E-Education in Context:
A critical look at educational policies and implementation in E-Thailand
By Snea Thinsan
Accepted for presentation at
MSU May 17-21
Abstract:
As extensively "electronicized" as it is nowadays, our world is invaded by the "e" in all aspects.
E-Thailand, initiated under a broader e-ASEAN scheme, reflects such an inevitable move at the national level due to the regional and global forces. But is the jump well justified? What are the traps? What do we educators have to say? Taking the e-Thailand poliy as a case, I will examine and critique its five-pillar IT2010 Master Plan, which includes e-government, e-commerce, e-industry, e-education, and e-society, with a strong emphasis on e-education. Recommendations to the Thai government, which applies in global contexts, will be shared.
Description:
The presentation will set out by giving a picture of movements related to ICT development plans and implementations at global, regional, and national levels. Then, it will shed light on the e-Thailand scheme, particularly on its Thailand IT2010 Master Plan, which ambitiously addresses the five pillars, namely, e-government, e-commerce, e-industry, e-education, and e-society concurrently.
Being as top-down as it appears, will the policy work well? The emphasis will be placed on how e-education fits into the whole scheme. In addition, critiques on how feasible, sensible, and effective the action plans might be will be offered. Although the plan tends to address local agendas and a promotion of indigenous cultures and languages, the article will address the gaps from an educator's perspective. Recommendations made to the Thai government and the concerned agencies will also be shared.
It is hoped that issues related to CALL in particular and e-education in general will be of common interest to all participants from around the world because problems about digital divide, the readiness of people at the grassroots level (including villagers, adult learners, school teachers, administrators, etc.), pedagogical shifts, and budget cuts, to name a few, are universal, though of varied degrees of severity.