Castulus Kolo & Andreas Breiter
Published Online: Dec 15, 2009
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Abstract

Empirical evidence underlines the importance of ICT-based innovations in education for at least two reasons: They prepare for a future workplace in a knowledge society increasingly dependent on ICT and furthermore, they support student-centred learning processes. However, adoption of ICT in educational organizations in general as well as of specific ICT-based innovations varies broadly across nations as there are many different influencing factors with strong interdependencies. In order to better understand the dynamics of innovations in education, in this article we expose to discussion an integrative model based on a combination of models of individual and organizational adoption processes and their interplay with a socio-economic environment. The authors propose this concept of an “educational innovation system” to analyse differences in the diffusion of ICT-based innovations across countries and to better understand educational policies and their impact on classroom practice.

Keywords:

Education policy, innovation research, educational technology

Biographical statement

Andreas Breiter is Professor in Information Management and Educational Technologies in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Bremen, Germany. He has published widely on educational technologies as socio-technical systems and the role of ICT in educational reform.

Email: abreiter@ifib.de

Castulus Kolo holds the chair in Media Management at the Macromedia University of Applied Sciences in Munich, Germany. His research is focused on the dynamics of media innovations in households and organizations, their preconditions as well as their effects. Besides his academic activities he is consultant to public and private institutions.

Email: ck@future-directions.com