Thanks Ken for your comment.
We have identified different types of needs for introducing computer technology into education:
- The need to introduce computer technology into school and university administrations to improve their overall performance (teaching, administration, student information management, etc). This would also increase their effectiveness and efficiency and thus making a positive impact on the education system in general
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The need to use computer technology for implementing open
distance learning (HE).The need to introduce computer technology in schools he need to introduce computer technology in schools
- so that all students become familiar with it at school as a tool for everyday use, thus “demystifying” it for them. (social role, computer literacy)
- for better access to the job market. Basic teaching of computer applications or programming is providing skills vital for employment in the information technology society (vocational role)
- as a pedagogical help - computer technology assists the teaching-learning process and enhance the instruction of traditional subjects in the curriculum. (pedagogical role)
Ministries of education and other actors in the policy-making process will base decisions to introduce computer technologies into the education sector on one or more of these issues, which can be seen to overlap in some respects.
The introduction of computer technology is a very expensive resource for schools even in industrialised countries where the necessary infrastructure for their installation is in place. The price of hardware although constantly decreasing remains high for school budgets as does software.
The use of Free and Open Source Software offers a cost effective solution as regard the software part. Furthermore, the ability to customize a solution to the special needs of a country, and any school or university in the country is very important.
Free and Open source software (FOSS) has become mainstream and has been recognized in many cases as a valid alternative to corresponding closed source software. Its availability contributes to widen the choice of software and avoid vendor lock-in by fostering competition on the market.
As regard the use of computer technology into public administrations , there is a need to foster the interoperability of their diverse ICT systems by requiring the use of open standards and open file formats irrespective of their choice of software. They should also ensure that the encoding of data guarantees the permanence of electronic public records and is not tied to a particular software provider.
Best wishes, Jean-Claude
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