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A cultural look at information and communication technologies in Eastern education

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Abstract

The Eastern cultural tradition, together with other social factors, has shaped a group-based, teacher-dominated, and centrally organized pedagogical culture. Drawing upon this cultural perspective, this article reviews the development of information and communication technologies (ICT) in Eastern schools, including ICT planning and management, hardware infrastructures, software resources and services, professional development, and ICT-supported educational practices. It highlights the impact of the pedagogical culture on technology use, as well as the role of technology in pedagogical change. The review suggests a number of critical challenges Eastern educators need to address.

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Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this article was presented as an invited address at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit on Educational Innovation: Striking Balance: Sharing Practice from East and West, Beijing, 2004. The author thanks Yong Zhao, the research committee chair of the conference, for his comments on the earlier drafts. I would also like to thank Ricki Goldman, Chewlee Teo, Don Philip, and the anonymous reviewers for their comments.

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  1. School of Education, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY, USA

    Jianwei Zhang

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Correspondence to Jianwei Zhang.

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Zhang, J. A cultural look at information and communication technologies in Eastern education. Education Tech Research Dev 55, 301–314 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-007-9040-y

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