ETEC 522 – September 2012

OECD – Trends Shaping Education 2010

In order to know if a source is good or not, it’s important to see its affiliation to see how objective the information they provide is, or if they have been paid to carry out research to indirectly promote a company. This is why I chose the OECD research report Trends Shaping Education 2012.

The OECD is an organization that is said to be dedicated to global development, made up and funded presently by its 34 member countries. They carry out research and gather statistics mainly on economical, environmental and social topics, and use this information to help governments fight poverty through economic growth and financial stability; whether successful or not is not the topic in question. Their report, as stated, is directed at “policy makers, researchers, educational leaders, administrators and teachers” (p.3); however, a learning technologies specialist or venture could also pick up on some interesting information. This report more than make specific predictions about particular gadgets or tools, provides a wealth of statistics that points to areas where technology may be used in the future. For example, the statistics in the “changing world of work” that found people do not stay as long in the same job, they work less hours, and years spent in employment is going down for men, and up for women; thus, showing a need for ongoing professional training, and also adult education opportunities for retried adults or those temporarily out of work. Also interesting is the rapid expansion of higher education and growing number of international students. As an ELT (English Language Teaching) professional and teacher, I see a niche for online tools to help these international students, be it for language or academic skills. Another interesting statistic is the growing number of 15 year olds using a computer at home (80%) vs at school (55%), and the fact that “children learn more ITC skills through home use” (p.79). Schools are not integrating ITC as much as we think, probably because of budget, and at the same time where there is near universal access to computers, this is not being exploited enough. Finally, the expanding use of mobile broadband is something to watch, too.

Would I use an OECD report again? Very much so, where else could I get statistics on so many countries in one place.

Adriana

OECD (201). “Trends Shaping Education 2010”. Retrieved 09/09/2012 from: http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/trendsshapingeducation2010.ht (Sorry, it’s not letting me embed this properly)