Content Development for ICT use in Education

Transcription

1 Content Development for ICT use in Education Heeok Heo (Sunchon National University) I. Introduction Educational content is a key element of ICT use in education. Content development may seem to be a minor issue in ICT use in education, but it is essential to connect technological service to educational purposes. The use of ICT to create, disseminate, and/or access educational content can have a profound impact on issues of equity and access to education. Content may appear in many forms in many different kinds of contexts, including printed materials such as books and newspapers, movies and radio, television, electronic content presented via computers and mobile devices, as well as live performances of drama and music such as those presented in a theatre or performance of speeches or interactive experiences such as games or sporting events (Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell, 2007). Content may be thought of as information and experience. When content has the real power to change human experiences and thoughts in a certain context, it is educational content in that education means to continually enhance the construction of individuals experience. Even though the meaning and value of educational content have been consistently emphasized over time, the format and medium trough which to deliver content have changed rapidly over time. Educational content can be classified into two types: audio-visual aids and self-study materials, in terms of their usage. Audio-visual aids are supplementary materials to help teachers to teach in most cases. The material itself is not sufficient for mastery learning, but used to clarify and enlarge teachers explanations in many cases. In contrast, self-study materials can guide learners learning processes and outcomes without any help from teachers. Learners can use the self-study materials at their own paces. When technology is employed to support educational performance the very first time, printed materials, audio cassette tapes, and video tapes are the main delivery media. After computer had been introduced in educational fields, self-paced learning materials become a main product in the development of educational computing. Most self-paced learning materials are displayed and delivered in electronic forms. Educational content, whether in audio-visual aids or self-study materials is an important component in technology use in education. This paper will discuss the design and development processes of educational content as well as dissemination issues and policies to support educational content. II. Design and development processes of educational content There are several approaches to explain the design and development processes of content development. The development of educational content is an important domain in educational technology, especially in instructional systems design. AECT, which is a professional organization in the educational technology field in the United States, has proclaimed the five stages of instructional design that can be used to develop any learning situations and learning content, that is the ADDIE model to include analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (Seels & Richey, 1994). The ADDIE model is a basic model for designing and developing learning courses as well as educational content. Figure 1 shows the interactive relationships among the stages. 1

2 Figure 1. The ADDIE model Dick, Carey, & Carey (2005) also suggest a systematic model for designing instruction and learning content, the so-called Dick and Carey systems approach model for designing instruction. Figure 2 indicates the stages of the model. The Dick and Carey systems approach model is a good guideline for designing instructional units at any educational levels. Figure 2. The Dick and Carey systems approach model for designing instruction Every model has common phases in the design and development of instruction, namely planning, design, development and evaluation. Table 1 gives a brief description of each phase, essential activities, and management issues (Alessi & Trollip, 2001; Greer, 1992; Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell, 2007). Phase Description Activities Management issues Planning Design To determine the overall plan to develop educational content, and to identify basic information needed for development To conduct a primary analysis of learning tasks, and create storyboards Define the scope Identify learner characteristics Identify learning environment Estimate budget, time, and resources Produce a planning document Develop initial content ideas Conduct goal and task analysis Prepare a prototype Create learning flowcharts and storyboards 2 Establish educational standards Prepare general guidelines to plan budget Sign-off the products Provide criteria to control the quality of content and instructional design Sign-off the products

3 Development To develop all computer Write program code Make sure for the type of programs, to integrate them in Produce audio and video delivery media and one product, and to produce Assemble all pieces distribution conditions supplementary materials Prepare support materials Sign-off the products Evaluation To verify the final product Do formative evaluation as an Arrange time and location for compared with the initial plan alpha test pilot studies. Make revisions Sign-off the final products Do a beta test Make revision(if needs) Do summative evaluation III. Status of content development in Korea 1. Content development in Korea As ICT use in education has considerable influence on learners performance in some ways, a variety of educational content has been developed in Korea. The Korean school system is mainly directed by government rules and regulations, and organized according to a nation-wide curriculum. Most educational policies and strategies are implemented with the top-down approach. The development of educational content in K-12 school settings is not exceptional. A brief history of content development in the educational system of Korea is summarized in figure 3. Table 2 also shows more detail evidence of the development of educational content in Korea. Figure 3. Content development in Korea Table 2. Development of educational content during 1980 ~ Year Hardware Developed by Subjects Characteristics Early 1980s 8 bit & 16 bit computers with monochrome mode Jointly by metropolitan/provincial offices Mathematics, Science, etc. materials(cai) of education, and the Korean Educational Development institute Early 1990s 386 computers with CGA mode Jointly by metropolitan/provincial offices Major subject areas in K-12 levels materials(cai) 1 Excerpted from [2006 White Paper] published by MOE & HRD, and KERIS. 3

4 of education, and the Korean Educational Development institute Mid 1990s 486 computers with PC communication Jointly by metropolitan/provincial offices of education, and the Korean Educational Development institute Late 1990s 586 computers metropolitan/provincial offices of education Early 2000s Multimedia Korea Multimedia Educational PCs with networking Center, Metropolitan/provincial offices of education, Korean Education & Research Information Service Mid 2000s PCs, wireless Metropolitan/provincial offices networking, of education, Korean Education & Research Information Service, private organizations All subjects All subjects All subjects All subjects materials(cai) materials(cai), Teaching-supported materials materials(multimedia contents, WBI), ICTbased learning and teaching materials materials(wbi) for Cyber Home Learning, Digital textbooks, ICTbased learning and teaching materials The major types of educational content delivered in Korea are CAI, Multimedia content, and WBI. WBI opens the possibility of building alternative online learning environments, such as EBS e-learning and Cyber home learning system. In the mid 2000s, educational practitioners have been paid to developed digital textbook as a new device for future education. CAI Educational content presented through computers without networking is mostly delivered as Computer-assisted Instruction (CAI). CAI is a computer program in which information is represented by using texts and graphic images. The basic assumption of CAI programs is for learners to pursue mastery learning by themselves. In this case computers take the role of the teacher, and then lead the learning processes. Tutorial, Drill & Practice, Educational Games and Simulation are primary methods for delivering learning content and activities. Utilizing CAI programs is the first approach in using technology as a delivery media for directing entire learning units. Even though CAI programs are a benefit in being proficient for using certain concepts and principles, people claim that they dehumanize learning and learners remain passive. To design CAI the developer also needs to possess special skills and knowledge beyond those required to produce instructional materials in most other media. Multimedia Content As computer specifications are upgraded to have multimedia features, such as realistic sounds and images, educational content is reformed into multimedia content. Even though developing multimedia content requires more money and more complicated skills, it is very useful for presenting real situations to contextualize abstract knowledge. WBI As networking services become more available in stand-alone computers, computers become ICT that can process and communicate information. Content represented through WWW and HTML codes has become pervasive in educational content. Web content may consist of text, graphics, pictures, sounds, movies, or other 4

5 media assets that could be distributed by a hypertext transfer protocol server, and viewed by a web browser. WBI has multimedia features as well as interaction possibilities regardless of spatio-temporal limitation. Web content can be easily produced, reproduced, reorganized and extended. Access to information is a key issue in ICT use in education. In many cases WBI provides the entire learning unit for focusing on individual learning as CAI. Even though huge amounts of resources and time are spent on develop web content, its reusability is very limited. Pre-packaged learning materials such as WBI and CAI cannot be easily reused. Online learning environments The educational possibilities of cyberspace built by ICT provide alternative learning environments for delivering educational content and improving current educational systems. Exemplary cases are the EBS e-learning project and Cyber Home Learning System (CHLS) operated by MOE & HRD and KERIS. The main purpose of both projects is to pursue better performance within public school systems and equity of educational opportunities. Both deliver learning content through web services. The EBS e-learning project, launched in 2004, aims to build a new learning environment via ICT, and to provide learning opportunities with a number of courses and lessons through Internet services. The main target audience is high school students who are going to take university entrance exams. CHLS, launched in 2004, provides learners with free online services offering learning content, adaptive support to complement learners capabilities from cyber teachers at any time, and private learning spaces on cyberspace. Table 3 shows the plan to develop learning content for the CHLS. Table 3. Content development for the CHLS 2 Digital Textbooks Recently, digital textbooks have been in the spotlight as a part of future education in the area of content development in Korea. Digital textbooks are electronic textbooks which include learning tools and multimedia resources. They can be delivered via portable devices such as PDA, Tablet PC, etc. Figure 4 indicates the plan to develop and distribute the digital textbooks at K-12 educational levels. 2 Excerpted from [2006 White Paper] published by MOE & HRD, and KERIS. 5

6 Figure 4. The future plans for Digital textbooks 2. Administrative support for content development An administrative support system should be established for the development and better use of educational content. The following educational policies have boosted the development of educational content in Korea. Building EDUNET as a content management system EDUNET is a comprehensive educational content management system launched in September 1996, and provided by KERIS. EDUNET provides substantial resources for teachers to enable them to use ICT in their teaching practices, and to help learners to direct their learning processes. The main purpose of the EDUNET service is to improve ICT use in K-12 educational systems, and to enhance teaching and learning. Quality control of educational content Figure 5. The main page of EDUNET 3 As educational content has been expanding, quality control of the content has been raised as a significant issue. Learners can often get useless and harmful information because no credibility control has been exercised, and may experience information overload, beyond what humans can cognitively handle, with this unlimited information. KERIS has been operating an authentication committee to prevent access to inadequate information and to help users to obtain valid educational content. The committee evaluates the educational content 3 Source: Retrieved November 2,

7 developed by private companies, and certifies the level of quality of the content. Based upon the results of authentication, KERIS publishes a booklet of excellent software and sends it to every school (MOE & HRD, & KERIS, 2001). Partnerships with various organizations The development and distribution of educational content have been carried out mainly by public institutions such as MOE & HRD, the Offices of Education in the regional districts, and KERIS. However, this is not always enough to meet users growing demands. The considerable participation and collaboration of private companies is critical to cope with the needs and enhance the quality of educational content. To adopt the existing content from successful programs is also a good strategy to expand content development. Recently MOE & HRD and regional Offices of Education have provided schools with a budget to purchase educational resources and tools. IV. Discussion Nobody doubts that content development is a critical aspect of ICT use in education, even though the impact of ICT use on learning outcomes is open to much debate. As technology has been rapidly changing and exerting considerable influence on education, access to information and content has become one of the most important benefits of ICT use in education. There are several issues to be discussed in content development for the better use of ICT in teaching and learning (Heo, 2006; Kozma, 2003; Trucano, 2005). First, teachers and students can easily access educational content when learning materials in electronic format are most useful when they are directly linked to the curriculum. The general description of the electronic learning content must include the grade level of the target audience, specific subject areas and the elapsed learning time. Second, learning theories and methods must be applied in content development. Learning theories explain how an individual interacts with the external world and learns things from the interaction. Content development based upon theoretical and practical approach is very effective for better educational performance. Third, digital/electronic content is difficult and expensive to produce. The development process of educational content is a lengthy and expensive process. The rapid change of technology makes the process even more difficult. The reusability and interoperability of learning content should be guaranteed in different delivery media. Fourth, simply importing educational content into lesson units must be avoided. Not all educational content is of good quality. In addition, each has its own special structure for managing the learning processes and outcomes. Quality control systems including guidelines and mechanisms for evaluating content should be established to verify the content in terms of educational value. Teachers and educational practitioners must spend time analyzing all information and planning how to use it in their lessons. The evaluation of imported content for cultural relevance must not be neglected either. Fifth, digital clearing houses and digital libraries are useful for organizing and managing educational content. These systems can assist teachers to get quick and easy access to resources for making lesson plans and for teaching preparation, and assist learners to get useful learning resources for better performance. Sixth, intellectual property issues are critical in developing digital content for use in education. Copyright and ownership of content in education is a controversial issue, when delivering content via internet services. Licensing the content is often an option, but may involve hidden costs Seventh, the administrative and financial supports for developing and utilizing educational content are important. Official guidelines and rules govern the use of ICT-enabled content. Guidelines from the Ministry of Education relating to the integration of ICT in and with the curriculum greatly facilitate the use of ICTs in schools. Eighth, public-private partnerships are often crucial for the development and implementation of educational 7

8 content. During the initial period of content development, executing nation-wide projects is the easy way to develop educational content. However, private companies should be involved in content development for further enhancement. As technology is continually upgraded and transformed, the need of content development is growing more. The lack of appropriate and relevant educational content is an important barrier to ICT use in education. The technological innovation will change the characteristics and attributes of educational content in future. References Alessi, S. M., & Trollip, S. R. (2001). Multimedia for learning: methods and development (3 rd ed.). Needham Heights, MS: Allyn & Bacon. Dick, Carey, & Carey (2005). The systematic design of instruction (6 th ed.). Needham Heights, MS: Allyn & Bacon. Greer, M. (1992). ID project management: Tools and techniques for instructional designers and developers. Heo, H (2006). The trends and future directions in educational information and media research in Korea. Journal of educational information and media research, 12(2), Kozma, R. B. (2003). Technology, innovation and educational change: A global perspective. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. MOE & HRD, & KERIS (2001) Adapting education to the information age: White Paper. Seoul: KERIS. MOE & HRD, & KERIS (2006). Adapting Education to the Information Age: White Paper. Seoul: KERIS. Seels, B. & Richey, R. C. (1994). Instructional technology: The definition and domains of the field. Washington, DC: Association for Educational Communication and Technology. Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D., & Russell, J. D. (2007). Instructional technology and media for learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Trucano, M. (2005). Knowledge maps: ICT in education. Washington, DC: infodev/worldbank. Retrieved November 2, 2007, from Infodev.org/en/publication.8.html 8