New Challenges for ICT in Education Policies in Developing Countries: The Need to Account for the Widespread Use of ICT for Teaching and Learning Outside the School

Abstract

The widespread availability and use of ICT in society, in general, is leading teachers and students to use these tools to complement their teaching and learning processes outside the traditional classroom context. However, the evidence shows that many students and teachers lack the digital skills needed to make effective use of these tools; which limits their potential impact, can have negative consequences for students’ learning, and can increase educational inequalities, especially in developing countries. Against this backdrop, based on a literature review of international studies and ICT in educational policies of developing countries, this chapter presents and discusses the challenges to ICT in education policies that this new scenario poses, including the definition of the set of digital skills that teachers and students need to acquire, the integration of these skills in the curriculum, the design and implementation of strategies to ensure that teachers and students develop these skills, and the design and implementation of pedagogical methods that take advantage of these skills in the teaching and learning of traditional subject areas. Based on this evidence, the chapter highlights the challenges and opportunities to address.