How is information and communication technology (ICT) changing teaching and learning practices in secondary schools worldwide in the 21st century? This is the central question addressed by researchers involved in the series of surveys comprising the Second Information Technology in EducationStudy (SITES ). The question is a multifaceted one, with each facet raising additionalq uestions relating to both theory and practice. These include the following: • What traditional and new pedagogiesare evident in the 21st century? • What is the role of ICT in the teaching and learning process? • What ICT infrastructure is available in schools? • How can teachers and their administrators be prepared for effective practice? • How have these conditions and considerations changed since the first SITES survey in 1998? • What are the trends within and between national education systems? • What do the differences and similarities between these systems suggest? • How shouldchange be promoted in education in order to support teachers in their work? • Is there evidence that key strategic factors commonly found in ICT related educational policies do influence teachers' pedagogical use of ICT? Because these questions are interconnected, the SITES 2006 researchers recognized that if we are to make sense of changes in pedagogical practicesas a result of IC T use, then we need to view those practices in terms of the interacting layers in the 22 education systems surveyed.
The end of the last millennium was marked by rapid technological advances and deep changes in many aspects of human activity, often taken together as indicative of a shift into a ‘knowledge era’. Such changes have stimulated much discussion about the role and processes of education, and about the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching and learning in this new era. Many policy documents relating to these themes have been published by international and regional organizations such as the European Commission, the European Roundtable of Industrialists, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), UNESCO and the World Bank. Numerous blueprints on education reform and on ICT in education have also been set out by various governments since the mid-1990s. These policy initiatives brought with them a variety of strategic implementation priorities that differ from country to country, depending on the socio-economic and political context. Such educational strategies may involve, amongst others, changes in curriculum and/or assessment at the system level, provision for ICT infrastructure, teacher professional development, and/or technical and pedagogical support for teachers. Given the deep technological, economic and policy changes that have taken place over the last decade, are there indications that pedagogical practices are changing as well? What impact is the pedagogical use of ICT making in schools around the world? What is the impact of the implementation of these policies on pedagogy and ICT use in classrooms? These are the questions that this book addresses through an analysis of the findings from SITES 2006, an international comparative study of pedagogy and ICT use conducted under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA).
