Hello! I'm Almudena Vicente-Franqueira and in this video of the Digitally-Competent Educational Organisations
course organised by the INTEF, we will talk about planning and managing a school's digital infrastructure.
Learning anytime; learning anywhere; learning alone, but in contact with other students
with different levels of knowledge and competences; constant lifelong learning.
All of these expressions define different types of learning which may not be possible
in real life if we are not able to plan and manage the digital infrastructure that enables
us to expand learning beyond the classroom and the physical presence of teachers and students.
When referring to infrastructure, the European Framework DigCompOrg mentions not only the
digital infrastructure, but also physical learning spaces that have to be designed in
such a way that they will allow the effective use of technologies and new teaching methodologies.
In this sense, having a reliable, secure, and scalable digital infrastructure is fundamental
for any proposal related to the digital competence of organisations.
If it is not reliable, there are no guarantees that we can access the digital tools everywhere
and at all times, whenever we need them.
If it is not safe, we cannot ensure the protection of our personal information, activities, and
facilities against malicious attacks and against unwanted use of our data.
And last, if they are not scalable, infrastructures can become outdated because of the dynamic character
of educational organisations, or they can work improperly when the usage parameters change.
Needless to say that planning and managing the digital infrastructure entails certain aspects that go beyond
competence. Planning and managing the digital infrastructure primarily depends on the current situation
of technology and on the market.
Furthermore, market issues related to planning and managing digital infrastructures influence
decision making processes that often have nothing to do with the educational organisations;
the parties responsible for making decisions in this area are public administrations or private agencies.
In other words, educational organisations are responsible for planning and managing
the digital infrastructures, but their implementation is linked to technology and budget-related
issues that usually go beyond the organisation's competence or intentions.
However, even though they don't make the decisions, the schools need to have a clear
vision of how their digital infrastructure needs to be in order to ensure effective learning
in the circumstances we mentioned above, and they also need to establish what will happen
to the infrastructure once it becomes obsolete.
In this sense, DigCompOrg identifies two sub-elements for this element:
Physical and Virtual Learning Spaces are designed for digital-age learning.
The digital infrastructure is planned and managed.
These two sub-elements actually remind us that we are at a point where physical space merges with virtual
space in such a way that they become one environment in which they give each other constant feedback.
But in order for this to happen, we must make sure that the digital infrastructure matches up with
the physical space and that it allows the users the access to learning in an invisible but critical manner.
With regards to the first sub-element related to the design of spaces for the digital-age learning, two
descriptors were mentioned: Physical learning spaces optimise the affordances of digital-age learning.
Virtual Learning Spaces are optimised.
Both descriptors talk about optimising, that is, finding the best possible relations between
all the elements of the physical and virtual environments so that the learning process
takes place in the best possible setting.
A good starting point in the design of spaces is the idea of the semiotics of spaces and infrastructures.
Spaces and infrastructures bear unspoken messages of our learning and teaching models and theories
and there is great feedback between all of the components involved (the physical component,
the epistemological component, and the teaching and learning practices).
A component becomes effective when the others complement it; in the same way, they block
or impoverish learning when there is a conflict between them.
This is where the idea of harmonising both spaces stemmed from.
In the same way, the implementation and management of the digital infrastructure should be governed
by the equal opportunities and elimination of barriers principles.
The educational organisation has to show sensitivity to these issues and take appropriate actions
so that economically disadvantaged students or special needs students have full access to technologies.
In this regard, the access to technology is no longer a possibility; it is starting to
be shaped as a right in the process of shaping identities and citizenship.
It is precisely when exercising this right that schools need to be particularly careful
with information processing because this has to comply with current legislation.
Apart from that, schools need to ensure the privacy, confidentiality, and the safe use
of technologies and data for all the members of the educational community.
As part of exercising this responsibility, the digitally-competent organisation can adopt
an Acceptable Usage Policy; this should describe two sets of behaviours and practices, one
that the organisation promotes and another set of behaviours and practices that should
be avoided because they present a risk to oneself or other individuals or institutions.
In fact, we can think of these policies as means to create healthy behaviours of technology
usage for all the educational community.
Planning and managing the digital infrastructure is one of the responsibilities of the educational organisation.
This entails not only providing the best possible infrastructure for learning, but it also requires
the organisation to ensure that all members of the educational community make good use of it.
At the same time, an honest and transparent management of the budget allocated to the
procurement and maintenance of the digital infrastructure is required.
In short, the descriptors that allow us to analyse our School Digital Plan in terms of
planning and managing the digital infrastructure are:
An Acceptable Usage Policy is in place.
Pedagogical and technical expertise informs investments in digital technologies.
A range of digital learning technologies supports anytime/anyplace learning.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) approaches are supported.
Risks relating to inequality and digital inclusion are addressed.
Technical and user support is clear.
Assistive technologies address special needs.
Measures to protect privacy, confidentiality and safety are clear.
Effective procurement planning is evident.
An operational plan for core ICT backbone and services is in place.
Needless to say, we are facing an important challenge.
Educational organisations have to rely on a significant professional capital in order
to ensure that all of these issues are adequately addressed.
This can be done either with the expertise and skills of the members
of the educational community or with external support.
Digitally-competent organisations require adequate digital infrastructures in order
to exist and grow; However, if an organisation lacks digital competence as described here,
then it does not make any sense and it is useless to have a certain type of digital infrastructure.
Nowadays we can enhance learning with the help of technology; nevertheless, only with
the help of individuals who are dedicated, competent, and willing to learn can we create
learning organisations that teach more and better thanks to technology. Our world is not divided into two
with one side being the analogue world and on the other side the digital world.
The digital environment is just another structure with different ways of doing and of learning
things in which we have to find our place.
The essence of the digital competence nowadays is linked to individuals who are able to learn
in organisations that learn in complex environments using digital technologies.
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