Sanna Vahtivuori-Hänninen

Towards ICT in Everyday Life in Finnish Schools: Seeking Conditions for Good Practices.

The article discusses how to strengthen educational use of information and communication technology (ICT) in Finnish schools. The conceptions and experiences of the successful integration of ICT in everyday school settings are reported. Participant observations in 20 schools in different parts of Finland were carried out, including discussions with principals and teachers. The results show that when promoting new technology and practices in schools, many components overlap and support each other. The following six main characteristics of successful integration were identified: (1) ICT included in strategic planning, as part of school culture, (2) teaching and learning methods facilitating participation and leading to empowerment, (3) flexible curriculums, (4) high investments in communication, (5) optimum leadership and management, and (6) teaching staffs strong capacity and commitment. The research indicates that an open school culture allows staff to take risks when applying new technology, creates learning environments and empowers learners.

Icts in a School’s Everyday Life

The ICTs at School’s Everyday Life Project is a national project carried out by the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Education and the Finnish Board of Education in co-operation with industry and commerce. The project was included in the Finnish government programme and National Information Society Policy of Finland. The aim of the project was to create a national educational technology plan and the vision was that Finnish schools will have models and practices to use ICT innovatively for wide dissemination to all Finnish schools.

A New Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (2014) and Technology as an Integrated Tool for Learning

This chapter describes the Finnish national core curriculum reform process, its values, and how the role of technology in teaching and learning will be emphasized in it. Approximately every decade a novel national core curriculum for basic education is designed under the direction of the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE).

Pedagogical Models in Network-Based Education

This paper discusses an ongoing project which aims to examine the collaborative and game-based pedagogical models underpinning network-based education (NBE). These models are derived from didactic and pedagogical thinking on teaching—studying—learning (TSL) process. The research design is based on a qualitative approach, complemented with ethnographic study and participant observation in addition to thematic interviews and web-based questionnaires. The data of the study consists of two cases: 1) The national program on educational use of ICT study program in Higher Education and 2) The game-based simulations in NBE, which analyses how a collaborative and game-based models support TSL process in NBE. This paper briefly presents the background of the study and describes some preliminary findings of the teachers’ and students’ conceptions of NBE from the higher education case. The outcomes of the study will be pedagogical models and principles to be used when designing and assessing NBE.

Icts in a School’s Everyday Life – Developing the Educational Use of Icts in Finnish Schools of the Future

The ICTs in School’s Everyday Life Project is a national project carried out by the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Education and the Finnish Board of Education in co-operation with industry and commerce. The project was included in the Finnish government programme and National Information Society Policy of Finland.

Characteristics of Pedagogical Models in the Mobile Teaching Studying Learning (TSL) Environments: Preliminary Findings of the I-Trace Project

This article discusses the use of pedagogical models and pen-based information and communication technologies (ICTs) as means of designing mobile teaching, studying, and learning (TSL) environments. The specific goal of this case study was to test the educational benefits and usability of the Web-Trace software application, and of a mobile tablet PC with the digital pen. The particular focus of the research was the cephalometry study module, arranged at the Helsinki University during the Spring 2007. The objects of the study were 12 dental students. The study sought to combine qualitative and quantitative approaches within an ethnographic research design. Data were collected using a network-based questionnaire. In addition, 11 students were interviewed. The data will be analyzed by using content analysis and statistical analyses. This article explores background of the study and highlights some preliminary findings of the research.

Building an Ecosystem for Developing Educational Use of Technology in Finnish Schools

The use of ICT in education can be situated to the enhancement of 21st-century skills, like critical thinking, working, collaboration, and global action. From the perspective of the educational sector, the question is on enabling all children an equal possibility to gain the skills and readiness necessary for their personal life, studies, and upcoming working life.

Schools and Companies in a Co-Configurative Collaboration

Implementing educational technology into a school’s ecosystem is not a simple process. Challenges arise due to the different ways that schools and companies have for interacting and working. In order to build mutual understanding and productive interaction between schools and companies, collaboration should be seen as a two-way learning process where both parties discover new ways of interacting and doing things.