I. 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.