Benefits and Challenges that Accompany Successful Integration and Implementation of ICT in Teaching and Learning

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Benefits and Challenges that Accompany Successful
Integration and Implementation of ICT in Teaching
and Learning

• By
• Ratshitanga NT
• B. Sc. Hon (Computer Science) H.E.D. (Computer
  Science)
• University of the North (now known as University
  of Limpopo)

Employment Senior Support and Helpdesk
Manager Department of Information Technology
Services University of Venda
2
Contact Details

• Cell. no. 072 289 2942
• Fax no. 086 661 2468
• Email nkhumbuleni.ratshitanga_at_univen.ac.za
• edumotive_at_yahoo.com

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Introduction

• Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
  is the phrase used to describe a different
  technologies for
• gathering,
• storing,
• retrieving,
• processing,
• analysing and transmitting information,
  (http//www.smartstate.qld.gov.au/strategy/strateg
  y05_15/glossary.shtm Accessed 28/06/2008).

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• ICT has been developed by people to help and ease
  their lives.
• Hence, it is people who must make it work
  effectively for themselves.
• The question is, who are the people to make it
  work in the teaching and learning environment.
• How do those people benefit when they make it
  work
• what are challenges for making it work
  successfully and
• how can prospective users and current users of
  ICT curb such challenges

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Objectives of the Paper

• The author of this paper does not believe
  that schools can use ICT effectively without
  knowing benefits and challenges associated with
  using ICT in teaching and learning.

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• Hence the objective of this paper is to
  discuss
• benefits of using ICT in teaching and learning
  and
• challenges that are faced by schools with regard
  to implementation and integration of ICT in
  teaching and learning
• some of the strategies that can be used to
  minimise identified challenges

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What is effective ICT?

• By effective we mean a process that generates
  outputs that satisfy customer requirements,
  (www.fiu.edu/pie/sec8appglossary.htm accessed
  21/06/2008).
• one need to know what is expected of him/herself
  otherwise one might end up delivering unwanted
  results.
• Before you make use of ICT to help you in
  teaching and learning environment one must first
  define what one will like to achieve. ICT will be
  effective if through its usage, one is able to
  achieve ones objectives

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Effective means making use of ICT to

• Engage and stimulate learners
• Increase achievement
• Enable better understanding
• Cultivate improved communication
• Have a positive impact on workload
• http//www.effectiveict.co.uk/effective/

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Benefits of Using ICT in Teaching and Learning

• ICT helps to Motivate and Engage Learners
• Through the use of ICT educators can
  provide opportunities to learners by engaging
  and motivating them so that they can meet their
  individual learning needs, (http//www.naace.org/i
  mpict/teaching.html Accessed 23/06/2008).
• Assessment of Learners
• ICT can provide useful feedback to both educators
  and learners through the use of some software
  that are able to assess learners work,
  (http//www.northerngrid.org/ngflwebsite/how.htm
  Accessed 23/06/2008).
• Speed and Automatic functions
• capability to produce and modify resources
  quickly and easily
• demonstrate, explore or explain work effectively
• it allows routine tasks to be completed and
  repeated quickly

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• Communication Channels are Increased
• Communication channels are increased
  through email, discussion groups and chat rooms
  (http//www.schoolnet.gov.mt/ictsec/ICTPedagogyHea
  ds.doc Accessed 23/06/2008). Through ICT
  distance is no longer an issue since learners
  and educators are able to share ideas and
  valuable information
• Examples
• Emails
• Apart from using emails to communicate
  with learners educators are able to communicate
  with other stakeholders
• Video Conferencing
• Video conferencing schools are able to
  collaborate or share information on common issues

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• Access to Information
• Through Internet, learners and educators are able
  to have access to several educational knowledge
  and information.
• They are able to use Search Engines like Google
  Yahoo Ananzi etc to search for information
• Uptudate Information
• ICT helps prepare children for the world of work
• Most organisations today use ICT, i.e. computers,
  technologies, applications and devices to run
  their everyday business activities and children
  already love to use ICT in the rest of their
  lives.
• Example
• Internet Banking
• Telecommuniting

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• ICT opens up new opportunities in teaching and
  learning
• Teaching using ICT offers educators the chance to
  empower learners with new passion into their
  subjects, to adopt fresh approaches, pool ideas
  and develop new skills that expand their career
  possibilities
• (http//www.educatornet.gov.uk/wholeschool/ictis_o
  ld/ict_teaching/primarystrategyict/primaryict/
  Accessed 23/06/2008)
• Examples
• Educational Websites
• Educators may access teaching plans and
  other educations materials from the Internet.
• Benchmarking
• They may also benchmark their activities with
  other educational institutions of similar level.
• E-Conferences
• Through e-conferences educators are able to
  acquire new knowledge and skills that might help
  them inside their classroom

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• ICT is flexible
• ICT can be customised to suit learners of all
  ages and abilities, and educators of all skills
  sets, to support educators and pupils across the
  whole curriculum.
• (http//www.educatornet.gov.uk/wholeschool/ic
  tis_old/ict_teaching/primarystrategyict/primaryict
  / Accessed 23/06/2008)
• Example
• Educational Software
• Educators are able to customise lessons
  according to individual learners skills and
  knowledge

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• ICT Provide Link between School and Home
• Through ICT parents and learners are able to
  have access to teaching and learning materials,
  and to assessment and attendance data, from home,
  (http//www.naace.org/impict/teaching.html
  Accessed 23/06/2008).
• Through ICT parents are able to access school
  information wherever they are as long as they
  are connected to the Internet
• Examples
• School Website
• Parents are able to visit school website and
  browse policies and other school procedures
  without physically going to school
• Assignments
• Learners may download assignments from school
  website

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• ICT can significantly reduce learning costs
• It is clear that there are advances in ICT, the
  personal computer continues to become more and
  more accessible and affordable.
• The internet and cellular phone is becoming
  commonplace for millions of people.
• The cost of videoconferencing connection is also
  lowered if Internet Protocol (IP) is used,
  (http//www.jointokyo.org/files/cms/news/pdf/s2_be
  nefits_v7.pdf Accessed 24/06/2008).
• Learners and educators may through the Internet
  or videoconferencing learn from another
  institution without physically going to that
  institution. This automatically saves traveling
  cost.

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• Challenges Faced by Schools with regard to
  Implementation and Integration of ICT in Teaching
  and Learning

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• Culture
• Culture in this regard is referred to the way
  educators and learners do their business
• Therefore, it should not come as a surprise to
  find that learners opt not to become autonomous,
  comprehensive learners (which is possible with
  the use of ICT).
• Promoting the use of autonomous and comprehensive
  ICT use requires more than access to adequate
  resources or the adoption of ICT in classroom
  strategies.
• It demands a change in classroom culture,
  (http//findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4013/is_2
  00304/ai_n9228424/pg_7 Accessed 23/06/2008).

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• Deloitte consulting partner Lisa Barry says
  cultural transformation is the lifeblood of
  change. She outlines six major fundamentals for
  change
• Make your case for change
• Have a clear vision
• Develop a strategy
• Work out how much organisational capacity there
  is to enact the change
• Introduce strong motivation for change to the
  business
• Communicate effectively keep on top of the
  messages that are being transmitted through the
  organisation.
• (http//www.heidrick.com/NR/rdonlyres/5A39C42F-552
  6-4C14-ADE8-4504EB3B6133/0/HS_CulturePerformance.p
  df Accessed 24/06/2008)

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• Inadequate ICT skills Among Educators
• Integration of ICT in teaching and
  learning does not only deal with introduction of
  new hardware and software, but both trainers and
  the learners have to adopt new roles, and change
  their ICT behaviors and ways of teaching and
  learning. (http//ijedict.dec.uwi.edu/viewarticle.
  php?id246 Accessed 23/06/2008)
• Example
• In most rural schools, most educators do
  not even know how to use a mouse hence this
  becomes a serious drawback in terms of using ICT
  in teaching and learning

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• Insufficient ICT Resources
• The insufficient number of computer
  resources obviously had a negative impact on the
  development of the learners information literacy
  skills and their ability to independently access
  a wider variety of information sources that would
  help them fare well in their school work.
  (http//www.univen.ac.za/ads2.php Accessed
  23/06/2008)
• Example
• A school with 800 learners sharing 200
  computers will perform better than the school
  with the same number of learners who are sharing
  10 computers in terms of acquiring information
  literacy skills.

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• Curriculum
• School curriculum planning should be
  redesigned to incorporate information technology
  as an element of learning and teaching, and allow
  sufficient time for learners to enjoy computer
  activities. (http//crpit.com/confpapers/CRPITV34H
  an.pdf Accessed 23/06/2008)

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• Lack of systemic approach to ICT
  implementation
• Integration of ICTs in the functions of any
  organization is a complex process that needs
  project management skills and to be clearly
  defined from the beginning.
• However, this is not the case in many educational
  institutions in South Africa as most of them have
  embraced the ICT integration process without
  clear plans to guide the way.
• The institution ICT policy and strategic plan
  should be defined to provide a framework for the
  development and implementation of specific ICT
  projects. (http//ijedict.dec.uwi.edu/viewarticle.
  php?id246 Accessed 23/06/2008)

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• Lack of Management Support
• Management support is critical to the successful
  integration of ICT into teaching and learning
  processes.
• Managers can provide the conditions that are
  needed, such as ICT policy, incentives and
  resources.
• The commitment and interest of the top management
  and other leaders at every level is the most
  critical factor for successful implementation of
  ICT.

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• It is imperative that school management and
  ministry of education show commitment for the
  successful integration of ICT in teaching and
  learning processes. (http//ijedict.dec.uwi.edu/vi
  ewarticle.php?id246 Accessed 23/06/2008)

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• Example
• When management is committed towards
  integrating ICT in teaching and learning
• it allocates enough funds for project.
• takes educators to staff and development
  workshops.

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• Lack of Technical Support
• There is a need for someone who will always be
  there to fix broken ICT equipments like
  computers
• this person will be providing technical support
  services for the school.
• Technical support among other issues covers
  installation, operation, maintenance, network
  administration and security.

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• This is also crucial part of the implementation
  and integration of ICT in education system. In
  most cases however, technical support is not
  available, which implies that educators and
  learners require some basic troubleshooting
  skills to overcome technical problems when using
  ICT, (http//ijedict.dec.uwi.edu/viewarticle.php?i
  d246 Accessed 23/06/2008).

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• Example
• A school must have at least one person who can
  serve as a technician for repairing broken
  computers and other related resources.

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• Lack of ownership
• Stakeholders involvement is imperative for the
  successful implementation of the ICT project.
• It is critical that all stakeholders contribute
  to and own the policy and the plan.
• Stakeholders must be given maximum platform for
  participation since this will help in the
  identification of challenges, and in proposing
  areas for ICT application.

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• They must agree on the projects to be
  implemented, including their role therein.
  Employees must see ICT as tools that complement
  their jobs rather than as competitors for their
  jobs. It is a challenge to get stakeholders in an
  organization to think for the organization,
  rather than the natural tendency of considering
  their personal interests first,
  (http//ijedict.dec.uwi.edu/viewarticle.php?id246
  Accessed 23/06/2008).

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• Example
• School governing bodies and other stakeholders
  must be involved fully in the integration and
  implementation of ICT projects in education since
  without their involvement the whole project can
  be a white elephant.

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• Lack of Security
• Most rural schools do not have necessary security
  facilities that can secure their ICT resources
  hence thieves make it difficult for such schools
  to acquire computers for the purpose of teaching
  and learning.
• In a bid to avoid losing school computers because
  of theft, in other instance they are kept in
  somebodys house.
• Theft is a serious threat that makes rural
  schools not to acquire computers.

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• Attitude to ICT
• Educators respond with different degrees of
  enthusiasm in relation to the use of ICT in their
  teaching practice.
• There educators who still do not believe that ICT
  is relevant to either learners improvement or to
  their professional development.
• Some educators believe that integration of ICT
  into teaching and learning will render them
  redundant for they believe ICT will replace them.
  As a result, there is a slower shift in
  educators' attitudes towards ICT than planners
  had expected, (http//www.schoolnetafrica.org/engl
  ish/schoolnet_centre/aworkshops/presentation.html
  Accessed 23/06/2008).

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• There should be a way to motivate those educators
  with negative attitude towards using ICT in
  teaching and learning.
• Courses should be offered continuously as a way
  to make them appreciate the benefits of using ICT
  in their educational activities.
• Some educators could see the benefits but they
  are only resisting to change which implies that
  a well planned transitional strategy must be put
  in place.

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• Example
• A educator with negative attitude will not
  bother to learn on his/her own how to use a
  particular computer program.

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• Inadequate funds
• Most schools are operating from limited budget,
  which again makes financing and maintain projects
  like implementation and integration of ICT in
  education a problem.
• It is obvious that schools with higher financial
  resource bases stand a good chance than those
  with limited resources to reap benefits offered
  by ICT. (http//ijedict.dec.uwi.edu/viewarticle.ph
  p?id246 Accessed 23/06/2008)

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• In addressing the problem of limited funds and
  sustaining donor funded projects, school can do
  the following
• adopt freeware and open source software for
  teaching and learning activities
• continuously press for more funds from their
  governments and
• diversify sources of funds to have a wide
  financial base.

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• Insufficient ICT Resources
• There are schools in rural areas that have no
  electricity and telephone lines which are the
  basic requirements from making a gadget like
  computer functional.
• Government largely depend on donations from
  private sector.

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• Conclusions
• Managers need to ensure that they benefit out of
  the ICT that are implemented in teaching and
  learning.
• They have a challenge to make ICT work for them.
• Challenges must not scare schools managers to an
  extent where they stop to integrate ICT in
  teaching and learning rather they have to adopt
  strategise that can minimise them.
• They have to maximise the benefits associated
  with ICT in teaching and learning.