How can open and distance learning and information and communications technologies (ICTs) provide us with more - and better - teachers? Teacher Education through Open and Distance Learning , a new book jointly published by COL and RoutledgeFalmer Press provides an in-depth study. Released in August 2003 at the Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, the book is the third volume in the World review of distance education and open learning book series.
Open and distance learning is increasingly used in teacher education in developing and developed countries. It has the potential to strengthen and expand the teaching profession of the 21st century and to help achieve the target of Education for All by 2015. Teacher Education through Open and Distance Learning examines the case for using open and distance learning and ICTs to train our educators. It draws on wide-ranging and international experience to summarise the strengths and weaknesses of new approaches to the education of teachers. It offers invaluable guidance to policymakers, planners, headteachers and teachers.
Seventeen authors have contributed to the collection. It was edited by Dr. Bernadette Robinson, Special Professor of Comparative Education at the University of Nottingham, U.K., and Professor Colin Latchem, international consultant on open learning and former Head of the Teaching Learning Group at Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia.
25% discount
Teacher Education through Open and Distance Learning can be ordered from booksellers worldwide or directly from Routledge/Falmer Press. It is also available, while quantities last, through COL at a 25% discount - and, for orders from developing Commonwealth countries, shipping charges will be waived. Orders must be accompanied by a pre-payment of Canadian $30.00 (or equivalent US funds) plus shipping, if applicable, or charged to VISA or MasterCard accounts. Orders should be sent to the Open Learning Agency, Attn. COL Customer Service, 4355 Mathissi Place, Burnaby BC V5G 4S8 Canada; tel: 604.431.3210; fax: 604.431.3381; e-mail: catalogue@ola.bc.ca .
ISBN: 0 415 36956 8; 251 pages, paperback. www.col.org/worldreview
Leadership for 21st Century Learning: Global perspectives from educational innovators: Colin Latchem and Donald E. Hanna, eds.; Kogan-Page, 2001; ISBN 0-7494-3204-7. This book is going into its second printing, having won the Mildred B. and Charles A. Wedemeyer Award for the best book of the year on open and distance learning in the U.S. Chapters are written by the editors and by distance education leaders throughout the world, including COL's President. The book has received some very complimentary reviews, including one by Don Olcott, Jr. for the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (July 2001), where he concludes:
In summary, this book should be on the shelf of every university president, senior institutional administrator, dean and department chair, board member, and mid-manager and faculty who has responsibility for leading open and flexible learning organizations. Moreover, this book's synthesis of scholarship, practice, and vision for the field means it should be part of every graduate program in open and flexible learning.
The editors' interviews with global leaders, combined with their scholarly approach to leadership and change, culminate in a wealth of information, experience, and practical strategies for all practitioners and leaders. Corporate training managers and government administrators who are leading open and flexible learning initiatives would also benefit immensely from this book. In conclusion, Latchem and Hanna have written and edited a "leadership handbook" for open and flexible learning professionals at all levels. On a rating scale of 1 to 10, Latchem and Hanna deserve a 12!
www.irrodl.org/content/v2.1/olcott.html
Technologies for Education: Potential, parameters and prospects: Wadi D. Haddad and Alexandra Draxler, eds.; UNESCO/AED, 2002; ISBN 0-89492-112-6. Prepared on behalf of the publishers by Knowledge Enterprise, Inc./ TechKnowLogia , this book outlines the rationales and realities of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for education, examines the options and choices for applying them, and summarises a series of case studies that illustrate how ICTs have been integrated into learning systems in diverse settings. Drawing on a wealth of worldwide knowledge and experience, the book explores how ICTs can promote improvements in educational reach and delivery, content, learning outcomes, teaching, quality and pertinence in developing countries. It covers radio, television, computing and much more, and also includes a chapter by COL's President.
It is available on the web at no charge - 1.5 Mb PDF download for the entire book, but chapters can be downloaded individually. www.aed.org/publications/TechEdInfo.html
Enhancing Learning Opportunities in Africa: Distance education and information and communication technologies for learning: Paud Murphy, Stephen Anzalone, Andrea Bosch and Jeanne Moulton; The World Bank, 2002. Part of the World Bank's Africa Region Human Development Working Paper Series, this book is intended to increase understanding of how distance education and new ICTs can support education in Africa. It includes recent research, up-to-date statistics and recommendations for "the way forward".
In the book's Foreword, Birger J. Fredriksen (Senior Education Advisor, Human Development, Africa Region, The World Bank) notes that, "in focusing on the possibilities offered by distance education and ICTs, the Bank and African countries have two concerns: First, education on the continent must be developed in a way that contributes to Africa's full participation in the knowledge-based economies of the future. Second, traditional modes of delivering education, particularly at post-basic levels, may be more costly than countries can afford. This will entail difficult choices in many countries. It is important that investments in the new paths to education be grounded on a solid basis of knowledge and shared experience. This report provides an inventory of knowledge gained and points to promising areas for future investment."
The publication is available online - 1.66 Mb PDF download. www.worldbank.org/afr/hd/wps