Experiences From Virtual Learning in Upper Secondary Schools in Finland

In every country there has been a lot of worry and discussions how to make sure that the schoolchildren and the student can acquire sufficient skills and efficacy in using computers to be more efficient and productive in their studies and later in their professional career. One of the answers to this challenge in Finland has been the National Information Society Programme supporting the procurement of computers, building computer networks, training teachers and creating methods of teaching in a computer intensive environment. The programme has been running for ten years now, and there are a wide range of experiences from failures to brilliant successes. The most important lesson learned is that the technical networking, mental networking and organizational networking should take place simultaneously as well as the teacher understanding about the special role of ICT in education. 1 The Information Society Programme The strategic importance of ICT in business and in education has been growing fast during the previous two decades. This process led to the idea to have a national programme advancing the use of ICT much more effectively in education. As a consequence the Finnish Information Society programme was launched in 1996 and since then the Finnish government has provided noticeable funding to the Finnish educational institutes, including the general education schools, to make ICT an effective tool in education. The programme is comprised of several subprogrammes during three strategy periods focusing on various goals. The latest strategy period covers the years 2004 through 2006 [1].