Primary pupils' use of information and communication technologies at school and home

Based on survey data from 612 pupils in five English primary schools, this paper investigates children's engagement with information and communication technologies (ICTs) inside and outside the school context. Analysis of the data shows pupils' engagements with ICTs to be often perfunctory and unspectacular, especially within the school setting, where the influence of year group and school attended are prominent. Whilst the majority of children felt that ICT use led to gains in learning, the paper discusses how there was a strong sense of educational uses of ICTs being constrained by the nature of the schools within which 'educational' use was largely framed and often situated. The paper concludes by suggesting possible changes to ICT provision in primary schools, most notably relaxing school restrictions regarding Internet access and developing meaningful dialogues with pupils about future forms of educational ICT use.     

Educators’ perceptions of learners with intellectual disabilities’ sexual knowledge and behaviour in KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa

Over the past two decades, comprehensive sexuality education has increasingly been recognised as a measure that positively impacts on the sexual behaviour of young people in Africa. Despite this, and a political call to scale-up the use of comprehensive sexuality education in schools in South Africa, learners with disabilities continue to be left behind. Besides contending with negative hegemonic constructs of disabled sexualities, educators of learners with disabilities lack skills and resources to teach sexuality in accessible formats. Based on this premise, a comprehensive sexuality education approach – Breaking the Silence – was developed and piloted to assist educators of learners with disabilities to provide access to comprehensive sexuality education in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This article presents results from the formative evaluation of this pilot work and discusses educators’ perceptions of their learners with intellectual disabilities’ sexual knowledge, agency and behaviour after implementing the approach. Although educators appeared to situate learners with intellectual disabilities as sexual agents, their implementation of the approach was dependent on the cognitive ability of learners, and discourses of culture, gender and protection from violence.     

Towards ICT in everyday life in Finnish schools: seeking conditions for good practices

The article discusses how to strengthen educational use of information and communication technology (ICT) in Finnish schools. The conceptions and experiences of the successful integration of ICT in everyday school settings are reported. Participant observations in 20 schools in different parts of Finland were carried out, including discussions with principals and teachers. The results show that when promoting new technology and practices in schools, many components overlap and support each other. The following six main characteristics of successful integration were identified: (1) ICT included in strategic planning, as part of school culture, (2) teaching and learning methods facilitating participation and leading to empowerment, (3) flexible curriculums, (4) high investments in communication, (5) optimum leadership and management, and (6) teaching staff's strong capacity and commitment. The research indicates that an open school culture allows staff to take risks when applying new technology, creates learning environments and empowers learners.     

Investigating Computer Application Technology Teachers’ Procedural Knowledge and Pedagogical Practices in ICT- Enhanced Classrooms

Helping beginner and veteran teachers to develop technological knowledge and skills in how to use new information and communications technologies (ICTs) to teach is a critical component of teacher preparation in this digital age. This article reports on a study in which 117 beginner and veteran (experienced) Computer Application Technology (CAT) teachers at 11 government Further Education and Training (FET) colleges in Gauteng, South Africa, completed a 65-item questionnaire. The questionnaire addressed 13 knowledge constructs, using a 5-point scale which addressed the nature and context of CAT teachers’ procedural, functional and pedagogical content knowledge (PrFPACK) in an ICT-enhanced classroom. Additional data was solicited using classroom observation and interviews to understand CAT teachers’ PrFPACK and e-skills in the use of ICT resources. The data was analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and thematic analysis. The research findings revealed a number of significant differences in beginner and veteran CAT teachers’ PrFPACK. The results of the study confirmed that professional development of beginner and veteran teachers in the use of new ICTs in the digital age should be an ongoing effort in all educational institutions. It is imperative to train both beginner and veteran CAT teachers in an innovative method of teaching with ICT resources.     

Necessary,But Not Sufficient: Critiquing the Role of Information and Communication Technology in Putting Knowledge into Use

Abstract

Purpose: This article reviews the experience of ICT applications as a tool for putting research derived knowledge into use for innovation in South Asia.

Design/methodology/approach: The article uses the contemporary understanding of communication and innovation in reviewing the experience of ICTs in putting new knowledge into use in South Asia.

Findings: The findings from this study suggest that ICTs in general have not contributed effectively to the challenge of putting new knowledge into use as they are mostly used to support traditional communication tasks — such as information dissemination and training. The article argues that this under-utilisation of the potential of ICTs could be due to: a lack of appreciation of the new communication-intermediation tasks required for innovation, underestimation of the roles of intermediaries and their capacities for innovation and lack of networks needed for communities to make use of the information provided through ICTs.

Practical implications: Although the understanding of communication, innovation and extension has changed substantially in the past two decades, there is still a big gap between theory and practice. This article contends that this gap needs to be bridged if ICTs are to effectively contribute to putting new knowledge into use.

Originality/value: The article manifests the necessity for ICT based initiatives to be embedded into the renewed understanding of communication and innovation and it moves ICT related debates from merely a success story to a pragmatic world of communication and innovation process.     

Access and perceived ICT usability among students with disabilities attending higher education institutions

An increasing number of students with disabilities are attending higher education. These students might face various difficulties coping with academic skills and with learning methods compared to students without disabilities. Integrating information and communication technologies (ICTs) in academic studies may be effective and constructive for students with and without various disabilities, as ICTs can provide students with adaptive ways to compensate for disabilities and enable them to improve learning. The present study examined students’ knowledge of and accessibility to ICTs and it examined students’ perceptions of the ICTs used by professors teaching in a face-to-face traditional postsecondary educational institute (in Canada) and a distance/blended learning higher education institute (in Israel). The sample included 309 Canadian students and 963 Israeli students who completed questionnaires regarding ICT usage, accessibility, and perceived use by professors. Findings reveal that Israeli students reported higher use and greater accessibility of ICTs and they also reported higher use of ICTs by professors. For both groups of students – those with and without LD/ADHD - accessibility to ICTs was predicted by self-reported knowledge and use of ICTs, professors’ ICT use, gender and nationality. The study’s findings and its implications are likely to be important for promoting access to ICTs for students with and without disabilities in both the traditional higher education modality and in distance/ blended learning contexts.     

Drawing digital pictures: An investigation of primary pupils’ representations of ICT and schools

The relatively restricted nature of children's use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) inside the school setting has long been noted by researchers. With this in mind, this article offers a grounded analysis of drawings collected from 355 primary pupils (years three to six) from five English primary schools depicting desired future forms of school ICT provision. The article contends that the nature and content of these future orientated pictures reflect many of the tensions underlying children's current engagements with ICTs in school. Specifically the article discusses how the drawings offer valuable insights into the issues underlying pupils’ understandings of ICT and schools, not least: the restrictions of the school as organisation; the oppositional relationship between the ‘work’ of learning in school and the ‘play’ of using digital media at home; the unequal power relations that exist between pupils, schools and teachers. The article concludes that rather than accede to demands for free and unfettered use of game consoles and portable devices in the classroom, schools should instead concentrate on fostering informed dialogues with young people about the potential educational benefits of school ICT use.     

Kenyan students’ perceptions of new technologies to improve access to education

The aim of this paper is to present the findings of a qualitative study carried out on perceptions of high school students on the use of ICT in learning in a secondary school in Mombasa, Kenya. The study involved 18 students in the 11th grade (form three). The students took part in three focus group discussions and six one-on-one interviews over a period of 2 weeks. Several themes on the learners’ understanding of and reaction to ICT were identified. It was revealed that learners had a sound understanding of the various types of ICT and could even define them while explaining the uses of these ICT tools. Findings showed that the learners were generally motivated about using ICT and that ICT encouraged student-centered learning leading to better understanding and performance in their studies. All in all, the findings from this study indicate that learners are aware of the importance of ICT in their learning and feel that at the moment the use of ICT in school is no longer a luxury but a necessity that has taken too long to materialize.     

From Implementation to Efficacy: Factors Affecting Kenyan Secondary Teachers’ Technology Integration

Teaching is a complex practice that requires teachers to draw upon their content knowledge, pedagogical approaches and strategies, and knowledge about learners in order to support learning. Integrating technology into the teaching and learning practice of a classroom is a strategy that many teachers are drawing upon. This article reports on the initial findings on information communication technology (ICT) implementation in Kenyan secondary schools and discusses factors affecting effective technology integration. The study used questionnaire and classroom observation data to examine what types of ICTs for education are available in secondary schools in Kenya and what training teachers have had in using ICTs for education; teachers’ perspectives regarding the role of ICT in teaching and learning; and what factors might influence ICT integration in teaching and learning in public secondary schools in Kenya. The study found that while few teachers are integrating ICT into their teaching and learning, many teachers are implementing ICT in their teaching.     

Success factors and challenges of an Information Communication Technology network in rural schools

In April 2008, an interactive information communication technology (ICT) network was established in Mpumalanga, South Africa. the network involved the implementation of SMART board interactive whiteboards (IWBs) and collaboration between a leading school and several disadvantaged schools. the main purpose of the Mpumalanga IWB project was to reach out to rural schools in the area in order to improve the teaching of Science and Mathematics for Grade 12 learners. the purpose of the research was also to determine the success factors contributing to the survival of the project as well as the challenges that the interviewees had to face. the project has been extremely successful in bridging the urban-rural divide and is a model for other schools to emulate.     

Using Information and Communication Technologies to teach and learn mathematics in South African schools: A snapshot view of its impact

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become ubiquitous in most people’s lives. Yet, within the developing and emerging regions, there are still many who have not fully benefitted from ICTs. This article reports on a research project that focused on investigating the barriers, opportunities and impact that ICTs have on the teaching and learning of mathematics in South African schools. A quantitative research methodology in the form of a survey was used to assess South African mathematics teachers’ access to and use of ICTs and mobile technologies. A literature study revealed that there were universal barriers (i.e. lack of access to resources, time, effective training, confidence; resistance to change and negative attitudes; and no perception of benefits) and numerous opportunities for using ICTs in teaching and learning in general, and in subjects such as mathematics and science, in particular. The survey findings suggested increased deployment of ICT resources; introduction of more ICT training opportunities for teachers and students; and the firm adoption of ICT policies and directives within the education domain.     

Rethinking Learner-Centred Education: Bridging Knowledge Cultures

Abstract

This article argues that learner-centred education needs to shift from a discussion only on pedagogical activities such as group-work and other cooperative learning strategies. It suggests that the focus of learner-centred education should be on the cultural world of the African child and how this influences the way in which he/she learns Western science. The African child often experiences cognitive dissonance/perturbation when learning Western science. The article draws on insights from the theory of collateral learning which was originally developed by Jegede. It argues that unless policymakers and teachers take into consideration the cultural frameworks of learners, there will not be a sound basis for improving school science and school mathematics in South Africa. Spending more on resources and increasingly testing learners, as is currently done in South Africa, will not improve school science in South Africa. Improving school science in part depends on rethinking leaner-centred education, which means critically looking at the important role that cultural frameworks of learners play in learning Western science.     

A framework for Information and Communication Technology integration in schools through teacher professional development

Abstract

The demands of the twenty-first century require effective and sustainable use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education. Various ICT strategies and initiatives across South Africa have not resulted in system-wide, sustainable ICT integration in schools. Although the roles of principals are acknowledged in educational management, the question remains how principals influence teachers' effective and sustainable integration of ICT through teacher professional development (TPD). A matrix of theoretical criteria selected seven participants across diverse contexts. In-depth interviews produced an integrated dataset that revealed principals' patterns of influence, their perceptions and experiences, their leadership and management styles, their attitudes towards ICT integration, their knowledge on related ICT and related TPD issues, as well as their strategic thinking on ICT integration. The proposed theoretical framework illustrates the interrelatedness of aspects that influence principals' leadership through open distance learning.     

Framing ICT, teachers and learners in Australian school education ICT policy

It is well over 20 years since information and communication technologies (ICT) was first included as part of a future vision for Australia’s schools. Since this time numerous national policies have been developed, which collectively articulate an official discourse in support of a vision for ICT to be embedded in our schools, and routinely used by ‘digital’ learners and ‘competent’ teachers alike. The purpose of this paper is to critique how ICT, teachers and learners are positioned in this vision by an analysis of national school-education ICT policies from 1989 to the present day, including the National Goals of Schooling policies, the Learning in an Online World suite of policies, several Ministerial Statements relating to ICT and the recent A Digital Education Revolution policy. This paper suggests that determinist views of technology and a utopian vision underpin these representations, which creates a flawed, future vision for ICT in school education and its use by teachers and learners.     

Negotiating contrad(ICT)ions: teachers and students making multimedia in the secondary school

Abstract

In this article, we investigate the use of multimedia information and communication technologies (ICTs) in integrated arts projects in two secondary schools. The ways in which teachers and students make sense of the technologies in relation to the dominant discourses of education/technology policy and educational research are explored before considering the implications for curriculum and teacher development. The ICT in the word contrad(ICT)ions is emphasised to represent the ways in which teachers and students' use of multimedia exposes and makes visible problematic issues in relation to literacy, school subjects and pedagogy.     

Primary school children's use of ICT

This article reports on a study of 267 primary children (Year 2 and 6) in five schools in South and Mid Wales. It examines their use of information and communications technology (ICT) both in school and at home using a combination of interview and questionnaire data. These data reveal that although the vast majority of children are making some use of computers in school, patterns of sustained and varied engagement with ICT are rare; with educational use of computers curtailed by a variety of classroom factors. Moreover, although many children could be considered to be sophisticated and knowledgeable consumers of ICT, their outside-of-school access to technology is varied. The findings raise questions about the nature of ICT use in primary classrooms and the need to ensure meaningful and regular access to technology in school for all children.     

Qualité De L’éducation En Afrique: Le Rôle Potentiel Des Tic

THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN AFRICA: THE ROLE OF ICTS IN TEACHING – This article reports on the presence of ICT in educational institutions, presents an overview of the types of ICT uses found in African schools, and explores the relations between ICT use and the quality of education. Data were obtained from a transnational research project (Projet des écoles pionnières-TIC en Afrique / Pioneer ICT-Schools Project in Africa) funded by the International Research Development Centre (IDRC) of Canada. A total of 68,662 students, 2,627 teachers, 217 school administrators, and 428 additional education stakeholders in West and Central Africa participated in the study. The results show multiple uses of ICT in the participating schools, albeit centered on teaching ICT basic skills. A biaxial model with four quadrants is used to visualize the range of ICT usages in the schools. The analysis reveals a limited pedagogical use of ICT to teach academic subjects in most of the schools. Approximately 80% of the reported uses involved teaching ICT basic skills, while barely 17% involved subject-specific ICT integration for teaching and learning purposes.     

Language policies and practices in Tanzania and South Africa: problems and challenges

The authors of the present article are engaged in a research project funded by the Norwegian Research Council. In this project the language policies of Tanzania and South Africa, as well as the practices of these policies in the classroom are analyzed. The article gives some preliminary results from the project. While the language policies of Tanzania are described as confusing, contradictory, and ambiguous, the language policies of South Africa seem clearer and more progressive. In Tanzania, Kiswahili is seen as the national language, while both Kiswahili and English are official languages. The issue of language has, however, disappeared from the constitution in Tanzania. In the constitution of South Africa, 11 languages are official and seen as equal. But when it comes to practice in the classroom in both countries, the majority of the learners struggle to learn academic content because of the foreign medium that is used as the language of instruction from secondary school onwards in Tanzania and already from the fourth grade in primary school in South Africa. The research reported here shows that whatever the official policies may be the teachers in the classrooms will use whatever language they and their students feel most comfortable with. Examples are given here of the coping strategies teachers and learners use in both countries like translations, code-mixing and code-switching. At the end of the day the learners have to write their exams in English however. The language in education policy in most African countries lead many African pupils to fall even further behind. What seems to be a learning problem or a matter of bad grade, drop out and repetition is really a language problem.     

Democratic citizenship education in the information age: a comparative study of south korea and australia

Democratic citizenship education in the information age must concern itself with the goal of nurturing future generations with the capacity to make appropriate use of the changes driven by the advances of ICTs so as to activate political and social democracy. Using Australia and South Korea as case studies, this paper discusses the role that citizenship education can and/or should play in producing democratic citizens in the information age. This paper analyses and compares the recent curricula and educational policy developments in citizenship education in Australian and South Korea. More specifically, the paper attempts to identify what implications the advances of ICTs have and what future tasks they impose for the field of democratic citizenship education. Key Words: democratic citizenship education, information age, ICTs, South Korea, Australia, school curriculum, educational policy     

Do new information and communications technologies have a role to play in the achievement of education for all?

Many commentators have suggested that the use of new information and communications technologies (ICTs) has significant potential in providing access to, and improving the quality of, teacher education. Such an idea is particularly relevant for the Global South, it is argued, where tens of thousands more qualified teachers are required if universal primary education (UPE) is to be achieved. This article explores six arguments commonly used to critique the relevance of ICT for development, encompassing technical, cost, philosophical, cultural and pedagogic issues. The arguments are categorised as the ‘technological’ view; the ‘donor’ view; the ‘anthropological’ view; the ‘standard’ view; the ‘individual’ view; and the ‘transmissional’ view. Drawing on empirical research into ICT and teacher education in sub‐Saharan Africa, including the work of the Digital Education Enhancement Project, six responses are used to review these arguments (‘developmental’, ‘democratic’, ‘cultural’, ‘deep’, ‘community’ and ‘pedagogic’). The author concludes that these contemporary data offer new ways of thinking about such debates and concludes with recommendations for policy makers, educators and the donor community.