Sustainable Development and ICT in Slovenian Primary and Secondary Schools: Media-Ecological Perspective

Abstract

The goal of the research was to get an overview on the possibilities of sustainable development in relation to information and communication technologies in primary and secondary schools in Slovenia from the perspective of media ecology. The study analyses the reasons for a reorientation of the educational system and new programmes towards sustainability and relates these developments to the activities of Eco-schools in Slovenia. The findings show that the guidelines of sustainable development are included in the programmes, yet they do not encompass the possibilities opening up by new technologies. Contemporary teaching methods are not widespread due to the inadequate education and training of teachers. At the same time, numerous problems arising from the introduction of new technologies and equipment into schools are neither anticipated nor tackled in the renewed curricula, thus failing to integrate a contemporary media-ecological perspective. Judging from the roadmap documents, even after the renewal process will have been finished, the situation will hardly change unless major changes are introduced into the planned concept of renovation and additional investments of funds for equipment, the preparation of materials and, above all, teacher education are secured.

Keywords

• information and communication technologies
• primary and secondary education
• eco-schools
• sustainable development
• media-ecological perspective