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NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL STRATEGY

FOR

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONTECHNOLOGIES

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Authors’ staff1.Dr Avram Eskenazi, head of the working group, Institute of Mathematics and

Informatics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS)2.Dr. Petia Assenova, National Institute of Education3.Pencho Mihnev, - Expert on IT, Ministry of Education and Science4.Iliana Nikolova, Ass. Professor, University of Sofia, Faculty of Mathematics

and Informatics5.Alexander Lakyurski, University of Sofia, Central Institute for Teacher

Education6.Marionela Simova, Expert, National Institute of Education7.Yana Taneva, Expert, National Institute of Education8.Dr Elissaveta Gurova, Committee of Posts and Telecommunications9.Boris Markov, Ministry of Industry and Industrial Development10.Dr Nikolay Iliev, Bulgarian Association of Information Technologies,

DATECS11.Georgi Topuzov, International Data Group, Computer World Journal12.Sergey Magdichev, Head of Department, Ministry of Education and Science13.Mariana Nikolova, Head of Department, Ministry of Education and Science

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Some basic materials included in the Strategy were developed by:

1. Dr. Ivan Ivanov, National Institute of Education2. Dr. Krassimir Manev, University of Sofia3. DSc Petar Stanchev, Institute of Mathematics andInformatics, BAS

4. Dr. Nedko Shivarov, Institute of Computer andCommunication Technologies, BAS

5. Boyko Banchev, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics,BAS

6. Dr Alexander Gerov, Institute of Mathematics andInformatics, BAS

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Other contributions to the Strategy by:

1.Tsvetana Ivanova, Expert in Vocational Education, Ministry of Education and Science2.Dr. Jordan Tabov, Ass. Prof, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, BAS3.Albena Vutsova, National Scientific Research Fund, MES4. Dr Stanyo Stanev, Director of the National Institute of Education5.Vladimir Stoychev, University of Sofia6.Katya Mineva, Expert, National Institute of Education7.Slava Pelova, Teacher in Informatics, 31st High School for Foreign Languages and Management, Sofia8.Lyubka Todorova, Expert, National Institute of Education9. Dr. Petar Petrov, Faculty of Primary and Pre-school Education, University of Sofia10.Dr. Elena Sachkova, Ass. Prof., Faculty of Pedagogy, University of Sofia

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Four Basic Principles for ICT Education

• Integration of ICT in the complete educational activity and culture

• Contemporary education on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) - an opportunity for everyone

• Leading role of the individual in the technological changes

• Life-long learning

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1. Contemporary education on (ICT) - an opportunity for everyone

Given the role of ICT in the information society the school should provide conditions for development of functional computer skills for all students completing their secondary education.

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2. Integration of ICT in the complete educational activity and culture

The education on ICT and their use in the school should

-not only help the achievement of specific educational goals

-but also should assist the improvement of instructional and educational quality as a whole.

ICT should be integrated in multiple school activities and forms.

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3. Leading role of the individual in the technological changes

Each person:- should have an active and critical attitude towards the

technology development,- should know it - should be able to use and direct it in conformity with

the law - should not allow the technological changes to be the

main factor determining the social development.

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4. Life-long learning

In the information society - knowledge is a strategic resource - learning is a strategic process. Each individual will need to learn during his/her

whole life in order to maintain high level of professional qualification.

ICT play a significant role in this process.

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GoalsGoals of ICT Education and their use in school practice

Three basic contexts: • Personality-social context;• Professional context;• Pedagogical context.

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Personality-social context

All students should acquire general knowledgeand good skills for using computers andinformation technologies as a basis for theircomplete development as people living in adynamic social environment with anenormous information flow.

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1. Information Skills

functional computer skills; communication skills; communicative skills in an ICT

environment; social, ethical, legal and health aspects

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2. Intellectual Development

cognitive skills; problem solving skills, including non-standard ones (for students with

higher interests and abilities); structural and algorithmic thinking and a precise way of expressing; skills for searching and organizing information - to be accumulated

and exchanged; esthetic feeling; positive motivation for learning; criticism; assessment of his/her own activity and the results from it; analysis of his/her own learning process and ability for optimization

of learning strategies.

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3. Skills, Abilities and Capacity for Independent -Life-long Learning

acquisition and use of technological components connected with distant learning;

using means and program applications for computer-based, computer-aided, computer-guided instruction and learning;

using specific means and program applications for instruction of disabled people and people with learning problems;

providing equal opportunities for learning.

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4. Personal Development

confidence in their own strength and abilities concerning ICT;

ability and skills for co-operation and work in a team;

civil consciousness.

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Professional Context

The professional context addresses the necessity all students to be prepared to use computers and information technologies in their future work or professional carrier.

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Pedagogical context

Through the use of ICT potential the educational process aims at:• providing better understanding and better curriculum acquisition than

those acquired through traditional methods and means;• creating a learning environment for simultaneous education of a large

number of students as well as for individual education;• providing conditions for research activities assisting the creative

development of students;• assisting the diversification of education;• providing better conditions for co-operation and work in a team;• providing conditions for shifting the center of learning from the

teacher to the student.

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ICT in the curriculum

Advanced level inGeneral education

Advanced level inVocational education

Fundamental level(obligatory) in

General or Vocationaleducation

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Fundamental level modules

• F1. Introduction to ICT• F2. Operating environments• F3. Computer-aided word processing• F4. Data bases• F5. Spreadsheets• F6. Graphics computer environments• F7. Social, ethical and legal aspects of ICT use• F8. Selection of Software tools.

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Advanced level modules

• A1. Programming• A2. Programming and software development• A3. Typing skills• A4. Advanced word processing (desktop publishing)• A5. Work in a local network• A6. Global Net. Work with Internet• A7. Web documents design• A8. Computer graphics• A9. CAD applications• A10. Organization and public presentation of information

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Advanced level modules (cont.)

• A11. Multimedia• A12. Computer modelling and simulation• A13. Expert systems• A14. Robots and feed-back devices• A15. Computer music• A16. Computer-aided processing of statistical data• A17. ICT in the library• A18. Computer architecture• A19. Dedicated applications.

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Modules to be moved to the fundamental level in future

• A5. Work in a local network• A6. Global net. Work with Internet• A10. Organisation and public presentation of information• A11. Multimedia• A17. ICT in the library

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Advantages of the module organization

Computer-aidedword processing

Graphics computer

environments

Desktoppublishing

Publishing/advertisingactivities

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ICT in the Vocational education

• ICT education in vocational schools should be oriented according to the following professional spheres:

Industrial-technicalEconomic, trade, administrative or serviceAgricultural.

• For all professions the curriculum or the School Council determine the compulsory ICT modules

• This Strategy suggests the distribution of school modules for vocational education.

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Integration of ICT in the other disciplines

Work with gifted students

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Teachers’ Education

The basic principles of the system should be:• voluntary participation in the continuous education• flexibility of the forms and topics of education • free selection of the form and topics of education • credit system of education (collecting credits for separate completed

modules until reaching certain sufficient total credit)• separation of the education and certificationth• accreditation of educating units willing to train teachers • competition of the groups providing the instruction for the centralized

financing • binding the qualification results to the statute and payment of the teacher.

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Hardware and Software

Management and financing

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Distribution of the hardware by educational levels:

Managerial 9 - 12 5 - 8 1 - 4 Total:

Computers 32 11590 26110 30130 67862

Printers 30 1159 2611 3013 6813

Modems 28 1159 2151 493 3831

Scanners 2 100 102

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Distribution of the hardware over the time

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Total:

Computers

6000 5622 26110 30130 67862

Printers 600 589 2611 3013 6813

Modems 600 587 2151 493 3831

Scanners 2 100 102

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Distribution of the software over the time

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

MS NT basednetwork software

X X

Windows’95 (98) X

MS Office’97 X

Software bydisciplines

X X X X

Dedicated software(multimedia,distance learning…)

X X X X