On 24 May 2016, UNESCO IITE participated in an information workshop on Digitally Competent Educational Organizations, which was held in Madrid, Spain. The workshop was organized by the National Institute of Educational Technologies and Teacher Training (INTEF) and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. This event was attended by nearly 100 participants, including authorities involved in designing and implementing educational policies at all levels, headmasters of current or future schools, directors of companies in the education sector, representatives of educational associations, and stakeholders in this area.
The main objectives of the meeting were: to present the Digital Competence Framework for Educational Organizations; to determine the current state of digital competence of educational organizations at the international, European and Spanish national levels; to analyze the impact of the digital transformation on educational organizations; and to discuss proposals to advance the implementation of digital competence in educational organizations.
The Director General for Evaluation and Territorial Cooperation of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport Mr. José Luis Blanco stated in his opening speech that the digitalization process of education was primarily based on three foundations: devices and infrastructure, educational materials, and teacher training. He also spoke on the significant effects that digital competence will have on students, schools and society. Head a.i. of UNESCO IITE Prof. Alexander Khoroshilov participated in the workshop as an expert and gave a keynote speech entitled “ICT and Digital Competency in Education. Main Challenges, UNESCO Approach and IITE Experience”, which analyzed the impact and challenges of ICT in Education. He spoke on the importance of applying UNESCO’s Recommendations on ICT Competency Framework for Teachers to the future of education, along with integrating pedagogy with technology. Professor Khoroshilov participated in the first round table of the conference, along with Mr. Yves Punie, Senior Scientist at the Institute of Technological Prospective Studies of the European Union (JRC IPTS) and Ms. Anusca Ferrari, Project Manager of Digital Skills at European Schoolnet.
In the closing speech of the event, Mr. Marcial Marín, the Secretary of State for Education, Vocational Training and Universities, proposed a series of steps to be taken in order to enable the process of digital transformation in education: to develop the Framework of Digital Competence of Educational Organizations and adapt it to Spanish needs; to promote the dissemination of knowledge, especially with training management teams and school directors; to provide support for the development of digital transformation plans for educational centers; and to acknowledge the achievements and successful case studies on digital transformations in schools so as to present them as an example to others.
To learn more about the workshop, information can be found on the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport’s website.