International Conference “UNESCO Chairs Partnership on ICTs use in Education”

The UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE) in partnership with St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation (SUAI) and it’s UNESCO Chair “Distance Education in Engineering” organized an International Conference “UNESCO Chairs Partnership on ICTs use in Education”. It took place on 2-6 June, 2013 in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation within the XIV International Forum «Modern Information Society Formation - Problems, Perspectives, Innovation Approaches». IITE UNESCO expresses a highest appreciation to CISCO Company for the support of the conference.

The main objectives of the conference:

• to analyze the trends and issues of further networking as well as to identify the best practices, successful innovative initiatives and projects  contributing to developing and strengthening sustainable, inclusive and diversified systems and institutions for and with the innovations in the field of  integration of ICT and pedagogy;
• to exchange the best practices of adaptation and implementation of the IITE International Master Programme  “ICTs in Teacher Professional Development” and its separate modules by the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs, relevant institutions and networks;
• to develop and implement teacher training programmes based on UNESCO ICT-CFT, MOOCS  and OER by  the integration of UNESCO ICT-enhanced approaches into national/regional teacher training programmes;
• to initiate and support activities connected with the development of National/Regional standards for ICT competency for teachers based on UNESCO ICT-CFT;
• to improve  an  interaction  between UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs working in the field of ICTs in education and innovative pedagogy, UNESCO ASPnet schools, UNESCO/UNEVOC Centers and their partners from state and private organizations  taking into account the experience of implementation of the UNESCO IITE and ASPnet pilot project “Learning For the Future” (LFF).

More than 50 participants (UNITWIN/ UNESCO Chairs’ Chairholders and their representatives, high-level international experts, representatives of the universities’ authorities, teacher training institutions, researchers and practitioners involved in the use of ICTs in education and innovative pedagogy from 10 countries took part in the conference.

The opening ceremony began from the welcome addresses by Prof. Anatoly OVODENKO, Rector, St.-Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation; Chairholder, UNESCO Chair on Distance Education in Engineering, Russian Federation; by Prof. Alexander KHOROSHILOV, National Programme Officer, UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, who presented the welcome speech of Mr. Dendev BADARCH, UNESCO Representative in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation, Director of the UNESCO Moscow Office and UNESCO IITE Director a.i.; Mr. Francesc PEDRO, Chief, Division for Teacher Development and Education Policies, UNESCO; Prof. Vladimir EGOROV, Head of Coordination Committee of UNESCO Chairs of the Russian Federation; Chairholder, UNESCO Chair “Public service and management of social and economic processes”,  Director of the Centre on Information-Communication and  Mass-Media Management of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), Russian Federation; Prof. Nella PRUSS, National UNESCO ASPnet coordinator of the Russian Federation, Rector of the University of Management “TISBI”, Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair in Training and Retraining of Specialists under Market Economy Conditions, Russian Federation; Prof. Valery SOLOMIN, Rector, Herzen Pedagogical State University of Russia,St.-Petersburg, Russian Federation. The conference was also welcomed by members of the UNESCO IITE Governing Board: Prof. Tapio VARIS, Chairholder, UNESCO Chair in Global E-Learning with applications to multiple domains, University of Tampere, Finland; Prof. Jianzhong CHA, Chairholder, UNESCO Chair on Cooperation between Higher Engineering Education and Industries, Jiaotong University, Beijing, China; Prof. Inna MALIUKOVA, Director of the Ukraine Institute for Information Technologies in Education, National Technical University, Ukraine.

The Plenary session “IITE Network of UNESCO Chairs on ICT in education and innovative pedagogy: experience and further development of cooperation  on integration of ICT and pedagogy”was chaired by Mr. Tapio VARIS, Member of the UNESCO IITE Governing Board; Chairholder, UNESCO Chair in Global E-Learning with applications to multiple domains, University of Tampere, Finland  and Mr. Alexander KHOROSHILOV, National Programme Officer, Chief of Section “Teacher Professional Development and Networking”, UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education.

Three sections were organized. Section 1 “Topical Issues of ICT in Education and Innovative Pedagogy: UNESCO Chairs  Experience and Best Practice” was chaired by Prof. Vladimir SILKIN, UNESCO Chair “Public service and management of social and economic processes”, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), Russian Federation and Prof. Charles HOPKINS, Chairholder, UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Teacher Education, York University, Toronto, Canada; Chairholder,United Nations University Chair. Section 2 “Teachers Professional Development on and through ICT: Innovative Approaches to Capacity Building in Education” - by Prof. Simeon CAISIN, Director, Institute of Teachers’ Training and Re-Training, Republic of Moldova and Prof. Gennady SELUTIN, Chairholder, UNESCO Chair on Educational Science and Teacher Training, Kazakh National Teacher Training University n.a. Abai, Kazakhstan. Section 3 “Models of the Interaction of IITE Network  of UNESCO Chairs  on ICTs in education and innovative pedagogy with  Global UNESCO networks and Partners” – by Prof. Dmitry POLYAKOV, Vice-Rector for academic affairs; Director, IT Center; UNESCO Chair in Training and Retraining of Specialists under MarketEconomy Conditions, University of Management «TISBI», Russian Federation and Prof. Ilham AHMEDOV, Director of the Computers Center, Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University, Azerbaijan.

The Round Table on Industry, Science and Education Integration chaired by Prof. Alexander KHOROSHILOV, National Programme Officer, Chief of Section “Teacher Professional Development and Networking”, UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, UNESCO, Prof. Vitaly KHIMENKO, Deputy Rector,St.-Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation, Russian Federation,  Academic  Rafael USUPOV, member-correspondent of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation, Director of the Saint-Petersburg Institute on  Informatics and Automatization of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Federation  and Prof. George KORZHAVIN,  Director-General of the Concern «Granit – Electron», Russian Federation was organizedjointly with International conference "The System Analysis, Complex Simulation and Technologies of Aerospace Monitoring".

In the framework of the conference the Master class on preparation of projects for new UNESCO Chairs creation and Consultation for higher education institutions and the chairs, wishing to join the Network was carried out by Prof. Alexander KHOROSHILOV, National Programme Officer, Chief of Section “Teacher Professional Development and Networking”, UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, UNESCO and Dr. Oksana MUKHINA, Vice Chairholder, UNESCO Chair on Distance Education in Engineering, St.-Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation, Russian Federation.

The Amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding on establishing of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs network working in the field of ICTs use in education and pedagogy was signed by new members joined to the UNESCO IITE Network.

Recognizing an important role of ICT as most powerful means for the organization of cross-cultural dialogue in order to achieve the goal  of creation of global knowledge society and to form a highly educated civilization, including ideas of humanity, gender equality and inclusivity; and noting the role of UNESCO IITE as the global institute which is carrying out the activity in a scope of ICT in education and innovative pedagogy, participants of conference adopted the Final Document of the Conference.