Technological Infrastructure and Use of ICT in Education in ... - ADEA

Technological Infrastructure and Use of ICT in Education in Africa: an overview
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and methodologies. These demonstrations can then be dissected,
analysed, watched again, and assessed over time without disrupting
an actual class.
Ù Technologies such as radio, television, and computers enable teacher
education to be provided at a distance to the trainee’s location,
thereby saving travel time and cost, and also avoiding disruption of
classroom routines as teachers can learn in their own time.
Ù ICT allows teacher education to take place any time and in any place.
ICT also allows teachers to learn things on demand, so that teaching
is not just supplied irrespective of whether teachers feel the need for
it or whether they are ready to learn it.
Ù Initial and specialized training is never sufficient for the entire professional
life of a teacher. Teachers often have to deal with changes
in knowledge, methodologies, pedagogical issues, students, and
school culture. ICT can break professional isolation by allowing
educators to communicate, exchange information, interact in chat
rooms and on bulletin boards, and hold discussion forums and virtual
conferences.
Ù Use of technology for teacher training also familiarizes the teacher
with technology (Haddad, 2002; Haddad & Jurich, 2002).
The quality of teachers is known in almost all countries (rich and poor)
to be a key predictor of student learning. In poor parts of poor countries,
many teachers are usually inadequately trained for their jobs. Therefore,
teacher training is very important. Use of technology to train teachers is
particularly important not only because training a teacher can leverage
impact on many more beneficiaries, but also because teachers can
become intermediaries for bridging the digital divide for the many millions
of low literate or illiterate youth and young adults who may be in
some kind of education programme, but have little previous access to IT
(Wagner, 2001). In effect ‘teachers remain the gatekeepers for students’
access to educational opportunities afforded by technology: they cannot
and should not be ignored’ (Carlson & Tidiane Gadio, 2002, p119).
Perhaps because of the appropriateness of taking education to practising
teachers and because of high levels of underqualified teachers,
teacher-training initiatives have benefited the most from distance
education methods in the sub-Saharan African context. Murphy, et al.
(2002) note that in Francophone and Anglophone countries, teacher
training accounts for three-quarters and half of all distance education
programmes respectively. Given the significant shortage of teachers
11. ICT and Teacher Training