There is a diverse range of resources available from across the world - produced by organisations, agencies, voluntary sector and industry - that support the development of policy and practice. The following are intended as examples only and are by no means exhaustive.
The three links below lead to lists of organisations working with ICT in different ways. A number of resources from each organisation are provided, but users are advised to search the websites listed for new resources as they become available, as well as look are the archive or publications or other resources. Some organisations also provide newsletters, or use social media enable users to keep up to date with their work.
International Organisations
UNESCO
UNESCO’s educational objectives are to support the achievement of Education for All (EFA); to provide global and regional leadership in education; to strengthen education systems worldwide from early childhood to the adult years; to respond to contemporary global challenges through education. As the only United Nations agency with a mandate to cover all aspects of education, UNESCO’s work encompasses educational development from pre-school through to higher education, including technical and vocational education and training, non-formal education and literacy.
Key publications from UNESCO include:
- UNESCO Global Report. Opening New Avenues for Empowerment. ICTs to Access Information and Knowledge for Persons with Disabilities (2013)
- Consultative Expert Meeting Report. Accessible ICTs and Personalized Learning for Students with Disabilities: A Dialogue among Educators, Industry, Government and Civil Society (2012)
- Transforming Education: the Power of ICT Policies (2011)
- Disability and the Millennium Development Goals – A Review of the MDG Process and Strategies for Inclusion of Disabilities Issues in the Millennium Development Goal Efforts (2011)
- EFA Global Monitoring Report 2010: Reaching the marginalized (2010)
- Policy Guidelines on Inclusion in Education (2009)
- National Information Society Policy: A Template (2009)
- UNESCO ICT in Education Toolkit.
UNESCO - Knowledge Societies Division (KSD)
The Knowledge Societies Division (KSD), within the Communication and Information Sector of UNESCO, is responsible for the coordination of UNESCO’s overall contribution to the follow-up to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
Key publications from UNESCO KSD include:
- Overview of Information Literacy Resources Worldwide (2013)
- WSIS+10: Review and Strategic Directions for Building Inclusive Knowledge Societies for Persons with Disabilities (2013)
- UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers
UNESCO ITTE
The UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE), based in Moscow, specialises in information exchange, research and training on the integration of ICT in education.
Key publications from UNESCO IITE include:
- ICTs in Education for People with Disabilities – Review of Innovative Practice (2011)
- UNESCO IITE Policy Brief ICT for Inclusion: Reaching More Students More Effectively. (2010)
UNESCO – Bangkok
As Regional Bureau for Education, UNESCO Bangkok provides strategic expertise, advisory, monitoring and evaluation functions to Member States, other UNESCO Field Offices and UN Country Teams in the area of Education. It publishes a wide range of resources on inclusive education on policy and practice including the use of technology.
Key publications from UNESCO Bangkok include:
WHO – World Health Organisation
The WHO publishes advice on guidance of disability issues, including technical guidance on assistive technologies/devices and e-accessibility. They are providing assistance for the development of national policies and programmes on assistive devices and technologies with a focus on human resource development and creating a database on availability of appropriate assistive devices and technologies
Key publications from WHO include:
- The World Report on Disabilities (2011)
- The International Classification on Functioning, Disability and Health
ITU (International Telecommunication Union)
ITU is the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs. It is unique among UN agencies in having both public and private sector membership. In addition to 193 Member States, ITU membership includes ICT regulators, leading academic institutions and some 700 private companies. They allocate global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develop the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strive to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide.
Key publications from ITU include:
- Technology, Broadband and Education Advancing the Education for All Agenda (2013)
- Connect a School, Connect a Community - best practices and policy advice training module on using ICTs to promote education and job training for people with disabilities.
- The ICT Opportunity for a Disability-Inclusive Development Framework - contributes to a better understanding of the extent to which ICTs can enable and accelerate the social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities.
G3ict - Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies
G3ict is an Advocacy Initiative of the UN GAID, the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development, launched in December 2006 in cooperation with the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at UN DESA. Its mission is to facilitate and support the implementation of the dispositions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the accessibility of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and assistive technologies. G3ict relies on an international network of ICT accessibility experts to develop and promote good practices, technical resources and benchmarks for ICT accessibility advocates around the world.
Key publications from G3ict include:
- Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities 2012 ICT Accessibility Progress Report (2012)
- Accessibility Self-Assessment Framework. Evaluation of Country Compliance With the Dispositions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities On Accessibility of Information and Communication Technologies (2009)
- The Accessibility Imperative: Implications of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for Information and Communication Technologies (2007)
- G3ict. e-Accessibility Policy Toolkit for Persons with Disabilities.
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
The mission of the OECD is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. Probably best known in education circles for their international studies on standards and achievements of learners, the OECD publishes reports and statistics that also examine disadvantage, underachievement, and inclusion issues. Some of these include aspects of the use of technology.
Key publications from OECD include:
- Assessing the effects of ICT in Education: indicators, criteria and benchmarks for international comparisons (2009) – published jointly with the European Union
European Organisations
European Commission
Key publications from the European Commission on the topics of ICT and inclusion include:
- Survey of schools: ICT in Education (2013)
- The use of ICT to support innovation and lifelong learning for all - A report on progress ICT Impact Report (2013)
- Indicators on ICT in Primary and Secondary Education (2009)
- Communication from the Commission: Opening Up Education (2013)
- Commission Staff Working Document: Opening Up Education (2013)
European Schoolnet (EUN)
EUN is the network of 30 European Ministries of Education, based in Brussels. As a not-for-profit organisation, we aim to bring innovation in teaching and learning to our key stakeholders: Ministries of Education, schools, teachers, researchers, and industry partners. European Schoolnet provides both Ministries and schools with: information and services relating to the innovative use of educational technology; outreach campaigns on specific educational topics such as maths, science and technology; and research activities.
Key publications from EUN include:
- Overview and Analysis of 1:1 Learning Initiatives in Europe (2013)
- SENnet project (2011-14)
- Integrating Students with Special Needs into Mainstreaming Classrooms: the role of ICT (2012)
- ICT Impact Report (2006)
- Learning Resource Exchange for Schools
EU Joint Research Centre (Information Society Unit)
The Information Society Unit of the Joint Research Centre provides information, publications and details of events on a range of e-inclusion topics, including Inclusion & Cultural Diversity, and Learning and Skills.
Key publications from EU Joint Research Centre include:
- The Future of Learning: Preparing for Change (2011)
- Digital Games for Empowerment and Inclusion (links to recent publications on this topic)
Eurydice
The Eurydice Network provides information on and analyses of European education systems and policies. As from 2013 it consists of 40 national units based in all 36 countries participating in the EU's Lifelong Learning programme. It is co-ordinated and managed by the EU Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency in Brussels, which drafts its studies and provides a range of online resources
Key publications from Eurydice include:
Professional Organisations
Microsoft
As well as producing technology Microsoft also support a range of research projects and practitioner networks and provide advice on accessibility. Microsoft provides professional development to government policymakers, school leaders, and educators around the world to take new approaches to teaching and learning, using technology to help students develop 21st century skills.
Key publications from Microsoft include:
- Partners in Learning
- Innovative Teaching and Learning Research
- Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills
- Microsoft Accessibility
SMART Inclusion wiki
SMART inclusion is a glog providing information on the integration of interactive white boards and other mainstream technology with assistive technology for use during whole and small group instruction in all educational settings.
Access for All
Access for All is a group of professionals from all over Europe that have worked for many years in the field on disability, with focus towards full inclusion of people with disabilities. Access For All aims at highlighting a variety of projects, initiatives, events, etc. that place people with disabilities, older people as well as other people at risk of being excluded at the centre, thus aiming to let them become full citizens that can enjoy every service, event, PC application, etc. like everyone else.
CORE Ten Trends
Each year, CORE Education put together and publish CORE's prognosis on what are the coming ten major ICT trends that will make an impact upon education in New Zealand (and other parts of the world) in the coming year. Each theme is a trend in eLearning that is likely to have impact on how educational organisations interact with eLearning technologies and practices.