Two decades after the first mainstream rollout of computers in schools we have learned many significant lessons about ICT in Education and their potential transforming impact on national education systems. Yet, countries around the world face urgent challenges in this respect due to the rapid development of technologies, the required financial investments and the need to have a clear vision of the role that teachers have to play in harnessing the power of ICT in the classroom and beyond.
One key lesson is to acknowledge the many facets that ICT in Education policies have to tackle such as teacher competencies, learning materials, ICT equipment, student and teacher motivation, as well as the linkages to other areas of national policy and socio-economic development. Adopting a cross-sectoral approach through an ICT in Education Master Plan can help countries to successfully address all relevant dimensions.
In this context, the ICT Competency Framework for Teachers is aimed at helping countries to develop comprehensive national teacher ICT competency policies and standards, and should be seen as an important component of an overall ICT in Education Master Plan.
The current version of the ICT Competency Framework for Teachers is a 2011 update of the original version published in 2008, and is the result of the successful continued partnership between UNESCO and CISCO, INTEL, ISTE and Microsoft. In this version, the Framework has been enriched on the basis of feedback from subject matter experts and users worldwide, and enhanced with the inclusion of example syllabi and exam specifications for Technology Literacy and Knowledge Deepening.