Educator Discourses on ICT in Education: A Critical Analysis (original) (raw)
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EDUCATOR DISCOURSES ON ICT IN EDUCATION
resnes.co.za
Considering the pivotal role educators play in the education system, it is expected that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) interventions in schools will be effective only if educators are willing and able to appropriate the intervention to their actual needs, and derive real benefits.
The aim of this paper is to highlight some of the challenges of information and communication technology (ICT) integration in a South African classroom setting. The main focus is on the concept of a digital divide, and how cultural complexity with special emphasis on language can affect the divide in schools that already have material access to ICT. The study is based on fieldwork in seventh-grade classes in four primary schools in Cape Town, South Africa. The learners answered a questionnaire regarding their ICT use and skills, and interviews were conducted with learners, teachers, and principals. In conclusion, it is argued that the challenges of language in South African schools can exacerbate or maintain the digital divide among learners who are already disadvantaged due to a range of social inequalities. For learners to fully master the use of ICT in today's global knowledge society, it needs to be put in a local context, which includes use in a familiar language. Moreover, it is suggested that greater opportunities for teacher training are needed in order to enhance culturally sensitive and appropriate ICT integration based on local needs and capacity.
Guest editorial : ICT in Education
2017
This special edition is being published at a time when there is lack of formal research and under theorization of ICT integration into teaching and learning in South Africa. With many initiatives still dominated by the procuring of computational infrastructure equating it to pedagogical ICT integration in schools. Most ICT initiatives are not informed by research thus lack theoretical grounding and systematic approach, yet ICT needs to be conceptualized in its many facets and its manifold impacts on societies. Too often the initiatives follow personal interests regulated by service providers and that does not guarantee success as its sequence design and implementation activities are not conceptualized around education needs. The limited use of technology by teachers brings with it social, economic, and cultural contextual constraints and concerns about social and cultural capital in the integration of ICT in schools (Belland, 2009; Dasuki, 2012). The misconception is that provisioni...
International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 2020
The impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on teaching and learning globally necessitates its integration in the classroom. Integration in individual school contexts, however, remains a challenge, despite ICT integration being a policy prerogative in many countries. This qualitative paper aims to understand how the lack of ICT resources affects the way learners learn and perform. Semi-structured interviews were utilized to gather data from six educators in three South African primary schools. The interviews were transcribed manually and coded. A thematic mode of analysis was used during the data analysis process. Findings show that, for multiple reasons, schools do not use ICT tools in teaching and learning, as expected, and, in some cases, underutilize existing resources, with implications for teaching and learning. We suggest that the South African Department of Basic Education (DBE) considers individual school contexts when allocating ICT resources, to ameliorate existing challenges. Reinforcing existing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms will facilitate the identification of contextual challenges and the provision of assistance where necessary. Most importantly, schools should be encouraged to form partnerships with communities to ensure the safety of ICT resources. These measures have the potential to ensure that all learners enjoy opportunities introduced in the classroom through the DBE's ICTintegration program, thus guaranteeing quality education for all.
Enabling and constraining ICT practice in secondary schools: case studies in South Africa
International Journal of Knowledge and Learning, 2007
The use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in education is being seen as a way of widening access to education, particularly in developing countries. This paper addresses the issue of ICT implementation in secondary schools and focuses specifically on the practices that enable or constrain the successful implementation of ICT for teaching and learning activities. It reflects upon the lessons learned from a collective case study undertaken in 12 of the 13 secondary schools in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape in South Africa. School principals and designated IT teachers were interviewed and on-site infrastructure audits conducted. This paper identifies a number of key enabling and constraining factors surrounding practical issues, including sufficient hardware, appropriate software and affordable connectivity, sufficient technical support and training, policy-related issues such as the role of national, provincial and school policy, the vital contribution of principal leadership and champion teachers as well as ongoing teacher professional development coupled with a willingness to change.
An investigation of factors affecting the use of ICT for teaching in the Western Cape schools
2010
Abstract The Khanya project has been equipping schools and educators with ICT skills and equipment to be used in the curriculum delivery in South Africa. However, research and anecdotal evidence show that there is low adoption rate of ICT among educators in Khanya schools. This interpretive study sets out to analyse the factors which are preventing the educators from using the technology in their work. The perspective of limited access and/or use of ICT as deprivation of capabilities provides a conceptual base for this paper.
South African Computer Journal, 2017
This special edition is being published at a time when there is lack of formal research and under theorization of ICT integration into teaching and learning in South Africa. With many initiatives still dominated by the procuring of computational infrastructure equating it to pedagogical ICT integration in schools. Most ICT initiatives are not informed by research thus lack theoretical grounding and systematic approach, yet ICT needs to be conceptualized in its many facets and its manifold impacts on societies. Too often the initiatives follow personal interests regulated by service providers and that does not guarantee success as its sequence design and implementation activities are not conceptualized around education needs. The limited use of technology by teachers brings with it social, economic, and cultural contextual constraints and concerns about social and cultural capital in the integration of ICT in schools (Belland, 2009; Dasuki, 2012). The misconception is that provisioning of computing devices and basic ICT training prepares teachers for quality ICT pedagogical integration. The White Paper on e-Education (Department of Education, RSA, 2004) states that ICT offers greater opportunities to access learning, redress inequalities and improve the quality of teaching and learning. As the White paper on e-Education puts it, there is compelling international and local research evidence that, under the right conditions, "investments in ICTs yield positive results for learners and teachers. .. [including] knowledge for the real world; the ability of learners to manage learning;. .. and accessing information that increases knowledge, inquiry and depth of investigation" [cl. 2.19](Department of Education, RSA, 2004). In many cases teachers end up using computers to represent information instead of using it to "improve the capability to generate thought." (Hokanson & Hooper, 2000). It is clear that the discourse on 'ICT in Education' has not been adequately debated and researched scientifically in the South African context. In fact there is lack of empirical work to ground the discourse. Howard and Maton (2011) assert that intellectual fields that lack explicit, powerful theoretical frameworks capable of underpinning empirical research tend towards repetition, fragmentation and segmentation. Provincial governments are making significant investments every year on computing devices, yet there is no correlation between the money spent and the uptake of computers for teaching and learning in schools. Evidently, it is important to have a deeper understanding of ICT innovations and how they shape new digital pedagogies and practices to release the potential of digital technologies
Integrating ICT into Rural South African Schools: Possible Solutions for Challenges
The influence of ICT in schools cannot be overemphasized as its utility is changing the way students learn, teachers teach, and support staff work. ICT adoption in South African schools has therefore gained momentum. Whilst ICT is fully integrated into many if not all schools in urban areas in South Africa, regrettably the same cannot be said about rural schools. This has created a ‘digital divide’ between rural and urban schools. Theoretically, this paper is informed by social justice theory. Methodologically, the extant literature relied upon to make the case for ICT in South Africa’s rural schools. The same approach is used to identify key challenges militating against smooth introduction of ICT into South African schools. Thereafter, suggestions for overcoming identified challenges are provided. The aim is to help bridge the apparent digital divide between rural and urban schools in South Africa.
An empirical survey on domestication of ICT in schools in disadvantaged communities in South Africa
The potential of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) to enhance curriculum delivery can only be realised when the technologies have been well-appropriated in the school. This belief has led to an increase in government-or donor-funded projects aimed at providing ICTs to schools in disadvantaged communities. Previous research shows that even in cases where the technology is provided, educators are not effectively integrating such technologies in their pedagogical practices. This study aims at investigating the factors that affect the integration of ICTs in teaching and learning. The focus of this paper is on the domestication of ICTs in schools serving the disadvantaged communities in a developing country context. We employed a qualitative research approach to investigate domestication of ICT in the schools. Data for the study was gathered using in-depth interviews. Participants were drawn from randomly sampled schools in disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape. Results show that even though schools and educators appreciate the benefits of ICTs in their teaching and even though they are willing to adopt the technology, there are a number of factors that impede the integration of ICTs in teaching and learning.
Exploring Teachers’ ICT Pedagogy in the North-West Province, South Africa
2010
South Africa participated in the Second Information Technology in Education Study (SITES 2006)-a large scale international survey on the ICT practices of schools around the world. SITES 2006 did not focus on the unique human experiences and practices of teachers regarding ICTs on a contextual qualitative level. The aim of this investigation was to obtain an in-depth context sensitive understanding of ICT pedagogical practices and experiences of Grade 8 Mathematics and Science teachers at eight different types of schools in the NorthWest Province of South Africa. We used the computer assisted data analysis program Atlas.ti™ to analyse interview data and constructed an integrated data set which identified four main categories of data related to the ICT pedagogical practices and experiences of teachers: (i) Context Barriers, (ii) Context Enablers, (ii) ICT Barriers, and (iv) ICT Enablers. We explore these categories through observations, photographs and quotations from the interviews.