1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference

1/2005









REPORT





1st European eLearning Forum

for Education (ELFE) Conference:



‘Launching ELFE’







Brussels, 22-23 November 2004









This project has been carried out with the support of the European Commission

in the framework of the eLearning programme.



The information expressed in this publication reflects the views only of the author.

The Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information.



Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 1

Egalement disponible en français sous le titre

”Rapport de la 1ère Conférence du Forum eLearning européen pour l’éducation (ELFE)”







Published by the European Trade Union Committee for Education – Brussels 2005









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 2

Report of the 1st European eLearning

Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference





Index Page



1. Introduction 4

1.1 The European Commission and ICT 5



2. Research on the pedagogical aspects of ICT in education 7

2.1 Integration of ICT in the curricula and school development 7

2.1.1 Introducing ICT in the curriculum 8

2.1.2 PILOT project in Norway 10

2.2 Changes in the role of teachers and teacher training 11

2.2.1 The knowledge society 11

2.2.2 The teacher’s role 12

2.2.3 Teacher training 13



3. Schools participating in the ELFE project 15

3.1 Langkær Gymnasium, Denmark 15

3.2 Pestalozzi Grundschule, Germany 17

3.3 Saltdal videregående skole, Norway 18

3.4 EB 23 Dr. José Dos Santos Bessa, Carapinheira, Portugal 19

3.5 Greensward College, UK 20



4. Working Groups Conclusions 23

4.1 Report from the francophone group 23

4.2 Report from the anglophone group 25

4.3 Report from the bilingual working group 28



5. Conclusions 31

5.1 Panel discussion 31

5.2 The external evaluator’s impressions 33

5.3 Closing remarks 36



6. Annexes 38

6.1 Conference programme 38

6.2 Participants’ list 40









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 3

1. Introduction



The European eLearning Forum for Education finds its natural

place in the context of the Lisbon process and the European

policies that relate to it. The vision for the future of Europe

aspires to achieve the most dynamic and advanced

knowledge-based society in the world with more and better

jobs and increased social cohesion. Education is therefore

given a dominant role in this development and ETUCE is proud

to contribute by implementing a project that is very up-to-date Martin Rømer,

ETUCE General Secretary

in this respect. ETUCE represents 112 national teachers’

organisation with 5.5 million members and is very much involved in all the discussions at

European level concerning the development, the quality and the future of European

education systems.





In the opening session of the ELFE Conference, Ms Maruja Gutierrez Díaz, Head of Unit

Multimedia for Education, Training and Culture at DG Education and Culture, underlined

how the European Union not only aspires to be the most advanced knowledge-based

society in the world, but is also striving to make its education systems the most

advanced and dynamic in the world, with a strong emphasis on the realisation of the

lifelong learning objective. In this context, the European Commission considers

eLearning to be a lever for change towards the knowledge society and an enabler of

lifelong learning.





ETUCE is pleased to have the support of the European Commission in this project.

Indeed technology has played an important role in education for a long time, but the

focus has been primarily on infrastructure. The concern was mainly related to the

number of computers per student, the facilities present in schools and such like, which is

a necessary discussion as it has an influence on investment in education. However, new

concerns of a pedagogical nature have emerged as technology is gaining an increasingly

important role in our society. Professional educators and researchers are focusing on

defining the consequences of utilising ICT in education on the learning and development

of students, its social effects, the integration of ICT in the curriculum and its impact on

teacher’s role and working conditions. Technology is developing at a fast pace and the

education system must be prepared for the challenges and opportunities that such rapid

development may entail.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 4

ETUCE hopes that a project of this nature can contribute to the development of ETUCE

policy but also to the formulation of European policies and the development of indicators

to monitor progresses and identify problems early. ETUCE welcomes the development of

new technologies and supports the advanced use of ICT, but underlines that the

approach must be balanced with both teachers and students feeling at ease with the

changes. Besides providing infrastructure it is important to provide the necessary

guidance, support and training for a beneficial introduction of ICT in education.







1.1 The European Commission and ICT



MS. MARUJA GUTIERREZ DÍAZ, DG EDUCATION AND CULTURE, gave

a more detailed introduction of the topic of ICT by presenting

the work of the European Commission on eLearning and new

technologies.





She stressed the importance that the European Commission

places on new technologies on account of their positive

contribution to education, especially in the context of the

Lisbon strategy, and welcomed the contribution of projects

such as ELFE to developments in this direction.





At present there are three main policy development contexts Maruja Gutierrez Díaz,

Head of Unit Multimedia for

in which ICT has an important role: eEurope/eLearning, Education, Training and

Culture, DG Education and

Education and Training 2010 and the Framework Culture



Programmes for Research.





The Commission’s priorities are the following:

- To identify objectives and benchmarks to measure achievements in these

programmes;

- To improve communication and synergy between the different EU programmes

and instruments and embed ICT into long-term educational objectives;

- To establish eLearning across various sectors, using a horizontal approach and

integrating technologies in various sectors;

- To foster communication amongst stakeholders and exchange of experiences;









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 5

- To provide new support for education and empowerment of the players in

education, thus enabling them to endorse change, understand it and want it, and

giving them the instruments to manage this change;

- To integrate it into lifelong learning.





A report produced as part of the proceedings of the Education and Training 2010

programme highlighted the positive developments in the field of ICT in education, with

increasing connectivity and increasing digital literacy. However, the report revealed

problem areas as well and called for urgent reforms to improve the situation. Indeed the

rates of early school leavers are rather high, there are still too few women in scientific

and technical fields, and completion of upper secondary education could improve.

Moreover, there is a looming shortage of qualified teachers in Europe and the rates of

participation in lifelong learning are still rather disappointing.





Urgent action is therefore needed in Europe to improve figures. The research framework

supports eLearning and the integration of ICT in a satisfactory manner and gives

impetus to new technologies in general. Other forms of support can also be found in the

structural funds and in the European Social Fund. ICT is therefore moving forward but

there is need to summon political will and overcome cultural barriers, mainstream ICT in

education and carry out research to overcome the following problems:





1. The lack of common understanding of basic concepts

2. The lack of homogeneous data and good indicators to monitor progress

3. Insufficient pedagogical research on the benefits of using ICT

4. The lack of data on the return on investment in infrastructure





The widespread use of ICT should contribute to increase empowerment of people,

institutions and companies; it should also foster personal, social and geographical

equality in terms of access to knowledge and information. Moreover ICT has enormous

potential to enhance creativity and productivity.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 6

2. Research on the pedagogical aspects of ICT in education



The ELFE project’s objective is to analyse, share experiences and create debate on the

pedagogical aspect of ICT use, taking the social dimension and the policy repercussions

into account. The project is expected to identify good practices, work towards transfer

and implementation in other countries and finally to gather sound information on the

positive and negative aspects of using ICT so as to make policy recommendations and

suggest good indicators to monitor progress.





HANS LAUGESEN, THE ELFE PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR, also

expressed the wish of keeping the debate on ICT alive

even after the end of the project so as to ensure a

constant and constructive exchange of opinions,

experiences and concerns. The Conference represented a

good way of stimulating the debate between

representatives of the teachers’ organisation and also

teachers currently making innovative use of ICT in their

Hans Laugesen, schools. Some questions were raised and sparked debate,

ELFE project coordinator

for example over the new role of the teacher in this

transition.





Some important themes for discussion highlighted by Hans Laugesen included the idea

that ICT should be endorsed by teachers and students alike, rather than be imposed,

because it represents a useful tool and that due importance should be given to the issue

of new skills to be developed. Emphasis should also be placed on blended education so

as not to discard more traditional, face-to-face education and all its pedagogical

advantages. ICT however holds the promise of very positive developments also for

whole-school development and of providing all students with new opportunities, for

example for students living in remote areas or for those that may have some learning

disabilities.







2.1 Integration of ICT in the curricula and school development



There is an intense research effort to study the various aspects of ICT and its use in

education. During the ELFE Conference some university researchers with vast









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 7

experience in the field of ICT presented aspects of the change brought about by the

appearance of ICT on the education scene.





As highlighted in previous paragraphs, technological infrastructure is no longer the only

concern when it comes to introducing new technologies in education. Many professionals

are concerned about the pedagogical aspects involved and about the ways of integrating

ICT in education systems. In particular, it was mentioned on more than one occasion

that education institutions are often bound by the national curriculum and therefore do

not always have all the freedom that was deemed necessary. Moreover there was a

general opinion that ICT should be regarded as a tool rather than as a nuisance, a

burden or a threat to teachers. In this respect, a debate on how to integrate ICT in the

curriculum taking the above issues into account is an important aspect of ICT in

education.





2.1.1 Introducing ICT in the curriculum



DR. JOKE VOOGT, RESEARCHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE, THE

NETHERLANDS, shared her experience in curriculum development

and integration of ICT and reasserted that ICT could be a very

useful means of achieving better results in education and making

teaching more effective. Therefore it is not simply a matter of

Dr. Joke Voogt,

University of Twente introducing it as an extra subject of study.





The curriculum has been compared to a spider’s web, made up of different components

that are all interlinked. It is not possible to introduce a new element without it having

repercussions on the rest of the system. In the case of integrating ICT changes will have

doubtlessly have an impact on the teachers’ role and on the time and location of

teaching, for instance.





Society is evolving and pedagogy has to keep up with the innovation and changes in

order to be relevant to the new society. The expectation is that students will be more

active and collaborative rather than being passive receivers of information and creativity

will be highly prized. Students will be expected to create knowledge rather than just

reproducing the information they receive. ICT is also expected to facilitate the transition

towards a more customised way of learning and a cross-curricular approach to subjects.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 8

By citing the example of the SITES study, conducted under the auspices of the

International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), a

qualitative study in schools applying innovative practices by using technology, Dr. Voogt

illustrated what kind of changes were found in various aspects of ICT use.





In general, it appeared that ICT had been introduced in three different ways: in a single

subject, in cross-curricular projects or integrated school-wide. As far as content was

concerned, there were limited changes in the curriculum and efforts were more

concentrated on studying the same subjects more in-depth. A change in the teaching

focus was also noticed: more emphasis was placed on lifelong learning skills,

collaborative work and team-working abilities. The emphasis was often on acquiring

these types of skills rather than simply teaching new IT skills; these were usually

acquired while working on projects rather than being a subject matter in itself, with

positive effects on student motivation.





The most evident type of change was in the organisation of activities and especially in

the role of the teacher. This theme often came up for discussion during the Conference

and most delegates seemed to agree on the fact that the teacher’s role is becoming

more similar to that of a consultant or a facilitator. The teacher is no longer the owner

of knowledge in a one-way communication, but he/she is an advisor and a support

facilitating the students’ learning process.





Unsurprisingly, very limited changes were noticed in the assessment methods, as it is

necessary to abide by state exams and syllabi.





Generally speaking the attitude of both teachers and students towards using ICT in

education was positive: both found that it enabled them to acquire new skills that were

useful in the information society. Student motivation was increased and the learning was

considered more meaningful. However there are still major challenges: for instance,

assessment methods need to be revised in order to ‘capture’ the new, personalised skills

developed by the students. Moreover the full potential of ICT in decoupling teaching and

learning from the fixed time and space of the classroom has not been fully utilised yet;

indeed there is enormous potential there to enhance learning in addition to giving it a

more international and ubiquitous dimension.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 9

2.1.2 PILOT project in Norway



Similar conclusions to the ones presented by Dr. Voogt were

reached by the PILOT project in Norway, which was presented by

DR. OLA ERSTAD, PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OSLO, Norway.





The project highlighted not so much a quantitative change, but a

qualitative one. ICT did not take up many more hours, but the use

that was made of it was quite innovative. In general teachers had a

positive attitude towards ICT as they noticed that the students Dr. Ola Erstad,

involved in the project had developed more critical thinking, were University of Oslo



more motivated and more likely to use ICT for educational purposes compared to

control students and also developed the ability to make cross-curricular linkages. The

project also created debate and new questions and issues were raised.





This debate had also brought about a greater exchange of opinions and information

amongst teachers and improved the collaborative work in schools in general: teachers

were not working in isolation anymore but were brought to exchange ideas and were

becoming more aware of the work of other teachers. The information flow had improved

and this could be a strong step ahead in school development.





The project had been established in order to better understand some of the issues to do

with the use of ICT in education.





In Norway, action plans were introduced by the government starting in the 1990s with a

gradual attempt to introduce ICT and integrate it into school development. Some of the

issues that needed to be better understood and provided ground for the project include

the fact that although some teachers were already using ICT in innovative ways, these

were usually small-scale, isolated activities. Gender issues needed to be examined as

girls seemed to be less interested in technological matters than boys. Also the focus was

more on the technologies rather than on the pedagogical aspects and the training of

teachers did not include strategic ICT training. It was also noticed that students were

likely to have access to and the ability to use better applications in more advanced ways.





The PILOT project helped to better understand some of these issues and highlighted

some of the challenges that still remain. One of the major challenges is the fact that

schools tend to be fairly traditional institutions and rather resistant to change. Moreover







Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 10

the lack of incentives and rewards for innovation creates a situation whereby teachers

feel more comfortable with traditional practices. Other factors that were identified as a

possible hindrance to change were the poor functioning of communication channels, the

hierarchical organisation of most schools and the unequal access to technology. This

situation is no longer compatible with the evolving nature of other sectors in society,

e.g. the commercial sector, and schools are not the only learning arena. There is a

profound need therefore to discuss what the needs of modern society are and how ICT

can help fulfil them, by creating new learning spaces and modalities.





The survey also underscored the need to involve every teacher and narrow the gap

between innovative teachers and those that do not feel very comfortable with the use of

ICT yet. The whole school has to evolve and the exchange of experiences is of

paramount importance. Technology is rapidly becoming an everyday reality and it is

essential that new pedagogical methods be devised.





Dr. Erstad agreed that there was not yet clear proof as yet that ICT makes a positive

and concrete contribution to teaching and learning, but the priority is to better

understand how to integrate ICT and introduce it in the national agendas. It is a positive

sign that digital literacy has been introduced as one of the key skills that students

should acquire with schooling.





2.2 Changes in the role of teachers and teacher training





2.2.1 The knowledge society



DR. BERNARD CORNU, FROM THE ICT DEPARTMENT OF THE FRENCH

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR PEDAGOGICAL RESEARCH, introduced

the topic of the knowledge society. The information society

is one in which information is a commodity that can be

exchanged, bought, sold, stored, transported and

processed, but also one in which we face the problem of the

digital divide. In the knowledge society, on the other hand,

information should bring democracy, equality, solidarity and

peace. Knowledge could be a force for changing society into

one where there would be universal and equitable access to

Dr. Bernard Cornu,

INRP information.









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In the knowledge society the different aspects of education have to be integrated. The

traditional division of subjects has lost some of its meaning in a society where we need

to achieve the ability to move comfortably from one subject to the other and have a

more holistic approach. ICT needs to be integrated in education in order to build the

knowledge society. With the collapse of the traditional subject division uncertainty

emerges and it is important to learn how to cope with this more fluid system.





In our society the customary hierarchical or pyramidal structures are starting to

disintegrate. We live in a network society, which leaves space for personalised and

individualised choices: it is a more fluid organisation where changes occur and hierarchy

exists but it is not imposed or dictated. Communication follows different and ever-

changing patterns where everyone can communicate with everyone and the traditional

structures collapse.





Education systems are still organised according to a pyramidal hierarchy like many other

structures in society and a transition is needed to transform it into a networked system

where interactions no longer follow the traditional routes. Education systems should

foster networks of knowledge where the links contribute to the elaboration and

acquisition of knowledge.





2.2.2 The teacher’s role



The transition to the knowledge society and a networked system necessarily implies a

change in the role of the teacher: eLearning is not merely a technical revolution; it has

more to do with the re-conceptualisation of teaching, training and learning. This process

will involve all aspects: attitudes and expectations towards school, mission and

objectives of school, organisation and structures, the geopolitical dimension as well as

teachers.





Dr. Cornu illustrated the need for teachers to accept the new requirements of teaching,

involving not only a collaborative dimension, but also more fluidity, with time and space

being organised differently. The new teacher will have to become a facilitator who is

able to help the students circulate in the network of knowledge and help them find

appropriate paths in complex networks.





Teachers therefore will need to acquire new skills, not only technical and technological,

but also pedagogical and ethical. ICT can certainly be a useful support to the role of the







Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 12

teachers but it cannot replace the teacher, whose presence is increasingly important as

a guide and mediator. The transition will also require a more collective and collaborative

approach as it cannot be expected that every teacher acquire each single skill. As

mentioned before, a school’s teaching body as a whole should acquire the necessary

skills. Teachers will not work in isolation anymore but will share experiences and learn

form each other and be aware of the potential of diversity: no one single method of

teaching will be considered best but rather various methods that can complement each

other. This transition implies two fundamental factors: first of all, changes should not be

imposed but actively sought and endorsed by teachers. Secondly, professional

development and lifelong learning throughout the career of a teacher are absolutely

necessary.





2.2.3 Teacher training



The theme of teacher training and professional development was

addressed by DR. DAITHÍ Ó MURCHÚ, RESEARCHER AND DIRECTOR OF

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN AT HIBERNIA COLLEGE, IRELAND. He argued

that teacher training has been quite static for hundreds of years,

until professional development was introduced in the 1970s.

However, seeing the fast rate of change brought about especially

by ICT, many traditional teaching and learning methodologies

Dr. Daithí Ó Murchú, need to be re-examined.

Hibernia College





At European level there is debate over the shortcomings of teacher training. Some

common controversial points in this debate include a widespread perception that

professional development is largely neglected and not granted its due importance, under

the false assumption that teaching is a static profession. There seems to be a lack of

continuity between initial training and further professional development and even the

initial training is considered insufficient and not always well related to what the school

reality is. Furthermore there is widespread concern that there is insufficient integration

between theory and practice.





Instead, professional development should be a priority: it is necessary to nurture the

facilitators of learning and the teachers themselves could answer professional problems

that may arise in their career by undergoing professional training.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 13

This is especially important now that ICT is becoming increasingly present. Appropriate

professional development in the field of ICT should favour the process over the product

so that each teacher can have a personalised approach at his/her own pace. Indeed

teachers should become comfortable and endorse the development of ICT, rather than

feel threatened by an imposed practice. Changes best originate from within and

teachers should reflect on their own techniques and devise ways of improving them.

They ought to choose to undergo professional development and learn to process their

new role and collaborate with colleagues and students.





Dr. Ó Murchú outlined the characteristics of best practice in the field of ICT and

professional development. Professional development should be teacher-centred as it is

the teacher that knows what his/her needs are. Training should also be practical and

meaningful and considered as a whole rather than as a sum of isolated portions. The

social and collaborative dimension of professional development also has to be taken into

consideration: teachers should not be working in isolation but share and exchange

experiences. Knowledge would then be more suited to the classroom context and hence

change would be accepted democratically; indeed there is not one ‘best’ change but any

changes ought to be accepted and welcomed.





One must not expect change to happen at once; quite the contrary, it is a

developmental process with different phases and stages according to the abilities of the

classroom and of the collaborators. Thus change should happen at one’s own pace, but

it must be challenging and constructivist because teachers (and students) learn most

when challenged and faced with problems to solve. Because of this, teachers should also

learn to accept that students will work out the information they receive from the teacher

once again and build their own knowledge. Most importantly, in order to be effective

and productive the role change highlighted and the professional development should be

freely chosen and not imposed.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 14

3. Schools participating in the ELFE project



Five European countries are involved in the ELFE project: Denmark, Germany, Norway

Portugal and the UK. Three schools per country using ICT in innovative ways are part of

the ELFE project and representatives from each school were present at the Conference

so that they could share their experiences with other schools.





Amongst the fifteen schools taking part in the ELFE project, five had been selected (one

per country) to make a presentation describing what initiatives and projects using ICT

were being used in their schools. The choice was made so as to present a broad mix of

different projects and situations to give an overview of the heterogeneous situation in

Europe when it comes to ICT infrastructures and practices.





The schools selected to give a presentation were the following:





1. Langkær Gymnasium (Århus, Århus County), Denmark

2. Pestalozzi Grundschule (Marl), Germany

3. Saltdal videregående skole (Saltdal Municipality), Norway

4. EB 23 Dr. José Dos Santos Bessa (Carapinheira), Portugal

5. Greensward College (Hockley, Essex), UK





3.1 Langkær Gymnasium, Denmark



It is an upper-secondary school, with students of 16-19 years old. ICT is fully integrated

in all subjects and it is also used in cross-curricular activities.





In 2005 the Danish education system will be reformed and there will be more focus on

interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary aspects. In order to be ready for this transition

Langkær Gymnasium has launched a variety of initiatives using ICT with activities

focusing on interdisciplinary aspects.





One example of interdisciplinary activity is what the school defines as a ‘project week’.

The representatives of the schools showed some examples of students’ work on one of

these project weeks, the theme of which was the United States presidential elections.

Such a subject clearly encompassed more than one subject, for example Danish, English

and History, just to give the most obvious examples.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 15

During a whole week the students are free to organise their work and activities and do

not have to attend classes unless they are interested in participating in voluntary

lectures. ICT is an important part of this type of activity not only because of the

software used to present their work, like Power Point for example. Instead, ICT is very

much integrated in the activities: it is used to communicate with the teachers or to

communicate with fellow students to exchange ideas and experiences. Closed chat-

rooms are made available to facilitate the communication between students. The

teacher monitored progress by the daily submission of a logbook describing the day’s

activities and achievements or problems.





The teacher acts very much like a consultant or an advisor during the week, during

which the students are in charge of creating and organising their own work.





The assessment method for this type of project is also innovative, as peer-to-peer

evaluation is adopted, which helps the teacher gain a good idea of the class opinions

and ideas.





The pedagogical aim of this exercise is to challenge the students and give them

ownership over the learning process and to strengthen their skills in co-operation and

self-awareness.





This type of activity has also proved to be a challenge for the teacher who has to learn

to step back and act as a support and facilitator rather than as the primary source of

knowledge. This implies a loss of control over the learning process which represents

quite a break from traditional practices.





In pedagogical terms it is also a good exercise to stimulate the critical handling of

information for the student. Moreover this exercise and doing research using global

sources on the internet helps the students acquire new skills: organisational,

communication and linguistic skills. Ultimately however, the goal is empowerment and

the development of lifelong learning skills and awareness of one’s own learning strategy.





Another activity that the school is trying to introduce, always in the framework of the

2005 school reform, is the use of GIS and the creation of digital maps. This activity is

expected to bring about positive developments in collaborative and team working skills.

GIS could be another useful tool in the development of other cross-curricular activities









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 16

and would also be useful in teaching students how to find information and data on their

own and have the ability to critically judge their quality.





3.2 Pestalozzi Grundschule, Germany



It is a primary, elementary school. It has good computing facilities with a mini-cluster of

2 to 4 computers per classroom. The school also has computer rooms where pupils work

in larger groups, with a computer expert giving lessons. While computer classes are not

usually part of the curriculum for very young children, at Pestalozzi Grundschule

students get the opportunity to acquire new skills.





The students have at their disposal a simplified desktop that allows them to access the

network and the material on the subject matters taught in the school. They also have

access to learning workshops through which they are taught subjects such as German or

Maths, with 4 difficulty levels: this gives the student the possibility to learn

autonomously, consolidate learning done in the more traditional education and enables

the teachers to differentiate the learning level of the pupils.





One example of software which combines traditional learning with ICT learning is the

Antolin software: it is a reading programme that makes the students more autonomous

in their tasks, while still granting the teachers the possibility of assessing their work and

learning skills.





The main task is reading comprehension. The pupils read a book and then answer

electronic questionnaires to assess their comprehension of the written text. Students can

have access to the assessment and receive feedback on the number of correct answers.

Through the programme the teacher can assess the reading skills of the pupils. They

can also reward students with a reading certificate, which improves the motivation and

enthusiasm of the children, besides teaching them new skills.





Each PC has internet access and students can practice in various fields. In general the

school is quite satisfied with their work and with the structures they have, although they

occasionally experience technical problems and would like to be better prepared for

solving these problems. All the teachers have had some form of ICT training and have

obtained what they call ‘eCards’, i.e. a sort of IT driving licence. There is also a strong

element of teacher collaboration in the school, with teachers meeting informally to solve

technological or pedagogical problems together.







Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 17

3.3 Saltdal videregående skole, Norway



This school presented their LOSA project (local education in cooperation with local

working life). This project aims at giving young people of 15-16 the possibility of getting

at least one year of upper secondary education without leaving their local community:

indeed these students often live in very remote areas, hundreds of kilometres away from

the nearest town big enough to have an upper secondary school. Some of these

students face social problems and difficulties in integrating into their new environment

as they usually come from very different and very remote areas.





This project therefore also aims to reduce the drop-out rate by enabling young people to

receive at least one year of higher education without having to leave their hometown.

The project also increases co-operation between working life, local authorities and

educational institutions.





The tuition is based on three types of learning:





1. Web-based: long distance tuition based on eLearning and ICT, taught by

teachers.

2. Classroom-based: the students receive no tuition in the classroom, but rather

receive training from a local instructor who helps them organise their work and

their activities; the trainer is not teaching any of the course subjects.

3. Training with a local firm: through training the students acquire skills that they

would normally have learnt at school. With the LOSA project they learn directly

through a placement in a local firm and acquire those skills required for their

future job. The firms have an incentive to do this as they receive some payment.





This project also gives students more options when making their choice regarding

vocational training: indeed they may live in a community where there is a school but not

necessarily one that is able to offer a wide range of courses.





One example presented was that of the Arts and Crafts course. The students are spread

across six different municipalities but the co-ordination of this course is done from the

Saltdal school. The teachers maintain good contact with their students through e-mail

and telephone for example. Great care is taken to ensure that the curriculum matches









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 18

the national curriculum and that the quality of the course is in line with national

standards.





The LOSA project is very innovative in that it teaches through technology subjects that

are not immediately perceived as suitable for virtual teaching through technology, e.g.

arts and crafts. However, the three-fold method utilised is producing very good results,

although it is extremely demanding on students, especially at this age. Indeed, the

students have to be highly motivated and be able to organise their studies

independently, and indeed some of them do not handle the situation too well.





In general teachers and students have given very positive feedback on the results of the

project, and it is undoubtedly giving new opportunities to students living in very remote

areas. In terms of quality of education the results obtained with LOSA appear to be

comparable or even better than the results achieved by students receiving face-to-face

education.





3.4 EB 23 Dr. José Dos Santos Bessa, Carapinheira, Portugal



This school is relatively small and has chosen to use of ICT because it wished to keep up

with new technology and to give new opportunities to their students. Some of the

students come from fairly disadvantaged social backgrounds and there are no structures

and facilities outside the school. The school has therefore become a vehicle of new

opportunities for these children, thereby increasing the democratic access to technology.





The whole experience has started with the teachers undergoing training in the use of

computers and has progressed to buying more computers, starting by the use of IT in

the school’s administration and then gradually getting connected to Internet, which

opened new teaching and learning opportunities.





The motivation to be connected to the Internet was to improve the chance of

communicating with the wider world and to give the children more freedom in their

research and not limit them to what was available in the library.





Flexible management has been introduced in the school: teachers collaborate and

exchange information to adapt their teaching to the need of the national curriculum. The

whole system was improved by this regular exchange of information. Exchanges also









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 19

take place with the students, with both teachers and pupils learning together from this

experience.





Teachers in general have a positive attitude and view new technologies as a valid help in

the teaching profession.





Students are very motivated when new initiative using ICT are used: examples were

shown of projects that they had carried out, e.g. a website about their region which won

a national competition and was presented in Madrid and in Europe.





A positive aspect of these experiences is the fact that collaborative work takes place

between students and teachers as both groups are learning together.





The students have been found to benefit greatly from the use of ICT as they are

learning new skills, useful for their future working life, such as the ability to research

and evaluate information critically. Moreover they are more motivated and involved in

the work they are carrying out.





Carapinheira is determined to give new opportunities to their students and teach tem

how to be lifelong learners. There are problems of course both technical and due to the

fact that some teachers do not feel comfortable with the technology, not to mention the

fact that there is room for improvements and changes to be made, but the school feels

it has started on a positive course and is determined to continue along these lines.





3.5 Greensward College, UK



Greensward College is quite a large school, with high-performing students. The vision of

the school is to help their students achieve world-class learning outcomes by developing

world-class knowledge managers in a world-class community.





ICT is already an important element in everyday life and undoubtedly changes have to

occur in the education system in order to keep up with new developments.





The challenges identified by this college include issues such as the shortage of teachers

the UK is currently facing. There is also a technical and organisational challenge in that

teachers are not always necessarily using the appropriate technologies. Society is

evolving and teachers should be given the appropriate instruments to model their







Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 20

teaching on the new needs of society. Schools and the whole education system should

be revised and reorganised in order to equip the students with the skills necessary to

live in this evolving society. This also involves a change of the community’s views on

education. ICT could also be useful in order to minimise the administrative burden on

teachers and give them more time to reflect on their practices and improve their tuition.





The question is however how to integrate ICT in the curriculum so that the education

system can evolve and ensure that the learners get the right education at the right time

and at the right price.





School development should therefore achieve the following:

- Students should benefit from the use of applications and material and online

resources as a routine component of education. The schools should therefore

show leadership and cutting-edge technology use;

- Schools must become dynamic learning institutions where students and teachers

alike are motivated and innovative and where teachers become facilitators and

knowledge managers. In order to achieve this aim, schools should be provided

with the right equipment.





The teachers in their role of knowledge managers should:

- Apply innovative teaching practices and creative learning environments to

address the needs and aspirations of all students;

- Use innovative practices to deliver the curriculum and assist students in seeking

knowledge;

- Monitor and plan the learning process of individuals utilising flexible methods.





Teachers should therefore have access to learning support materials and to a worldwide

network of professional colleagues. This way they can collaborate with colleagues and

share their professional experience. Moreover, teachers should be spared excessive

administrative burden through a streamlined use of ICT.





The role of the student should also change as a consequence of ICT introduction. The

students would become more engaged in the learning process and participate in wide-

ranging activities that match their interests and inclinations. The learning environment

should include an element of collaboration at international level, whereby students could

learn how to communicate effectively, solve problems and in general be equipped with

the skills useful to be active citizens in the knowledge society. This also involves being







Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 21

more responsible for their own learning, support their peers and teachers in a reciprocal

exchange of knowledge. Integrating ICT would also make the students competent and

discriminating users of technology in their daily activity of managing knowledge.





On the whole Greensward College is committed to solving new challenges using new

solutions and innovative thinking, and endorsing technological change rather than being

overwhelmed by it.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 22

4. Working Groups Conclusions



After the schools’ presentations the Conference participants split in different groups to

discuss the advantages and disadvantages of integrating ICT in education more in detail

and to draw conclusions from the presentations made by researchers and school

representatives during the previous sessions of the Conference.





A small questionnaire was handed out so that the working group had some guidelines

for their discussion. The main conclusions they were asked to draw were the following:





- What are the advantages of using ICT in an innovative manner?

- What are the problems?

- What measures have to be taken in order to ensure that ICT is used in a way

that is beneficial to education?





There were three working groups and they were characterised by the different

languages spoken: one group was entirely francophone, the second was anglophone

and the third group was bilingual (English and French) and interpretation was available.





4.1 Report from the francophone group



The French-speaking group was chaired by DR. BERNARD CORNU and MR. JEAN-LOUIS BIOT,

the ETUCE representative in the Commission Working Group on ICT, was the rapporteur

for the group.









The francophone working group





The discussion in this group highlighted three main points:

- The role of ICT in teaching and education

- The difficulties faced and the resistance encountered

- The role of the teacher.





Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 23

Nowadays ICT is an inevitable and omnipresent aspect of our society, which is

characterised by communication and movement of information, with rapid changes

taking place. ICT can bring about dynamism and innovation and has an enormous

influence on education.





As far as teaching is concerned, the group raised two questions. The first questions was

whether ICT should be regarded as a discipline in itself, while the second concentrated

more on the aims and objectives of using ICT in education. The group reached the

conclusion that ICT is a useful tool in pedagogy but it is not a ‘magic wand’ capable of

making all the problems faced by teachers disappear. Moreover, ICT certainly should not

necessarily imply the rejection of classical and traditional teaching methods. In terms of

the aims of the use of ICT, the group identified the autonomy and creativity of the

student, besides the sharing of information and communication.





The group also suggested that an excessive use of ICT might in some cases be an

attempt to cover up a lack of reflection concerning pedagogy on the part of the teacher.





As far as the difficulties and the resistance encountered to the widespread use of ICT,

the group identified four main aspects. Firstly there is a problem with the equipment

available to schools: this varies from country to country and especially from school to

school. Moreover, given that ICT a field of extremely rapid development, it is very

difficult to keep up with innovations. A second factor that may create some difficulties is

the fact that all teachers must necessarily be trained in order to have the technical skills

to use ICT in their teaching but also to be aware of the impact that using ICT has on

their pedagogical practices.





A weakness that was identified is the evaluation methods: it is not yet very clear what

kind of assessment should be used with the introduction of ICT in education. Should the

ability to use the technologies be evaluated or the results achieved in the subject

notwithstanding with the use made of ICT? What type of evaluation should be used and

who should do the evaluation?





Some teachers also show some resistance, for they feel they can lose some of their

‘power’, seeing as many students are much more proficient than they are in the use of

ICT.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 24

The group also remarked that the role of the teacher must necessarily change in order

to contribute to making students capable of adapting to our rapidly-evolving society. It

must not be forgotten that the school is not only a learning place but also a place for

social interaction and social experience, thereby contributing to the development of

citizens. The teacher’s role remains central in this social dimension of the learning

experience in school. The teacher is the facilitator, allowing students gain information,

process it, re-evaluate it and judge the quality of the information critically.

Another interesting point is the fact that ICT could alter the space and time dimension of

teaching and therefore change teachers’ working conditions.





4.2 Report from the anglophone group



The English-speaking group was chaired by DR. DAITHÍ Ó MURCHÚ and

MS. KAREN ROBINSON, from NUT and a member of the ELFE Steering

Committee, acted as rapporteur.





The group identified numerous advantages in the innovative use of

ICT. One of the advantages identified is the fact that the classroom

is dissolved and students can have enriching exchanges at

international level, thereby also getting to know other cultures. The Ms. Karen Robinson



decoupling between teaching, learning and the classroom also

means that ICT can help to prevent an interruption of students’ education, for example

for Gypsy children, e.g. these children could use laptop computers to keep in touch with

their ‘home’ school.





In general it was noted that students are more enthusiastic and motivated when

innovative ICT practices are put in place, they become more responsible for their own

learning and can tailor their learning strategies according to their pace and inclinations.

They tend to find learning more meaningful, especially thanks to the choice in learning

activities, beneficial both educationally and socially. It was found that ICT can also be a

valid help in enhancing the communication skills and the creativity of students, providing

new ways of expressing themselves.





Pupils with special education needs can greatly benefit from the integration of ICT,

especially with technologies such as touch screens and voice recognition, which make it

possible to build on their strengths rather than focusing on their weaknesses. ICT









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 25

practices could also allow children that are considered as weak to have equal access to

innovative teaching practices, thus increasing their confidence and self-esteem.





Teachers are also more motivated when integrating ICT as it enables them to

concentrate on higher order work and take on new roles, other than simply delivering

lesson content. It brings about a beneficial opening of the classroom, whereby teachers

collaborate and learn from each other and also from their students, which improves the

communication flow in schools and contributes to a stimulating environment. Integrating

ICT can also grant teachers more time to reflect and discuss values and cross- curricular

projects.





The question concerning the disadvantages of ICT created debate in itself as some

participants felt the same question would not have been asked about traditional

approaches. They felt therefore that this question implied a lack of vision. However,

other participants felt it was a legitimate question to ask as in the use of ICT there are

identifiable disadvantages and problems. In particular they felt that the context of the

individual school, its structures and stating points, have an immense influence on the

perception of advantages and disadvantages.





The issues discussed included the fact that a lack of school vision may compromise the

integration of ICT. Moreover, ICT by itself cannot change much of the pedagogy: it is

the teachers that give meaning to the use of ICT by becoming aware of the new

possibilities and endorsing ICT with the new values, beliefs and assumption that it

involves. Some teachers will need to be convinced of the positive aspects of ICT and

some others will feel threatened. Teachers should therefore be given time to reflect on

their practices and question their own methods in order to then choose what is best for

them. Some teachers are also afraid that they are losing control over the teaching and

over the ICT use of students outside school. This is however one more reason to

endorse ICT and make the most of it. In practical terms ICT can be viewed as unreliable

and the schools would like to be able to count on proper technical support.





From a more social point of view, adults tend to see the development of virtual

friendship as something unnatural and they are afraid that ICT will take up the time

formerly dedicated to the social interaction in the classroom. Indeed by introducing ICT

practices it may be possible that face-to-face communication decreases with students

working by themselves and missing the useful social interaction with peers and teachers.

It was argued however, that on the contrary ICT could actually be used in such a way as







Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 26

to make more time available for group discussions and collaborative work thus

enhancing the social and communication skills of the pupils.





The group also made suggestions as to what measures could be taken in order to

ensure positive outcomes from the integration of ICT in education. Some participants

made the suggestion that in order to encourage the spread of innovation the teachers

should be asked to comply with some compulsory requirements, and be therefore forced

to embrace new technologies. This point raised much debate as others on the contrary

felt it was more useful to encourage teachers and reassure them that ICT is one way of

teaching and can be very useful but also more traditional practices still have their value.





It was emphasised that teachers should be given the proper support and infrastructure

to work with ICT. This includes not only the physical presence of IT equipment, but also

support from the school leaders by ensuring that their vision includes in-service training

and help for their teachers.





Caution was expressed concerning the dissemination of best practice: it was suggested

that teachers must be provided with opportunities to develop their own practice rather

than having someone else’s forced on them. Linked to the concept of developing a

personalised use of ICT, relevant to a particular school’s context, is the concept of

collaboration between teachers: rather than impose ICT as a separate subject, having

ICT teachers collaborating with other teachers and helping them integrate ICT in their

teaching method has produced satisfactory results in some schools.





The lack of specific funding ear-marked for teachers’ professional development in some

countries was also identified as a hindrance to the integration of ICT.





The working group then proceeded by making suggestions about issues that should be

debated within the context of the ELFE project. One important element that emerged

was the need for the ELFE project to identify good practices encompassing a wide

variety of approaches in order to avoid the imposition of models that may work in one

country and be counterproductive in another. The recommendations for the European

education policy must respect individual countries’ policies and practices and also take

account of the global perspective.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 27

ICT should be used effectively so as to allow teachers to be more effective. However

ELFE must distinguish between the integration of ICT in education and the rights of

teachers in terms of training and support.





The different starting point of schools must be taken into consideration and simple

models of how to implement ICT innovatively must be devised to support even those

schools with a low starting point. Moreover a blended approach and the need for a

variety of methods should be emphasised. The ultimate aim is indeed to make ICT

become ‘invisible’, i.e. there should be no separation between theory and practice and

using ICT should become as common as using a pen for the students.





4.3 Report from the bilingual working group



The bilingual group was chaired by DR. JOKE VOOGT and MR. ULF FREDRIKSSON, a member

and an expert of the ELFE Steering Committee, acted as rapporteur. The group

consisted of 27 people, including school representatives from Denmark, Germany and

Portugal and teacher union members from Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the

Netherlands, Norway, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Slovakia.









Dr. Joke Voogt and Ulf Fredriksson









The group discussion started with a general round where the participants mentioned

various concerns related to the use of ICT in education. Thoughts were expressed

concerning the need to identify good practice and to find a good balance between the

use of ICT and traditional teaching. The schools that had been involved in the ELFE

project explained some of the problems related to the use of ICT in education, such as









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 28

insufficient numbers of computers in the schools and the need to know more about

when ICT could be used.





The first round of interventions were summarised by the chairperson. She identified two

main issues that had been raised:

1) Many of the concerns mentioned related to the learning environment. Issues of

relevance are the teacher–student interaction, technical problems and problems

related to the balance between individual work and teamwork. Another issue

related to the learning environment in the ageing teaching profession. Some of

the participants reported about an unwillingness among older teachers, close to

retirement age, to learn how to use ICT in their teaching.

2) Another concern that had been expressed related to what students learn. Issues

such as learning concepts, independent learning, handling information,

motivation and variation were mentioned. It is obvious that both strengths and

weaknesses can be identified in the use of ICT in teaching. Therefore there is a

need for more research on these issues in order to provide more in-depth

knowledge on how the use of ICT can contribute to the learning process.





In a second round of debate the participants raised issues such as: how to integrate ICT

into the school as a whole, the social differences between students and also teacher

education. It was emphasised that social differences between students also affect their

ICT skills. Some students come from homes that cannot afford computers or at least not

good, up-to-date computers. The opinion was also expressed that teachers training

future teachers at universities do not have sufficient information about the present

situation in schools.





The chairperson summarised this discussion and highlighted two main issues: equality

and students’ access to computers. Many participants expressed concerns about

inequality in schools and reported about the different initiatives taken to improve access

to computers. It was noted that inequality is not only related to ICT, but is a general

problem. It was also observed that inequality is a problem within schools, between

schools, within countries and also between different countries in Europe.





The discussion then focused on teacher education. The participants reported about

different in-service education initiatives, which some countries had taken in to give

teachers a ‘computer driving licence’ or even a ‘pedagogical computer driving licence’ as

was the case in Denmark. Some of these initiatives had also contained possibilities for







Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 29

teachers to obtain or to buy computers cheaply. Another issue that was raised related to

how ICT is included in the curriculum.





The chairperson summarised the existing practices and noticed that initiatives exist in

many countries to offer in-service training for teachers on how to use ICT in general and

how to use ICT in education. The problem of maintenance of computers and the need

for ICT-coordinators in schools was mentioned. Another issue is how to integrate ICT in

the curriculum. Are ICT skills assessed as part of national tests and are students allowed

to use computers as part of the assessment in other subjects?





The group finally agreed to bring forward two questions to the panel discussion:

- How should teachers get support to develop their ICT skills and their skills to use

ICT in education? How can teacher education, pre-service education as well as

in-service education, be organised to support teachers and help them to explore

how ICT can be used in education?

- How should ICT skills be integrated in national curricula and how should these be

assessed? To which extent should assessment in different subjects include the

use of ICT?









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 30

5. Conclusions



5.1 Panel discussion



The next phase of the Conference involved a panel comprising a school representative

per country participating in the project, which answered some of the questions raised

during the working group meetings.









Panel of school representatives









Pedagogical aspects of integrating ICT

A first issue that was debated regarded the pedagogical aspects of integrating ICT and

how the different schools were facing this issue.





The Norwegian school representative mentioned that in their school regular meetings

take place between teachers in order to deal with pedagogical issues and how to

integrate ICT.





The British representative stressed the importance of integrating ICT in the different

subjects rather than being regarded as one separate issue. She believes that teachers

can only get enthusiastic about using ICT if they can apply it to their subject and find it

a useful tool to support their teaching.





The German representative stated that one problem faced by the school is the fact that

innovation only involves some teachers. He would welcome integration of ICT in order to

involve every teacher.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 31

The representative from Denmark agreed with the fact that ICT must be a practical tool,

to achieve better information and to diversify teaching in order to make it more

effective.





The Portuguese representative underlined the fact that it must be regarded as a tool

and not as a substitute for teachers. Indeed she expressed concern about the fact that

some teachers feel threatened by ICT and are reluctant to endorse it. She insisted

therefore that emphasis be put on the fact that ICT is only one way of teaching and it is

not necessarily the best one.





The role of the teacher

Another topic of discussion was that of the role of the teacher in a society where

information and the flux of information are increasingly important and where

consequently the ability to use ICT equipment is becoming extremely important. It was

suggested that, apart from technical training, teachers should train students to fully

understand the knowledge society and be skilled in autonomously judging the

information provided.





The Portuguese representative agreed wholeheartedly with the important role of the

teacher in guiding and training his/her students and reiterated the importance of

regarding ICT as a tool, not as a substitute teacher. The changing relationship between

teacher and student was also mentioned with more exchanges and sharing of

responsibility. The Norwegian representative also remarked this and talked about a more

equal footing between teachers and students.





The British representative stressed the importance of the teacher in shaping skilled and

rounded students able to cope with their environment. Thus with the integration of ICT

the teachers should have another means of teaching transferable skills through the

applied use of technologies.





The German representative stressed the fact that there had been a positive attitude on

the part of both teachers and students in his school.





The Danish representative remarked that in terms of the technical use of ICT students

often use better and more sophisticated applications at home than they would in school.

The primary role of teachers is therefore not so much to teach their pupils how to use









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 32

ICT but how to show them how to critically evaluate and handle the information

gathered thanks to the new technologies.





Teachers’ training

A final point of debate was the organisation of in-service training for teachers.





The Danish representative explained how in their school a programme of ICT driving

licence is in place: the teachers undergo training on the pedagogical use of ICT and they

get a computer in exchange as part of the programme. The teachers find it extremely

useful to have a computer at home and to be able to learn how to use it at their own

pace. He commented that computers are used extensively in his school, although there

is a slight difference between younger and older teachers.





The British representative stressed the importance of showing simple examples to

teachers on how ICT could be integrated in their teaching: this would give them good

ideas on how to improve their teaching instead of forcing measures on them.





The Portuguese representative noted how a teacher can have a very traditional

approach to teaching while using ICT, and on the contrary how a very modern approach

may not necessarily involve ICT. The use of ICT should not be imposed but teachers

should be able to choose to use this tool in their teaching. She remarked how many

teachers are still refusing to use ICT in her school, hence the debate over teacher

training is more about the pedagogy than the technical aspect. She stressed the

importance of collaboration on the part of the teachers in order to facilitate the

introduction of ICT in the school.





The Norwegian representative agreed on the issue of collaboration. In her school the

teachers followed ICT courses but they were organised in teams so that they were

learning the technical aspect of ICT but also socialised and shared problems and

experience and learnt together.





5.2 The external evaluator’s impressions



TJEERD PLOMP, CONSULTANT, FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY, TWENTE

UNIVERSITY, is the external evaluator of the ELFE project and gave a presentation over

his impressions and remarks from the school visits and the conference.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 33

Firstly, he underlined the fact that the number of ELFE cases studied is too limited to

make firm policy recommendations and explained how conclusions should also be drawn

from other cases examined by other studies or projects e.g. the Norwegian PILOT

project.





He also reiterated the fact that ICT is a means, and not a goal in

itself, to achieve good education and he noted how the concept of

good education has changed in the information/knowledge

society. He also explained how the word innovative may be

somewhat misleading. Indeed, it is possible to be innovative in

some parts of the curriculum and not in others. Innovation could

indeed mean different things depending on the context and

choices made. For example, the goals and content of education

Tjeerd Plomp,

may remain the same but be conveyed through innovative ELFE external evaluator



pedagogy. However, new goals and contents can also be

transmitted through non-traditional pedagogy. The important issue therefore is not so

much the use made of ICT but the processes through which it is applied. Change is a

process, not an event.





Mr. Plomp then proceeded to illustrate the key analysis questions concerning the use

and integration of ICT in education.





Question 1: What difference does the use of ICT make in schools where ICT is

intensively used for instructional/pedagogical purposes?

The vision on learning and teaching has changed and it is still changing: education has

new goals, among which student-centred learning, information skills, independent

learning and integration of the different subjects. ICT moreover makes it possible to

organise time and space differently and provides new opportunities for students in

remote areas or students with special educational needs.





Question 2: To what extent are teachers’ practices and outcomes changed?

Throughout the Conference it was stressed that the role of the teacher must change

when ICT is introduced. The teacher becomes more of a designer of the learning

environment, a knowledge manager who produces learning materials and monitors

individual learners. The work is organised in teamwork and collaborative work with the

teacher acting as a counsellor. This represents a substantial change compared to the

traditional role of the teacher as the ‘owner’ of knowledge. These changes should be







Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 34

taken into account when designing teacher in-service training and professional

development programmes.





Question 3: What are the perceived advantages and disadvantages of the use

of ICT in teaching and learning?

Students are noticeably becoming more independent learners, able to collaborate and

process information responsibly and critically. However, some teachers showed concern

about the diminishing interest in traditional disciplines.





Question 4: What factors influence the implementation of intensive use of

ICT?

One important element that facilitates the implementation of ICT is the school vision on

learning and teaching using ICT. In some countries programmes like the Pedagogical

Driving Licence have made a visible impact on the introduction and use of ICT. Another

element that influences the spread of ICT practices is clearly the availability of

infrastructure. In general however, successful implementation is normally the result of a

comprehensive and coherent approach with a balance between the bottom-up and top-

down approach.





Question 5: How are the students influenced by this different way of

teaching?

It was found that students were more motivated and enthusiastic about learning.

Generally speaking they acquired new skills, both in the use of technologies and also

communication skills and critical skills. However, there is no hard evidence of improved

cognitive gains.





Question 6: What are the possibilities to sustain and to transfer good ICT-

based teaching /learning practices?

To be sustainable the innovative practices of today should become an everyday reality.

In order to achieve this, school policy should be well-documented and conveyed

effectively so as to spread good practice.





Question 7: To what extent have the institutional discussions on and

experiences with use of ICT contributed to whole-school development?

ICT can be a catalyst for change because its introduction is bound to have an influence

on other elements of the organisation and curriculum. Management structures are not

that affected but the type of work carried out is usually more thematic or project-







Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 35

oriented work, with the teacher acting as a consultant. There is increased collaboration

both between teachers and between teachers and students when using ICT. As far as

parents are concerned, they have a generally positive attitude but do not appear to be

highly involved.





Mr. Plomp also highlighted some themes for discussions to be debated using the ELFE

web site debate forum. He expressed an interest in the theme of how teachers can

benefit from ICT, so that the new technologies become a help rather than a hindrance

and a tool for professional improvement and inspiration. From a more pedagogical

perspective, the following suggestions were made for themes for discussion:





• The characteristics of good education in the knowledge society and the

place of traditional subject knowledge in the curriculum;

• The relationship between students and teachers;

• The new role of the teacher and the quality of web material (developing a

critical attitude towards external sources of information).





Other themes of debate could be the place of pedagogy in in-service training and the

coaching and guiding of novice users, the relationship between institutional and

pedagogical practices and the role of ICT, the role of ICT in school effectiveness and the

factors contributing to the successful implementation of an innovative curriculum at

school level.





5.3 Closing remarks



MARTIN RØMER, ETUCE GENERAL SECRETARY, made some concluding remarks to close the

Conference and thanked the participants, the Steering Committee and the staff for their

contribution. He noted that the gap between frontrunners and teachers that are

resisting the introduction of ICT should eventually be narrowed. Indeed, the project is

not only about the theory of the integration of ICT in education, but also about changing

attitudes and how to help teachers and students alike see the benefits that ICT can

provide. Certainly the transition from more traditional pedagogic practices to innovative

practices integrating ICT is not without problems. Some of these problems are linked to

the reality of software and the practical implementation of infrastructure, in addition to

Internet access. However further pedagogical questions need to be asked and

answered: these also include issues such as in-service and initial training for teachers.

Moreover, it is necessary to examine the direct effect on learning and check whether the







Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 36

investment in ICT is worthwhile in terms of achieving better quality education and

development of useful skills for life in the knowledge society of our students and lifelong

learners.





In order to ensure an improvement of the quality of education in Europe, it is of

paramount importance to reflect and research the ways of integrating ICT into the

curricula. Teachers should be involved in the process as much as possible and

demonstrate their ability to rise up to the challenges of the profession and propose

solutions and policies rather than passively wait for the change to take place.









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 37

6. Annexes



6.1 Conference programme









1st European eLearning Forum for

Education Conference

Brussels, 22-23 November



Agenda





LAUNCHING ELFE



Monday, 22 November



9.00h – 10.00h Registration of participants





10.00h – 10.20h Opening of the Conference

by Mr. Martin Rømer, ETUCE General Secretary



10.20h – 11.00h Presentation of the work of the European Commission on

the use of ICT in education

by Ms. Maruja Gutiérrez Díaz, Head of Unit Multimedia for

Education, Training and Culture, DG Education European

Commission



11.10h – 12.00h Education in the information society: emerging challenges

and demands for education

by Dr. Joke Voogt, Twente University, The Netherlands



12.00h – 12.30h Presentation of the ELFE project

by Mr. Hans Laugesen, project coordinator



14.00h – 14.50h Being a teacher in the knowledge society









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 38

by Bernard Cornu, Head of ICT Department of INRP (National

Institute for Pedagogical Research), France



14.50 h – 15.40h Technology and pre-service teacher education in the 21st

century. Inseparable and quality–assured

by Dr. Daithí Ó Murchú, researcher and director of instructional

design at Hibernia College, Ireland (to be confirmed)



16.10h – 16.50h School presentation & questions and answers

Greensward College, UK



16.50h – 17.30h School presentation & questions and answers

Pestalozzi Grundschule, Germany



17.30h – 18.10h School presentation & questions and answers

Saltdal videregående skole, Norway



Tuesday, 23 November



9.00h – 9.40h School presentation & questions and answers

EB 23 Carapinheira, Portugal



9.40h – 10.20h School presentation & questions and answers

Langkær Gymnasium, Denmark



10.45h – 12.15h Working groups





12.15h – 13.00h ICT and school development: the Norwegian PILOT

project

by Dr. Ola Erstad, Oslo University



14.00h – 14.50h Panel of school representatives & debate in plenary

(questions to the schools presented)



14.50 h – 15.20h Assessment of the ELFE school visits

by Dr. Tjeerd Plomp, external evaluator



15.20h -15.30h Closing of Conference

Mr. Martin Rømer, ETUCE General Secretary









Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 39

6.2 Participants’ list



Brussels, 22-23 November 2004

Launching ELFE: participants’ list









Name Organisation Country



Afonso Guerreiro Silva, Maria José Escola Santa Maria Maior Portugal

Aligüllü, Ertan KTOS Cyprus

Almeida Oliveira, Maria Gabriela EBI Vasco da Gama Portugal

Andersen, Susan Middelfart Gymnasium Denmark

Arntsberg, Espen Hitra videregående skole Norway

Arra, Olavi OAJ Finland

Aspevold, Tove Steigen sentralskole Norway

Bangs, John NUT UK

Barton, Rosemary Ulster Teachers' Union N. Ireland

Bastino, Valentina ETUCE Belgium

Biot, Jean Louis UNSA France

Boese, Renate ELFE Steering Committee Germany

Borges, Paula ELFE Steering Committee Portugal

Brosnan, Timothy Hampstead School UK

Brune-Poniewas, Gabi Pestalozzi Grundschule Germany

Bruzas, Vladas LEETU Lithuania

Butler, Deirdre IFUT Ireland

Camel, Frédéric SNEP France

Clair, Jean-François SNES France

Corcoran, Austin INTO Ireland

Corcoran, Ina Ireland

Cornu, Bernard INRP France

Cufflin, Sharon Margaret Prince Albert School UK

De La Haye, Gaston WCT Belgium

Desmedt, Michel CSC-Enseignement Belgium

Doering, Rainer Max Planck Gymnasium Germany









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Duedahl, Orla Fyns AMT Denmark

Eglite, Kamita LIZDA Latvia

Eriksen, Roger Steigen sentralskole Norway

Erstad, Ola University of Oslo Norway

Fredriksson, Ulf ELFE Steering Committee Sweden

Galwas, Bogdan ZNP Warsaw Uni. Of Technology Poland

Garvey, Brian NASUWT UK

Gomes de Sá, Carlos Manuel Escola Santa Maria Maior Portugal

Gregersen, Claus Herning Gymnasium Denmark

Gregorius, Peter COC Belgium

Grøttvik, Roar ELFE Steering Committee Norway

Gutierrez Díaz, Maruja European Commission Belgium

Hauge, Tove Utdanningsforbundet Norway

Hermansen, Hilde Saltdal videregående skole Norway

Hurley, Pat ASTI Ireland

Iasenzaniro, Maria Antonietta CGIL - Scuola Italy

Jedeskog, Gunilla ELFE Steering Committee Sweden

Jenaro Tejada, Elena ETUCE Belgium

Jensen, Torben Pallesen Langkaer Gymnasium Denmark

John, Jodi Hampstead School UK

Karaškaite, Nijole LMPS Lithuania

Kasoulides, Andreas POED Cyprus

Kelly, James Teachers' Union of Ireland Ireland

Kraft, Knut R. BLBS Germany

Krause, Werner GEW Germany

Kuijpers, Frank OCNV Netherlands

Laugesen, Hans ELFE Steering Committee Denmark

Lauritzen, Marie-Louise Ebert Langkaer Gymnasium Denmark

Leite Santos, Maria Luisa SINDEP Portugal

Leszczynska, Elzbieta Solidarnosc Union Poland

Lopes dos Santos Dias, Ricardo Manuel EB 23 Carapinheira Portugal

Madsen, Peter GL Denmark

Malva Branco, Susana Paula EB 23 Carapinheira Portugal

Marchetta, Ugo Universita' degli Studi di Palermo Italy

Martinák, Luboš ZPŠaV NKOS Slovakia

McKay, Albert SSTA UK

Mebus, Jesper Rugaard Middelfart Gymnasium Denmark







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Mifsud, Josephine MUT Malta

Miller, Willem CSC-Enseignement Belgium

Modrijan, Sandi SVIZ/ESTUS Slovenia

Mortensvik, Astrid Hitra videregående skole Norway

Müller-Normann, Kirsten Max Planck Gymnasium Germany

Nordahl, Rune LR Sweden

Novell, Elvira FETE-UGT Spain

O Murchu, Daithi Hibernia College Ireland

Oestegaard, Knud Erik Langkaer Gymnasium Denmark

O'Sullivan, Mike Greensward College UK

Pavlovicova, Katarina OZPSaV Slovakia

Pettersen, Håvard Saltdal videregående skole Norway

Pimenta, Filomena EBI Vasco da Gama Portugal

Plomp, Tjeerd ELFE Steering Committee Netherlands

Polyzois, Babouras DOE Greece

Poniewas, Stefan Pestalozzi Grundschule Germany

Rasmusson, Maria Mid Sweden University Sweden

Ries, Claude SNE Luxembourg

Robinson, Karen ELFE Steering Committee UK

Rømer, Martin ETUCE Belgium

Rützenhoff, Björn Hans-Böckler Berufskolleg Germany

Sarpten, Salih KTOEOS Cyprus

Skou, Søren Bostrup Næstved Kommune Denmark

Sørensen, Kurt Kalbyrisskolen Denmark

Stiglic, Lubomir OZPSaV Slovakia

Terzis, Iosif OLTEK Cyprus

Trapenciere, Ilze LIZDA Latvia

Triggs, David Greensward College UK

Usaviciene, Irena LDF-CTUEW Lithuania

Vagharshakyan, Garnik STEESA Armenia

Vansweevelt, George ETUCE Belgium

Venuti, Rosa UIL SCUOLA Italy

Voogt, Johanna M. (Joke) Twente University Netherlands

Wijngaards, Guus AOB Netherlands

Wilford, Sally Prince Albert School UK

Zeman, Robert CMOS PS Czech Rep.









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Report of the 1st European eLearning Forum for Education (ELFE) Conference - 43