THE ITALIAN DIGITAL PLAN FOR SCHOOLS

d l dLeonardo Tosi, l.tosi@indire.itINDIRE, www.indire.it

CERI Conference on Innovation, Governance and Reform in Education3 – 5 November, 2014

Paris, France

Our institute

The National Documentation Institute for

Innovation and Research in Education Innovation and Research in Education

based in Florencebased in Florence

•INDIRE is a public research institute dealing with educational innovation. •INDIRE collaborates on a regional and local level with public school authorities, schools, associations foundations universities and on an international level with the other EUassociations, foundations, universities and on an international level with the other EU Ministries of education through European Schoolnet and with industry partners. 

National digital plan for schools: objectives

(2007 2012)(2007 ‐ 2012)

• Introduce ICT as part of the daily tools of classroom activities

• Experiment new models of  teaching and school organization 

• Support the development of new learning resources and environmentsenvironments

The starting point: use of IWBs

Have you ever used an Interactive Whiteboard?

MaiQualche voltaSpesso

NeverSometimes Often RegolarmenteDaily

Review of the IWB Expansion Project, Di.S.A. Università di Genova

The starting point: broadband connection

More than 85% of schools had broadband but

22,43 %I laboratori di informatica

More than 85% of schools had broadband but…

Computer labs

19,69 %

20,99 %

La presidenza

La segreteria

Computer labs

Administrative offices

Office of the School Head

10,96 %

12,22 %

Solo alcune classi

La sala docenti

Office of the School Head

Staff room

Only some classrooms

7,35 %

6,35 %Punti di consultazione specifici

Tutte le classiAll classrooms

Dedicated rooms/areas

0 5 10 15 20 25

IWB expansion plan monitoring report Università cattolica di MilanoIWB expansion plan monitoring report, Università cattolica di Milano

The starting point: behaviours of teachers

• High rates of teachers have PC and Internet connection compared tothe average population levelthe average population level

• ICT are used to prepare lessons, search for information, write texts and assessment tests. But those materials are often used in paper version in the classroom

• ICT are mostly used for personal purposes, for professional development and to prepare and document lessons (before / after the classroom activity).

Plan for digital schools: a multi‐level initiative

Italian Ministry of Education

• Interactive Whiteboards  Expansion project • Ministry of Education

• Local authorities

ACTIONS STAKEHOLDERS

• Classrooms 2.0

(classroom experimenting innovative settings)

S h l 2 0

• Local authorities• Regions• INDIRE• Schools 2.0 

(schools changing organizational setting)

• Teacher training: development of teachers’ basic and

INDIRE

• Publishers• IT Providers Teacher training: development of teachers  basic and 

advanced ICT skills  • Schools• Teachers

Plan for digital schools: a multi‐level initiative

Italian Ministry of Education

OTHER RELATED INITIATIVES

• Development of national and school information systemsAnagrafe Nazionale degli Studenti is a national longitudinal information

OTHER RELATED INITIATIVES

Anagrafe Nazionale degli Studenti is a national longitudinal information system. All schools must phase out the use of paper records and equip themselves with school management systems and electronic registries that 

bl t h i f ti ith A f di tlare able to exchange information with Anagrafe directly

• Phasing out of paper‐only textbooksSchools can no longer adopt paper‐only textbooks. At the request of families, schools ensure that ICT devices to access digital contents are available. Families contribute to costs, up to a cap  amount fixed by law.

National blended learning training system• Theoretical units• Video• Lesson plan format• Subject matter resources Support to teaching practice

Training materials and tools

• Subject matter resources

Coaching(phase II)

Support to teaching practice

Search for di i l

Design

• Community• Resources• Tutorial• Helpdesk

digital assets / reuse resources

Design lesson Create IWB file

Technical training

Methodologicaltraining

(phase I)

Reflect

Design lesson plan for IWB

Experiment i lin classroom

Reuse, share, create

SharingDocumentation

• Questionnaire• Training needs analysis format• Training contract

RepositoryTutor’stoolkit

• Training contract• Intro pathway• lesson plan screenplay• Experimentation format

Provide guidelines

European Schoolnet, Interactive Classroom Working Group

National digital plan for schools: strenghts

• Means are aligned with the goal of increasing the use of ICT in schools (IWB as main focus) 

• An efficient procurement procedure (Consip)

• The strategy builds capacity (phased approach, experiments)

• The “contagion” strategy creates teacher demand rather thanresistance (voluntary process)

Review of the Italian Strategy for Digital School, OECD Education Working Papers No.90, 2013

National reviews

CREMIT, Cattolica University of Milan    DiSfor, University of Genoa

“The objective to bring the Trojan Horse [the Interactive Whiteboard] into the classrooms has been achieved. Now it's a matter of letting the warriors get out.”

Innovation is often left to the initiative of the single teacher.

ICT and innovation: progress through stages

INNOVATION

Exploing innovative potential(l t )

EVOLUTION

(long-term)REPOSITIONING

APPROPRIATION

ADAPTATION

APPROPRIATION

Integration in daily classroom practiceUSAGE

ADAPTATION

g y p(mid-term)

FAMILIARISATION

Overcoming barriers(short-term)

INTRODUCTION

Classroom “incapsulation”

tools:Blackboard, textbook,

globe, pencils, copybook

subject:C t t

object:Student Content

rules: community: division of labour:yLesson structure, social interaction

Classroom Teachers teach, students learn

Adapted from: Engeström, 1995

An Innovation Lab Network is needed

• Equipment by itself does not change pedagogic practices• Equipment by itself does not change pedagogic practicesor school practices

• Need to pilot and experiment different uses of technologyfor pedagogic purposep g g p p

• Need to experiment new organisational practices for theNeed to experiment new organisational practices for the better use of ICT

• Need to identify what works and what does not

Review of the Italian Strategy for Digital School, OECD Education Working Papers No.90, 2013

iTEC project

itec.eun.org

iTEC: from trends to practice

Trends

ScenarioScenario

LearningActivities

Lesson planning

iTEC: scenarios

iTEC: impact

Italy: National Context

Italian Digital

Innovative methodologies

Italian DigitalAgenda forEducation

Italian schools Tools and

applications

Schools 2.0iTEC projectBroadband connection

iTEC schools

Digital Educational

Centres

Cloud services

iTEC schools

Digital

One-to-onedevices

Classrooms2.0

Digital Textbooks Italian Digital Plan

for Schools

New learningspaces

Interactive Whiteboards

Bed schools as front‐runners

“In this context, innovation projects experimenting new waysof teaching, learning and schooling play an important role in 

l h l l f hsupplementing the large scale equipment initiative of the plan.

Test bed schools can serve as front‐runners to pilot and inventnew learning environments so that the entire Italian system g ycan learn from the positive and negative lessons learnt…”

Review of the Italian Strategy for Digital School, OECD Education Working Papers No.90, 2013

Supporting innovationITS Luca Pacioli di Crema ITI Liceo Majorana di Brindisi

ITST Liceo Fermi di Manova ISIS Malignani di Udine

Innovation Lab Network

From “top‐down” to “bottom up”

School system

Networks ofschoolsschools

AE2015

2.0

2014

Schools

Classrooms 2 0

2012

Classrooms 2.0

2009

IWB expansion project

2007

Lessons learned

• Formal training do not necessarily enhance innovation• Formal training do not necessarily enhance innovation

• Results of national innovation supporting initiatives are pp gnot always predictable

• The effectiveness of a specific type of innovation supportingstrategy depends on the context and the level of e‐maturity

• The “contagion” strategy creates teacher demandrather than resistance (voluntary process)( y p )

Thank you!

Leonardo TosiLeonardo Tosil.tosi@indire.it