Garrison, S.

Country Case Study: Synthesis Report

EDTC 645 Integration of Technology: Global Perspectives
Dr. LeAnn Derby
University of Maryland University College
Steven Garrison
March 4, 2019
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Introduction

Technology is a driving force in today’s society. With the advancement of cellphones,

tablets, and laptops, technology has become a commonality in everyday life. This includes

education. In the United States, many public school systems are striving to integrate today’s

technology into the curriculum to further engage students assisting them to be college and

career ready. China shares similarities and differences with the United States in its

incorporation of technology in education.

An advantage of technology integration is that it enables to development of a “flat

world” classroom. The “flat world” classroom allows for classrooms throughout the world to

connect through technology, sharing resources, enhancing the learning experience. In China,

the inclusion of educational technology in its infrastructure is making an impact in the

classrooms countrywide. The article, “The Role of ICT Infrastructure in Its Application to

Classrooms: A Large Scale Survey for Middle and Primary Schools in China” discusses the

policies and development of educational technology in both China and the United States. China

is a socialist country, while the United States economical system is based on capitalism. Despite

the two countries operating factors, both countries share various similarities in the way they

utilize educational technology. The article, “The Development of Educational Technology

Policies (1996-2012) Lessons from China and the USA” describes the Chinese government’s

efforts to actively strengthen its educational curriculum to include an emphasis on technology

integration. The article also mentions the educational divide that impacts learning throughout

the country. These factors are both relevant in China and the United States.
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Infrastructure

The United States began the use of educational technology infrastructure in the early

1990s through the use of computers and basic internet access. “In 1991, USA launched the

National Information Infrastructure (NII), which was the basic step to the widespread use of

information and communication technologies (ICT) in education in the USA.” (Gua & Zhang,

2014) The purpose of the National Information Infrastructure was to provide Americans with

access to informational resources nationwide. Utilizing this also allowed for the strengthening

of computer education in both primary and secondary schools. The development of this

infrastructure served as a blueprint for other countries to follow, including China. Conversely,

China did not begin to develop an infrastructure that would provide its citizens with access to

educational technology until 1996. It was then, the Chinese Minister of Education announced

the importance of utilizing educational technology to assist with the challenges of 21st century

learning.

As technology progressed, the United States considered more measures to enhance its

infrastructure to provide better access to educational technology. However, the country has

faced issues relating to ICT. “The plan reemphasized the ICT infrastructure, but it was notable

that this plan did not identify recommendations about connecting schools with the internet or

classrooms with the internet, because it had already equipped the schools with computers.”

(Gua & Zhang, 2014) Currently, there are classrooms that still lack the hardware and application

access to fully integrate educational technology properly.

“When China’s economy began to thrive after 2003, this had a good impact on
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educational technology policies, and the implementation in China. Hence, the study concluded

that formal educational technology planning in China started after 1996” (Gua & Zhang, 2014)

Though China’s educational technology implementation was growing, there were many

challenges. One of the main challenges was the unequal distribution of educational technology

between rural and urban China. Even now, the urban areas of China have better access and

higher quality technologies than the rural areas. 


Curriculum Integration

China’s issue with educational technology infrastructure between rural and urban

schools impacts the curriculum integration. “Only some schools in rural areas offer ICT courses,

and only a fraction of schools have multi-media classrooms, and these tend to have a poor

operating environment and low utilization rates.” (Lu, Tsai, & Wu, 2014) Educational technology

is encouraged to be integrated in the curriculum, however, due to the limitations on technology

rural schools do not apply it in everyday teaching. In the city schools, educational technology is

used both in primary and secondary schools beginning in the third grade. However, technology

availability still varies by content area. “The equipment for teachers to use consists mainly of

multimedia classrooms, but some teachers of subsidiary courses, such as physics, chemistry,

geography and history, cannot use information technology for teaching yet because of the lack

of multi-media classrooms and digital instruction facilities.” (Lu, Tsai, & Wu, 2014) The

educational standards in China are not dictated by the government, instead, they utilize

Standards of Educational Technology of China (SETC) for their educational technology

guidelines. “China Association for Educational Technology (CAET) is the largest civil organization
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for educational technology in China and promotes the development of the field of educational

technology.” (Gua & Zhang, 2014)

In the United States, many educational technologies are integrated in the curriculum

beginning at the kindergarten level. The United States integrates technology nationwide

through the use of the ISTE Standards. “The USA National Educational Technology Standards

(NETS), also known as International Standards for Technology in Education (ISTE), were

proposed as “Educational Technology Standards for Students” in the first version in 1998.” (Gua

& Zhang, 2014) Since 1998, the ISTE standards have continually been updated and now includes

not only students, but teachers and administrators. Though each state provides their own

academic standards such as Common Core State Standards, the ISTE standards are often

incorporated in order to make technology more engaging and instructional based.

Professional Development

Professional development and teacher training has been constructed in China based on

the Standards of Educational Technology of China (SETC). With the educational technology

challenges faced in rural China, specific trainings have been designated. “In educational policy,

after 2005, there were specific educational technology policies and initiatives for rural and

underdeveloped provinces in China, like the Notification of Modern Distance Education Project

Implementation Plan of Primary and Secondary Schools in Rural Areas, the National Teacher

Training programme, and the Remote Central and Western Rural Compulsory Education School

Teachers Training Programme.” (Gua & Zhang, 2014) These trainings are designed to assist

educators in integrating technology despite of their limited access.

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Like China, the United States has professional development for educational technology

implementation designed to align with the International Society for Technology in Education

(ISTE) standards. “In November 2010, the USA Department of Education promulgated

NETP2010, known as a “Model of Learning Powered by Technology”. The plan developed based

on five main areas; learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, productivity.” (Gua & Zhang,

2014) Through traditional learning pedagogy, teachers were only able to provide instruction

based in the classroom. However, through these new technology advancements, professional

development is designed to support technology-based learning being there are no limits for the

learning community. Students have limitless access to the digital learning resources 24 hours a

day, 7 days a week, and regardless of location.

Conclusion

Technology has impacted the learning process by allowing students to learn both in and

out of the classroom. Based on available resources, the educational technology gap between

rural and urban China appears to be an area that requires additional research. This information

will better assist in understanding what forms of technology, hardware or software, are needed

to close any potential educational technology gap. Further research is also needed to

understand how the possible uneven distribution of technology impacts education at both the

primary and secondary level. On the other hand, all public school systems in the United States

provide access to technologies regardless of location. Finally, it would be beneficial to gain

information on how the educational technology is funded. In the United States, each county’s

Board of Education is normally in charge of the funding. With these factors, I can possibly better
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understand China’s use of technology in the classroom.

References:

Guo, & Zhang. (2014, November 30). The Development of Educational Technology Policies (1996-
2012): Lessons from China and the USA. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from
https://eric.ed.gov/?q=Educational technology in China&id=EJ1067804

Lu, C., Tsai, C., & Wu, D. (2014). The Role of ICT Infrastructure in Its Application to Classrooms: A
Large Scale Survey for Middle and Primary Schools in China. Educational Technology and
Society,18, 249-261. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from https://www.j-ets.net/ets/.