1. Teacher Development in an
E-Learning Age
Keynote Address
Shanghai Open University
Paul Resta
Learning Technology Center
The University of Texas at Austin

2. 2
Global Context
of Teacher Education

3. 3
Two Global Trends
• Exponential growth in knowledge and
technology
• Huge shortage of teachers worldwide:
• minimum of 15 to 35 million teachers needed
by 2015
• Two-thirds of the world’s 60 million teachers
live and work in developing countries
• Critical need to invest in pre- and in-service
teacher development
UNESCO Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2002

4. Exponential Growth
of Knowledge
World knowledge base doubles every 18 months
Technology changes at increasingly faster rates

5. 5
Need for More
and Better Teachers
New technologies require new teacher roles, new
pedagogies and new approaches to teacher
training and development
The need to develop effective and attractive
policies for teacher preparation, recruitment,
retention and professional development
The need for new technologies which are changing
the face of education with the development of e-
learning
Learning Technology Center

6. 6
Need for 21st Century Skills

7. 7
ICT Challenges Traditional Teaching
and Learning Methods and Paradigms
“New technologies challenge
conventional conceptions of both
teaching and learning methods and
materials by reconfiguring how
teachers and learners gain access to
knowledge. To meet these challenges,
schools must embrace the new
technologies and appropriate the new
ICT tools for learning. They must also
move toward transforming the
traditional paradigm of learning.”
(UNESCO World Report, 1998)

8. 8
Technology Offers
New Challenges and Opportunities
for Teacher Development
• Need to prepare a new generation of teachers
with skills and knowledge required for 21st
Century
• Need to update the technology knowledge
and skills of the existing teaching force
• E-learning offers new opportunities to address
need for teacher professional development

9. 9
Teacher ICT Skills
UNESCO ICT Competency Standards for Teachers (CST)
• Capable information technology users
• Information seekers, analyzers, and
evaluators
• Problem solvers and decision makers
• Creative and effective users of
productivity tools
• Communicators, collaborators,
publishers, and producers
• Informed, responsible, and contributing
citizens

10. 10
New demands and challenges for
teacher education
• Preparing new teachers
• Upgrading knowledge and skills of teaching force

11. 11
Global Interest in E-Learning
for Teacher Development
• Increasing use of the Web and Internet to
enhance teaching and learning
• E-learning has many qualities that make it
beneficial for teacher development including:
• anytime: teachers can access learning resources,
courses, or training programs at any time convenient
for them
• anyplace: teachers in rural areas can communicate
with others and access resources, instruction, and
expertise anywhere

12. 12
Teacher Development in an E-Learning
Age: A Policy and Planning Guide
• Book commissioned by UNESCO to help
countries use e-learning for teacher
development
• Distinguished group of international experts
• In press and will be released in Fall 2010

13. 13
Focus of Book
• Understand the role of e-learning for teacher
development in addressing challenges of global
knowledge society
• Understand the gap between the potential and
reality of e-learning for teacher development
• Understand key planning and policy issues in use
of e-learning for teacher development

14. 14
Four Basic Categories of E-Learning
Access to vast educational and information
resources on the Web
Access to online courses, degree programs,
and training programs
Blending of online resources and learning
activities with classroom-based learning
activities
Access to and participation in online knowledge-
building communities and communities of
practice

15. 15
E-Learning for Teacher
Professional Development
Resta (2010) Teacher Development in E-learning Age. UNESCO

16. 16
Information Repository:
Access to Web-based Content
 Openflow of rich global
knowledge resources to
support learning:
• Growth of digital libraries
• Googlization of knowledge
• Growth of surface and deep Web
• User-generated content

17. 17

18. 18
Open Educational Resources
• Rapid growth of digital libraries and open educational
resources, such as OER Africa, Merlot, UTopia, Google,
Yahoo, UNESCO
• Open Courseware Initiatives (MIT, China, Europe, Africa)
• Exponential growth of free/open source software
• Open Office
• Moodle
• Linux
• Creative Commons (some rights reserved)

19. 19
Online Courses
• Rapid growth in offering of online
courses in both developed and
developing countries
• Over 1,000 online degree
programs available just in North
America
• Free online courses and degree
programs

20. 20
Tessa Teacher Education Resources

21. 21
Quality of Online Courses
• Many Web-based learning environments
heavily text-based, not engaging, limited
interaction and collaboration
• Growing number of small and large budget
high quality Web-based learning
environments
• Need to couple knowledge of how people
learn with Web technologies
• Need courses in local languages

22. 22
Blended Learning
• Rapid growth on campuses
• Integration of Web-based
resources, tools, online
discussions, with classroom
instruction
• Production of Web-based
resources by teachers and
students

23. 23
Online Communities of Practice
• Expertise and experiences can be shared
instantly and accessed on demand
• Use Wikis, Blogs, and new collaboration tools
• Knowledge-building communities of teachers
co-constructing and sharing knowledge
• Example: ACEMaths project in which teachers
developed Math curriculum

24. The Role of E-Learning
to..
in Knowledge Building
move I in c r e a s e
I know
from… w h a t th e
w h a t th e
I group
group know s
know s
know
H e a r in g a b o u t c o n tr ib u tio n s o f o th e r s
A d d in g m y o w n c o n tr ib u tio n s

25. Social networking tools support 25
communities of practice

26. 26
Challenges Confronting use
of E-Learning for Teacher
Development
• Access to ICT devices and connectivity
• Access to high quality, culturally relevant content
in local languages
• Upgrading knowledge and skills of teacher
educators
• Need for research on models, policies and
practices for using ICTs in teacher education

27. 27
Global Digital Access and Use
Source: 2008 World Facebook, Central Intelligence Agency

28. 28
Mapping Growth of Internet
Source: BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8552410.stm

29. 29
Access to ICT Devices
Intel
Classmate
Low Cost
EeePC
Laptops
(Netbooks) OLPC

30. Integration of LMS with 30
Mobile Phones and Tablets
LMS on Android
LMS on iPad

31. Emergence of Lower Cost 31
E-Readers and Tablets
Moby Tablet $99 E-Reader/Tablet
OLPC XO 3.0 $75

32. 32
Powering ICT Devices
in Remote Areas
Solar Laptop
Pedal Power for OLPC

33. 33
Solar Panel for 10 Computers

34. 34
Cloud Computing

35. 35
2/3 of 4.9 Billion Mobile Phone
Subscriptions are in Developing Countries
Source: World Bank 2010

36. 36
Mobile Phones: New Platform
and Opportunities for E-Learning
Example:
Mobile phone users
in Bangladesh have
already accessed
more than one
million English
lessons using a new
service, BBC World
Service Trust (WST)

37. 37
Mobile Cellular Growth
Source: International Telecommunications Union, 2010

38. 38
Mobile Cellular Phone and Internet
Penetration by Level of Development
Mobile cellular subscriptions Internet users by level of
development
Source: ITU World Telecommunication Indicators database

39. 39
Africa Mobile Phone Penetration
Source: World Bank 2010

40. 40
Telephone Subscribers per 100
Inhabitants, Africa 1995-2004

41. Mobile Learning: Professional
Development Always at Hand
New Generation of Powerful
Hand-held Devices (e.g., smart
phones) that are able to:
• Deliver Education/Training
anytime/anywhere
• Provide access to learning tools,
content, audio/video recordings,
simulations, online courses.)
• Support Communications and
Collaboration
• Provide interaction/feedback

42. 42
Mobile Phones: Convergence
of Tools in One Device
(Today’s Smart Phone = Tomorrow’s Phone)
Telephone Digital Still Camera
Web Browser Digital Video Camera
GPS E-mail
Instant messaging Blogs/Wikis
TV/Radio Audio/Video Recordings
Organizer/Calendar Access Online Courses

43. 43
Challenges for Mobile Learning
Designing learning resources for smaller screens
Exploration/development of apps for
educational use
Research on effective models for use of mobile
devices for teacher professional development
Marvel Tablet

44. 44
Leadership Opportunities:
E-learning for Teacher Development
• Provide leadership for developing and sharing open
educational resources
• Establish trans-national partnerships with higher education
institutions in developing countries to foster exchanges
and sustained dialogue
• Exploit emerging technologies: Mobile phones Netbooks,
Tablets, E-readers, Cloud Computing

45. 45
Use of ICTs and E-Learning to:
• develop culturally responsive content in
local languages ( Nepal, 4 Directions)
• incorporate traditional cultural knowledge
into curriculum
• preserve and revitalize native languages

46. 46
The Four Directions Project
An Indigenous Model of Education

47. 47
Tailor Use of ICTS and E-Learning
to Meet Local Needs and Conditions
. • Most PCs developed
for individuals who are
both literate and
numerate
• Need research on ICTs
for non-literate
populations in remote
and poor areas

48. 48
Strategies to Support E-Learning
for Teacher Development

49. 49
Support National E-Learning
Initiatives: Korea Example

50. 50
Support National ICT Initiatives:
Rwanda Example
Source: International Telecommunications Union (2007) World Information Society 2007 Report

51. 51
Support National ICT Initiatives:
Morocco Example
Source: International Telecommunications Union (2007) World Information Society 2007 Report

52. 52
Advocate for New Regulatory
Framework in Developing Countries
• Today’s broadband challenge requires new
thinking and an end to business as usual
• Build on mobile success where 2/3 of mobile
customers are in developing countries
• Regulators have an unprecedented opportunity to
speed the uptake of broadband to enable the
Information Society

53. 53
Attract Foreign Direct Investment:
India Example
Source: Reserve Bank of India

54. 54
Institutional Incentives for E-Learning
and Open Educational Resources
Need to provide institutional rewards for faculty who
contribute their work to an open environment and/or
are willing to develop quality online instruction
This is particularly true related to criteria for academic
advancement and tenure decisions

55. 55
Develop Collaborations
and Pilot Projects
• Develop trans-national collaborations
between universities in region and across
the globe to share resources and expertise
• Work with universities, schools,
communities, government agencies,
private sector to demonstrate benefits of
e-learning access
• Example of Educational Native American Network
(ENAN)

56. 56
Summary:
Leadership Opportunities and Challenges
for Teacher Education Institutions
• Provide leadership in open educational
resources
• Collaborate with telecommunications regulatory
agencies to develop policies that will support
educational development
• Establish trans-national partnerships with higher
education institutions in developing countries to
foster exchanges and sustained dialogue

57. Summary:
Leadership Opportunities and Challenges
for Teacher Education
• Help initiate or support national initiatives for wireless
and broadband access
• Develop pilots to demonstrate effectiveness and
feasibility of e-learning
• Work with community members to develop culturally
responsive cultural digital content in local languages

58. 58
Contact:
Paul Resta
Ruth Knight Millikan Professorship
Director, Learning Technology Center
The University of Texas at Austin
Resta@mail.utexas.edu
Website: http://www.utexas.edu/education/LTC/
about/resta/index.php