Information and communication technologies

Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Compiled by the Research Programme on Human Resources Development, Human Sciences Research Council Published by HSRC Press Private Bag X9182, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa www.hsrcpress.ac.za © 2005 Human Sciences Research Council First published 2005 All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers ISBN 0-7969-2040-0 Cover by Flame Design Production by comPress Technical editing by Karin Pampallis Printed by … Distributed in Africa by Blue Weaver Marketing and Distribution, P.O Box 30370, Tokai, Cape Town, 7966, South Africa Tel +27 +21-701-4477 Fax: +27 +21-701-7302 email: booksales@hsrc.ac.za Distributed worldwide, except Africa, by Independent Publishers Group, 814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610, USA www.ipgbook.com To order, call toll-free: 1-800-888-4741 All other enquiries, Tel: +1 +312-337-0747 Fax: +1 +312-337-5985 email: Frontdesk@ipgbook.com Contents List of tables and figures Preface Executive Summary List of Abbreviations Introduction 1.1 The Information Age 1.2 Africa, the Information Society and globalisation 1.3 ICT curriculum policy and employment 1.4 ICT in education in South Africa 1.5 The South African policy context 1.6 ICT in South African schools Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za v ix xi xix 12 1.7 Introducing SITES 15 1.8 Structure of the report 17 Background to SITES 19 2.1 Background to the project 19 2.2 Development of the study 20 2.3 Conceptual framework 20 2.4 Indicators 22 2.5 Design and sampling 25 2.6 Instruments 30 2.7 Communication by the Web 31 ICT infrastructure 33 3.1 Introduction 33 3.2 Hardware in schools 33 3.3 Software in schools 45 3.4 Schools’ investments in hardware and software 52 3.5 Conclusion 54 Curriculum and pedagogy 55 4.1 Introduction 55 4.2 Pedagogical practice paradigm 57 4.3 ICT-related instructional objectives 59 4.4 ICT-related learning outcome expectations and learning opportunities 64 4.5 Conclusion 71 Staff development in ICT at schools 73 5.1 Introduction 73 5.2 Qualifications of teachers 73 5.3 Policies concerning staff development 73 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za 5.4 Methods of transferring ICT-related knowledge 77 5.5 Availability of ICT training courses 78 5.6 Self-ratings of technology co-ordinators 80 5.7 Conclusion 82 Policies and usage of ICT in schools 83 6.1 Introduction 83 6.2 School principals’ attitudes and beliefs about ICT 83 6.3 Explicit school policies 85 6.4 Monitoring student progress and school administration using ICT 90 6.5 Problems realising ICT goals 93 6.6 Summary and reflections 94 Successful practices with ICT 97 7.1 General overview 97 7.2 Coding 97 7.3 Analysis of South African examples of their ‘most satisfying experience with technology’ 100 7.4 Examples of the ‘most satisfying experience with technology’ in South African schools 102 7.5 Towards cross-national case studies of innovative pedagogical practices using technology 105 Conclusion 107 8.1 Introduction 107 8.2 Summary of findings 107 8.3 The way forward in South Africa 109 References 111 List of tables and figures Tables Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Table 1.1: Table 2.1: Table 2.2: Countries participating in SITES Module Education in the Industrial Society and in the Information Society Estimated percentage of students at ICT-using schools, definitions of target grades and grade ranges, sample sizes, and response rate per educational level, by country Table 2.3: South African Schools in SITES Module sample, by former education department Table 2.4: South African schools in SITES Module sample, by province Table 2.5: Study topics with summaries of questionnaire content Table 3.1: Student:computer ratios, lower and upper secondary education Table 3.2: Average percentage of computers equipped with various processor types and operating systems in SITES schools in South Africa Table 3.3: Computers not in use, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Table 3.4: Available peripherals, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Table 3.5: Existing or planned access to the Internet and e-mail for instructional purposes, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Table 3.6: Types of content available on schools’ homepages, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Table 3.7: Obstacles to achieving the school’s ICT objectives, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Table 3.8: Availability of particular types of software, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Table 3.9: Availability of software for school subjects, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Table 3.10: Software obstacles to achieving the school’s ICT-related objectives, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Table 4.1: Instructional objectives that were considered to be very important by principals, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Table 4.2: Expected acquisition of ICT-related skills by the end of the target grade, percentage of students in lower secondary education Table 4.3: Expected acquisition of ICT-related skills by the end of the target grade, percentage of students in upper secondary education Table 4.4: Specific ICT applications used by a typical student by the end of the target grade, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Table 4.5: Use of e-mail/Internet for specific activities, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Table 4.6: Principals’ perceptions that instructional activities had been realised ‘a lot’ with the assistance of ICT, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Table 5.1: Goals regarding the training of teachers and their realisation, percentage of students in lower and upper secondary education 16 21 27 29 29 30 34 36 39 40 42 44 45 48 51 52 61 62 63 65 67 67 74 v ©HSRC 2005 Table 5.2: Table 6.1: Table 6.2: Table 6.3: Table 6.4: Table 6.5: Table 6.6: Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Table 6.7: Table 6.8: Table 6.9: Table 6.10: Table 6.11: Table 6.12: Table 6.13: Table 7.1: Table 7.2: Table 7.3: Table 7.4: The transfer of ICT knowledge among teachers, percentage of students in South African lower and upper secondary education Average values and standard errors of principals’ attitudes towards ICT, percentage of students in lower secondary education Average values and standard errors of principals’ attitudes towards ICT, percentage of students in upper secondary education Policy regarding the use of computers for educational purposes by students, percentage of students in lower secondary education Policy regarding the use of computers for educational purposes by students, percentage of students in upper secondary education Existence and realisation of common vision on the use of computers and the Internet, percentage of students in lower secondary education Existence and realisation of common vision on the use of computers and the Internet, percentage of students in upper secondary education Existence of measures to regulate computer-related activities, percentage of students in lower secondary education Existence of measures to regulate computer-related activities, percentage of students in upper secondary education Computer usage to track student data, percentage of students in lower secondary education Computer usage to track student data, percentage of students in upper secondary education Computer usage for administrative activities, percentage of students in lower secondary education Computer usage for administrative activities, percentage of students in upper secondary education Obstacles in realising the schools’ ICT-related objectives, percentage of students in lower and upper secondary education Computer-related student learning activities, lower and upper secondary education Most satisfying experiences with computer-related technology, lower and upper secondary education Most satisfying examples of curriculum domains, lower and upper secondary education Most satisfying examples of the impact of ICT-based learning activities, lower and upper secondary education 77 83 84 86 86 87 88 89 90 91 91 92 93 93 100 101 101 102 Figures Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure 1.1: 1.2: 2.1: 3.1: 3.2: 3.3: Figure 3.4: vi ©HSRC 2005 Schools with electricity, 1996 and 2000 Schools without telecommunications facilities, 1996 and 2000 Main conceptual framework for SITES Module Availability of multimedia computers, lower secondary education Availability of multimedia computers, upper secondary education Computers accessible at the grade range connected to a local network, average percentages in lower and upper secondary education Schools having access to the Internet for instructional purposes, percentage of students in lower and upper secondary education 13 14 22 35 35 37 41 Figure 3.5: Figure 3.6: Figure 3.7: Figure 3.8: Figure 3.9: Figure 3.10: Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Figure 3.11: Figure 3.12: Figure 3.13: Figure 4.1: Figure 4.2: Figure 4.3: Figure 4.4: Figure 4.5: Figure 4.6: Figure 4.7: Figure 4.8: Figure 5.1: Figure 5.2: Figure 5.3: Figure 5.4: Figure 5.5: Figure 5.6: Schools using e-mail/Internet for instructional purposes at the grade range and having a homepage, percentage of students in lower and upper secondary education Types of information on the homepage averaged across countries, percentage of students in lower and upper secondary education Availability of types of software for use at the grade range, lower secondary education Availability of types of software for use at the grade range, upper secondary education Software coverage of school subjects for use at the grade range, lower secondary education Software coverage of school subjects for use at the grade range, upper secondary education Average expenditure in the last two school years for hardware and software items, lower secondary education Average expenditure in the last two school years for hardware and software items, upper secondary education Average expenditure on hardware across countries by level of student:computer ratio, lower secondary education Organisational levels of educational systems Framework for curriculum and ICT indicators Emerging and traditionally important pedagogical practices paradigm, lower secondary education Emerging and traditionally important pedagogical practices paradigm, upper secondary education Indicators for emerging ICT-related opportunities, lower secondary education Indicators for emerging ICT-related opportunities, upper secondary education Indicators for traditionally important ICT-related opportunities, lower secondary education Indicators for traditionally important ICT-related opportunities, upper secondary education Existence and realisation of policies that all teachers from the grade range take basic ICT courses, percentage of students in lower secondary education Existence and realisation of policies that all teachers from the grade range take basic ICT courses, percentage of students in upper secondary education Existence and realisation of policies that all teachers from the grade range update their ICT knowledge regularly, percentage of students in lower secondary education Existence and realisation of policies that all teachers from the grade range update their ICT knowledge regularly, percentage of students in upper secondary education Available in-house and external courses from a list of 12, average percentage in lower secondary education Available in-house and external courses from a list of 12, average percentage in upper secondary education 42 43 47 47 50 50 53 53 54 55 56 58 59 69 69 70 71 75 76 76 77 79 79 vii ©HSRC 2005 ICT in South African Secondary Schools Figure 5.7: Figure 5.8: Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Figure 7.1: viii ©HSRC 2005 Average values of self-ratings from technology co-ordinators regarding the adequacy of preparation for supporting general and pedagogical ICT-related activities, lower secondary education Average values of self-ratings from technology co-ordinators regarding the adequacy of preparation for supporting general and pedagogical ICT-related activities, upper secondary education Example of coding 81 81 99 Preface Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za The last time an international evaluation of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in education was conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) was in the early 1990s (Pelgrum, Janssen, Reinen & Plomp 1993) Since then there has been a dramatic expansion of ICT around the world, with the advent of new and faster technologies Therefore, by the late 1990s it seemed appropriate to the initiators of the Second Information Technology in Education Study (SITES) to re-evaluate the status of ICT in education This project was run on a comparatively small budget both internationally and nationally, as well as on a tight timeframe It offers an overview of the status quo in ICT across 27 countries This is the first time that South Africa has participated in this kind of study with regard to ICT in education; the comparison of South African data to that of other countries provides the reader with some interesting insights The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) joined the IEA in 1994 Since joining, the HSRC’s Group Education participated in two international projects, namely the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and now the Second Information Technology in Education Study The HSRC paid the national costs of the study as well as funding the international participation costs The study was funded internationally by the Japanese government, the Norwegian government and the Dutch Science Foundation Many people contributed to the project both internationally and nationally It is appropriate to acknowledge the role and support of the international co-ordinating centre under the leadership of Dr Hans Pelgrum, who supported the South African team throughout the project Secondly, I wish to acknowledge my colleagues on the project, in particular team members Mrs Nkhensani Mnisi, Mrs Mmamajoro Shilubane and Mrs Elsie Venter I would also like to thank Dr Hans Pelgrum for his assistance during the compilation of the report and with the South African data, Prof Tjeerd Plomp for his comments on drafts of this report, and Karin Pampallis for her editorial skills Finally, thanks to Ledile Kabuzie who contributed to Section 2.5.4 on the South African sampling strategy Sarah J Howie ix ©HSRC 2005 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za ICT in South African Secondary Schools Table 7.4 Most satisfying examples of the impact of ICT-based learning activities, lower and upper secondary education Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Gains for students Lower secondary Upper secondary Increases motivation, interest, concentration Increases active participation/creativity Improves knowledge/skills Increases responsibility, self-esteem Increases collaboration Other 7.4 Examples of ‘the most satisfying experience with technology’ in South African schools To give an impression of the type of cases that were considered by South African principals as ‘the most satisfying examples of the use of technology’, a few of them are summarised in this section They can be considered as illustrations of emergent pedagogical practices available in South Africa at the time of data collection (November 1998) Lower secondary – Example ‘Simulating a travel agent’ Description: Students were required to: • Research destinations; • Make airline and hotel bookings; • Book seats in current shows; • Produce a complete itinerary with costs for a family holiday; and • Write a report with overheads/images describing the holiday Computer-related technology: The entire project was done via the Internet in the IT Centre and involved accessing actual airline, hotel and theatre booking services, then producing/publishing the itinerary and producing a presentation/report at the end Subject matter domains: Geography, history, mathematics, English and art Student activities: Finding information, working with the Internet, decision-making, evaluating costs and presentation Changes for teachers: The class teacher managed the project with the support of the IT Centre manager, and broadened his skills substantially Gains for students: Excitement, real-world interaction, research skills, balanced decision-making and presentation skills Other: The experience gained from this project has inspired junior and senior teachers to explore options for extending projects for their classes/disciplines 102 ©HSRC 2005 Successful practices with ICT Lower secondary – Example ‘Building a bridge’ Description: Bridge-building programme on the computer donated by TRAC Students build their own bridge on the computer and then test its strength The tested bridge is then built with 5mm sticks and glue for a competition Computer-related technology: ICT basic skills Subject matter domains: Physics Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Student activities: Application of scalar/vector knowledge (Grade 11 syllabus) Changes for teachers: ‘Enthusiasm of students improved and that is every teacher’s dream.’ Gains for students: Opportunity to build his/her own bridge and test it It forms an idea of the practical applications of an abstract part of the syllabus (vectors) Other: Will definitely make this an annual event Would like to see more such everyday applications in the subject Lower secondary – Example ‘Review of prose’ Description: Students were required to read four novels and find themes emerging from them They then researched these themes and compiled a multimedia presentation Had to write essays on given topics Computer-related technology: Internet, word processing skills, PowerPoint Subject matter domains: English and information literacy Student activities: Researching, editing, composing essays, compiling presentation, public speaking using multimedia Changes for teachers: The project has evolved over three years and the final product now takes place in a new auditorium Gains for students: Real-life skills – most people are going to have to public speaking using computers – wonderful skill Research on Internet Other: An excellent project run by both the Computer and English departments English is a very progressive department and is keen to integrate technology into the curriculum 103 ©HSRC 2005 ICT in South African Secondary Schools Upper secondary – Example ‘Design of a chemistry website’ Description: Students of the schools (only six or eight) take part in a project using Microsoft Think Quest They had to design a website on an educational subject A chemistry experiment was selected Students learnt JAVA script and other computer skills Computer-related technology: Internet – JAVA, HTML Subject matter domains: Physics, chemistry and computer studies Student activities: Research – Internet, encyclopaedia Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Changes for teachers: None Gains for students: Skills in research, knowledge of HTML, etc Other: Advised for students seeking enrichment, challenge to creativity Upper secondary – Example ‘Creative writing’ Description: The creation of a document with a picture done in Paint – imported into the word processor – creative writing – planning and writing the story and print out of final project Computer-related technology: Basic ICT skills, MS Windows 95 Paint package, importing bitmap into word processor, word processing Subject matter domains: Language and integration with other subjects (biology, geography – free choice of students) Student activities: Discussion for planning, integrating project on computer, editing, sharing ideas, co-operative learning (technically-advanced students volunteered help) Changes for teachers: Teachers were amazed at the quality of the artwork and at the quantity and quality of the stories/articles It also gave the teachers personal insights into many learners’ family structures Gains for students: The technologically advanced gained the opportunity to explore and extend their knowledge The students who did not previously have access gained experience, and all were left with the satisfaction that the completion of a creative task brings Other: The project was adapted from one used for Grade to Grade Some students felt that it was too ‘babyish’ Next time there will more academic challenge in terms of the research on topic to use in the presentation 104 ©HSRC 2005 Successful practices with ICT Upper secondary – Example ‘Model building in science’ Description: Students participated in the CSIR Mind Walk competition, requiring them to create a model and a written and verbal presentation (1997 – national winners, 1998 – regional winners) Computer-related technology: Use of computer programmes, peripherals (scanner) and the Internet Subject matter domains: Science, mathematics and computer studies Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Student activities: Research, use of computer programmes, written presentation, verbal presentation, and independent and group learning Changes for teachers: Teachers discovered that, given the opportunity and access to computers, our students can excel despite coming from a disadvantaged background Gains for students: Students gained in confidence and a broader mental horizon They learned to work independently and in groups Some students were inspired and interest in science increased Other: Staff and students (in the school) need to get exposure to computers and information technology 7.5 Towards cross-national case studies of innovative pedagogical practices using technology From a general perspective, a great deal of similarity was evident for lower and upper secondary levels of education Voogt (1999) found that social studies, science, and mother tongue were the domains that elicited the most satisfying examples Most of the examples given concentrated on a multi-disciplinary approach where subjects were combined In general, students’ activities focused on information processing, production or communication, combined with word processing, technology for seeking information and facilitating communication General-purpose application and communication software was more commonly used than subject-specific software The results show that many respondents were able to provide examples of satisfying experiences with computer-related technology Quite a number of school principals across countries reported on the contribution that ICT made to new curriculum approaches (such as cross-curricular approaches), different roles for teachers, and productive learning activities for students There is now a rich database of selected examples, as ten examples for each of the 25 countries represented in this phase of SITES were collected Voogt (1999) listed a number of interesting questions that were derived from this database: 105 ©HSRC 2005 ICT in South African Secondary Schools • • • • Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za • To what extent is ‘the most satisfying experience’ affecting other teaching and learning practices in the school? How, when, and by whom did the experience start? To what extent was ICT important in realising cross-curricular approaches? How teachers perceive their role in a cross-curricular project? How did a cross-curricular project affect the curriculum and the school organisation? How teachers perceive their (new) role? To what extent does a new relationship with students and/or with the world outside school (community, local business) affect teaching/learning practice? What exactly is the role of ICT in facilitating this new role? How are the various gains for students determined? To what extent are they based on systematic assessment strategies? Which strategies are used, and are they considered satisfactory? What concerns school principals have for ‘most satisfying experiences’ and to what extent are these concerns a threat to the sustainability of the learning activity? It is expected that a number of the questions will be incorporated in SITES Module and Module 106 ©HSRC 2005 Conclusion 8.1 Introduction The results from this study provide a useful overview of practices and policies in ICT in education around the world In an environment of growing globalisation and the advent of the information age, this kind of study is a useful means by which countries can share their experiences and learn from others The South African data have been reported against the background of these international developments Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za One of the most challenging aspects of the study was the underpinning conceptual design Researchers had to grapple with the concept as well as the definition of the emerging (versus the traditional) paradigm in such a way that data could be collected and compared across different countries This chapter provides a summary of the main findings, followed by some possible suggestions for the way forward for South Africa 8.2 Summary of findings From an examination of different countries’ policies, it is clear that the majority of countries have developed policies for strengthening the role of ICT in education One reason for this is that it is anticipated that electronic communication will soon dominate traditional forms of communication (at least in the developed world) A second is that knowledge and competencies needed in the workplace and in society will be increasingly short-lived due to the fast pace of development and increasing information accessibility, which implies an urgent need for lifelong learning skills as a new type of educational aim for our schools In addition, from the findings it would appear that governments internationally are also aware of the potential negative outcomes such as information illiteracy and unequal access to technology One wonders how these challenges will ultimately be addressed in the developing world In South Africa, many schools have policies in place, but in several cases these were reported as not being implemented Lundall and Howell reported that there are existing policies that are ‘comprehensive and innovative which support the progressive development of ICTs in schools’ (2000: 2) However, the authors caution that ‘prevailing inequalities and pressures on the education system also have the potential to undermine effective ICT development (2000: 2) In most countries, there are programmes to improve the infrastructure of ICT in education This is true of computer-using schools in South Africa, but these comprise only about 10% of the schools in the country Attempts are also being made to educate teachers with regard to ICT In some countries, such as Singapore there are formal and compulsory programmes to achieve this There were substantial differences in the quality and functioning of ICT equipment in schools, including those in South Africa There were countries where almost all the equipment was suitable for multimedia purposes, whereas in countries such as those in Eastern Europe very old equipment was still in use Countries and schools also differed in their access to the Internet for instructional purposes Most schools in many countries had access to the Internet, although Lundall 107 ©HSRC 2005 ICT in South African Secondary Schools and Howell (2000: 3) reported that only 49% of South Africa’s computer-using schools had access to the Internet The technology co-ordinators in SITES reported that most students would not have used e-mail by the time they reached the end of the targeted grade range A considerable variation was found in the presence of indicators relating to emerging pedagogical practice, both across and within countries Pelgrum and Anderson (1999) did not interpret the results further due to the many questions that they still had in this connection For instance, they asked, ‘Were schools that scored high on an indicator of emerging pedagogical practices really reform-oriented?’ (Pelgrum & Anderson 1999: 220) They suggested that secondary analyses and the more in-depth observations and triangulation procedures that would be followed in Module would be necessary to answer this and other questions Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za According to the principals in most countries, including South Africa, teachers’ lack of ICT knowledge was a major obstacle in realising the schools’ ICT goals Most schools had a policy that teachers must receive training, and as a result many teachers attended basic ICT courses Apparently there were not many training courses for teachers across most countries, although this was not the case in Singapore where the conditions for teacher training appeared to be quite favourable In South Africa, the lack of teacher knowledge and skills was also identified by Lundall and Howell (2000) as being one of the inhibiting factors of effective implementation of ICT in the schools One constraining factor with regard to staff development was financial, and that is one of the challenges for the future – namely, to improve the use of ICT in instruction given the limited budgets in education Significant numbers of schools in the study had developed their policies and widely used computers for monitoring students and for administration Principals’ attitudes towards ICT use were generally quite positive Schools reported benefiting from using ICT in their administrative tasks and management activities The situation varied among teachers While many teachers were using computers to monitor the progress of their students, many were not using this potential productivity tool The implementation of ICT to enhance education was hampered in many cases by insufficient time for preparing these lessons as well as not having enough time to work on them Given the relatively low levels of staff development, many of the teachers would be relative novices in using the technology and therefore require much more time for preparation than those who were already proficient users of ICT The study also collected examples of experiences from schools about their ‘most satisfying use of technology’ Internationally, most of these examples involved information processing and knowledge production activities of students Co-operation and collaborative activities were also very common and according to Bos et al (quoted in Pelgrum & Anderson 1999: 223) these may be considered ‘innovative’ and related to the emerging paradigm Much of the software used in the students’ activities centred on information retrieval, simulation, spreadsheets, database design and microcomputer-based laboratories Simulation applications were not commonly found, but when they were found it was more often in the upper secondary level of schools The examples also highlighted the gains for students which were most often gains in knowledge and skills about using ICT Similarly, the most commonly reported change for teachers was that of increased use of ICT skills and knowledge in their teaching and learning practices 108 ©HSRC 2005 Conclusion 8.3 The way forward in South Africa Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Only 13% of the schools in South Africa had one or more computers and of these only 2% could be described as being highly-resourced (Lundall & Howell 2000) Given this situation, there are obviously severe constraints on what is being achieved nationally at present in the field of ICT in education There are a number of initiatives within at least 13% of the schools, where significant progress is being made in this field One national initiative that has grown significantly over the past decade is SchoolNet which is working hard to support those schools that have computers and also to assist with the introduction of ICT into new schools Recently, the Gauteng Department of Education announced the ‘Gauteng Online Project’ to drive the introduction of 600 000 computers into schools in their province over the next five years It is in Gauteng and the Western Cape where the most progress has been made with regard to the introduction of ICT in education, and it is no coincidence that they are also the two wealthiest provinces Clearly a strategy needs to be put in place in South Africa that will, firstly, support and develop ICT in education in schools that already use computers and, secondly, that will initiate in a co-ordinated way the introduction of computers into schools that not currently have them As the government does not have the capacity to supply even the most basic resources to many schools in the country, this is unlikely to be at the top of the government’s priority list However, over the years various private sector initiatives have funded such projects and must continue to so in the foreseeable future if schools are to produce sufficient numbers of computer-literate and innovative students appropriate for the workplace A number of factors were identified in the SITES Module study (and also by Lundall & Howell 2000: 4) that constrain the use of computers for teaching and learning These include: • Financial constraints (lack of funds, insufficient number of computers); • The lack of computer literacy among teachers; • A lack of training regarding the integration of computers into different learning areas; and • The absence of a properly developed curriculum for teaching computer skills These findings highlight the importance of the pre-service training of teachers in this field There are few, if any, teacher-training institutions that offer a comprehensive programme of ICT in education While the government is hampered financially in terms of supplying all schools with equipment, this is one area in which the government could be proactive Finally, Lundall and Howell (2000) also identified basic conditions which enhanced ICT in education in schools These included factors such as class size, parental funding, integration of ICT into school routine, a dedicated computer teacher, and length of time that computers had been in the school In addition to the factors that enhance effective learning using ICT, the IEA is interested in identifying best pedagogical practices using ICT It is for this reason that it has initiated the second phase in SITES (Module 2), where the focus is on case studies investigating these practices 109 ©HSRC 2005 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za References Adam R (1998) Africa in the global information society Paper presented at the European Community Information Society Technology Conference, Vienna, 30 Nov–2 Dec Anderson R, Haider G, Pelgrum WJ & Watanabe R (1997) Second information technology in education study: Revised proposal to the IEA General Assembly 1997 Amsterdam: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Beaton AE, Mullis IVS, Martin MO, Gonzalez EJ, Kelly DL & Smith TA (1996) Mathematics achievement in the middle school years Boston: Center for the Study of Testing 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ICT and the emerging paradigm for life long learning Amsterdam: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Voogt J & Odenthal L (1997) Emergent practices geportretteerd: Conceptueel raamwerk (Portraits of emergent practices: Conceptual framework) Enschede: University of Twente Voogt J & Odenthal L (1999) Met het oog op de toekomst: Een studies naar innovatief gebruik van ICT in het onderwijs (With a view to the future: A study of innovative use of ICT in education) Enschede: University of Twente, Faculty of Educational Science and Technology 114 ©HSRC 2005 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za [...]... understanding of computer hardware and the terminology associated with technology, telecommunications, and networking; and • An understanding of the range, source and uses of quality instructional technologies related to one’s own subject area and grade level – this requires also a knowledge of available resources and of the current trends in the use of educational technologies Meeting the ICT and communications... Centres of Excellence and the Soweto Technology Project, to mention only two Recently, the South African Department of Trade and Industry, the Information Systems, Electronics, and Telecommunications Technologies (ISETT) Sector Education and Training Authority and the State Information Technology Agency launched a youth internship programme aimed at building skills-capacity in the information technology... this forum, Cogburn and Adeya identify the importance of ‘international harmonisation of policy and regulatory frameworks’ (1999: 9) on policy issues relevant to the development of the Information Economy and electronic commerce, which include communications infrastructural development, content development and regulation, technical standard and inter-operability, and education and employment The United... capabilities, and 66 Degrees East, which offers training and support services to communication technologies and distance learning The Thousand Schools Project is another Telkom-sponsored initiative to introduce and support ICT in 1 000 schools around the country The National Research Foundation (NRF) is responsible for operating the UNINET, a computer-based information highway linking universities, technikons and. .. the growth of information and communication technology (ICT) among developed nations An integral part of the global economy is the Internet, which enables the generation and retrieval of knowledge and information and allows both productivity and flexibility due to the power of technological networks Given the severe underdevelopment of the technological infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing... account of the ways in which the new information and communication technologies differentially and unevenly affect societies and economies across the globe Although much attention has been given to ICT in schools in Europe, North America and Asia, little is known about its current and potential influence in the education trajectory of developing countries The need to develop information economy competencies... science and technology system with regard to new knowledge and new technologies In pursuit of this idea, the DACST believes that: ‘the knowledge, technologies, products and processes produced must be converted into increased wealth, by industry and business, and into an improved quality of life for all members of society’ (1996: 12) Through the Universal Service Agency, there is a focus on community information. .. information management, self-regulated learning and working, and research capability in combination with communication skills and teamwork are highly prized in global and local labour markets Through the use of ICT, the learning of these skills can be accelerated and sharpened 3 ©HSRC 2005 ICT in South African Secondary Schools There have also been important changes in curriculum emphasis Pelgrum and. .. who guide learners to independent and selfregulated learning, which involves engaging actively and collaboratively on researchbased real-world problems and tasks Such an approach to teaching and learning is seen as appropriate to inform national education and training strategies and the supply of adequately trained human resources both in the information societies and in developing countries that seek... House of Representatives HSRC Human Sciences Research Council ICC International Co-ordinating Centre ICT Information and Communication Technology IEA International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement ISETT Information Systems, Electronics and Telecommunications Technologies IT Information Technology LAN Local area network LCD Liquid-crystal display LSEN Learners with Special Education ... understanding of computer hardware and the terminology associated with technology, telecommunications, and networking; and • An understanding of the range, source and uses of quality instructional technologies. .. with communications, video, and audio technologies Audio and video communications are rapidly becoming digital in form, which gives the computer a new and expanded role as a controller and manipulator... focused on information processing, production or communication, combined with word processing, technology for seeking information and facilitating communication General-purpose application and communication