MODULE 2: ICT POLICIES AND SAFETY ISSUES IN TEACHING ANG LEARNING

“There can be infinite uses of the computer and new-age technology, but if teachers themselves
are not able to bring it into the classroom and make it work, then it fails.”

-Nancy Kassebaum-

Current technology has effectively eliminated the limitations imposed by distance. In our
current technologically advanced culture, ICT learning has emerged as a highly effective approach
for educating students at virtual classrooms. The link between ICT and Education has been
characterized by swift transformation from technological application to the process of learning.
Educational institutions are progressively adopting novel technology and approaches to support
teacher professional development in order to improve teaching and learning (Ndongfack, 2010).
Effective national policies and plans for the implementation of ICTs can serve as a crucial instrument
in education. Schmidt et al. (2009) argue that the manner in which teachers employ ICT tools for
efficient instruction can serve as a crucial avenue for the advancement of information
communication technology in the field of learning and teaching.

At the completion of this module, you should be able to:

• Enumerate the national ICT policies affecting classroom practices

• Describe the implementation of ICT policies in teaching-learning
• Determine the ICT policies integration into the design and execution of teaching-learning
activities.

Lesson 1: ICT National or International Policies That are Applicable to Teaching and Learning

Introduction

Efficient integration of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) into the

curriculum by digitally competent teachers can significantly influence student learning. If your
objective is to have every student list national ICT policies, it is advisable to ensure that they have a
comprehensive understanding of both current and future national policies pertaining to ICT during
each of your teaching sessions. Solution to this question can be found in this lesson.

Analysis

ICTs are not only an instructional means to provide prerequisite learning activities; they offer
an exploratory space where the learner is in charge. Write down a list of the international and national
ICTs as a learning tool you think can improve quality in education.

Abstraction

The international policymakers join forces to successfully implement ICT in educational

practice to address the individual needs of students, the implications of technology for student

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assessment, and teacher learning to successfully implement technology (Voogt, 2013). A National
ICT Policy is a policy put into place so that the government and stakeholders can have access to
information that is committed to bringing digital technology to all individuals and communities.

The provision of ICT to academic staff and students is critical to recommend them to more
effective learning environments. By overcoming the needs and reinforcing the functional aspects, it
may help decision-makers to employ academic staff on an investigation of the status of the
developments of ICT in improving the teaching and learning environment in educational institutions.
(Alzahrani, 2017).

The ability of policymakers to innovate on related policy issues outperform technological

innovations because it changes and evolves. Different institutions in different countries formulated
and proposed policies in various forms. Lack of rigorous and significant evidence complicates the
attempts to outline impactful ICT/education policies.

The World Bank’s Systems Assessment for Better Education Results (SABER) initiative, as
part of their work, attempts to document national educational technology policies around the world
and their evolution over time. Policymakers try to benchmark their policies on ICT use in education
against international norms, so a related SABERICT policy framework has been developed. Likewise,
those of comparator countries around the world, identify key themes and characteristics, draw on
an analysis of their policy documents.

There are eight policy themes around the world that are commonly identified in educational
technology policies; (1) vision and planning; (2) ICT infrastructure; (3) teachers; (4) skills and
competencies; (5) learning resources; (6) EMIS; (7) monitoring and evaluation; and (8) equity,
inclusion, and safety. The framework only considers policy intent but not the extent to which policies
are realized in practice, nor the impact of such policies. The policymakers are challenged to offer
useful related policy guidance for rapid developments and innovations in the technology sector
(Trucano, 2016).

SABER-ICT policy framework may find useful by policymakers as a means to help their
country benchmark the current state of related policy development. It can look forward to potential
future policy directions and gain inspiration from other countries.

There are two official documents wherein Policy on the use of ICTs in the Philippine basic
education system is articulated. The Medium-Term Development Plan of the Philippines (MTPDP)
2004-2010. The MTPDP states:

“ICT will be harnessed as a powerful enabler of capacity development. It will, therefore, be

targeted directly towards specific development goals like ensuring basic education for all and
lifelong learning, among others” (National Economic Development Authority, 2004a, p. 2) and the
2002 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC), that stipulates the following goal of Philippine primary
education:

“We must educate our Filipino learners to filter information critically, seek credible sources
of knowledge, and use data and facts creatively so that they can survive, overcome poverty, raise
their personal and national esteem, and realize a gracious life in our risky new world.” (p. i)

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 The Philippine government, especially the Department of Education and Department of
Science and Technology, has forwarded ICT educations through policies and projects. The
Restructured Basic Education Curriculum launched in 2002 aimed to implement an interactive
curriculum and to integrate technology in instruction and education, with computer literacy much
emphasis. The Act of 1998 (R.A. 8484) was passed to generate the participation of companies and to
engage the private sector. There are programs with DepEd through streamline data collection to
improve ICT education. To help schools to participate in ICT-related programs, the DepEd
Computerization Program (DCP) was implemented.

According to Arinto (2006), policy statements on ICT integration in Philippine primary

education reflect a human development perspective. However, critical ICTs for schools’ programs
tend to be informed by a human capital approach. The human development perspective joined the
mainstream of education and development in the 1990s, and it now reinforces the international
consensus on Education for All and the Millennium Development Goals, However, many educational
reform efforts. It continues to influence the human capital perspective (Avalos, 2003).

Lesson 2: Safety issues in ICT

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

• Describe the implementation of ICT policies in teaching-learning

• Know and understand existing and planned national policies related to ICTs in Education

Introduction

Gaining insight into the safety concerns in ICT would enable students to comprehend the reasons
behind the incidence of cyberbullying among learners. This lesson will outline the application of ICT
policies to enhance the delivery of teaching and learning sessions.

Abstraction

“Technological change is not additive; it is ecological. New technology does not merely add
something; it changes everything.”

Originally, with the active participation of the learner instructor, the implementation of ICT in
education was to change the teaching and the learning process from the traditional instructional
teacher-centered endeavor to a learner-centered approach with the active participation of the
learner coach (Voogt et al., 2013).

The most natural part for the effective integration of ICT into the educational system is given
enough capital although the process of integration is complex and multifaceted, like in curriculum
and pedagogy, teacher competencies, institutional readiness, and long-term financing,

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 To improve the quality of education, policymakers and implementation managers must have
a clear vision in investments of ICTs that requires a vast amount of money. Such massive
investments require not only careful planning for skills enhancement of both teachers and learners
but also thoughtful implementation. Both policymakers and implementation managers at the
national and institutional levels need to plan for the introduction of high technology and understand
the contextual complexities of the educational ecosystem of the communities.

Youths acquire ICT skills faster than adults, according to the studies of the World Youth
Report (2003) and more likely to share these skills with their peers either intentionally or through
interaction. Hu & McGrath (2012) study reports on the implementation of the national reform in
Chinese secondary schools. The study focused on the use of ICT in teaching the English language.
Findings indicated that the majority of the teachers have a positive attitude towards ICT and happy
with the current ICT use in English. Moreover, results showed that some teachers find difficulties in
changing from the traditional pedagogical method of teaching to a technological based pedagogy.
Hu and McGrath (2012) suggested that continuous professional development programs that can
motivate the attitudes of teachers positively to equip them with new ICT skills.

After substantial worldwide implementation ICT in schools, studies have found out that
those teachers who are more proficient in using ICT focus on the internet search and word
processing instead of project-based teaching ()Phelps, Graham, & Watts, 2011). Mingaine (2013)
observed that despite the benefits of ICT, the school management had not fully implemented the
policies developed by the Ministry of Education in Kenya. They assert that some schools had
developed guidelines on how to implement ICT, but no attempt was made to achieve them. This
prompted an investigation of challenges that hindered the efficient implementation of ICT in public
secondary schools in Meru County.

Mooij and Smeets (2001) suggested five successive phases of ICT implementation
representing different levels of ICT transformation of the educational and learning processes. These
include:

(1) the incidental and isolated use of ICT by one or more teachers

(2) increasing awareness of ICT relevance at all levels

(3) emphasis on ICT co-ordination and hardware

(4) focus on didactic innovation and ICT support

(5) use of ICT-integrated teaching and learning that is independent of time and place

The study of Tondeur et al. (2008) entitled “ICT integration in the classroom:
challenging the potential of school policy. Findings showed that there is a potential impact
of policy-related factors on the actual integration of ICT in teaching-learning in daily
classroom instruction. Results suggested that success in ICT integration is related to
activities at the school level, like, ICT support, the development of an ICT plan, and ICT
training. The results also suggest that principals have a big role in facilitating the policies put
in place when defining this policy.

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Implementing ICT safety issue policies regarding cyberbullying

You might have heard the term’ cyberbullying,’ and it means to try to hurt someone’s feelings
by using ICT such as the internet, email, chatrooms, and texting to deliver demeaning messages at
any time and through a variety of avenues. Today’s children with online access and equipped with
digital mobile phone or social network account can receive cyberbully messages anywhere and at
any time, and these digital messages can also be anonymous, that increase the amount of fear
experienced by the target child. This intense psychological stress of victims of bullying unfavorably
affects a child’s ability to concentrate on schoolwork, and school lessons or activities.

Children who experience classic bullying and cyberbullying adversely affects their academic
performance. Those who experience classic bullying are likely to avoid locations and activities they
associate with negative experiences; likewise, cyberbullied victims try to avoid the technological
spaces. In cyberspace, technological areas such as social media networking sites, online websites,
social networks, chat programs, and school computer rooms are all vital elements in the
educational development and social lives of students relevant to their academic success. As
technology and technological skills become more critical in modern academics and professional
training, cyberbullied, students face several academic and career difficulties.

The Government today unveiled tough new measures to be like the UK that is the safest place
in the world to be online.

These are the suggested safety policy measures:

• Independent regulator will be appointed to enforce stringent new standards

• Social media firms must abide by mandatory “duty of care” to protect users and could face
hefty fines if they fail to deliver

• Measures are the first of their kind in the world in the fight to make the internet a safer place

In the first online safety laws of their kind, social media companies and tech firms will be
legally required to protect their users and face severe penalties if they do not comply. The eSafety
Toolkit for Schools is designed to support schools to create safer online environments. The
resources are backed by evidence and promote a nationally consistent approach to preventing and
responding to online safety issues.

The resources are categorized into four elements: Prepare, Engage, Educate, and Respond.
Each contributes to creating safer online environments for school communities, whether the
resources from each element are used on their own or collectively, each contributes to creating safer
online environments for school communities.

• Prepare

Prepare resources to help schools evaluate their willingness to deal with online
safety issues and deliver suggestions to improve their practices. They are useful for
strengthening school policies and procedures in online safety.

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• Engage

All members of your school community should be active participants in creating and
maintaining safe online environments. Engage resources to encourage the participation of
the school community in creating a safe online environment. They help engage school
community members as involved and valued participants, and they facilitate the real
involvement of students.

• Educate

Preventing an online incident is always better than having to respond to one. The
Educate resources support schools in developing the knowledge, skills, and capabilities of
students, staff, and parents to have positive and secure online experiences. They bid best
practice guidance for online safety education and sit alongside eSafety’s complement of
curriculum-aligned teaching-learning activities.

• Respond

There must be processes in place in case an incident happens so that it is controlled

appropriately. The Respond resources support schools to evaluate and respond to online
incidents effectively. They preserve digital evidence, offer guidance to understand reporting
requirements, minimized more harm, and supporting wellbeing.

eSafety developed the Toolkit in consultation across every state and territory with
government and non-government education sector representatives. It was established in
response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and
the Education Council’s work program to report bullying and cyberbullying.

Lesson 3: Uses of ICT Policies in the Teaching and Learning Environment

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

• Identify ICT policies that are incorporated into the design and implementation of teaching -
learning activities and have a deeper understanding of the uses of ICTs in facilitating the
teaching and learning process

• Incorporate ICT policies in the design and implementation of teaching-learning activities

Introduction

This module will provide the student with a deeper understanding of the uses of ICTs in
facilitating the teaching and learning process as well as the role that ICTs play in the larger
educational and national context. Students will explore ways in which ICTs can be used for
professional development, educational management, and school administration and publicity.

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Abstraction

Globally, researchers and policymakers acknowledge the importance of developing a

school-based ICT policy plan to facilitate the integration of information and communication
technology (ICT) in education. Despite this interest, little is known about how schools can improve
their local ICT policy capacity and how to launch an ICT policy plan.

In many countries, the use of ICT in education and training has become a priority during the
last decade. However, very few have achieved progress. Indeed, a small percentage of schools in
some countries reached high levels of effective use of ICT to support and change the teaching and
learning process in many subject areas. Others are still in the early phase of Information and
Communication Technologies adoption. Those schools with sufficient ICT resources have better
results achievements compared to those schools that are not well-equipped. Finally, teachers are
more convinced that the educational achievements of pupils are anticipated to good ICT use. There
is a high percentage of teachers in Europe (86%) say that students are more motivated when they
used computers and the Internet in class.

A lot of resources have been invested by many governments across the world to ICT
development to improve teaching and learning using technology in schools. New educational ICT
policy issues emerged, and new patterns of ICT related practices are evident in education. To
support traditional learning methods, many teachers use ICT to know how ICT can promote teaching
and learning, as explained by Khattak, (2015). Furthermore, it has been proven that students have
lots of benefits to new technologies.

Literature shows that ICT has a potential to enhance the teaching and learning process in
many ways if it is well-utilized in learner-centered schools According to research conducted by
Dzidonu, (2010), it shows that learning activities that are challenging, authentic, multisensorial and
multi-disciplinary, students are motivated with higher attendance report, motivation and academic
accomplishment as a result of ICT programs.

When there are potential and promise of ICT use in education, there are also 'perils' related
to the distraction of existing traditional teaching and learning practices, such as the high costs,
increased responsibilities on teachers, equity, and issues around data privacy and security. Four
broad tangled issues must be addressed when considering the overall impact of the use of ICTs in
education, effectiveness, cost, equity, and sustainability.

Policies related to technology use in change and evolve, often along a somewhat predictable
path, and technological innovations often outpace the ability of policymakers to innovate on related
policy issues. Such policies take different forms and are formulated and proposed by various
institutions in different countries. No matter what country, a lack of rigorous, relevant evidence
typically complicates attempts to draft impactful ICT/education policies. The educational
effectiveness of ICTs depends on how they are used and for what purpose. ICTs do not work in other
educational tools or educational delivery for everyone, everywhere in the same way.

In developing countries, education takes place under situations that are substantially
different from those in developed countries. The poorest countries spend the least proportionately
on non-salary related educational expenditures. The Philippines is one of many developing nations

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that have turned to information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool to improve teaching
and learning, whose educational system reveals many of the same problems and limitations of its
fellow developing nations. Unfortunately, implementation endures from several weaknesses: the
absence of documentation and information on how ICT is used; there is a lack of coordination
between public and private sector efforts; and not sufficient teacher preparation. More specifically,
there is uncertainty about whether computers in schools are fully utilized for educational computing.
There were also concerns that computers meant for students were instead being used only by
teachers for lesson plans preparation or playing games.

Educational researchers stated that lack of documentation regarding ICT use is a problem
that exists in many countries. In developing countries, data that could help determine how scarce
educational resources should be distributed or how effectively they are being used are simply not
available. Finally, teacher preparation is not sufficient. Some training programs for teachers
emphasize the use of specific software packages, but the integration of ICT in the curriculum is
overlooked (Ng et. al, 2009). If teachers dare to use ICT without adequate training, they are likely to
do it inaccurately.

Therefore, Philippine national policy has been formulated in the advanced use of ICT in
education. The Senate Committee on Education, in cooperation with the DECS, launched Project
CARES in March 2001. Project CARES was designed to upgrade the use and application of ICT in
public elementary and secondary schools nationwide (Rimando, 2001). The primary concern of the
project is the school administration to respond to the need for accurate and timely data that
administrators and teachers need to manage their classes.

Philippines as a developing country are committed to instilling schools with ICT, hopeful that
these technologies will improve teaching and learning in today's knowledge society. Subsequently,
the government and the private sector have introduced programs to deliver schools with computer
hardware and software, Internet connectivity, and teacher training. However, substantial gaps still
exist in ICT program implementations. There is a lack of data on schools’ use of ICT, so there is little
basis for policy formulation; furthermore, there is a lack of coordination between public and private
sector efforts. Within the ICT program, thus leads to wasted time, money, and human resources.
Finally, there is a demand for further teacher training in both computer literacy and ICT integration in
the curriculum. These gaps must be sufficiently addressed before ICT can have a significant impact
on teaching and learning in Philippine schools (Rodrigo, 2001).

A. Policy Recommended Programs that have applications to education teaching-learning:

1. ICT in Education Masterplan for all levels, including a National Roadmap for Faculty
Development in ICT in Education. A National Framework Plan for ICTs in Basic Education
was developed.

2. Content and application development through the Open Content in Education Initiative
(OCEI), which converts DepED materials into interactive multi-media content, develops
applications used in schools and conducts students’ and teacher’s competitions to
promote the development of education-related web content.

3. PheDNET is a “walled” garden the hosts educational learning and teaching materials and
applications for use by Filipino students, their parents, and teachers. All public high

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 schools will be part of this network with only DepEd-approved multi-media applications,
materials, and mirrored internet sites accessible from school ‘s PCs.

4. Established Community eLearning Centers called eSkwela for out-of-school youth

(OSY), providing them with ICT-enhanced alternative education opportunities.

5. eQuality Program for tertiary education through partnerships with state universities and
colleges (SUCs) to improve the quality of IT education and the use of ICT in education in
the country, particularly outside of Metro Manila.

6. Digital Media Arts Program, which builds digital media skills for the government using
Open Source technologies. Particularly the beneficiary agencies organizations, the
Cultural Center of the Philippines, National Commission and for Culture and Arts, State
Universities, and local government units.

7. ICT skills strategic plan, which develops an inter-agency approach to identifying strategic
and policy and program recommendations to address ICT skills demand-supply type.

B. Some Issues on ICT and Internet Policy and Regulations

Issue No. 1: Freedom of Expression and Censorship.
• The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that everyone has the right
to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, likewise the right to freedom of
opinion and expression.
• Censorship restricts the transmission of information by blocking it or filtering
information.

Issue No. 2: Privacy and Security

• Privacy means “personal privacy,” the right of individuals not to have their home,
private life, or personal life interfered with.
• Privacy of communication refers to the protection from interference with
transmission over the phone or the internet.
• Information privacy must be used for purposes and will not be disclosed to others
without the consent of the individuals.

Issue No. 3: Surveillance and Data Retention

• Indirect Surveillance – no direct contact between the agent and the surveillance
subject and but evidence of activities can be traced.
• Dataveillance –the use of personal information to monitor a person’s activities.
• Data Retention – the storage and use of information from communication systems.

Issue No. 4: E-pollutants from E-waste

• A large amount of E-waste is generated by ICT.

• These are in particular, terminal equipment for computing, broadcasting, telephony,
and peripherals.
• Material waste can be destroyed by crushing, toxic material brought by the different
equipment requires top management.

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References:

Bilbao, P., Dequilla, M.A.C., Rosana, D., & Boholano, H. (2019). Technology for Teaching and
Learning 1. Lorimar Publishing, Inc., Cubao, Quezon City

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