This presentation was given by Leonardo Tosi of INDIRE at the CERI Conference on Innovation, Governance and Reform in Education on 4 November 2014 during session 5.a: Innovation Strategy for Education and Training (IS) – Fostering an Innovation Eco-system.

1. THE ITALIAN DIGITAL PLAN
FOR SCHOOLS
Leonardo Tosi, l.tosi@indire.it
INDIRE, www.indire.it
CERI Conference on Innovation, Governance
and Reform in Education
3 – 5 November, 2014
Paris, France

2. Our institute
The National Documentation Institute for
Innovation and Research in Education
based in Florence
•INDIRE is a public research institute dealing with educational innovation.
•INDIRE collaborates on a regional and local level with public school authorities, schools,
associations, foundations, universities and on an international level with the other EU
Ministries of education through European Schoolnet and with industry partners.

3. National digital plan for schools: objectives
(2007 ‐ 2012)
• Introduce ICT as part of the daily tools of classroom activities
• Experiment new models of teaching and school organization
• Support the development of new learning resources and
environments

4. The starting point: use of IWBs
Have you ever used an Interactive Whiteboard?
Mai
Qualche volta
Spesso
Never
Sometimes
Often
RDeagiloyl a r m e n t e
Review of the IWB Expansion Project, Di.S.A. Università di Genova

5. The starting point: broadband connection
More than 85% of schools had broadband but
but…
I laboratori di informatica 22,43 %
Computer 20,99 %
19,69 %
labs
La segreteria
Administrative offices
La presidenza
Office of the School Head
12,22 %
10,96 %
La sala docenti
Staff room
Only some classrooms
Solo alcune classi
7,35 %
All Tcultates slero colamsssi
Punti di consultazione specifici 6,35 %
Dedicated rooms/areas
0 5 10 15 20 25
IWB expansion plan monitoring report, Università cattolica di Milano

6. The starting point: behaviours of teachers
• High rates of teachers have PC and Internet connection compared to
the average population level
• ICT are used to prepare lessons, search for information, write texts and
assessment tests. But those materials are often used in paper version
in the classroom
• ICT are mostly used for personal purposes, for professional
development and to prepare and document lessons (before / after
the classroom activity).

7. Plan for digital schools: a multi‐level initiative
Italian Ministry of Education
ACTIONS STAKEHOLDERS
• Interactive Whiteboards Expansion project • Ministry of Education
• Local authorities
• Classrooms 2.0
(classroom experimenting innovative settings)
S h l 2 0
• Regions
• Schools 2.0 • INDIRE
(schools changing organizational setting)
• Teacher teachers’ basic and
• Publishers
training: development of teachers • IT Providers
advanced ICT skills • Schools
• Teachers

8. Plan for digital schools: a multi‐level initiative
Italian Ministry of Education
OTHER RELATED INITIATIVES
• Development of national and school information systems
Anagrafe Nazionale degli Studenti is information
a national longitudinal system. All schools must phase out the use of paper records and equip
themselves with school management systems and electronic registries that
are able to exchange information with Anagrafe directly
• Phasing out of paper‐only textbooks
Schools can no longer adopt paper‐only textbooks. At the request of families,
schools ensure that ICT devices to access digital contents are available.
Families contribute to costs, up to a cap amount fixed by law.

9. National blended learning training system
• Theoretical units
Training materials and tools
• Video
• Lesson plan format
• Subject matter resources
Support to teaching practice
Coaching
(phase II)
Search for
di i l
Design
• Community
• Resources
• Tutorial
• Helpdesk
digital assets
/ reuse resources
Design lesson
Create
IWB file
Technical
training
Methodological
training
(phase I)
Reflect
plan for IWB
Experiment
in classroom
Reuse,
share, create
Sharing
Documentation
• Questionnaire
• Training needs analysis format
• Training contract
Repository
Tutor’s
toolkit
• Intro pathway
• lesson plan screenplay
• Experimentation format

10. Provide guidelines
European Schoolnet, Interactive Classroom Working Group

11. National digital plan for schools: strenghts
• Means are aligned with the goal of increasing the use of ICT in
schools (IWB as main focus)
• An efficient procurement procedure (Consip)
• The strategy builds capacity (phased approach, experiments)
• The “contagion” strategy creates teacher demand rather than
resistance (voluntary process)
Review of the Italian Strategy for Digital School, OECD Education Working Papers No.90, 2013

12. National reviews
CREMIT, Cattolica University of Milan DiSfor, University of Genoa
“The objective to bring the Trojan Horse [the Interactive Whiteboard] into the
classrooms has been achieved. Now it's a matter of letting the warriors get out.”
Innovation is often left to the initiative of the single teacher.

13. ICT and innovation: progress through stages
INNOVATION
Exploing innovative potential
(l t )
EVOLUTION
long-term)
REPOSITIONING
APPROPRIATION
ADAPTATION
USAGE Integration in daily classroom practice
g y p
(mid-term)
FAMILIARISATION
Overcoming barriers
(short-term)
INTRODUCTION

14. Classroom “incapsulation”
tools:
Blackboard, textbook,
globe, pencils, copybook
subject:
object:
Student Content
C t t
rules: community: division of labour:
Lesson structure,
social interaction
Classroom Teachers teach,
students learn
Adapted from: Engeström, 1995

15. An Innovation Lab Network is needed
•• Equipment by itself does not change pedagogic practices
or school practices
• Need to pilot and experiment different uses of technology
for pedagogic purpose
• Need to experiment new organisational practices for the
better use of ICT
• Need to identify what works and what does not
Review of the Italian Strategy for Digital School, OECD Education Working Papers No.90, 2013

16. iTEC project
itec.eun.org

17. iTEC: from trends to practice
Trends
Scenario
Learning
Activities
Lesson planning

18. iTEC: scenarios

19. iTEC: impact

20. Italy: National Context
Italian Digital
Innovative
methodologies
Agenda for
Education
Italian schools
Tools and
applications
iTEC project Schools 2.0
Broadband
connection
iTEC schools
Digital
Educational
Centres
Cloud
services
Digital
One-to-one
devices
Textbooks Italian Digital Plan
Classrooms
2.0
for Schools
New learning
spaces
Interactive
Whiteboards

21. Bed schools as front‐runners
“In this context, innovation projects experimenting new ways
of teaching, learning and schooling play an important role in
supplementing the large scale equipment initiative of the
plan.
Test bed schools can serve as front‐runners to pilot and invent
new learning environments so that the entire Italian system
can learn from the positive and negative lessons learnt…”
Review of the Italian Strategy for Digital School, OECD Education Working Papers No.90, 2013

22. Supporting innovation
ITS Luca Pacioli di Crema ITI Liceo Majorana di Brindisi
ITST Liceo Fermi di Manova ISIS Malignani di Udine

23. Innovation Lab Network

24. From “top‐down” to “bottom up”
School system
Networks of
schools
AE
2015
2.0
2014
Schools
Classrooms 2 0
2012
2.0
2009
IWB expansion project
2007

25. Lessons learned
•• Formal training do not necessarily enhance innovation
• Results of national innovation supporting initiatives are
not always predictable
• The effectiveness of a specific type of innovation supporting
strategy depends on the context and the level of e‐maturity
• The “contagion” strategy creates teacher demand
rather than resistance (voluntary process)

26. Thank you!
Leonardo Tosi
l.tosi@indire.it