Education and training: innovation and new technologies

PURPOSE : to present the report from the European Commission on designing tomorrow's education promoting new innovation with new technologies. CONTENT : following a proposal from the Commission, the Council of Education Ministers, on 06/05/1996, adopted a resolution relating to educational multimedia software in the fields of education and training. This was followed on 22/09/1997 by the Council's Conclusions on education, information and communication technology and teacher-training for the future. These two texts helped to increase awareness of what is at stake at the European level and to sketch the outlines of a common policy. This awareness has emerged at a time when the impact of ICT is being increasingly felt at all levels of society. The way in which people generate, build up, store and transmit information is being radically changed along with modes of communication, exchange and work. The education and training systems have to take due account of these trends when defining the shape and content of learning. Therefore, this report seeks to take stock of progress since the Council's Resolution and Conclusions were adopted and to lay down a preliminary marker with a view to preparing a fresh stage in the European co-operation in order to rise to these challenges as we move into the 21st century. It is based on an analysis of the trends observed over the past three years, what has been achieved through Community programmes, and the findings of specific studies, e.g. on the impact of ICT on the role of the teacher, and the initiatives taken by the Member States. The first part describes how difficult it is to get actual practice and technology to dovetail when the situation is unsettled and diversified. The second part examines the conditions conducive to more harmonious development of actual practice and technologies: the progressive emergence of a market; action by public authorities; training and the developement of services for teachers. The third and last part is given over to recommendations in order to create these conditions. The annexes provide a summary of the main initiatives in the Member States and at Community level, accompanied by statistical information. There is a need to produce a political impact in that ambitious initiatives are needed in order to incorporate ICT purposefully in education, to generalise innovative and effective practices, and to develop the European dimension. This necessitates concerted efforts in order to plan tomorrow's education and to put ICT at the service of innovation and the improvement of the qulaity of education. Wha is at stake during the next decade hinges on the capacity to innovate.�