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While the idea of using information and communications technologies in education (ICT4E) certainly is not new, it

has received an ever-increasing amount of interest from governments, donor agencies, NGOs, and similar
organizations in the past few years. One model for ICT4E interventions which has become particularly popular is the
so-called 1-to-1 approach. It is constructed around the key concept of every user, in most cases pupils and
teachers, having access to a personal digital device.
To date most 1-to-1 initiatives have been implemented with laptops or netbooks, whereby One Laptop per Childs
XO laptop and Intels Classmate PC have seen particularly wide-spread adoption. However, with the increasing
availability and popularity of other ICT devices such as tablets, mobile phones or e-book readers it is no longer
sufficient to exclusively focus on laptop or netbook based projects in the 1-to-1 space.
Within this larger context this article aims to provide an overview of 1-to-1 initiatives around the world. Or rather the
goal is for this article and related data to form the basis of a crowd-sourced effort to build and maintain a curated,
comprehensive, and up-to-date record of significant 1-to-1 initiatives. As such this post and the information
presented in it should be a considered a starting point for further work rather than a finished and complete artifact.
By highlighting key developments in other countries, which have implemented OLPC initiatives, it will also try to
provide additional context for the previous EduTechDebate posts, which were largely focused on the Perus OLPC
project.

Reports about the deficiencies of primary and secondary education are released almost daily. The PISA test,
for example, which quantitatively tests 15-years-olds in 65 countries, showed a decrease in academic
performance from 2003 to 2012. This is despite additional resources provided by the governments and
regulations put in place, such as extending the school day. Clearly, our current approach is not working. But
why?
Todays students are fundamentally different from students 20 years ago. Given the technology revolution,
students interface with screens more frequently than people. Additionally, they are growing up in a global
community without leaving their homes. Yet, we are trying to educate them in the same way, using the same
pedagogical methods developed over 100 years ago. Adaption permeates every industry, and it is no less
important in an educational setting.
However, given the poor student-teacher ratios and the ageing teacher population in developed countries (as
well as the low percentage of trained teachers in many developing countries), how should the educational
system be changed? Who is qualified to develop this new curriculum, and how will it be disseminated?
The good news is that many of these same questions have already been asked (and answered) in the higher
education arena.

Under the broader category of distance learning, universities have expanded their impact by offering online
courses, which can be taken by anyone around the world. The courses are created by the faculty and hosted
by the university. Additionally, they are seamlessly integrated into accredited higher-education programmes. It
is equally important to provide a paradigm for the student to receive credit for their classwork in a primary and
secondary education system. Its something to consider as part of a technology-based approach for a primary
or secondary education setting.
Distance learning in a university setting actually pre-dates the internet. Originally, universities
used teleconference systems. When the internet became broadly available, the translation of the approach was
fairly straightforward and readily adopted. An online course can include any of the following: video lectures
(real-time or pre-recorded), lecture notes, e-textbooks and interactive discussion boards. And just because its
virtual it doesnt rule out homework, exams and collaborative team projects (although structures vary by
discipline). These types of classes work well in a higher education setting, with a student who is self-motivated
and where high-speed internet is available. But it is not clear if such an approach would translate to a primary
or secondary education setting where one-on-one attention is frequently needed and students do not all have
equal internet access.
In the past two decades, significant research has shown that active learning is more effective. Based on this,
faculty began to implement pedagogical techniques such as flipping the classroom, in which students are
assigned reading tasks and active learning with the professor happens during class time. For example, the
students might read a chapter in a textbook before class, and during class answer questions as a group or
perform an activity based around the material. The key difference is that the professor does not spend class
time teaching the material, but instead the students are actively engaged with the material. In many classes, in
order to accomplish this change, the faculty have leveraged the internet, creating a hybrid model where a
portion of the class is online and a portion is in-person.
This model is ideally suited for translation to a primary or secondary education setting, in either a developed or
developing country.
his document is a compilation of available worldwide ICT4E policies and plans, at both a national and Ministry of Education
level. To enhance the reach and quality of teaching and learning through the effective use of ICTs, policy makers need to be
aware of how to best utilize ICTs to create value-add for their countrys education system. A supportive policy environment and
framework, developed at the national level is key to the successful integration of ICTs into any education system.

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