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Global Forces, Local Needs, and ICT-Supported Innovations in Small Countries and Developing Regions: Overcoming the Misalignment. An Editorial Introduction

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ICT-Supported Innovations in Small Countries and Developing Regions

Abstract

Developing countries receive international assistance allowing information and communication technologies (ICT) to be increasingly accessible for education development purposes. Despite substantial global investments to export technology-supported educational innovations, evidence pointing to improvements in education quality is mixed and inconclusive. This raises questions on how best to achieve implementation and adoption of technology innovations outside of the contexts that inspired their creation. Are the features of ICT innately and universally transferrable, supporting mass diffusion, or should we be paying greater attention to local social conditions that foster acceptance and use of ICT in developing countries? The unique contextual features of small developing countries impede their ability to take full advantage of these borrowed ICT innovations, even with relevant adaptations. Beyond mere access afforded by ICT, domestic issues of quality, equality, and equity in education are of growing concern for small countries and developing regions.

The original version of this chapter was revised. An erratum to this chapter can be found at DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-67657-9_9

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The best practice approach assumes that the desired result will be reliably achieved based on experience and research. However, much of the research and experience is from the developed countries that may have little in common with the developing countries to whom the best practices are exported. As such, best practices in one context may not be transferrable to another.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the following individuals for their comments and other assistance concerning this chapter including Luanne Serieux-Lubin, Alvinus Melius, and Michael Thomas. However, the views expressed in this chapter and any shortcomings are those of the author.

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    Ian A. Lubin

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    Ian A. Lubin

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Lubin, I.A. (2018). Global Forces, Local Needs, and ICT-Supported Innovations in Small Countries and Developing Regions: Overcoming the Misalignment. An Editorial Introduction. In: Lubin, I. (eds) ICT-Supported Innovations in Small Countries and Developing Regions. Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67657-9_1

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