UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers PDF

UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers VERSION 3 UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Acquisition Deepening Creation Understanding ICT Policy...

UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers VERSION 3 UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Acquisition Deepening Creation Understanding ICT Policy Policy Policy Understanding Application Innovation In Education Curriculum and Basic Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Application Society Skills Assessment ICT-enhanced Complex Self- Pedagogy Teaching Problem-solving management Application of Application Infusion Transformation Digital Skills Organization Standard Collaborative Learning and Classroom Groups Organizations Administration Teacher Digital Teacher as Professional Literacy Networking Innovator Learning Version 3 Published in 2018 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France © UNESCO 2018 ISBN 978-92-3-100285-4 This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://en.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Cover photos: © Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com © Asia Images Group/Shutterstock.com © Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com Graphic Design (cover) - Aurélia Mazoyer Typesetting (interior) – UNESCO/CLD Printed by UNESCO Printed in France CLD 1754.18 Contents Foreword......................................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgements....................................................................................................... 5 Executive Summary....................................................................................................... 7 The ICT CFT Version 3........................................................................................................................................8 Navigating this Document..........................................................................................................................10 Chapter I - Introduction..............................................................................................11 Purpose...................................................................................................................................................................11 Background..........................................................................................................................................................11 Chapter II - The Principles...........................................................................................13 1. Global Education Priorities.....................................................................................................................13 2. Cross-cutting Principles...........................................................................................................................14 2a. Knowledge Societies.......................................................................................................... 14 2b. Universal Design for Learning (UDL)......................................................................... 14 2c. Inclusive education............................................................................................................. 14 –– Language and culture........................................................................................ 14 –– Persons with disabilities.................................................................................... 15 –– Gender equality..................................................................................................... 15 –– Ability.......................................................................................................................... 15 3. The Potential and Challenges of ICT Innovations...................................................................16 3a. Open Educational Resources (OER)........................................................................... 16 3b. Social networks..................................................................................................................... 16 3c. Mobile technologies........................................................................................................... 16 3d. The Internet of Things....................................................................................................... 17 3e. Artificial Intelligence (AI).................................................................................................. 17 3f. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)................................................. 17 3g. Big Data..................................................................................................................................... 17 3h. Coding....................................................................................................................................... 18 3i. Ethics and privacy protection......................................................................................... 18 4. The Lifelong Process of Teacher Professional Development.............................................19 Chapter III - The ICT CFT Structure............................................................................21 1. Levels...................................................................................................................................................................21 I - Level: Knowledge Acquisition......................................................................................... 22 II - Level: Knowledge Deepening........................................................................................ 22 III - Level: Knowledge Creation............................................................................................. 23  2. Aspects...............................................................................................................................................................24 I - Aspect: Understanding ICT in Education Policy.................................................... 24 II - Aspect: Curriculum and Assessment......................................................................... 25 III - Aspect: Pedagogy................................................................................................................ 25 IV - Aspect: Application of Digital Skills........................................................................... 25 V - Aspect: Organization and Administration.............................................................. 25 VI - Aspect: Teacher Professional Learning.................................................................... 25 Chapter IV - The UNESCO ICT CFT Version 3.............................................................27 Knowledge Acquisition.................................................................................................................................27 Knowledge Deepening.................................................................................................................................34 Knowledge Creation.......................................................................................................................................41 Chapter V - Implementation Examples and Resources..........................................49 Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................49 1. Influencing ICT in Education Policy Creation.............................................................................50 2. Influencing National Teacher Standards........................................................................................50 3. Providing Assessment Criteria to Determine Levels of Teacher ICT Competence......53 4. Shaping Teacher Curriculum Design...............................................................................................53 5. Designing Teacher Professional Development Courses......................................................56 National initiatives....................................................................................................................... 56 Corporate initiatives................................................................................................................... 58 6. Open CFT Resources on OER Commons.......................................................................................58 Chapter VI - Conclusion...............................................................................................61 Glossary.........................................................................................................................63  Foreword The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes that the prevalence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have a significant potential to accelerate progress, to bridge the digital divide and support the development of inclusive Knowledge Societies based on human rights, the achievement of gender equality and empowerment. For UNESCO, the development of inclusive Knowledge Societies is based on four pillars: freedom of expression and freedom of information; universal access to information and knowledge; quality learning for all; and respect for linguistic and cultural diversity. From this perspective, ICTs are critical for progress towards the achievement of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Namely, ICT related targets are addressed in: Quality UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers education (Goal 4), Gender equality (Goal 5), Infrastructure (Goal 9), Reduced inequalities within and across countries (Goal 10), Peace, justice and strong institutions (Goal 16) and Partnerships for the goals (Goal 17). In the attainment of these goals, technology has the potential to provide innovative solutions to enable learners to take part in quality lifelong learning opportunities, to access information and knowledge and fully participate in society. Digital citizenship - the ability and ethical values to participate in society online – is an increasingly vital element in the 21st Century. The effective integration of ICT in the schools and classrooms can transform pedagogy and empower students. In this context, it is essential that teachers have the competencies to integrate ICT in their professional practice to ensure the equity and quality of learning. Teachers also need to be able to harness ICT to guide learners in developing Knowledge Society skills such as critical and innovative thinking, complex problem solving, the ability to collaborate, and socio-emotional skills. Teacher training and continued on-going, relevant professional development for teachers are essential if benefits from investments in ICTs are to be realized. Training and on-going support must enable teachers to develop the necessary ICT competencies so they can, in turn, ensure their students develop the relevant skills, including digital competencies for life and work. In response, UNESCO has developed the ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) as a tool to guide 1 pre- and in-service teacher training on the use of ICTs across the education system. The ICT CFT is intended to be adapted to support national and institutional goals by providing an up-to-date framework for policy development and capacity building in this dynamic area. The ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) Version 3 is a response to recent technological and pedagogical developments in the field of ICT and Education, and incorporates in its structure inclusive principles of non-discrimination, open and equitable information accessibility and gender equality in the delivery of education supported by technology. It addresses the impacts of recent technological advances on education and learning, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mobile Technologies, the Internet of Things and Open Educational Resources, to support the creation of inclusive Knowledge Societies.  The ICT CFT provides a comprehensive set of competencies teachers need to integrate ICT into their professional practice in order to facilitate students’ achievement of curricular objectives. Strong political commitments and sustained investment in teacher education, and concerted actions between pre- and in-service teacher trainings form the foundation of the successful implementation of this Framework as it is contextualized to national and institutional goals. For this reason, this document underlines the importance of steadfast commitment to supporting teachers’ continuous professional development including through ICT, and includes examples to illustrate how ICT CFT could be used to facilitate teachers’ development in diverse contexts. We look forward to strengthening our collaboration with all stakeholders everywhere to leverage ICT to develop the skills required to thrive within the fast-changing inclusive Knowledge Societies. UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers Moez Chakchouk Stefania Giannini Assistant Director-General Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information for Education 2  Acknowledgements UNESCO would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their valuable contributions towards elaborating this publication: UNESCO UNESCO Staff from the Communication and Information Sector and the Education Sector, UNESCO Institutes and Field Offices involved. Publication Editor UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers Neil Butcher Consultation Group Neil Butcher Enrique Hinostroza Rana Madani Andrew Moore Alexander Uzaraov Representatives of Partner Organizations Anja Balanskat, European Schoolnet Bernard Cornu, IFIP Sanna Eskelinen, Microsoft Christine Redecker, EU Seville Centre 5  Executive Summary Contemporary societies are increasingly based on information and knowledge, and the ubiquity of technologies. Consequently, societies need to put in place mechanisms to: –– build workforces that have information and communications technology (ICT) skills and are reflective, creative and adept at problem-solving in order to generate knowledge; –– enable people to be knowledgeable and resourceful so they are able to make informed choices, manage their lives effectively and realize their potential; UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers –– encourage all members of society – irrespective of gender, language, age, background, location and differing abilities – to participate fully in society and influence the decisions that affect their lives; and –– foster cross-cultural understanding, tolerance and the peaceful resolution of conflict. The attainment of these social and economic goals is a key focus of education systems worldwide. Teachers need to be equipped to guide the next generation to embrace and be able to achieve these goals. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the UN General Assembly, underscores a prevalent global shift towards the building of inclusive Knowledge Societies based on human rights, the achievement of gender equality and empowerment. ICTs are critical for progress towards the achievement of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Namely, ICT related targets are addressed in: Quality education (Goal 4), Gender equality (Goal 5), Infrastructure (Goal 9), Reduced inequalities within and across countries (Goal 10), Peace, justice and strong institutions (Goal 16) and Partnerships for the goals (Goal 17). Technology has a significant role to play in the achievement of the SDGs. UNESCO, in partnership with industry leaders and global subject experts, has created an international Framework that sets out the competencies required to teach effectively with ICT: the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT). 7 There have been three ICT CFT versions: 2008, 2011 and 2018. Each version has reflected the prevailing thinking on the relationship between technology and education, with suggestions on how to achieve competencies using popular technologies of the time. From the outset, it was envisaged that the ICT CFT would be dynamic and revisited regularly to ensure relevance. The ICT CFT Version 3 takes into account the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, and is designed to preserve those competencies that remain relevant and to frame them within the current advances in technologies and the changing demands of life and work. For example, open educational resources (OER) are now numerous and beneficial and have therefore been included; furthermore, inclusive education is also addressed in the ICT CFT Version 3, in line with the key SDG principle of “leaving no one behind”. The ICT CFT Version 3 is intended to inform teacher-training policies and programmes to strengthen the use of ICT in Education. Its target audience is teacher-training personnel, educational experts, policy-makers, teacher support personnel and other professional development providers. The ICT CFT assumes a working knowledge of the benefits of ICT in Education, and encourages contextualization and adaptation of teacher professional development as relevant. This version of the ICT CFT emphasizes that teachers, in addition to having ICT competencies and the ability to develop these in their students, must be able to use ICT to help students become collaborative, problem-solving, creative learners and innovative and engaged members of society.  For this purpose, teachers’ professional development should be understood as a lifelong learning process, rather than a one-off event. It is advised that the ICT CFT be integrated into the three phases of teacher professional development: –– pre-service - focusing on initial preparation on pedagogy, subject matter knowledge, management skills and use of various teaching tools including digital tools and resources; –– in-service - including structured face-to-face and distance training opportunities building upon pre- service programmes and directly relevant to teaching needs in classrooms and beyond; and –– On-going formal and informal pedagogical and technical support, enabled by ICTs, for teachers’ innovative use of ICT to address daily needs and to facilitate students’ higher-order learning. The ICT CFT Version 3 The ICT CFT consists of 18 competencies organized according to the six aspects of teachers’ professional practice, UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers over three levels of teachers’ pedagogical use of ICT. The underlying idea is that teachers who have competencies to use ICT in their professional practice will deliver quality education and ultimately be able to effectively guide the development of students’ ICT competencies. The six aspects of a teacher’s professional practice addressed are: 1. Understanding ICT in Education Policy; 2. Curriculum and Assessment; 3. Pedagogy; 4. Application of Digital Skills; 5. Organization and Administration; and 6. Teacher Professional Learning. 8 The ICT CFT is organized over three successive stages or levels of a teacher’s development in making pedagogical use of ICT. The first level is Knowledge Acquisition,1 where teachers acquire knowledge about using technology and basic ICT competencies. The Knowledge Acquisition level demands that teachers be aware of the potential benefits of ICT in the classroom and within national policies and priorities be able to manage and organize the school’s ICT investments and use technology to embark on lifelong learning and further professional development. Teachers who have mastered the competencies in the Knowledge Acquisition level can: 1. articulate how their classroom practices correspond to and support institutional and/or national policy; 2. analyse curriculum standards and identify how ICT can be used pedagogically to support attainment of the standards; 3. make appropriate ICT choices to support specific teaching and learning methodologies; 4. identify the functions of hardware components and common productivity software applications, and be able to use them; 1 In the 2011 ICT CFT, this level was termed ‘Technology Literacy’. 5. organize the physical environment to ensure technology supports different learning methodologies in an inclusive manner; and 6. use ICT to support their own professional development. The second level is Knowledge Deepening, where teachers acquire ICT competencies that enable them to facilitate learning environments that are student-centred, collaborative and cooperative in nature. Teachers are also able to link policy directives with real action in the classroom, have the capacity to build technology plans to maintain the school ICT assets, and forecast future needs. In addition, teachers can study further by linking to national and global teacher networks. Teachers who have mastered the competencies in the Knowledge Deepening level can: 1. design, modify and implement classroom practices that support institutional and/or national policies, international commitments (e.g. UN Conventions), and social priorities; 2. integrate ICT across subject content, teaching and assessment processes, and grade levels, and create a UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers conducive ICT-enhanced learning environment where students, supported by ICT, demonstrate mastery of curriculum standards; 3. design ICT-supported project-based learning activities and use ICT to facilitate students to create, implement and monitor project plans, and solve complex problems; 4. blend varied digital tools and resources to create an integrated digital learning environment to support students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills; 5. use digital tools flexibly to facilitate collaborative learning, manage students and other learning partners, and administer the learning process; and 6. use technology to interact with professional networks to support their own professional development. The third level is Knowledge Creation, where teachers acquire competencies that encourage them to model good practice, and set up learning environments that encourage students to create the kind of new knowledge required for more harmonious, fulfilling and prosperous societies. 9 Teachers who have mastered the competencies in the Knowledge Creation level can: 1. critique institutional and national education policies alike, suggest revisions, design improvements and speculate on the impact of these changes; 2. determine how best to incorporate student-centred and collaborative learning to ensure mastery of multidisciplinary curriculum standards; 3. while determining learning parameters, encourage student self-management in student-centred and collaborative learning; 4. design knowledge communities and use digital tools to support pervasive learning; 5. play a leadership role in devising a technology strategy for their school to turn it into a learning organization; and 6. continuall y develop, experiment, coach, innovate, and share best practice to determine how the school can best be served by technology. Figure 1 and the detailed ICT CFT tables in the current document show how the three levels – Knowledge Acquisition, Knowledge Deepening and Knowledge Creation – and the six educational aspects interact and support one another. At the intersection of each level and aspect is one of the 18 teacher ICT competencies.  Navigating this Document Chapter 1 introduces the ICT CFT Version 3, explaining its purpose and providing background information, including tracing the evolution of the Framework.. Chapter 2 outlines the international principles underlying the ICT CFT, focusing on the links between the ICT CFT and Sustainable Development Goals. The chapter also addresses the cross-cutting principles expanded on in the ICT CFT Version 3 – Knowledge Societies, Universal Design for Learning, and inclusive education – and outlines the ICT innovations introduced in this version – open educational resources, social networks, mobile technologies, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality, big data, and coding. Chapter 3 is an overview of the ICT CFT, providing a synopsis of the three levels and six aspects that together constitute the 18 competencies of the ICT CFT. Chapter 4 presents the ICT CFT in the form of detailed tables, showing related curriculum goals, teacher competencies, objectives and examples of teacher training activities. UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers Chapter 5 provides examples of how the ICT CFT has been implemented worldwide since 2011, including in the development of ICT in education policy, teacher standards, assessment criteria, curriculum design, and courseware development. The chapter also gives information on open CFT resources available on OER Commons. Chapter 6 concludes the document with brief final notes followed by a glossary of the technical terms used. Figure 1: The UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Acquisition Deepening Creation Understanding ICT Policy Policy Policy Understanding Application Innovation In Education 10 Curriculum and Basic Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Application Society Skills Assessment ICT-enhanced Complex Self- Pedagogy Teaching Problem-solving management Application of Application Infusion Transformation Digital Skills Organization Standard Collaborative Learning and Classroom Groups Organizations Administration Teacher Digital Teacher as Professional Literacy Networking Innovator Learning The ICT CFT Version 3 competencies provide a guide for the development of effective ICT in Education teacher training programmes intended for contextualization to local and national needs.  Chapter I Introduction Purpose The ICT CFT is intended for teacher training on the use of information and communications technology (ICT) UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers in Education. Its target audience is teacher-training personnel, educational experts, policy-makers, teacher support personnel and other professional development providers. The ICT CFT assumes a working knowledge of the benefits of ICT in Education, and encourages contextualization and adaptation for teacher professional development. The ICT CFT argues that teachers need to use teaching methods that are appropriate for evolving Knowledge Societies. Students need to be enabled not only to acquire thorough knowledge of their school subjects but also to understand how, using ICT as a tool, they can generate new knowledge. For some – perhaps many – teachers, these will be novel and challenging ideas. Implementing the ICT CFT will require strong leadership from government, from those responsible for teacher education and professional development of in-service teachers, and from head teachers and school principals. Background There have been three versions of the ICT CFT: 2008, 2011 and 2018. Each version has reflected the prevailing 11 thinking on the relationship between technology and education, with suggestions on how to achieve competencies using popular technologies of the time. From the outset, it was envisaged that the ICT CFT would be dynamic and revisited regularly to ensure relevance. Given the importance of ICT for education, in developing the ICT CFT, UNESCO – working closely with its partners CISCO, Intel, ISTE and Microsoft, as well as with world-renowned subject matter experts – conducted an extensive consultation to identify the competencies that teachers should develop in order to be able to use technology effectively in the classroom. This work resulted in the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) first published in 2008 in the form of three booklets, including a policy framework that explained the rationale, structure and approach of the ICT CFT; a set of ICT CFT modules; and a set of implementation guidelines. The 2011 version consolidated these different components and published the ICT CFT as a single document that included an introduction on the relevance of ICT in Education skills and knowledge, the principles underlying the Framework, the competencies and objectives, and sample syllabi and examination specifications. English, French, Russian Arabic and Chinese versions were made available on the UNESCO website. In 2016, a review of the ICT CFT was conducted to ascertain how it had been used globally. The review found evidence that between 2008 and 2016 the ICT CFT had influenced the: –– development of national ICT in Education policy; –– creation of national teacher standards related to the integration of ICT in Education;  –– development of criteria for assessing national levels of teacher ICT competency and analysing training initiatives; –– shaping of ICT in Education curricula; and –– development of teacher professional development courses. It was reported that while many initiatives used the ICT CFT as a starting point to create something quite different, many also reported that their derivative documents explicitly linked back to the UNESCO ICT CFT, identifying specific competencies and objectives. The review elicited feedback from users regarding the user-friendliness of the ICT CFT, as well as how relevant and appropriate the 18 competencies were to inform the uses identified above. The results of the review have been used to shape this current version of the ICT CFT. Given that much work had already been linked to the previous versions of the ICT CFT, it was agreed the latest version should maintain these links. The phrasing of the competencies and objectives was simplified but the intent of each remains the same. Additional objectives were created to incorporate new developments in the field. UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers 12  Chapter II The Principles 1. Global Education Priorities In September 2015, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers Development known as the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs). These SDGs represent a framework for action that is universal, ambitious and, most importantly, ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’. The SDGs underscore a prevalent shift globally towards the building of sustainable, knowledge-based societies. With access, equity and inclusion as its key pillars, SDG 4, Education, calls for the international community to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’. Furthermore, SDG Target 16.10 pledges to ‘ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements’. SDG 10 calls to ‘reduce inequality within and among countries’ The importance of ICT in Education teacher training was asserted at the 2015 World Education Forum (held in Incheon), which declared that ‘ICT must be harnessed to strengthen education systems, knowledge dissemination, information access, quality and effective learning, and more effective service provision’.2 The 2015 Qingdao Declaration, at the International Conference on ICT and Post-2015 Education, further reiterated the importance of the professional development of teachers to effectively integrate ICT into their work, stating: Successful integration of ICT into teaching and learning requires rethinking the role of teachers and reforming their preparation and professional development. It calls for promoting a culture of quality in all its aspects: staff support, student support, curricula design, course design, 13 course delivery, strategic planning and development. We will therefore ensure that teacher- training institutions are equipped and prepared to use ICT adequately to expand the benefits of training and professional development programmes to all teachers, and to act as the vanguard for technology-supported innovations in education. We also commit to providing teachers with system-wide support for the pedagogical use of ICT, to incentivize teacher innovation, and to develop networks and platforms that allow teachers to share experiences and approaches that may be of use to peers and other stakeholders.3 The ICT CFT Version 3 focuses on implementing the realization of these international commitments by providing a guide for the development of effective ICT in Education teacher training programmes that are intended for contextualization to local and national needs. 2 See UNESCO. (2015). Education 2030. Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action for the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4, page 8, at: https://en.unesco.org/education2030-sdg4 3 See UNESCO. (2015). Qingdao Declaration, page 2, at: http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/ pdf/Qingdao_Declaration.pdf  2. Cross-cutting Principles To contribute to the realization of the above-mentioned international commitments, the ICT CFT Version 3 incorporates in its structure a number of cross-cutting principles or overarching considerations: Knowledge Societies, Universal Design for Learning, and inclusive education. These cross-cutting principles are recommended when using the ICT CFT, including for the development of ICT in Education policy, teacher standards, assessment criteria, curriculum design, and courseware for teacher training. 2a. Knowledge Societies Knowledge Societies nurture diversity and take advantage of their many knowledge forms, from indigenous, local wisdom to techno-scientific knowledge. Knowledge Societies are societies in which people have the capabilities not just to acquire information but also to transform it into knowledge and understanding, which empowers them UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers to enhance their lives and livelihoods and contribute to the social and economic development of their societies. The sharing of knowledge and information, particularly through ICT, has the power to transform economies and societies. UNESCO works to create inclusive Knowledge Societies and empower local communities by increasing access to, and preservation and sharing of information and knowledge.4 2b. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Universal Design means the design of products, environments, programmes and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a process in which curricula (goals, methods, materials and assessments) are intentionally designed to offer flexible and inclusive approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs. UDL offers a framework for guiding educational practice that aims to achieve flexibility and accessibility in the ways information is presented, the ways students respond or demonstrate knowledge and skills, and the ways they are engaged in the learning process (e.g. with the course content, and interactions with peers and instructors), while reducing barriers in instruction.5 UDL incorporates flexible design of learning situations with 14 customizable options, which allows all students to progress from their own, individual starting points. 2c. Inclusive education Inclusiveness will only be made possible by respecting UDL and principles of non-discrimination, information accessibility, and gender equality in the delivery of education. It is also important that actions be based on fundamental human rights and freedoms. Language and culture The emergence of English as the lingua franca of globalization leaves little room for other languages in cyberspace and can be a major obstacle to the participation of all in Knowledge Societies; globalization can lead to the 4 See UNESCO. (n.d.). Building Knowledge Societies, at: https://en.unesco.org/themes/building-knowledge-societies 5 National Center on Universal Design for Learning. (2013). How has UDL been Defined?, at http://www.udlcentre.org/ aboutudl/udldefined devaluing and loss of language and culture. If harnessed correctly, though, ICT and the Internet can be powerful tools in preserving and promoting culture and championing languages other than English. Persons with disabilities The World Health Organisation reported in 2011 that over one billion people – approximately 15 per cent of the world’s population6 – live with some form of disability, and the figure is accelerating in line with population increase, growing poverty, natural disasters, ongoing conflicts, and in some countries an ageing population. Many persons with disabilities face a wide range of barriers to accessing education. While technology may provide more information to students in a greater variety of ways, it does not necessarily allow all users to access learning environments and information equally. Current technology can erect a range of barriers; by the same token, it can provide innovative solutions for persons with disabilities. Curriculum designers and teachers need to be aware that students with disabilities must have access to all components of the learning process (including registration, administrative matters, course work and others) that would be available to students without a disability, and teachers should have UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers positive attitudes and use appropriate pedagogy.7 Assistive technologies when harnessed effectively provide an opportunity for persons with disabilities in educational settings to access information and participate fully. Gender equality Gender equality means that women and men have equal conditions for realizing their full human rights and for contributing to, and benefiting from, economic, social, cultural and political development. The Education 2030 agenda recognizes that gender equality requires an approach that ‘ensures that girls and boys, women and men not only gain access to and complete education cycles, but are empowered equally in and through education’.8 Large gender gaps exist in access, learning achievement and continuation in education in many settings, most often at the expense of girls, although in some regions boys are at a disadvantage. Gender differences in access to ICT exist for teachers and students. Furthermore, teachers play an important role in promoting gender equality in the classroom through the use of ICT for teaching and learning. It is important that the principle of gender equality be an integral part of the implementation of the ICT CFT to ensure that technological advances benefit men and women alike. 15 Ability ICT has the potential to provide remedial and extension work to students of different abilities. It lends itself to teachers developing multiple progress tracks for a particular learning outcome, which allows students to follow individualized learning pathways. Consequently, when ‘students’ is used in the ICT CFT, the term does not refer to a homogeneous group but rather to students with unique strengths and individual needs. Teachers need to use ICT to develop appropriate learning environments that support different learning preferences and styles. 6 See WHO. (2011). World Disability Report, at http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/en/ 7 See UNESCO. (2016). Learning for All: Guidelines on the Inclusion of Learners with Disabilities in Open and Distance Learning, at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002443/244355e.pdf 8 See UNESCO. (2015). Education 2030. Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action for the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4, page 28, at: https://en.unesco.org/education2030-sdg4  3. The Potential and Challenges of ICT Innovations While the ICT CFT makes brief reference to particular technology innovations, opportunities to deploy these are not exhaustive. Based on the context of the country or classroom, and the availability of such innovations, additional opportunities might emerge through flexible curriculum design. The ICT CFT Version 3 also introduces references to the current innovations in relevant aspects, and throughout the three levels. 3a. Open Educational Resources (OER) Open educational resources (OER) are any educational resources (including curriculum maps, course materials, textbooks, streaming videos, multimedia applications, podcasts, and any other materials that have been designed for use in teaching and learning) that are openly available for use by teachers and students, without an accompanying need to pay royalties or licence fees. An OER is an educational resource that incorporates a UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers licence that facilitates reuse, and potentially adaptation, without requiring that permission first be requested from the copyright holder. OER has emerged as a concept with the potential to support educational transformation. While the educational value of OER lies in the idea of using resources as an integral method of communication of curriculum in educational courses (i.e. resource-based learning), its transformative power lies in the ease with which such resources, when digitized, can be shared via the Internet. 3b. Social networks Social networks are websites or applications that provide online connections with people in networks surrounding a common interest or activity. Social network activity includes people publishing profiles that provide information about themselves. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn are all examples of social networking applications (apps) that can provide classroom, school and global networking opportunities for teachers and students. 16 Social networks can be used to enhance pedagogical communication, facilitate interactive learning organization, and strengthen communities of learners and teachers. However, teachers need the skills to address and mitigate issues such as the negative impact of the excessive use of social media on mental and physical health, online bullying and harassment, as well as the deliberate or unintentional promotion of violence, racism, and discriminatory speech. 3c. Mobile technologies Mobile device ownership is growing globally. Mobile devices include smartphones and tablets, and students are increasingly using these technologies to access information for learning on the Internet. Creative uses for these devices can advance equity of education, improve efficiency and productivity in the classroom, and facilitate personalized learning. Mobile technologies offer teachers and students a more flexible approach to learning by enabling anytime, anywhere learning as well as bridging formal and informal learning. In this regard, strategies and mechanisms are needed to integrate mobile technologies to be a seamless component of the array of technology to be used by teachers and learners. 3d. The Internet of Things The Internet of Things is the network of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, other than just computers and smartphones, enabling them to send and receive data via the Internet. The Internet of Things is disrupting and transforming numerous areas of everyday life. In education, it is changing the way students learn and teachers teach. The possible future applications of the Internet of Things in education are myriad, and the implications of such disruption are tremendous. 3e. Artificial Intelligence (AI) There is no universally accepted definition of AI. Generally, the term “artificial intelligence” is applied when a machine, particularly computers, simulate human thinking or behaviour that people associate with human intelligence, such as learning, speech and problem solving.. These processes include learning (acquiring information and the rules for the use of the information), reasoning (using the rules to reach conclusions), and self-correction. Applications of AI include expert systems, speech recognition and natural language processing, UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers machine vision and imagery technology. The latest developments have been made possible by advances in “machine learning” and “deep learning” algorithms, combined with the availability of tremendous computing power and access to big data, AI is currently used in education in the form of customizable content through adaptive learning programmes and software, tracking and monitoring diagnostics, automation of grading and even AI tutors. It will continue to bring new opportunities for enhanced learning, new forms of learning and offer more flexible lifelong learning pathways. Nevertheless, there are rising concerns over the issues of ethics, data security and human rights alongside the penetration of AI in education. 3f. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated simulation of an environment that a person can interact with. The person is immersed in this simulated environment and able to manipulate objects or perform a series of actions. Augmented reality (AR) is a view of a real-world environment whose elements are expanded by computer- generated images; these overlay the physical environment in real time. AR alters a person’s current perception of 17 a real-world environment, while VR replaces the real-world environment with a simulated one. VR can enable experiential learning by simulating real-world environments. For visual learners and individuals with learning challenges, VR provides an alternative medium. The benefits of incorporating VR/AR technology into educational experiences include that students are able to participate in life-like engagement, resulting in easier application and retention of the subject matter. 3g. Big Data As people and devices are increasingly connected online, society is generating digital data traces at an extraordinary rate, unprecedented in human history. Social computing, networked appliances, e-business transactions, mobile computing, wearable sensors, and environmental scanners generate billions of events per second, many of which are stored for later analysis or can be analysed as a real-time data stream. The term ‘big data’ is used to reflect that a quantitative shift of this magnitude is in fact a qualitative shift demanding new  ways of thinking, and new kinds of human and technical infrastructure. This raises a host of opportunities and challenges for society, and for institutions seeking to make sense of this data. Critical debates are developing around what is required to ensure that society can convert big data into a public good by fostering new kinds of literacies and ethics, and combining commercial services with open data and services.9 3h. Coding Coding is what makes it possible to create computer software, apps and websites. Code is a set of instructions that computers can understand. People write code, code powers computers, and computers power everyday objects. Almost anything powered by electricity uses code. Computers run on binary code, and programming languages translate our instructions into binary. A computer programme is a sequence of instructions that a computer can interpret and execute, and is effectively a means of automating processes. Underlying all computer programmes are algorithms, which specify how a task is to be done. Algorithmic thinking – also called computational thinking – underlies computer science, and there has been a growing movement on algorithmic thinking in schools. UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers Coding is taught so that students are exposed to the skills needed to develop computer applications. Just as students learn to write to be able to organize, express and share ideas, learning to code teaches students how to organize, express and share ideas in new ways, in a new medium. 3i. Ethics and privacy protection While the pace of technological breakthrough has accelerated, reflection on the ethical and human rights implications, as well as on human capacities, need to be kept up. If ICT innovations are to be developed and used in the service of education and humanity, there needs to be a reaffirmation on the human values-centered approach on the use of ICT for education. The growing power of ICT in tracking and sharing individual data poses significant data privacy and security risks. It underlines the importance of providing individuals with control over their personal data, protecting personally identifiable private data, and regulating the commercial use of data. There has a need to provide training to teachers and students to develop awareness of data protection as well as skills to ensure that they maintain greater control over their personal data. 18 The innovations in ICT are raising concerns for human rights as well. The use of machine in content moderation on the Internet without human judgement or an auditable framework can have a negative impact on the right to impart, seek and receive information, as well as on information transparency. AI , big data and social networks have also been shown to replicate racial, gender, cultural and other biases that lead to hard to detect discrimination, usually through bias embedded in the data and/or the algorithm. In this regard, intergovernmental organizations, governments, and all other stakeholders need to urgently adopt ethical principles to guide the development, deployment and use frontier technology particularly in education. This also raises the need for training on ethics for individuals and institutions, especially among teachers and education system managers to create human resources with a holistic view of its impact. This version of the ICT CFT avoids making explicit references to specific technologies and innovations in the phrasing of the teacher competencies. The ICT CFT, however, does occasionally reference specific technologies as part of the framework’s objectives. There are also numerous mentions of specific technologies and innovations when describing example activities. 9 Simon Buckingham Shum. (2012). UNESCO IITE Policy Brief: Learning Analytics, at: http://iite.unesco.org/pics/ publications/en/files/3214711.pdf 4. The Lifelong Process of Teacher Professional Development The ICT CFT advocates for the conception of teacher development as a lifelong learning process. To this end, teachers’ learning and application of digital skills are recognized as an integral part of the capacity development of teachers from pre-service to their continuous professional growth throughout their careers. At the pre-service training stage, the preparation of future teachers in subject specific or inter-disciplinary knowledge and pedagogical approaches aims at building their understanding of the relevance of ICT for teaching and learning, often summarized as ‘Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK)’. As in some systems, practicing teachers may not have benefitted from exposure to technology in their pre-service training, it would be important that the introduction of ICT skills training not be limited only to the aspect ‘application of digital skills’ but also cover other aspects of the ICT CFT. Theoretical components of the training and practical experiences offered to future teachers should be constructed to enable the him/her to acquire, deepen and creatively use ICT in his/her professional practice. When conditions do not provide these opportunities, in-service training could reinforce the roles of building UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers teachers’ ICT competencies. Institutional strategies to streamline the pre- and in-service teacher education programmes to ensure training and support for in-service teachers building on the knowledge acquired in pre- service institutions would be beneficial. Furthermore, teachers’ continuous professional development should be supported to enhance teachers’ hands-on skills of applying ICT-based pedagogy for classroom management, curriculum implementation, student assessment and collaborative work with peers. 19  Chapter III The ICT CFT Structure The use of new technologies encourages the adoption of new teacher roles that embrace new pedagogies and approaches to teacher education. The successful integration of ICT into the learning environment will depend on teachers’ ability to structure learning in new ways, merge technology appropriately with a pedagogy, develop socially active classrooms, and encourage cooperative interaction and collaborative learning and group work. For many, this will require a different set of skills from those they currently possess. The teaching skills of the future will include the ability to develop innovative ways of using technology to enhance the learning environment UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers and to encourage knowledge acquisition, knowledge deepening and knowledge creation. Teacher professional learning will be a crucial component of this educational improvement. To support this transformation, the ICT CFT organizes the 18 ICT in Education-related competencies into three levels, each with six aspects. Each level is aligned to how teachers typically adopt technology. The first level is where teachers tend to use technology to supplement what they already do in class; the second is where they begin to exploit the true power of the technology and change the way they teach and students learn; and the third is transformative, where teachers and students create knowledge and devise innovative strategies to function at the highest level of Bloom’s taxonomy. Each level, however, shares the same six educational aspects while demanding ever-increasing sophistication and proficiency in using technology to achieve educational goals. By crossing the three levels – Knowledge Acquisition, Knowledge Deepening and Knowledge Creation – with the six aspects of a teacher’s work – Understanding ICT in Education Policy; Curriculum and Assessment; Pedagogy; Application of Application of Digital Skills; Organization and Administration; and Teacher Professional Learning – the ICT CFT creates 18 competencies. The levels represent different stages in the use of ICT in Education. The approach that a country, district or 21 school adopts will depend on the extent to which ICT is already integrated into its community, and contextual parameters. 1. Levels As a teacher works up through the levels from Knowledge Acquisition to Knowledge Creation, the ICT competencies become more sophisticated but, it can be argued, less technology focused. While some specific basic technical skills need to be mastered early on, at the higher levels technology selection is ideally made by the teams involved in knowledge creation. When selecting technology, these individuals will have a specific need in mind. Technology will be seen as a means to an end rather than a focus in its own right. While ICT will be significant to the end result , it will act as an enabling mechanism. It is also important to point out that most teachers will not be positioned perfectly within only one level but will have competencies spread across all three levels. Each level is divided into six aspects and a teacher might be stronger at some of these aspects than others. Ideally, any diagnostic tools designed to map individual teachers’ proficiencies should account for their strengths and weaknesses in each of the six aspects. Teachers should be regularly assessed to determine their profile across the levels and aspects and encouraged to develop and advance.  I - Level: Knowledge Acquisition In the Knowledge Acquisition level,10 the goal is to enable teachers to support students of different abilities, ages, gender, and socio-cultural and linguistic backgrounds, to use ICT to be effective learners and productive members of society. Teachers should be aware of national development goals and how these correspond to education, and their role in achieving these ends. Ideally, teachers should acquire basic digital literacy skills and knowledge to support relevant curriculum contexts. This will entail setting aside time within the traditional curricula for the incorporation of a range of relevant productivity tools and technology resources. Changes in pedagogical practice involve the use of various digital tools and digital content as part of whole-class, group and individual student activities. Changes in teacher practice involve knowing where and when (as well as when not) to use technology for classroom activities and presentations, for management tasks, and for acquisition of additional subject matter and pedagogical knowledge in support of teachers’ own professional learning. UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers Figure 2: The goals of Knowledge Acquisition Little change in social structure of the classroom or Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge learning environment Knowledgeoccurs in this level, other than Knowledge Acquisition Acquisition Deepening perhaps the placement Creation and integration of technology Deepening Creation resources in the classroom or in computer or ICT labs to ensure equitable access. In the early stages of UnderstandingICT ICT Policy Policydevelopment, teacher Policy competencies related to the Understanding Policy Policy Policy Understanding Understanding Knowledge Acquisition Application Application Innovation level include basic digital literacy Innovation InEducation In Education skills and digital citizenship, along with the ability to select and use appropriate off-the-shelf educational tutorials, games, drill-and-practice software, and web Curriculumand Curriculum and Basic Basic Knowledge Knowledge content in labs or with limited classroom facilities in Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Application Application Society order to complement Society Skillsstandard curriculum objectives, Skills Assessment Assessment assessment approaches, unit plans and traditional teaching methods. Teachers should also be able to use 22 ICT to manage classroom data and support their own ICT-enhanced ICT-enhanced Complex Complex Self- Self- Pedagogy Pedagogy Teaching Teaching professionalmanagement Problem-solving Problem-solving learning. management Applicationof Application of Application Application II - Level:Transformation Infusion Infusion Knowledge Deepening Transformation DigitalSkills Digital Skills In the Knowledge Deepening level, the goal is to increase the ability of teachers to support students Organization Organization of different abilities, ages, genders, and socio-cultural Standard Standard Collaborative Collaborative Learning Learning and and Classroom Groups and linguistic backgrounds, to apply knowledge to Organizations Classroom Groups Organizations Administration Administration solve complex, high-priority problems encountered in real-world situations of work, society and everyday life. Teacher Teacher Digital Digital In this level, teachers as identify how best to use ICT to Teacheras Professional Professional Networking Networking Teacher Literacy Literacy support authentic learning and might tie real-world Innovator Innovator Learning Learning issues relating to the environment, food security, health, and conflict resolution to the requirements of the curriculum. Teachers should not only understand 10 This level was referred to in earlier versions of the ICT CFT as ‘Technology Literacy’ (TL). The term ‘Knowledge Acquisition’ has been adopted to align it with the other two levels: Knowledge Deepening and Knowledge Creation.  policy goals and social priorities but also be able to identify, design and use specific classroom activities that address these goals and priorities. This level often requires an interpretation of the curriculum that pays attention to the depth of understanding and the use of appropriate and contextually relevant assessment strategies. The pedagogy associated with this level includes collaborative problem-solving and project-based learning, in which students explore a subject deeply and bring their knowledge to bear on complex, everyday questions, issues and problems. Figure 3: The goals of Knowledge Deepening In this level, teaching is student-centred and the Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge teacher’s role is to structure tasks, guide student Knowledge Knowledge Acquisition Deepening Acquisition Creation understanding, and support students as they tackle Deepening Creation collaborative projects. Teachers help students create, implement and monitor project plans and solutions. Lessons and classroom structure are more dynamic standing ICT Understanding Policy ICT Policy Policy Policy Policy Policy UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers Understanding Application Understanding Innovationthan in a conventional Application Innovation classroom setup or in the In Education In Education Knowledge Acquisition level, with students working in groups for extended periods. In guiding students’ understanding of key concepts, teachers employ open- riculum and Curriculum Basic and Knowledge Basic Knowledge Knowledgeended digital Knowledge tools that are specific to their subject area, Knowledge Application Knowledge Society Skills such as visualizations Application Society Skillsin science, data analysis tools in Assessment Assessment mathematics, and role-play simulations in social studies. Teachers are also able to access experts and collaborate with other teachers to support their own professional ICT-enhanced Complex ICT-enhanced Self- Complex Self- Pedagogy Pedagogy Teaching Problem-solving Teaching management learning. Problem-solving management pplication of Application Application of Infusion Application III - Level:Transformation Transformation Infusion Knowledge Creation Digital Skills Digital Skills In the Knowledge Creation level, the goal is to enable teachers to engage in, and benefit from, knowledge creation, innovation and lifelong learning. Teachers 23 Organization Organization Standard Standard Collaborative Learning should be ableLearning Collaborative not only to design classroom activities and Classroom and Classroom Groups Organizations Organizations Groups ministration Administration that advance these goals but also to develop programmes to support them throughout the school environment and beyond. Teacher Teacher Digital Digital Teacher as Teacher as Professional Professional Networking Networking Literacy Literacy InnovatorIn thislevel, the curriculum goes beyond a focus on Innovator Learning Learning school subjects to explicitly include Knowledge Society skills needed to create new knowledge, namely skills for: problem-solving, communication, collaboration, experimentation, critical thinking and creative expression. These skills become educational goals in themselves and often require new assessment methods. Perhaps the most significant aim is for teachers to be able to create their own learning goals and plans – to establish what they already know, assess their strengths and weaknesses, design a learning pathway, stay on task, track their own progress, build on successes and adjust to failures, and be part of a peer-learning community. These are skills that can be used throughout a lifetime to participate in a learning society.  Figure 4: The goals of Knowledge Creation The role for teachers is to overtly model these processes Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge to students of different abilities, ages, genders, and Knowledge Acquisition Deepening Creation Acquisition socio-cultural and linguistic backgrounds, to structure Deepening Creation situations in which students apply these skills, and to assist students in their own knowledge creation. Teachers build a learning community in the classroom Policy Understanding Policy ICT Policy Policy Policy Policy Understanding Application Innovation Understanding in which students Application Innovationare continuously engaged in In Education developing their own and one another’s learning skills. Indeed, schools are transformed into learning organizations in which all the members are involved in Basic Curriculum Knowledge and Knowledge Basic learning. Teachers Knowledge can then be seen as master students Knowledge Knowledge Application Society Skills Knowledge and knowledge Application facilitators Society Skills and producers, who are Assessment constantly engaged in educational experimentation and innovation in collaboration with their colleagues and outside experts to produce new knowledge about ICT-enhanced Complex Self- UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers ICT-enhanced Complex Self- Teaching Pedagogy Problem-solving management Teaching learning andmanagement Problem-solving teaching practice. A variety of networked devices, digital resources and electronic environments are used to create and support this community in its production of knowledge and in its anytime-anywhere