Despite their potential for school and digital citizenship education, advanced ICTs such as AI remain uncommon in schools and other educational institutions due to a number of challenges typical to the majority of countries. While AI might help to expand accessibility, automate management processes, augment teaching and learning, create enabling environments, help develop teacher capacity and achieve better learning outcomes for all students, this potential remains underexplored and poorly understood, and the development and use of such technologies may instead undermine teacher agency and reduce student outcomes. It is likely that a transformational approach to teacher education and continuous support to teachers is required in order to help them work in an AI-rich education environment. Additionally, the ongoing digital transformation of education corresponds with UNESCO activities focused on achieving the Education 2030 agenda and SDG4 for education through promoting ICT capacity building and Open Education in the era of AI and digital technologies, to strengthen quality in education and lifelong learning including digital citizenship education.
With all of this in mind, UNESCO IITE undertook a survey of more than thirteen thousand ASPnet teachers from around the world. This survey sought to understand the potential, benefits, and limitations of advanced information technologies, such as artificial intelligence, for schools and other educational institutions through the lens of ASPnet teachers. The teachers’ responses helped to identify key issues in the field of digital innovations in education from across the world.
The findings in the analytical report “Technical and Educational Challenges, Capacities and Readiness of Schools to Use the Potential of Digital Innovations and AI” are expected to inform local, community and national initiatives to further strengthen and develop a more effective educational environment, taking into account the post-pandemic situation.