Technology in Schools: Education, ICT and the Knowledge Society (original) (raw)
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‘Bridging the gap’: Approaching ICTs for education in developing countries
2007
This discussion highlights the complex issues relating to the implementation of information communication technologies (ICTs) for education from early resistance to current achievements. Issues pertaining to the developing world are discussed. The author is of the opinion that there are sufficient success stories to serve as both resources and motivation for this context. But a radical approach will put valuable resources and morale at risk. An incremental approach in an enabling environment may contribute more to enhancing education through the use of ICTs in the long run.
THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES (ICT) IN EDUCATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Information and communications technology (ICT) is changing the developed nations' approaches to education. ICT provides learning opportunities to millions of people of all ages and ethnic groups whether they are on campus or remote and whether they live in dense urban or remote and rural communities. In terms of access ICT promises the ultimate democratization of education and education justice. The paper highlights some aspects in the concept of ICT use in education such as teacher training, IT infrastructure, and curriculum design, so as to ensure that the innovation can successfully prepare workforce to meet the challenges of the ICT era or knowledge society. The results of this work has motivated us more to applying ICT for education in developing smart schools in developing countries in next stages of our research.
Transforming Education: The power of ICT policies (chapter 6)
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) constitute a topic of growing importance for public policies, notably in the fi eld of education. The integration of ICT in our everyday life transforms our relationship to information and knowledge. It also modifi es citizens’ engagement with public services and the interaction between schools and learners. The opportunities offered by the use of technology in education are many. It transforms the pedagogy and can lead to an improved and more engaging learning experience. These effects are not limited to the classroom, for example, the transformation of distance education into e-learning and blended learning offers new options for delivery and new opportunities for in-service teacher training and support. The capacity of ICT to build borderless networks represents possibilities for innovative peer learning across territories and countries. In addition to redefi ning access to knowledge and instructional design and provision, the penetration of ICT in all dimensions of economic, social and cultural activities has far-reaching implications in terms of the skills required to become an active member of society. The ability of students to utilize ICT has become a new requirement for effective education systems. Beyond education, ICT can also represent a new source of economic growth and a powerful tool for social transformation. Hence, through their economic and social effects, ICT contribute to creating a knowledge society and economy. In this context, a major concern for policy-making relates to the modalities for designing and implementing plans and strategies likely to produce such results. This publication aims at addressing precisely this question by illustrating, on the basis of case studies analysis, the importance of having clear policy goals, and of their translation into appropriate strategies and plans. The country experiences reviewed in this publication suggest that effective ICT in education policies depend on three main pillars, namely: access to ICT infrastructures and equipment; teacher capacities; and monitoring. Access to equipment, networks and quality resources is a prerequisite for the deployment and utilization of ICT. Therefore the integration of technologies in the education system requires a supportive environment. This underlines the importance of policy consistency and the need to take advantage of a broader movement of ICT infrastructure development. In many countries this also implies forging innovative alliances between the public sector and private companies which often control the ICT sector. In that respect ICT in education policies offer a rich example of the potential for public-private partnerships. Once the technological infrastructure is in place, a major challenge relates to the capacity of teachers to take advantage of the tools and new teaching opportunities offered by ICT. This involves developing teachers’ professional capacities but also to establish adequate support mechanisms. Furthermore, beyond technical competences and coaching, effective utilization of technologies in the classroom ultimately depends on the motivation of teachers. The major challenge always remains to transform teacher training into improved teacher practices in the classroom. The best incentives for teachers come from the evidence of improved and more efficient teaching practices. Yet, addressing this challenge often involves a cultural change for teachers which cannot always happen rapidly. Effective implementation of public policies requires proper monitoring. The introduction of technologies into the education system on a large scale involves setting up mechanisms and tools to monitor implementation processes and outcomes. In particular, it is essential to develop approaches and indicators to monitor how ICT investments and policies affect teaching practices and students’ abilities and knowledge. In other words, policies on ICT in education require the complementing of existing educational management information systems (EMIS) by specific data and indicators. The cases analysed in this publication are taken from different regions of the world – Africa, Arab region, Asia and Latin America – illustrating the global dimension of the changes that ICT bring to education systems and policies. The wide diversity offered by the selected countries - Jordan, Namibia, Rwanda, Singapore and Uruguay – in terms of economic and educational development, suggests that the issues at stake are not limited to a particular group of privileged countries. ICT can have a transformative effect on education regardless of the economic conditions, in very advanced school systems as well as in poorly resourced ones. The choice of the policy mix varies according to particular circumstances but the vision and the potential of ICT to transform education is universal. This is the key message that this publication attempts to articulate.
2011
The significance of the use of ICTs in education sector is notable and implemented in many countries. The SchoolNet project in Ethiopia and its study is still in infancy. Few available researches sheds light on some of the issues that urgently seek for further research and theory building to guide the practical implementation and establishment of the SchoolNet project. However, if policy recommendation related to ICTs use in education to be credible, it needs to be backed by a rich evidence of researches, lessons learned etc. In this regard such tools are limited or unavailable. Despite the country's huge investment of one-tenth of its GDP every year on ICTs, little hard evidence and consensus exist on the cost-effective utilizations of the technologies to meet a wide variety of some of the most graving challenges facing the country. In view of these and considering the potential risks associated with ICTs use in education, the study intends to take the required urgency which is...
3rd International Conference on Society and Information Technologies (ICSIT 2012), 2012
In recent years, information and communication technologies (ICT) have expanded at an astonishing rate. The public and private sectors increasingly depend on ICT capabilities and services. The aim of this paper is to report on the ongoing research to develop an understanding on the implementation and impact of ICT in Education, Case study of developing countries-south East Asia. The study will include a review of current studies world-wide. The case study will be based on past experiences of implementation of ICT in Education outcomes, interruptions or losses owing to a lack of, or installation of ineffective or effective, ICT tools.
Computers & Education, 2010
This paper presents a comparison between South African and Chilean results on SITES (Second Information Technology in Education Study) 2006 study, aiming to show and discuss both disparities and similarities, and trying to explain them through an analysis of their ICT in Education policies and national contexts. Firstly, these policies and contexts portray national backgrounds and initiatives. Secondly, methodological approach is described (a secondary analysis of the international data consisting in a twoway statistical analysis to calculate significant differences between South African and Chilean results, but also including some specific references to the northern hemisphere countries). Thirdly, main results are shown, organized in five sections: a) access to ICT resources; b) support to teachers; c) teachers professional development; d) principals' pedagogical vision and e) teaching and learning practices. Results of the analysis show that most of the disparities between both countries can be explained through differences in their national contexts and corresponding ICT in education policies (particularly those related to ICT equipment provision and teachers professional development programs) as well as due to their implementation period. These conclusions might be particularly useful to policy-makers in South Africa and Chile, highlighting some areas where improvement plans could be implemented.
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...