ICT and Education.
South and North.
Mikko Vesisenaho
mikko.vesisenaho@joensuu.fi
My background
Degrees
• PhD (Computer Science) 2007, topic “Developing University-level Introductory ICT
Education in Tanzania: A contextualized Approach”, University of Joensuu, Finland.
• MEd (Education) 1998, B.A. (Education) 1998, University of Joensuu, Finland.
Work Experience
• Assistant professor / senior assistant (educational use of ICT), Research and
Development Center for Information Technology in Education (TOTY), Faculty of
Education, University of Joensuu, Finland, 2008• Assistant professor / senior assistant professor & Research assistant, Department of
Computer Science and Statistics, University of Joensuu, 2006-2008
• Researcher and project manager in project “Information and Communication
Technology Education for Development, a Tanzanian Perspective” (Academy of
Finland), Department of Computer Science, University of Joensuu, 2003-2005.
• Acting project manager of North-South project 5ARTS (2004-2007), North-SouthSouth Networking project Open doors (2007-2008), College of Business Education
(Tanzania) project (2005-2006), ViSCoS - Online studies in Computer Science (20072008), Department of Computer Science, the University of Joensuu.
• Senior lecturer and lecturer in Joensuu University Practice School, 1999-2003
• Lecturer in computer aided instruction & project coordinator, Research and
Development Center for Information Technology in Education (TOTY), Faculty of
Education, University of Joensuu, 1998-1999.
Outline
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Digital gap
Local needs
Innovative education
Tumaini University (Tanzania) example
A learning theory
Own reflection
Who decides the needs?
Where are the local and global?
local
global
How come these are moving
to different directions?
Is there a gap?
local
global
gap
The gap in several levels
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Primary education
Secondary education
Higher education
Informal education
Contextual or standardized?
contextual
relevance
efficiency
standardized
performance
Vesisenaho (2007)
Contextual or standardized?
contextual
relevance
effectiveness
efficiency
standardized
performance
Vesisenaho (2007)
Contextual or standardized?
contextual
relevance
impact
effectiveness
efficiency
standardized
performance
Vesisenaho (2007)
Contextual or standardized?
contextual
relevance
sustainability
impact
effectiveness
efficiency
standardized
performance
Vesisenaho (2007)
What are the contextual needs and
global trends?
Vesisenaho (2007)
How does a change take place in a
project?
See Roche (1999), Oakley, Pratt & Clayton (1998), Vesisenaho (2007)
What is missing?
See Roche (1999), Oakley, Pratt & Clayton (1998), Vesisenaho (2007)
When does the implementation
and needs meet each other?
CATI model for contextual
ICT development
Vesisenaho (2007)
What could be a contextualized
outcome?
An example from Tumaini
University
Vesisenaho, M. (2007).
Developing University-level
Introductory ICT Education in
Tanzania: A Contextualized
approach. PhD Thesis.
University of Joensuu.
Dissertations in Computers
Science: 16.
Some example activities
What are the meaningful
contextual learning outcomes of
the students referring to applying
ICT skills and knowledge?
Examples from different
CATI levels
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“Yeah… If we have this computer program of Java, the society would benefit very
much.” (import level)
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Yeah, …in case my school can introduce such a course, then I will be able to teach
how to program in Java language, because I have a mastered the important
(course).” (transfer level)
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“Okay, one important learning experience from the course is that I have become
more interested in geometrical structures, because I can transfer the knowledge of
Java programming to my mathematics course, such as on drawing different
structures or graphs and many other things.” (application level)
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“I can use these programs even now to teach the students to do things… let’s say, for
example, in Java programming. Always we are dealing with how to educate the
students on budgeting. Therefore I can use this program to show them that …before
doing [something] just go to the computer and just see if you can manage. Therefore
I think it is very useful.” (contextualization level)
Vesisenaho (2007)
Contextual outcomes of the students.
Interview responses indicative of the general CATI
levels (A), and the distribution of all quotations in
the means of CATI levels (B)
A. General CATI levels attained by each student
B. Classification of quotations in terms of CATI levels for each
student
Level
Level
Amount
Contextualize
Apply
Transfer
Import
Total
Vesisenaho (2007)
Percent
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Percentage among
all quotations
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17
Contextualize
15
7.9 %
Apply
94
49.7 %
Transfer
75
39.7 %
5
2.6 %
63.0 %
10
37.0 %
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-
27
No. quotations
100.0 %
Import
Total
189
99.9 %
At the moment in Finland?
ICT in teacher’s work…
Research with 270 students (in pedagogical
studies)
Past, current and future
Theorethical knowledge, skills, visions, and
ways to concretaze those
Main results of analyzing the
course elements 2004-2005
• The joint objectives of the course were
contextual. But…
• The implementation focuses on the application
level. There will be a number of opportunities in
the future to disregard transferred elements and
concentrate more specifically on the
contextualization level with projects. One
problem was the imbalance between North and
South teaching staff.
• The spin-offs to the local community were very
promising.
Designing a Contextualized
Programming Course
in a Tanzanian University
• Vesisenaho, M., Duveskog M., Laisser,
E. & Sutinen, E. (2006). Designing a
contextualized programming course in a
Tanzanian University. In Proceedings of
36th Frontiers in Education Conference
(FIE) 2006, IEEE, 6 pages.
• …(see Vesisenaho et al (2006))
How do you see the problems
introduced in Table I ?
Side-effects
Define
1) Contextualization and
2) sustainability
• .
in ICT education?
Contextualization and sustainability
• Contextualization in ICT education is a way of taking the
local environment into account when planning and
implementing ICT education. It is a need based
approach, to meet the local needs of the society and
development.
• A sustainable approach to ICT in development and in
development projects is to support local development. It
includes wide impacts and focuses on long time frame. It
does not miss being aware of global trends, but gives
space for local applications and innovations and relates
them to the context.
What are the contextual needs and
global trends?
Vesisenaho (2007)
Existing and potential use
Import
Existing
context of use
New potential
context of use
Taking a technology,
product or idea and placing it in
another environment without thought
for context.
Transfer Taking a technology and
reusing it in another environment where
the context is appropriate.
use
Apply
Transferring a technology to
a new environment and applying it to
different areas in new contexts.
use
Contextualise Transferring and
applying a technology such that it takes
into account and supports the
environment in old and new contexts.
Beynon, Harfield & Vesisenaho (2008)
use
Personal analyses
Past, current and future
Theorethical knowledge, skills, visions, and
ways to concretaze those
Herrington (1997) summarizes the
most important characteristics of
situated learning
• an authentic context that reflects the way in which the
knowledge obtained will be used in real life;
• authentic activities;
• access to expert performances, best practices and the
modeling of processes;
• multiple roles and perspectives;
• the collaborative construction of knowledge;
• coaching and scaffolding;
• reflection;
• articulation; and
• authentic assessment.
Table 1: Situated learning in the Contextual Programming course (see Section 2.3.4)
Situated learning element
Implemented in the Contextual
Programming course of 2004-2005
Authentic context that reflects the way
the knowledge will be used in real-life
Project works, I-Blocks, content of
digital learning materials, exercises
Authentic activities
Field activities, exploratory I-Blocks,
workshops, application ideas for different
subjects
Access to expert performances and the
modeling of processes
Jeliot, lectures, workshops with experts
Multiple roles and perspectives
Group works, projects, exercises, the
mixed methodology used in the research
Collaborative construction of
knowledge
Paired or group works in lectures,
projects
Coaching and scaffolding
Tutoring and supervising one another
Reflection
Learning
interviews
Articulation
Discussion-based learning, learning
diary, reporting, workshop presentations
Authentic assessment
Contextual applicability exercises; field
projects and their assessment
diary,
questionnaires,
South North
Challengies and Opportunities (e.g.)
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Cultures
Working cultures
Pedagogy
Educational background
Technology/infrastructure
Practical continuation
Project funding
Commitment
Which content are we focusing
on?
• To become active participants;
users and/or developers
• To join different kinds of
expertises
• To innovate something new
together
• To open new perspectives
• To support mobility and
knowledge sharing
• North South South
partnerships
• To get side-effects
• To bridge academic and
practical initiatives for
development
Mikko Vesisenaho, PhD
mikko.vesisenaho@joensuu.fi
!
Faculty of Education / Research and Development
Center for Information Technology in Education
(TOTY)
University of Joensuu
Finland
http://toty.joensuu.fi
http://cs.joensuu.fi/edtech
References
Beynon, M., Harfield, A. & Vesisenaho, M. (2008). Contextualising Information
and Communications Technology In Developing Countries. In Proceedings
of 7th Baltic Sea Conference on Computer Science Education (Koli Calling)
2007. ACM Australia.
Herrington, J.A. (1997). Authentic learning in interactive multimedia
environments. PhD thesis. Edith Cowan University, Australia. Retrieved
April 25, 2005, from
http://edserver2.uow.edu.au/~janh/Elearn/Site/Authentic%20design_files/He
rringtonThesis.pdf
Oakley, P., Pratt, B. & Clayton, A. (1998). Outcomes and impacts: Evaluating
change in social development. INTRAC NGO management and policy
series: 6. Oxford: INTRAC.
Roche, C. (1999). Impact assessment for development agencies: Learning to
value change. Oxford: Oxfam.
Vesisenaho, M. (2007). Developing University-level Introductory ICT Education
in Tanzania: A Contextualized Approach. PhD-thesis. Dissertations in
Computers Science: 16. Joensuu: University of Joensuu
Vesisenaho, M., Duveskog M., Laisser, E. & Sutinen, E. (2006). Designing a
contextualized programming course in a Tanzanian university. In D. Budny
& G. Bjedov (Eds.), Proceedings of the 36th Frontiers in education
conference, FIE 2006, October, San Diego, California (pp. 1-6). Champaign,
Illinois: Stipes Publishing Co.
Extra materials
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RPTEL
FIE
Part of phd? (33-34)
Notes
Some examples of ICT4D activities
 1995/1998 Courses in Kidugala Secondary, Tanzania
 2000 Orientation course for master student candidates, Tumaini
University, Iringa, Tanzania
 2000-2002 Tanzanian master exchange students at the University of
Joensuu, Finland
 2002 Contextual Java (HIV/AIDS) programming course in Kidugala
Secondary, Tanzania
 2003 Programming by Building -workshop I, Tumaini University,
Iringa, Tanzania
 2004 Programming by Building -workshop II, Tumaini University,
Iringa, Tanzania
 2004 TEDC conference, Joensuu, Finland
 2004- 5ARTS (North-South) Teacher and Student Exchange
 2004-2005 First Contextualized Programming -course at Tumaini
University, Iringa University College,Tanzania
 2005- Teacher Training at College of Business Education, Tanzania
 2005 UniPID-conference, President of Tanzania, Joensuu
 2006 TEDC conference and foundation of Iringa Science Park,
Tanzania
 2006 SciFest, Joensuu-South Africa
 2006- Kids’ Club technology education projects in South Africa
 2007- contextualized IT degree program at Tumaini University
 2007- Open doors (North-South-South) network
 2008 ITED seminar at Tumaini University
 2008 TEDC conference Uganda
 2008 Edulink project…
Nepal