT Education Survey interviewed a sample of 500 public schools, interviewing principals, directors of studies, teachers and students, seeking to represent the Brazilian scenario of education and the use of technologies. According to this proposal, the work was based on international references, such as InfoDev (World Bank), the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) and Sites 2006 (Second Information Technology in Education Study). (Ibid, p.142)
Until publication of the second stage of the Report, there are several caveats to be borne in mind. As pointed out earlier – the vagaries of funding, teachers’ experience and attitudes, and the simple availability of different ICTs – will all impact on the full exploitation of new technologies and media in teaching and learning. Statistics produced by the Cetic.br surveys contribute to the debate about public policies, particularly those related to digital inclusion, such as the National Broadband Plan, the Broadband in Schools and the Community Telecenters programs, etc.
There has been limited inclusion of ICT in education in initial teacher education in Latin and this reflects the late and uneven diffusion of these technologies in the region. ICTs have been slow to acquire prominent status in Latin American economy and society, although there has been more enthusiasm in Brazilian universities. In schools, the Um laptop por Criança (One Laptop per Child) initiative offers promise (this project involves Argentina and Uruguay as well), but the results of ICT policies in schools are difficult to assess, since there is a lack of methodology, specific indicators, and systematic and reliable data are missing.The research presented on the ICT report reveals that although a number of projects for the use of technologies in education have been implemented over the past two decades, the use of ICTs in the classrooms is still not fully integrated to the day-to-day activities of the schools nor the syllabi.
Teachers’ professional development is therefore a necessary first step towards fully exploiting DICTs in schools. For example, in the UK, the Learning Schools Programme of 2000-2003 was critical in aiding teachers’ understanding of the affordances and benefits of ICT in schools.
Data from the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (ICT Education Report 2010) suggests that each public school has on average 23 computers, but only about 18 of those are actually installed and in use due to maintenance reasons. There is an average of 800 students per public school and broadband is present in 87% of schools which have an Internet connection.
The conservative and traditional approach to schooling, coupled with lack of recognition of the affordances of technology-enhanced education, will continue to hold back development in schools and colleges. Even so, Brazilian HE is strong and its universities are prominently represented in international ratings, such that they are leading in the LA region. In time, the deployment of ICTs in universities will filter into teacher training and then into schools.
In conclusion, the digital divide exists in two dimensions: first – the under-provision of ICTs and connectivity, and second – the lack of understanding of the benefits of technological exploitation in education. It is reasonable, however, to predict that Web 2.0, the ‘Cloud’ and social networking will hasten the uptake of new technologies and rich media in teaching and learning.