World Bank EduTech Podcast

The World Bank EdTech team recently released a paper about its edtech strategy - 5 key principles that it follows to support countries to effectively use edtech to improve the access to and quality of education globally. Today, we are speaking with the EdTech team about this strategy in Spanish. This is our first podcast in Spanish.

You can download the strategy paper (Spanish version) at https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/817181617183053785/reimagining-human-connections-technology-and-innovation-in-education-at-the-world-bank.

The Global Education Policy Dashboard (GEPD), funded by a partnership between the World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and government of Japan, provides policymakers with a system for measuring the drivers of learning outcomes in basic education around the world. As part of this initiative, the Edtech Readiness Index aims to help countries assess the readiness of their ecosystems in leveraging 'edtech' to promote learning for all. The Index not only includes device availability or connectivity but also institutional capacities, school management, educational resources, quality of the learning experience, and development of digital competencies which constitute an ‘ecosystem’ essential for an effective ‘edtech’ implementation.

Imaginable Futures supports the EdTech Readiness Index and today Cristobal Cobo, Senior Education Technology Specialist at the World Bank, is speaking with Amy Klement, Managing Partner of Imaginable Futures, and Sergio Venegas Marin, Young Professional at the World Bank Global Education Practice, about monitoring countries' readiness to support education with digital technologies and the EdTech Readiness Index.

Learn more:

Amy Klement is the managing partner and a board member of Imaginable Futures. She leads Imaginable Future’s team and strategy and is responsible to the board for running the organization. Previous to spinning out into Imaginable Futures, Amy was a partner at Omidyar Network and led the Education initiative since 2013. Prior to this role, she was responsible for Omidyar Network’s work in Financial Inclusion, Property Rights and Consumer Internet & Mobile initiatives in key geographies. She has held board seats or observer roles with Teach For All, Andela, NewGlobe, Imagine Worldwide, Kiva, Living Goods, Social Finance US, Mimoni and Off Grid Electric. Prior to Omidyar Network, Amy worked for eBay where she served as vice president of product strategy and operations driving the development of the company’s long-term product vision and leading user experience and design and as well as vice president of relationship marketing, leading email, on-site and other retention marketing channels. Amy formerly worked for PayPal, joining as one of its earliest employees in 1999. As vice president of product, she and her team developed the company's payments platform, facilitated overseas expansion into Europe and Asia, and was instrumental in the launch of PayPal Mobile. Earlier, Amy worked in corporate strategy and development at Gap Inc., and as an analyst at JPMorgan. Amy received her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Bucknell University, where she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Amy is a proud mom of two miracles and wife of another.

In 2020, Ranjit Disale won the Global Teacher Prize, a US $1 million award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession.

On today's episode, Ezequiel Molina, Senior Economist in the Global Knowledge and Innovation Unit at the World Bank Education Global Practice, and Adelle Pushparatnam, Education Specialist in the Global Knowledge and Innovation unit of the World Bank Education Global Practice, speak with Ranjit about his journey as a teacher and his vision for teachers in the future.

Join us on March 23 to continue the conversation. As part of the The World Bank Global Platform for Successful Teachers panel, Ranjit will speak with Jaime Saavedra, Global Director of Education at the World Bank, about how we can support teachers in the age of the pandemic. Register to join us for the virtual event.

The World Bank EdTech team recently released a paper about its edtech strategy, "Reimagining Human Connections: Technology and Innovation in Education at the World Bank" - 5 key principles that it follows to support countries to effectively use edtech to improve the access to and quality of education globally. On last week's episode, we spoke with the EdTech team about this strategy and discussed the first three principles that animate the World Bank’s edtech work with ministries of education around the world. This week, in Part II, we examine the final two principles with the Robert Hawkins, Cristobal Cobo, Alex Twinomugisha, Mike Trucano, and Inaki Sanchez, moderated by Hallie Applebaum.

You can download the strategy paper at http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/829491606860379513/pdf/Reimagining-Human-Connections-Technology-and-Innovation-in-Education-at-the-World-Bank.pdf

The World Bank EdTech team recently released a paper about its edtech strategy - 5 key principles that it follows to support countries to effectively use edtech to improve the access to and quality of education globally. Today, we are speaking with the EdTech team about this strategy. You can download the strategy paper at http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/829491606860379513/pdf/Reimagining-Human-Connections-Technology-and-Innovation-in-Education-at-the-World-Bank.pdf

This is part 1 of a two-part conversation with the Robert Hawkins, Cristobal Cobo, Alex Twinomugisha, Mike Trucano, and Inaki Sanchez, moderated by Hallie Applebaum.

Many countries face several challenges when trying to select, design, adapt, and customize a learning management system (LMS) that meets the particular needs of their education system: finding a scalable, flexible and robust platform; ensuring the interoperability and integration with existing solutions; planning the sustainability over time, and facilitating local ownership are just some of them. 

Today, you're listening to a conversation with the ProFuturo (https://profuturo.education/en) team (a digital educational program launched by Telefónica Foundation and "la Caixa" Foundation, present in 40 countries) about ProFuturo’s journey and how it mirrors what ministries of education are doing in terms of developing a learning management system for remote and blended learning. Robert Hawkins, Global Lead for Technology and Innovation in Education at the World Bank, and Inaki Sanchez, Analyst with the World Bank Global Edtech team, speak with Ana Delgado, Head of Product Marketing at ProFuturo Foundation, and Álvaro Ros Penche, Senior Expert in Global Partnerships and Institutional Relations at ProFuturo Foundation.

On February 18, the World Bank and ProFuturo hosted a webinar about open learning management systems. You can watch the recorded webinar here: https://1930181.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/Webinar-%20Selecting%2C%20evaluating%20and%20adapting%20open%20Learning%20Management%20Systems%20the%20case%20of%20ProFuturo-Feb%2018%2C%202021/1_bwvl29hr.

Today, you're listening to a conversation between Dr. Staneala Beckley, Chair of the Sierra Leone Teaching Service Commission and World Bank Education Specialist Himdat Bayusuf with today's host, World Bank EdTech Consultant Sharon Zacharia. They discuss how educational radio has been used in Sierra Leone to support continuity of teaching and learning, during COVID-19 and lessons leveraged from the use of educational radio during the 2014 Ebola pandemic. The Teaching Service Commission, a part of the Sierra Leone Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), led the work on educational radio in Sierra Leone during COVID-19.

Our World Bank EdTech team is speaking with educators globally to learn how they're innovating during COVID-19. We're drawing lessons for how we can continue learning during the pandemic and accelerate learning and build back better after the pandemic. Today's episode is produced through the support of the Global Partnership for Education’s grant to support continuity of learning during the pandemic.

Further suggested reading:

- [Knowledge Pack Slide Deck] "Education Radio as a Remote Learning Tool: Knowledge Pack" (August, 2020)

http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/351561596545287034/EduRadio-KnowledgePack-WorldBank

- [Blog] "Education TV during COVID-19: How to start & What to consider" (April, 2020)

https://blogs.worldbank.org/education/educational-television-during-covid-19-how-start-and-what-consider

- [Briefing] Rapid Response Guidance Note: Educational TV & COVID-19 (April, 2020)

https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/659411587145759242/rapid-response-guidance-note-educational-television-covid-19

Today, you are listening to a conversation between Yves Punie, Senior Scientist and Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Seville, Unit Human Capital and Employment, and Cristobal Cobo, Senior Education Technology Specialist at the World Bank, about the potential of digital technologies to innovate education and training practices in the European context. This is Part II of a two-part conversation. Part I of the conversation focuses on the potential of digital technologies to innovate education and training practices and improve access to lifelong learning for employment, personal development and social inclusion. 

Yves Punie is senior scientist and Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Seville, Unit Human Capital and Employment. He is leading its research and policy activities on "Digital Learning and Skills". The research area started in 2005 with the aim to provide evidence-based policy support to the European Commission on harnessing the potential of digital technologies to innovate education and training practices, improve access to lifelong learning and to deal with the rise of new (digital) skills and competences needed for employment, personal development and social inclusion.

Recent work on capacity building for the digital transformation of education and learning, and for the changing requirements for skills and competences has focussed on the development of digital competence frameworks for citizens (DigComp), educators (DigCompEdu), educational organisations (DigCompOrg) as well as frameworks on Personal, Social and Learning to Learn (LifeComp) and entrepreneurship (EntreComp).

Before joining the JRC in 2001, he was interim Assistant Professor at the Free University of Brussels (VUB). He holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences.

List of publications, see https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yves_Punie

Today, you are listening to a conversation between Yves Punie, Senior Scientist and Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Seville, Unit Human Capital and Employment, and Cristobal Cobo, Senior Education Technology Specialist at the World Bank, about the potential of digital technologies to innovate education and training practices and improve access to lifelong learning for employment, personal development and social inclusion. This is Part I of a two-part conversation. Part II of the conversation will be an upcoming podcast episode and will focus on digital technologies to innovate education and training practices in the European context.

Yves Punie is senior scientist and Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Seville, Unit Human Capital and Employment. He is leading its research and policy activities on "Digital Learning and Skills". The research area started in 2005 with the aim to provide evidence-based policy support to the European Commission on harnessing the potential of digital technologies to innovate education and training practices, improve access to lifelong learning and to deal with the rise of new (digital) skills and competences needed for employment, personal development and social inclusion.

Recent work on capacity building for the digital transformation of education and learning, and for the changing requirements for skills and competences has focussed on the development of digital competence frameworks for citizens (DigComp), educators (DigCompEdu), educational organisations (DigCompOrg) as well as frameworks on Personal, Social and Learning to Learn (LifeComp) and entrepreneurship (EntreComp).

Before joining the JRC in 2001, he was interim Assistant Professor at the Free University of Brussels (VUB). He holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences.

List of publications, see https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yves_Punie

The World Bank is teaming up with HundrED and the Global Partnership for Education to launch a call for solutions from around the world to support teachers' continuous professional development in an ever-changing classroom. On this episode, World Bank Senior Education Specialist Cristóbal Cobo and World Bank Senior Education Specialist Manal Quota speak with Danny Gilliland, Head of Growth at HundrED about the initiative.

Applications open today through March 10, 2021! Apply at https://hundred.org/en/articles/hundred-the-world-bank-announce-a-new-project-transforming-teacher-professional-development#9f85e48c.