Innovative Trends and Approaches in Integrating Technology in Education: An International Comparison

Abstract

The modern information society has had a significant impact on the education systems in many countries around the world. It has enabled openness, accessibility, mobility and lifelong education. However, two decades after the first mainstream rollout of computers in schools, we have learned many significant lessons about Information-Communication Technologies (ICT) in Education and their potential transformational impact on national education systems. ICT is a term used in European countries and is similar to Information Technology (IT) in North America. This research will focus on some challenges faced with modern trends in technology in different educational public schools systems in Russia and in Texas, USA. We surveyed over 180 Russian students and 100 Texas students, all in the middle grades, on their attitudes and preferences on use of technology inside and outside of the classroom. Our results showed, with respect to listening to music, playing computer games, and reasons for internet searches, Russian and Texas students are similar. Differences of uses of multimedia, drawing and graphic editing, and use of game servers were found between these students. Analysis of the standards and approaches in technology integration in the Russian and American education systems, and the comparative results of the surveys from both countries, show modern trends in the use of technology.