Maria Barron Rodriguez (Education Specialist,
Core Member of the World Bank's global edtech team)
This presentation will provide an overview of the main components to design and implement a Digital Transformation Strategy. It will highlight the importance to have a clear vision and priorities, to think about the ICT infrastructure required, the human capacities needed in terms of skills and competencies, the adequate learning resources, data to support decision making, and an ecosystem of partners. Examples from Singapore, Malaysia, Bhutan, and South Korea will be highlighted.
The presentation will also focus on providing advice on the considerations needed when designing a digital transformation strategy, in the sense that it should not be a one size fits all approach but rather informed by the context and the vision and priorities of the country and/or region. Standard roadmaps can give an overall idea on elements to be included in a digital transformation plan/policy but a more targeted and context specific roadmap should be pursued.
For instance, a roadmap where the main objective is to improve the digital infrastructure (which will require close links with the EdTech sector and telecom industry) would look very different to one that prioritizes capacity building and upskilling (which will require enhancing institutional capacities). Following this rationale, countries such as Singapore and Korea update their EdTech masterplans regularly to align to the current priorities of their education systems.
After highlighting the key components for a Digital transformation strategy, the presentation will focus on some of the main steps regarding the implementation and its adoption. It will also describe key principles to keep in mind when deploying the strategy: ask why, design and act at scale for all, empower teachers, engage the ecosystem, be data driven. These are the principles described in the World Bank’s EdTech approach “Reimagining Human Connections”.
After having provided a landscape overview on the main components the presentation will focus on the role and needs of teachers as part of a digital transformation strategy. It will include the skills they need to develop, practical uses of technology to improve and enrich their teaching practice, key steps for diagnostic, planning, and implementation, and considerations for success. In addition, it will draw from examples and best practices from Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, among others.