The COVID-19 health crisis created a unique difficult situation for teachers. With little warning and preparation they were required to conduct distance teaching and support remote learning, yet many were unable given the number of households that lack the relevant technology, tools and connectivity to allow pupils/students participate in the distant learning activities. Moreover, many teachers do not have ICT tools at home, even those with access to the internet often lacked the ICT skills and confidence to effectively conduct teaching online. In this workshop organized by my colleagues at UNESCO, we explored how to better support teachers in these challenging times...

(Blog disponible en castellano) As education systems emerge from this COVID crisis, it is clear that a new chapter is waiting to be written on teacher training (e.g., increasing investments in remote learning, adopting blended models when schools partially reopen, or creating remedial e-courses), which can help educational systems build back stronger and become more equitable. It is critical to develop teachers’ digital pedagogical skills. These are the skills needed to critically assess and decide when and how to incorporate digital tools, and realistically define their impact to support or enhance learning. This is now more crucial than ever, as teachers who cannot effectively use technology may in the future be replaced (or displaced) by those who can. This post includes +15 country experiences. Better strategies are needed for teacher capacity-building, innovating teacher training methods (virtual coaching) and regular follow-up plans to support the skills developed, using remote tutors & peers.

En el trayecto de salida de la pandemia actual, la universidad no puede estar en el asiento del pasajero sino del conductor. El conocimiento científico de excelencia, vanguardista y en conexión con el saber producido en diferentes centros de investigación del mundo, serán la mejor forma de alcanzar soluciones a los retos actuales. Desafíos no solo vinculados con las problemáticas sanitarias sino que atendiendo también a todos los retos que traerán la (larga) etapa de recuperación posterior: reducción de inequidades, apoyo a los más rezagados, formas más inclusivas de enseñanza, nuevos mecanismos de subvención y reactivación, socialización del conocimiento, innovaciones medioambientalmente sostenibles, automatización de procesos, recalificación de la fuerza laboral, entre muchos otros. La universidad tiene una oportunidad irrepetible de responder con protagonismo y relevancia a estos retos que apenas empezamos a comprender.

🎙Join globally renowned education technology experts Dr. Cristobal Cobo and Professor Neil Selwyn in a discussion with Dr. Monica Bulger about the abrupt shift to online learning as schools close globally in response to the coronavirus. Neil Selwyn advises edtech companies to not see this moment as a triumph, “it is an emergency, not an experiment.” Cristobal Cobo discusses the tools we bring to this crisis and recommends considering short-term and long-term approaches.

There is a growing body of research focused on the importance of artificial intelligence, computer networking, game development, mobile application development, cybersecurity, today are expected to represent a larger portion of the labor market in the coming decade. All these capacities require not only being able to read and write code (like programming, which can be done by machines), but also and even more important perhaps is the capacity to unpack the software or the tech systems we use (decoding). This idea of "deconstruction", borrowed from the philosophy, is critical to understand how algorithms are built, identify bugs in the system, recognize bias, and problems with functionality but also how they can affect people or affect different groups of users.

The more social the experience of using technologies becomes, the closer the connection between digital skills and the so-called social-emotional skills. As important as learning to code might be, it also will be important to learn how to decode. Identifying new problems can lead us to change the way we see today’s skills. What are the most relevant skills for tomorrow? ☞From digital skills to multiliteracies ☞From using to understanding tech ☞From coding to decoding tech ☞From replacing people to increasing human thinking ☞From digital natives to critical skeptics

Five years ago Uruguay decided to create a research center focused on producing expert knowledge in the field of digital education. After an international call I was humbled to be chosen as director of this novel but ambitious initiative. Being a small country all I knew was the huge opportunity behind connecting and supporting national and international networks of experts in the field of EdTech.

Este nuevo libro busca escapar de los reduccionismos. Según el tipo de trayectoria que se siga con la lectura puede transitarse desde el optimismo (utopía) a la tragedia (distopía) o simplemente desde el diagnóstico a la reacción (posible). La lectura es a medida y a gusto del lector. No hay recetas ni doctrinas que puedan instalarse de manera tan sencilla como una actualización en su sistema operativo. El objetivo último es reflexionar desde una perspectiva crítica y abierta sobre las consecuencias de la masificación de las tecnologías y su impacto en las nuevas formas de poder y control de la sociedad actual.

Plan Ceibal is a multi-stakeholder public policy programme in education and innovation with an emphasis on the integration of pedagogy and technology in Uruguay. The following outline provides an overview of some of the most critical dimensions as well as methodological approaches pursued by Plan Ceibal, which are implemented in close collaboration with the whole education sector in the country. Some of these initiatives are not only implemented at a national level, but also in collaboration with a network of schools or education-oriented institutions throughout several countries (e.g. New Pedagogies for Deep Learning, Code.org, Design for Change).

Investigador em tecnologia e aprendizagem na Fundação Ceibal, no Uruguai, veio a Lisboa deixar claro que “a literacia digital não é o domínio das teclas, é o domínio das ideias”. E não tem dúvidas: “O que se rompeu com as fake news foi a confiança”.