Educating Cities Seminar Leda Muñoz

Curitiba, Brazil Director

May 18, 2011 Omar Dengo Foundation

The Omar Dengo Foundation FOD

A non-profit organization in charge of the National Informatics Educational Program in partnership with the Ministry of Public Education in Costa Rica. It is responsible for the design, implementation and evaluation of the Program , Grades K to 9, including students and teachers. In 2010 our activities have benefited almost 470.000 students which represents 62.3% of the student population.

The FOD also offers diverse educational services and products based on ICT ´s, to attend other sectors of the population in Costa Rica and other countries of the region. In addition, it has active monitor and evaluation programs as well as research and development programs to feedback with innovation and constant improvements all of its projects and activities. It was founded over 20 years ago by a distinguished group of Costa Rican intellectuals and entrepreneurs. Since then it has been accumulating relevant experience and a strong network of national and international partners.

Introduction of ICT´s in school system: The why´s and the how ´s of the FOD

Why ICT´s in schools

“Digital literacy is crucial for XXI century citizens“

Considerations: Issues of access and equity must be addressed. Distribution of computers attends only a small fraction of social gaps. Use and appropriation of ICT´s depend on skills that are distributed uneven among the population because of social inequities, that could result in wider gaps. Distribution of ICT´s alone does not change educational outcomes.

Why ICT´s in schools

“To improve quality of education”

Considerations: More than access, involves training of teachers, designing a pedagogical model and development of materials for students: a clear and sound “how” is needed. As above, social gaps can grow due to differential conditions to use and appropriation of ICT´s, so the leveling-off effect may not occur.

ICT´s in education: ethical considerations

digital divide is more complex than previously defined: there are gaps between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas with regard to both their:

Opportunities to access ICT´s and

Opportunities to use them productively

Technologies in Education for all but tailored to the needs and realities of the different groups and individuals. Groups with reduced learning opportunities (cognitive gap) an additional effort should be made (compensate).

Why ICT´s in schools

For the Omar Dengo Foundation ICT´s are powerful instruments to promote the development of capacities in students and educators by doing new, different things. Means to transform the educational process into a more personal , mobile, ubiquitous, and enjoyable process in which students can actively, interactively and creatively get involved. Objective: Development of opportunities for people through innovative learning processes and the productive use of digital technologies. Our starting point is to stimulate the educational, social and economic development of people.

ICT´s in education: HOW

FOD endorses the vision of development as a process of expanding human freedom as stated by Amartya Sen. The FOD´s model is based on two main educational approaches : • Constructionist perspective: Papert´s educational proposal involving ICT´s and Piaget´s knowledge theories. • Learning through projects ( PBL). To develop “ XXI century skills” (capacities to reason, collaborate, participate, use knowledge for creating, define and solve problems and develop responsibly and safely in digital contexts). b

ICT´s in education: HOW

• The student is the center of the process. • The teacher needs to be supported in the new paradigm: from a discursive education to a productive-interactive education using ICT´s. • Learning for comprehension. • Students as tutors or mediators.

• Teaching and learning thru programming

(Logo, MicroWorlds, Scratch, Alice , etc).

b

Un marco innovador

Resolución de problemas

(programación)

Aprendizaje basado en proyectos

Redes sociales y aprendizaje en

red

Capacidades ciudadanas

Emprendimiento y

productividad

The learning needs and expectations change over

time as society changes, and so change the opportunities

for teaching and learning.

The new vision of education: from a discursive, passive, homogeneous education to a personal , mobile, ubiquitous, productive and enjoyable process in which students can actively, interactively and creatively get involved beyond the classroom´s limits. By intensifying exposure and appropriation of ICT´s . Emphasis on XXI century skills. One size does not fit all: context and age are important, country´s realities and economic and political sustainability are also important: careful design and planning process. Imperative to favor efforts to monitoring and evaluating, to understand what is really happening, to compare options, to look for the best cost: benefit alternatives.

New roads

Colegios Innovación Educativa

Laboratorios Mixtos

El Silencio

TM en Educación

Comunidades conectadas

2002 2009 2005 2007 2003

Process of intensifying exposure and appropriation of ICT´s in schools:

Liceos Rurales

2010

Scaling up

Rural High Schools: a focalized 1:1 model

Promote access to MT to young students in rural disperse areas.

Promote intellectual, personal, social and productive capacity development in students.

Promote the development of skills for live and to contribute to the improvement of their communities. Involve families and communities in the learning process.

Pedagogical model and

ICT´s

students

school community

Modelo pedagógico del Liceo Rural (MEP)

Área Personal

Social Educación Cívica

Orientación Educativa y Vocacional

Proyecto Social

Actividades de desarrollo

personal

Área Socio-productiva

Talleres Talleres

Objetivo: Desarrollo de capacidades de estudiantes y educadores A través de la apropiación de las tecnologías digitales

Estándares de desempeño de estudiantes en el aprendizaje con tecnologías digitales

Expectativas de aprendizaje expresadas como desempeños con las tecnologías

3 dimensiones de desempeño: Resolución de problemas e investigación; Productividad; Ciudadanía y Comunicación. 5 propiedades de los desempeños: colaboración, razonamiento lógico, proactividad, ética, creatividad.

Enfoque educativo: aprendizaje centrado en el estudiante, activo, basado en la experiencia,

Modelos de acción

Aprendizaje basado en proyectos Tecnología como herramienta curricular

Aula Abierta (población de primaria con

extra edad y en riesgo social)

Laboratorios

Escuelas Multigrado

Guías didácticas (manuales para la ejecución de un proyecto en cada nivel)

3º: Construcción de un video juego sobre la alimentación saludable

4º: Simulación que explica por qué un fenómeno natural se convierte en desastre

9º: Construcción de un video juego sobre la biotecnología

Robótica

Labor@

Concepto clave

Nuevos instrumentos

We are also: • Collecting base-line measurements. • Designing a monitoring system. • Designing a community-based technical support unit. • Designing a “green agenda” for the projects.

Muchas gracias