UNESCO , ICT and the Millennium Institute - Tapio Varis, professor emeritus

UNESCO , ICT and the Millennium Institute

Tapio Varis, professor emeritus

Tapio Varis MI March 2014 1

MI Mission and Vision •  Millennium Institute’s vision is a world in which

decision makers apply extensive knowledge and a systemic perspective to bring about a sustainable, equitable, and peaceful global society. Millennium Institute strives to realize its vision by enabling decision makers to use system dynamics thinking and tools to analyze and understand the interconnectedness between economic, social, environmental factors, and issues of peace and security. This will increase their capacity to implement sustainable policies. MI seeks to play a catalytic role in creating a global network of system thinkers to solve critical 21st century challenges.


Strategic questions •  Is world development sustainable without formidadble

peace architecture? •  Visibility in global debate? •  Alliance with UNESCO programme & projects? •  The role of ICT in a digital world? •  Concept of new learning culture, digital pedagogy? •  Fragmented vs holistic approach? •  Spirit of new humanism, new renaissance education? •  Transatlantic, Eurocentric approach vs Alliance of

Civilizations (AoC)?


ICT and UNESCO: Millennium Strategy of Learning

•  UNESCO and ICT in education: The future school •  Millennium Institute goals and digital pedagogy •  Global University System (GUS) objectives •  Conclusions


Varis 2013 5

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Founded in 1946)

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Archibald MacLeish (American poet and librarian, Chairman of the Committee which

drafted the Preamble)

"Of course we can educate for world peace. I would be willing, for my own part, to say that there is no possible way of getting world peace except through education.Which means education of the peoples of the world. All you can do by arrangements between governments is to remove the causes of disagreement which may become, in time, causes of war. But peace, as we are all beginning to realize, is something a great deal more than the absence of war. Peace is positive and not negative. Peace is a way of living together which excludes war, rather than a period without war in which peoples try to live together." (The Unesco Courier, October 1985: 27)


FROM EVOLUTIONARY HUMANISM TO NEW HUMANISM

•  Unesco constitution, ”peace must be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind”

•  Huxley and ”evolutionary humanism” •  Towards New Humanism, Human Rights & Human

Responsibilities, Individuality and responsibility: Higher Humanity (Sitaram)

•  Unesco Chairs/UNITWIN Network


Julian Huxley, First DG of UNESCO 1946-48

•  The main architect of the new evolutionary synthesis

•  ”Higher humanity” •  Huxley's humanism came from his appreciation that

mankind was in charge of its own destiny, and this raised the need for a sense of direction and a system of ethics


Mr. Koichiro Matsuura DG Unesco (1999-2009)

•  “It is necessary to build up large movement to humanize globalization, based on solidarity, on the spirit of caring for and sharing with others”

•  Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative as a cooperation mechanism for the open, non-commercial use of educational resources


Ms.Irina Bokova DG Unesco (2009- )

•  New Humanism is not only theoretical but also

practical •  New humanism in the global society must prioritise

a new sense of respect for multiplicity and cultural diversity and must support media development with the goal of consolidating the new culture of peace

The 2013/4 Education for All Global Monitoring Report


The 2013/4 Education for All Global Monitoring Report shows why

education is pivotal for development in a rapidly changing world. It

explains how investing wisely in teachers, and other reforms aimed at

strengthening equitable learning, transform the long-term prospects of

people and societies. Equity and quality education will be

pivotal in the post 2015 agenda


“Global learning crisis is costing $129 billion a year”

•  Report reveals that a global learning crisis is costing governments $129 billion a year. Ten per cent of global spending on primary education is being lost on poor quality education that is failing to ensure that children learn.

•  without attracting and adequately training enough teachers the learning crisis will last for several generations and hit the disadvantaged hardest


ICTs’ Transforma-ve Power for Educa-on: Alignment with post-‐2015 educa-on agenda

!  Access: ICTs are expected to broaden access to learning opportuni-es at different levels and varied educa-onal contexts

!  Quality: ICTs are hoped to improve the quality of knowledge acquisi-on, knowledge deepening, and knowledge crea-on, and the development of 21st century skills

!  Equity: ICTs are believed holding poten-als to equalize learning opportuni-es in favour of economically and/or demographically disadvantaged popula-ons

“Ensure equitable quality educa-on and lifelong learning for all by 2030”

3.4 Mobile Learning: UNESCO’s Understanding and Actions

Mobile Learning is learning anywhere, any-me through the use of mobile technologies, oNen empowered by wireless broadband connec-on. Scope of mobile devices: tablets, mobile phones, e-‐readers, etc.

UNESCO’s main focus areas/acBviBes: •  Mobile learning policy •  Mobile technologies for teachers development •  Mobile literacy educa-on for women and girls •  Mobiles for reading •  Annual Mobile Learning Week •  Mobile apps for data collecBon " IIEP


UNESCO Chair in Global E-Learning with applications to multiple domains

University of Tampere, Finland •  New proposed area of cooperation with UNESCO: -mobile literacy education for women and girls -cooperation with Unesco/IITE -cooperation with ISPON/Nigeria -UNITWIN Network


UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in

Education

•  UNESCO IITE invites all UNESCO Chairs, Universities and other institutions of higher education and research to join the established Network of UNESCO IITE and UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs to develop international academic cooperation in the field of ICTs in education and innovative pedagogy.


PEDAGOGIES OF MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACIES

•  UNESCO has been actively involved in developing foundations for media and information literacy to assist Member States in pursuing the achievement of the objectives of the Grünwald Declaration (1982), the Alexandria Declaration (2005) and the UNESCO Paris Agenda (2007) related to MIL.

•  The UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education commissioned this Handbook, which is intended to become a useful tool that would equip teacher training institutions and facilitate teaching media and information literacy in teacher training, to the Finnish Society on Media Education. This Handbook should help teachers to enhance their media and information literacy and encourage them to take up media education in the classroom. The main target group is teachers of secondary schools who are either in training or in service. The Handbook provides teachers with basic knowledge on media and information literacy, and the way these skills can be taught.



Software Strategies for Retooling the Workforce

Professor Tapio Varis

UNESCO Chair in Global e-Learning University of Tampere, Finland

Keynote at the National Software Conference Organised by ISPON - 22 October, 2013 at the Tinapa Knowledge Centre, Calabar, Cross River State,

Federal republic of Nigeria.

OUR SOLUTION


Proposed Recommendations of the ISPON Conference 2013

•  strategies •  educational environment •  demystify technology innovation •  future schools models •  national Software Competition •  International e-Learning Centre for for

Domestication of e-Leaning Technology Research and Standards

VarisParis2014 23

Global University System (GUS) (Takeshi Utsumi & Tapio Varis)

•  GUS is a companion global alliance of major universities in finding, collecting, model building, and processing data. GUS brings technology to the agenda of global education as launching a trans-cultural, global-wide initiative (using modern techniques of communication) to promote the kinds of global education that will advance peace, justice, understanding, and human wisdom.



www.globaluniversitysystem.info


Inspiration of the best traditions of American thinking

– Extreme freedom of thought, –  An emphasis on independent thinking, –  A steady immigration of new minds, –  A risk-taking culture with no stigma attached to trying

and failing, –  A non-corrupt bureaucracy, and –  Financial markets and a venture capital system that are

unrivaled at taking new ideas and turning them into global products.


Mission Statement •  Identify, test, and facilitate the deployment of broadband

Internet and related technologies that are affordable and accessible for underdeveloped areas of the world,

•  Coordinate the delivery of content and rich educational experiences leading to a GUS degree,

•  Provide a global infrastructure for collaboration among faculty, students, graduates, and policy makers in universities, healthcare institutions, corporations, and governments.


The Philosophies and Principles •  Transcultural, Globalwide Initiative •  Education for Moral Leadership •  Priority on Academic Freedom •  Emphasis on Quality Education •  Responsiveness to Student Needs and Aspirations •  Transnational Collaboration on Research •  Commitment to Openness •  Cultural Sensitivity Without Fragmentation or

Homogenization

Plans with GUS •  In December 2013, Dr Utsumi submitted our grant application (or inquiry) to;

•  (a) NSF, (b) Carnegie Corporation of New York, (c) Ford Foundation

•  We will soon to have a meeting at the Stevens Institute of Technology to discuss;

•  (a) Conduct of a videoconference — as similar to the one of April 18, 2013 (picture before), (b) Encouragement of our African colleagues submitting the Letter Of Inquiry (LOI) to the USAID/DIV/Stage 1, (Tanzania, Rwanda, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Benin, DR Congo, Nigeria, and Brundi) (c) How to conduct the planning workshop when we get the NSF fund, etc.


The Global Knowledge Center Network (GKCN)with

The Global University System (GUS) •  The highly interconnected and coupled nature of

energy, healthcare, food security, natural resource management and sustainable economic growth have in the past stymied the effectiveness of international development efforts focused on each of these areas in isolation. The aim of this combined research and education initiative is to engage national and international stakeholders in jointly developing customized national sustainability simulation models that can explore the comparative effectiveness of development interventions from a systems perspective.


Educational Purposes of GEWS/GUS

•  To promote rational scientific approach for decision-making with critical thinking for the capacity building of bureaucrats and young aspiring future leaders, with the use of simulation models of socio-economic-energy-environment system which are distributed and interlinked together around the world,

•  To promote paradigm shift in international political science as combining normative (role-playing) gaming with quantitative (model-based) simulation,

•  To promote globally collaborative creativity -- unleashing abundantly available young fresh brainpower in Africa and later elsewhere around the world.


Conclusions

•  Develop the relationship MI-GUS-GKCN-GEWS •  Introduce media literacy and mobile literacy and

T-21 model in GUS-Stevens Institute of Technology Workshop

•  Keep these efforts part of the UNESCO Chair in Global e-Learning and UNESCO programme on ICT in education

•  Keep the work visible in communications media


Culture of Peace

•  Knowledge is fueled and sustained by Peace. And World Development may not be sustainable without a formidable Peace Architecture at all levels.

Chris Uwaje, President of ISPON, Nigeria


UNESCO , ICT and the Millennium Institute - Tapio Varis, professor emeritus

Education

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