Educational Technology in small state countries The Maldives

Introduction This paper is aimed at discussing the adoption of educational technologies in such a country as the Maldives. It is necessary to focus on the geographic, demographic, and economic peculiarities of this state. Furthermore, much attention should be paid to the policies on information and communication technologies (ICTs). Additionally, one should understand the challenges that they face when establishing ICT.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Educational Technology in small state countries: The Maldives specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One can argue that the policy-makers of this country appreciate the role of ITCs for the professional development of students. Nevertheless, they have to overcome infrastructural problems. This is the main argument that can be put forward. Maldives at a glance The Republic of Maldives includes 26 atolls that are located between the Chagos Archipelago and Minicoy Island (E llis, 2008, p. 4). According to the 2013 estimation, the population of the country numbers 393,988 people (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013). Dhivehi is the official language in the Maldives; however English is also widely spoken. The state can be described as a presidential republic. The economy of this country strongly depends on tourism, since this sector yields approximately 29 percent of the GDP (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013). These are some of the main aspects that need to be considered. Historical overview of education in Maldives It should be noted that in the educational system of this country has long been based on such organizations as edhuruge. This term is used to describe the gathering of children in some private home (Mohamed Ahmed, 1998, p. 1; Rao, 2005, p. 183). These schools were governed by local communities. One should bear in mind students, who attend edhuruges, only receive rudimentary knowledge of arithmetic and Quran (Mohamed Ahmed, 1998, p. 1). Curre ntly, there are attempts to make edhuruges more consistent with the academic standards that are set by the state (Gupta, 2007, p. 119). The Maldives Ministry of Education was formed in 1968 (International Bureau of Education, 2013). In turn, the decision of to unify national educational system was adopted only in 1978 (Mohamed Ahmed, 1998, p. 1).Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To a great extent, the changes in the educational system of this state can be explained by the developmental needs of the country. The sustainability of its economy was dependent on the availability of skilled labor. This is one of the issues that can be singled out. Present education system in the Maldives The Ministry of Education Currently, the Ministry of Education in the country consists of several departments or divisions. Among them, one can distinguish the Educational Development Centre, the Departmen t of Public Examinations, the Educational Development Centre, and other organizations (International Bureau of Education, 2013). These divisions have a wide scope of responsibilities and mandates. In particular, they are supposed to design national curriculum in schools and provide resources that should be used by teachers and learners. Apart from that, this institution has to promote professional development of educators (International Bureau of Education, 2013). These divisions are also responsible for the collection of data about the performance of schools and development of strategies that should benefit both learners and teachers. Overall, the main task of this ministry is to ensure that the education offered to people corresponds to the developmental needs of the country. Educational policies of the country The educational policies of the country are primarily aimed at improving the competencies of teachers. For example, it is possible to refer to the Professional Development Policy adopted in 2009 which is supposed to provide opportunities to educators. Therefore, these professionals have to attend workshops, seminars, online programs, workshops, and courses which help them to elaborate their instruction methods (International Bureau of Education, 2013). This policy is mostly intended for school teachers who need to spend at least 15 on the activities that promote the development of their skills. This is one of the aspects that can be singled out. Additionally, policy-makers attempt to eliminate the inequalities existing among schools located in different parts of the country. In particular, they want the schools located on various islands to have the same resources that are available to schools in Male which is the capital of the country. This strategy is also critical for the improvement of students’ academic performance.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Educational Technology in small state countries: The Maldives specif ically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More National curriculum focus The national curriculum developed in this country includes several developmental areas. First of all, one can speak about psychological, emotional and physical development of a child (Maldives Ministry of Education, 2001). Additionally, much attention is paid to the social skills of a learner and his/her ability to understand and follow Islamic norms of behavior (Maldives Ministry of Education, 2001). Finally, educators focus their attention of learners’ analytical and critical thinking skills that are essential for academic performance of students. Yet, it should be mentioned that the role of technologies and their use are not sufficiently stressed in the national curriculum. The policy-makers and educators refer to the skills that are necessary for economic activities, but they do not mention ICTs (Maldives Ministry of Education, 2001). This is one of the main limitations t hat should not be disregarded. Educational technology policies and objectives ICT competencies identified by UNESCO It should be mentioned that there are several ICTs competences that are identified by international organizations such as UNESCO (2011). In particular, they are related to such areas as project-based learning, group work, problem-solving and other learning activities of students (UNESCO 2011). They are essential for the cognitive development of a person (Price, 2012, p. 10). Furthermore, teachers should be able to use new instructional models which can better exploit the opportunities provided by information technologies. It is possible to distinguish the following competences: technology literacy or ability to apply ICTs; knowledge deepening or provision of learning materials and instructions which contribute to the development of students’ skills; knowledge creation or the promotion of learners’ ability to make innovations and generate new knowledge (U NESCO, 2011, p. 7). These are the main competencies that should be considered by educators. ICT development of the Maldives At present, the government of the country attempts to make ICTs more affordable. This is why they reduced import taxes imposed on computer equipment (Ahmed, 2004, p. 6). Moreover, the government wants to liberalize the market for Internet service providers (Ahmed, 2004, p. 5). These initiatives are vital for improvement of ICT infrastructure within the country (Foster, 2011, p. 75).Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One of the goals that are set by the state is to increase the PC literacy of students (Ahmed, 2004, p. 6). In order to achieve this goal, they provide computers to schools that are located in various regions of the country. Nevertheless, it is critical to remember that there are significant inequalities between various parts of the country (Hens, 2006, p. 193). For instance, the quality of Internet connection in Male is much better than in other regions. Similarly, the adoption of ITCs is much more widespread in schools located in the capital than in other parts of the Maldives. This is one of the problems that should be taken into account. Recent educational projects in Maldives Educational policies related to the implementation of ITCs Currently, the government attempts to improve IT infrastructure in educational organizations. One of their intentions is to make sure that computers are present in every secondary school (Government of Maldives, 2006, p. 91). In addition to that, po licy-makers stress the ability of teachers to incorporate ITCs into their lessons. On the whole, their overarching goal is to make information technologies a part of the educational process. This objective is critical for increasing the professional competitiveness of school graduates. ITC projects in education One can identify several projects are related to the implementation of information technologies. First of all, much attention should be paid to the establishment of Multipurpose Community Telecenter. This institution is supposed to provide learners with such resources as fax, voice mail, telephones, Internet, or TV (Survey of ICTs for Education in India and South Asia, 2010, p. 74). This organization will be intended for people who do not have access to ICTs in their local schools. Furthermore, Maldives Ministry of Education participates in the program called the Virtual University for Small States (Survey of ICTs for Education in India and South Asia, 2010, p. 74). This prog ram enables students to take the courses that are held in the universities of the United Kingdom, Canada, or Australia. To a great extent, this project is based on active use of information and communication technologies. They enabled students from the Maldives to interact with distinguished professors. Moreover, there are many initiatives that are supposed to improve the infrastructure of many schools. For instance, the government intends to provide a laptop to every teacher working in public schools (Survey of ICTs for Education in India and South Asia, 2010, p. 74). Yet, one should keep in many that many of these projects have not been fully implemented. Challenges in establishing ICT in Maldivian schools There are several obstacles that prevent the government of Maldives from establishing ICT in schools. First of all, people living in some remote areas of the country struggle with such problems as power cuts and poor internet connectivity (Ujaley, 2013). These difficulties are e ncountered by people living on the remote islands of the Maldives. Under such circumstances, information technologies cannot be effectively adopted. Furthermore, there is a lack of teachers who can effectively adopt implement ICTs in school. Many of them are not able to design lessons with the use of ITCs. This issue is also critical for understanding the challenges faced by this country. Conclusion The discussion of various problems suggests that the government of Maldives attaches importance to the role of information technologies. To a great extent, they are critical for human development in this country. They attempt to implement several projects that can enable students to improve their learning activities. Yet, there are some problems that cannot be overlooked. It is vital to remember that the economic and infrastructural differences between various regions of the country slow down the adoption of ICTs. Reference List Ahmed, I. (2004). Statistics and Indicators on ICTs in Mald ives. Retrieved from http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/mexico04/doc/doc/42_mdv_e.pdf Central Intelligence Agency. (2013). The World Factbook: Maldives. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mv.html Ellis, R. (2008). Maldives. New York, NY: Bradt Travel Guides. Foster, M. (2011). Africa’s ICT Infrastructure: Building on the Mobile Revolution. New York, NY: World Bank. Government of Maldives. (2006). Seventh National Development Plan. Retrieved from http://www.planning.gov.mv/en/images/stories/ndp/seventh_ndp.pdf Gupta, A. (2007). Going to School in South Asia. New York, NY: Greenwood Publishing Group. Hens, L. (2006). The World Summit on Sustainable Development: The  Ã‚  Johannesburg Conference. New York, NY: Springer. International Bureau of Education. (2013). World Data on Education. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002113/211307e.pdf Maldives Ministry of Education. (2001). Highlights of the National Curriculum. Retr ieved from http://www.thauleem.net/edc/curriculum.html Mohamed, A., Ahmed, M. (1998). Maldives: Education policies, curriculum design  and implementation at the level of upper primary and general secondary education. Retrieved from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/curriculum/Asia%20Networkpdf/ndrepmv.pdf Price, H. (2012). The Really Useful Book of ICT in the Early Years. New York, NY: Routledge. Rao, D. (2005). Globalization and Living Together. Boston, MA: Discovery Publishing House. Survey of ICTs for Education in India and South Asia. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.infodev.org/infodev-files/resource/InfodevDocuments_880.pdf Ujaley, M. (2013). Education Minister Dr Asim Ahmed’s interview for Digital Learning  Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.mv/archives/238 UNESCO. (2011). UNESCO ICT Competency Framework. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002134/213475e.pdf This report on Educational Technology in small state countries: The Maldives was written and submitted by user Ayleen B. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The eNotes Blog The Not Buried Imagination A New Poem by E. E. CummingsDiscovered

The Not Buried Imagination A New Poem by E. E. CummingsDiscovered It is the kind of thing scholars live for, the type of adventure A. S. Byatt wrote so eloquently about in her novel Possession. A few weeks ago, biographer James Dempsey, while working on a biography of Scofield Thayer (publisher of The Dial Magazine), made a remarkable discovery. Going through a file folder containing correspondence between Thayer and Cummings, Dempsey came across a poem he had never seen before. In fact, as he soon confirmed, the poem had heretofore been unpublished. Dempsey dates the poem to about 1916, the naissance of the poets career. E.E Cummings via  The New Yorker Thayer and Cummings had been friends for several years before Cummingss work appeared in The Dial. They maintained a strong friendship for ten years, until Thayer, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, became incapacitated. However, until that point, the two collaborated and enjoyed their mutual passion for the arts. That being said, the relationship between publisher and poet was odd, to say the least. According to Dempsey, Thayer gave Cummings a great deal of money to pursue his craft; publishing his work in The Dial gained the poet wide recognition and acclaim. Cummings, for his part, took the money and fame, and also Thayers wife to his bed, and got her pregnant. Thayer, Dempsey says, did not seem to have much of a problem with this turn of events. Scofield Thayer via Literary Manhattan For a full analysis of the relationship between Cummings and Thayer, you can read Dempseys article here as well as the text of the poem (Warning: the poem contains language that may be objectionable to some readers). This is the poem that he found in that yellowing folder. Perhaps there are more to come. Whatever his personal demons, Cummings remains one of the luminaries of modern American poetry and a previously unknown poem is indeed a great discovery. Cummings lost poem via The Awl   To read more about E.E Cummings and his work, check out his biography on .   (Feature image via Komseq)