“islands of Innovation”and “school-wide Implementations”: Two Patterns of Ict-based Pedagogical Innovations in Schools

The study reported here is a secondary analysis of data collected in 10 schools as part of Israel’s participation in two international studies: IEA’s SITES Module 2, focusing on innovative pedagogical practices at the classroom level, and the OECD/CERI case studies of ICT and organizational innovation, focusing on ICT-related innovations at the school system level. We identify and analyze two patterns of ICT-based curricular innovations: “islands of innovation” and “school-wide implementations.” In the analysis of both patterns we focus on (a) the levels and domains of innovation reached in schools; (b) the communication agents and school variables affecting the diffusion of the innovation; and (c) the role of internal and external factors affecting the diffusion of the innovation. In the discussion we elaborate the potential value of sustainable islands of innovation models as agents of innovation, and the similarities and differences between both patterns of ICT implementation in schools.