Trendsetter in education innovation
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HITSA promotes the use of information and communication technology in education and supports the preparation of highly competent IT specialists.
The world around us is constantly changing. Our future depends on how our schools can adapt and prepare students for these changes. Together, we need to find ways to adjust in this new world. Not only Estonian schools, but all of Estonia. The entire world. HITSA provides support as a partner for teachers and students, schools and parents, working for education renewal. We want to give more time to Estonian teachers and help them engage better with individual students. Together with teachers, HITSA aims to find the best ways for technology to relieve them of tedious tasks, allowing teachers to focus on more important issues, help each student progress at their own pace and optimally develop their skills, set everyone up to experience success and ensure that young Estonians have the skills to use technology wisely, while also having the wisdom to avoid related pitfalls.
Power lies in having options. Options are the doorway to creativity, to every person’s open-ended personal fulfilment. Lennart Meri, former president of Estonia, commenting on education
The digitalization of education began with the Tiger Leap program. Since its inception in 1997, the program has evolved into something much bigger and now encompasses the digitalization of Estonia in general. It inspired Estonians’ self-perception as a nation that dares to blaze new trails and create new solutions. Technology is a tool that delivers the freedom to make wise choices. Estonian teachers are independent and they know how to make good choices – HITSA simply aspires to present them with new opportunities. Heli Aru-Chabilan, Chairman of the Management Board of HITSA Margus Püüa, Member of the Management Board of HITSA
EDUCATION We partner with schools to modernize education, inspire the interest of young people in technology, and support raising the standards of IT education.
INFRASTRUCTURE We offer local network solutions to schools and a highspeed optical data network for research institutions.
Information systems We provide educational institutions with information systems that support the mission of the school, and streamline teaching.
EDUCATION In the future, every field of work will involve technology. We support teachers and schools in modernizing education so that our young people will obtain the skills necessary for their future work.
EDUCATION
Testing new technology
Working with teachers and private companies, we test new devices, software and pedagogical methods that involve technology. Teachers evaluate, share suggestions and prepare lesson plans. This results in schools and kindergartens having a clear overview of the resources available for modernizing their teaching.
The EHE Development Program
This development program for progressive Estonian educators offers them the opportunity to supplement their skills with the best trainers and develop their ideas for educational innovation. The first results were seen in the spring of 2019 when teachers at the Räpina Horticultural School who had participated in the program started teaching futuristic gardening using a gardening robot.
Technology Compass for Education ”Technology Compass for Education” is Estonia’s first technology report for educational institutions. Published in 2019, the report monitors new trends in technology and highlights how they will affect society and education in the near future. The report, written in simple language and providing a wealth of examples, helps schools decide what and how they should teach and put more focus on. Every year, we supplement the report with new topics. The first Technology Compass introduces a detailed view of five areas: • Internet of Things • Augmented and Virtual Reality • Big Data and Analytics • Artificial Intelligence • Security in the Digital World
EDUCATION
ProgeTiiger The program aims to create interest in technology starting from kinderkarten and helps to maintain it from primary school through to upper secondary and vocational education. Educational materials and technological equipment, an advisory network and exciting events – all this is supported by ProgeTiiger.
European Union European Social Fund
Already collaborating in the ProgeTiiger project*
Estonian general education schools and
Investing in your future
kindergartens
ProgeTiiger's learning resources
ProgeTiiger’s collection of digital learning resources provides a wide range of tutorials including study plans and teaching materials.
New textbooks on informatics
In 2018, digital textbooks on informatics were completed for grades 1 and 2 and in cooperation with universities and schools, work was begun on developing and testing the informatics curriculum for upper secondary schools. Completed materials are available free of charge to everyone.
ProgeTiiger develops young people's collaborative and problem-solving skills, teaches them to understand technology, create content and express themselves.
IT - Computer science - Digital communication - Cybersecurity
Engineering - Programming - Robotics and Mechatronics - Electronics
Design and technology - 3D technology - Drawing and design - Multimedia - Animation
With the help of the ProgeTiiger Program, kindergartens and schools can acquire tools that support technology education, such as electronics and mechanics kits, 3D printers and programmable drones.
Between 2014–2019, 610 educational institutions received support
1,360,00 EUR
HITSA training courses develop teachers’ skills in using technology in teaching. Training courses are free of charge and the choices are broad. Training options are provided as e-courses and webinars, are held in HITSA’s Future Classroom Lab or are tailored for the school or kindergarten.
4,000 educators
participate yearly in HITSA training courses
The Digital Accelerator Program
Through training and counselling, Digital Accelerator Program supports those school families that want to include more technology in their study programs.
60 school teams taking part in Digital Accelerator Program in 2019–2020
EDUCATION
Professional development trainings for teachers
EDUCATION
eTwinning
The program enables collaboration online with colleagues from Estonia and abroad and supports students in participating in interschool study projects. In this way, Estonian students can learn programming, languages or mathematics together with students from Portugal, Germany or Turkey. For teachers, the program offers free online tools and a web platform.
Smart use of the Internet
The project, carried out in cooperation with the Union for Child Welfare, helps students, teachers and parents learn about Internet safety.
E-course quality label
Since 2008, HITSA has been issuing a quality label for e-courses. The label guarantees the high standard of the e-courses and recognizes the author of the course.
The microlearning program Digiterad shares useful digital knowledge in a Facebook group of the same name on a weekly basis.
EDUCATION
Digiterad
HITSA IT Academy is a cooperative program between state, businesses and universities for improving the quality of ICT and higher education and to support research in this sector. The IT Academy also organizes an international cyber defense summer school and, in cooperation with its partners, issues scholarships.
Supporting science
IT Academy supports ICT research at Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University and University of Tartu. FOCUS AREAS FOR SUPPORT: ANNUAL SUPPORT FOR ICT SCIENCE
Artificial intelligence and machine learning
Data transfer and big data
million
Software reliability
Robot-human collaboration and Internet of Things in industry processes
The Internet of Things
Digital revolution and lifelong learning
EUR
EDUCATION
IT Academy
Hardware and systems security and reliability
Support for the development of the curricula of the IT Academy will help to raise the quality of ICT curricula as well as promote ICT-related skills in other disciplines.
EUR
790,480
IT Academy supported 16 higher education-related projects in 2018
Pilot program for vocational training
Since 2019, three vocational schools are upgrading their ICT curricula and teaching in cooperation with entrepreneurs and universities. Updated curricula provide young people with cutting edge education specializing in the fields of software development and IT systems.
Support for the training of informatics teachers
In 2018, IT Academy started to support the training of informatics teachers to alleviate the shortage of teachers in the field.
EUR
300,000
IT Academy offers support for the training of informatics teachers at the University of Tartu and Tallinn University
EDUCATION
Support for higher education in ICT
EDUCATION
67,607
Every 10th student in Estonia studies ICT
64,806 59,998 55,214
51,092
47,794
Number of students
46,154
To support the effective development of ICT education and research, HITSA compiles studies and aggregates the scope of education and research activities as well as indicators of quality to be used for planning and guiding new activities.
8,2 7,6 6,7 6
7
8,7
45,815
9,6
8,8
Percentage of students studying in IT specialties (%)
Introducing the story of Estonian digital education
In 2018, Hitsa received 41 foreign delegations from 18 countries or regions. Most of the visitors were from Holland, South Korea and Japan. The visitors were most interested in the ProgeTiiger program and how the inservice training of teachers was organized in Estonia.
INFORMATION SYSTEMS Every modern school depends on Information and Communication Technology (ICT). HITSA provides educational institutions ICT services that support both learning and teaching, making school life more efficient and smooth.
E-schoolbag
E-schoolbag is the portal for digital learning materials. It is a search engine for the educational materials located in different digital tools. It contains materials for basic, general and vocational education, prepared in cooperation with partners such as Innove, Ministry of Education and Research, publishers, and other interested parties.
IN 2018 E-SCHOOLBAG WAS VISITED
89,000 Times
Examination System
In collaboration with Innove, we provide an environment for conducting national and school-based exams in an electronic format.
Moodle
HITSA MOODLE
252,800 14,400 Users
Courses
Information systems
The internationally popular e-learning environment Moodle offers a variety of tools and activities for lessons, and facilitates realtime information exchange. HITSA offers Moodle free of charge to general education and vocational schools in Estonia.
Assisting school entrance
information systems
Student Admission System SAIS makes the application and admission process convenient by using data stored in public registers. As a representative of educational institutions, HITSA also coordinates the use and development of DreamApply, an application and admission system for foreign students.
Study Information System Tahvel
The new Tahvel Study Information System helps schools at different education levels to make teaching and learning more effective through data exchange and process automation.
Training with Juhan
52,000 visitors in 2018
EKIS for document management
The EKIS Document Management System helps Estonian schools to organize smooth and accurate circulation and storage of documents and data exchange with other public registers.
information systems
The Juhan Continuing Education System gives an overview of training courses, as well as making it easier to register, give feedback and issue certificates. Juhan also provides attendance statistics and reporting for education administrators.
Web platform for schools
information systems
HITSA provides schools with a single web platform for creating attractive, visually clearer and user-friendly web pages. On websites that share the same architecture, users can easily find the necessary information, while schools can design their own custom-made websites.
84
schools had their homepages on a united web platform in 2018.
Plagiarism detection
KRATT helps detect plagiarism in Estonianlanguage work. In addition, HITSA coordinates the provision of a Swedish plagiarism tool, URKUND.
44,000
In 2018, KRATT and Urkund were used to check more than
school papers
The Echo360 video platform provides access to lectures in real time and allows recording of lectures for viewing on demand, offering additional opportunities for student involvement.
4,000
HarID for user administration
new recordings
The easy-to-use personal information and user account management system HarID, designed for educational institutions, is suitable for the administration of user accounts and integration with existing systems. Thanks to HarID, those who do not have an ID card can also access the education information systems.
information systems
Echo360
INFRASTRUCTURE
HITSA offers education and research institutions Internet access in Estonia as well as worldwide connections. EENet, the structural unit of HITSA, manages the backbone network and provides the necessary shared services. This inter-city backbone can connect schools, cultural centers, museums, libraries and other institutions that need high-speed Internet access for their daily operations. For Estonian research institutions and universities, HITSA offers access via EENet to GÉANTI, the pan-European highspeed research and education network. Thanks to the increase in speed in the Tallinn-Tartu backbone channel, since 2018 research data has been moving between Estonia’s two largest cities five times faster, at 100 Gbps. From the beginning of 2019, HITSA offers EENet Internet access
396 to institutions
100
research data moves between Tallinn and Tartu at high speed
Modernizing schools' digital infrastructure In collaboration with the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Communications, HITSA continues to upgrade the digital infrastructure of schools. A new local area network
156
general education school
700,000 was installed in 2018
Cables
Infrastructure
Nature cameras
HITSA EENet offers video servers for the much-loved nature cameras, which have thousands of followers worldwide.
Synchronized concerts thanks to new technology
Infrastructure
Using the innovative LoLa technology, HITSA EENet helped to organize synchronized concerts and master classes in cooperation with the Estonian Theatre and Music Academy. LoLa allows performers who are thousands of kilometers apart to play and dance together in real time.
HITSA's budget for 2019 is EUR 16,233,000.
Budget breakdown
INFRASTRUCTURE 8%
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
EDUCATION
Financiers
Own income 5%
EU funding
HITSA employs people Supervisory Board of HITSA: Jaak Aaviksoo, Tallinn University of Technology Mart Laidmets, Estonian Ministry of Education and Research Tiit Land, University of Tallinn Margus Lehesaar, Ministry of Finance Tarmo Loodus, Estonian Association for Advancement of Vocational Education Ants Sild, Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications Hele Tammenurm, Telia Estonia Urmo Uiboleht, Estonian School Principals' Association Aune Valk, University of Tartu Several HITSA projects and programs have received funding from the European Union Structural Funds, such as the European Social Fund (ProgeTiiger, e-schoolbag, Juhan and the modernization of digital infrastructure in general education schools) and the European Regional Development Fund (Tahvel, the modernization of the optical backbone network for research and education).
Estonian Ministry of Education and Research
European Union European Social Fund
Investing in your future
European Union European Regional Development Fund
Investing in your future
May 2019
The Information Technology Foundation for Education is a foundation created through cooperation between the state, universities and IT companies to support smart use of technology in teaching, and provide training and information systems that support teaching and highquality infrastructure. Let's keep in touch!