Paper presented by Kalema Golooba .A. at a Teachers’ workshop at Mengo
Senior School under the Theme: ”Integration of Modern technology in the
classroom” 3rd February 2000. .This paper can also be found at the author’s
local website : http://192.200.200.10/~gobbie/articles/index.html
Since the early 1980s huge advances have been made in the field of information and communications technology with the rapid spread of microcomputers, the development of optical disks (CD-ROM and CD-I), and the gradual convergence of telecommunications, television and computer technology. The digitalization of data has become widespread. The emergence of the Internet in the 1990s as an international network of information available to the public at large has revolutionized thinking about how information can be processed, disseminated, accessed and used in every sphere of human activity. These technologies have contributed to the emergence of an Information Society living in a global village in which the traditional barriers to communication, time and space have been dissolved. New dimensions have been given to the concept of reality through the creation of simulated "virtual worlds". The new technologies are seen as having the potential vastly to improve working conditions and the overall quality of life for human kind, making possible a more leisure-oriented society. On the other hand, others view the implications of ICTs for the future of human society with considerable scepticism or pessimism.
ICTs are replacing the need for human labour in many domains . While
they greatly facilitate access to information, they also have the capacity
to create an increasingly isolated, artificial existence as people become
more dependent on technology rather than direct human contact for the means
of communication. Information and knowledge have become both the raw material
and the outcome of technological change. They are the principal source
of power and control in the global economic and political order. Industrialized
countries are competing with each other for dominance while developing
countries are lagging behind and risk marginalization and exclusion.
In education these technologies have tremendous potential for enhancing
the teaching learning process and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness
of the education system. They open up new opportunities for professional
development, simplify tasks and enable students to develop higher order
thinking (cognitive) skills. Besides, their utilisation poses serious challenges
to the traditional role of the teacher, and power structures based on centralized
control of access to information. In Uganda the use of these technologies
is by no means uniform and the potential of these technologies is yet to
be fully realised. The present trend is that more schools are embracing
these ICTs. What bothers most of these schools that have acquired the technology
is how to integrate it in the curriculum.
• Why Change? Why
should schools adopt these new technologies?
– Social rationale: Internet and computers are important in society.
Students should become familiar with the m in order to function in the
information society.
– Vocational Reason: To enable students get employment,
Prepare them for the changed job market
– Pedagogical reason: computers and the internet assist the teaching-learning
process and enhance instruction of traditional subjects in the curriculum
– Catalytic rationale: Improve overall performance of schools (teaching,
administration, and management) increasing the efficiency and effectiveness
of the education system in general.
I n Uganda the utilisation of ICT in Education has been given a big
push the WorLD Program whose objectives are to enable students to:
• Collaborate with others on complex, open-ended , real-world problems
and projects
• Reason with information : To find , organize, analyze, compare and
evaluate information and use it to make predictions and draw conclusions:
• Communicate ideas in a variety of written, oral and graphic forms;
• Develop skills in the use of a variety of computer software and hardware
tools;
• Plan ,monitor and regulate their own learning
• Cultivate attitudes and behaviors that will sustain learning
throughout their lives;
• Increase international understanding and knowledge about other cultures,
countries and languages.
Surely, the Old models of learning must give way to new models that have been found to be more effective. These have far reaching implications for all the stakeholders in the Education process, particularly the learners.
? New Changes/ New models for learning
Old Model New Model Implications for Learners
Teacher centered Learner centered Students are empowered as learners
Passive absorption Learner participation Student motivation is enhanced
Individual work Team learning Team building skills are developed; learning
is enhanced through sharing
Teacher as expert Teacher as guide Framework for learning is more adaptable
to a fast changing world
Static Dynamic Resources for learning (textbooks, existing knowledge
bases) are replaced by an online link to the real world. Resources can
be adapted to immediate learning needs
Prescribed learning Learning to learn Development of skills for the
information age
Subject centered Project based
Cram facts Develop skills Skills -Research, data collection and
analysis Electronic communication of information Interview and Questioning
skills Self expression
Knowledge of other cultures/ interdependence
Emphasis on the 3R(Reading,wRiting&aRithmetic) Emphasis on 5R(Reading,wRiting,aRithmetic,Resources
and Relationships) Building Relationships across the globe with experts
irrespective of age, distance social status and utilising online Resources.
The Role of ICTs In enhancing instruction
ICT can help teachers achieve current curriculum objectives and
in subject areas and to increase achievement in other areas such as the
development of skills and change in learner attitudes. In certain cases,
it is a major tool in effecting behavior change. It should be noted that
technology in and of itself does not directly change the teaching or learning
process. The critical element is how it is incorporated into instruction.
How does ICT enhance instruction?
ICT can be used to enhance learning in almost all areas. Teachers however have to be innovative and carefully plan how they are to use it for maximum benefit. This is not to man that the Internet can solve all problems. The teacher remains paramount in this learning equation but he has to be confortable with the technology. I highlight a few areas where have worked with teachers at Mengo Senior school to use ICT.Brings wider instructional resources into classroom: The internet allows teachers and students to explore beyond their immediate reach e.g. Accessing Photographs, Sharing weather data with scientists etc. They can find lesson plans, articles, magazines, journals, encyclopædia, etc. They become more aware of the world outside the classroom and are able to reach out to information resources instead of operating in a vacuum. Supplementary computer tools like scanners and digitizing cameras allow teachers to bring in outside resources into the computer and customise individual assignments for students. Motivate Learners: It is a key vehicle in stimulating learning primarily because it create environments and presents information in ways that are more engaging and involve students more directly than do textbooks and more traditional tools. A multimedia lesson converts lessons into demonstrations where a teacher easily show maps, graphs, primary source documents etc. They allow the teacher to stop, back-up, go forward and skip to another image as students ask questions. I taught plate tectonics using the Encarta encyclopaedia CO-ROM and it was very difficult to stop the lesson. New forms of instruction: By encouraging students to use the internet and other technologies in tandem with traditional materials e.g. textbooks teachers can and have given both their lessons and student assignments more content and depth. This could be done by creating a multimedia lesson based on texts, photos, film footage collections on Videodiscs or other powerful content that cannot be found in other media. Develop research and other skills: Students develop valuable skills as they use the internet and the project based style of learning. E.g. skills in finding ,evaluating , organizing and communicating many types of information using new technologies Accommodate learning styles: The material on the internet and supporting CD-ROMs enables students to structure their learning according to their needs and style of learning Redefine teachers role: The job description of the teacher will change and is changing from that of a Sage on the stage to A Guide on the side, From an expert to a learner, from a director to a facilitator .S/he has to provide focus and direction to the learner and not to prescribe learning.. The traditional power structure is already changing as teachers are beginning to realize that students know more than they do. ? Open and lifelong Learning: In a fast changing world the ability to continue learning is crucial. Using the Internet enables students to continue learning as they have continuos access to the resources. Some Experiences with /Applications of ICT in Education
Conclusion
The use of ICT in the Ugandan education system is still
in its embryonic stages. However, there is growing awareness of the potentials
of this technology. Already Ugandan pioneer teachers and educational administrators
have formed an NGO called SchoolNet Uganda to coordinate the integration
of these technologies in the education system. Our experiences indicate
for successful integration teachers must be trained in the use of the technology
in new pedagogical approaches that are learner-centered.
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