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

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Technological Infrastructure and Use of ICT in Education in Africa: an overview 21 term has emerged to reflect the growth in technological convergence of information, communication, and broadcasting technologies. This trend is, therefore, worth exploring briefly. 2.3.....Technological Convergence In terms of a dictionary definition, convergence is described as ‘movement towards or terminating in the same point’ (Onions, 1987, p418). In itself, this provides an obvious enough definition, but it requires further explanation in terms of its relevance to technological trends. One simple description of convergence provides a useful starting point for understanding the concept from a technological perspective. In brief, convergence may be described as: The coming together of two or more disparate disciplines or technologies. For example, the so-called fax revolution was produced by a convergence of telecommunications technology, optical scanning technology, and printing technology. (ZDNet Webopedia, 1999) This description is helpful because it provides an illustration of a completed process of technological convergence, which in turn helps us to separate the general concept from its application to a specific process of technological convergence currently taking place. From the perspective of this report, however, the term ‘convergence’ will be used to describe one particular process of technological convergence. This can be summarized as follows: In information technology, convergence is a term for the combining of personal computers, telecommunication, and television into a user experience that is accessible to everyone. (Whatis.com, 1999) Convergence is an on-going process which entails the coming together of the following: • content from the audiovisual and publishing industries; • potentially separate physical infrastructures (such as those supporting broadcast television or telecommunications services) able to carry similar sorts of information at increasingly lower costs; • the interactive information storage and processing capabilities of the computer world; 2. Definition of Terms
22 Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning • the ubiquity, improving functionality and ease of use of consumer electronics. (ISPO, 1999) 2. Definition of Terms Convergence is, however, by no means a commonly agreed concept. The European Commission Information Society Project Office has, for example, recently completed a Green Paper process on convergence, in which the following was reported: Some comments suggested that it was unclear exactly what the term convergence represents. For others, convergence defied definition. Yet others predicted a degree of divergence in terms of the range of content and services offered…views on the pace of developments were…cautious. There was wide recognition of the reality of convergence at the level of technology and network infrastructures. But most agreed that this did not mean that convergence of either markets (in terms of the players involved) or services would automatically follow. Convergence was seen as an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary process. There were clear differences between sectors as to their perception of the extent and speed of these developments, but there was broad acknowledgement that convergence, however defined, was at an early stage and characterized by uncertainty, in particular about the level of demand there might be for such services. These differences were also reflected in many of the examples offered as to how converging technologies are influencing both the business world and our everyday lives, many of them based on the growing popularity of the Internet. One important feature in this context was the degree to which new services offered users the possibility to customise and control the information and services received. An important distinction between developments in the work environment and the home was recognized. Many considered that developments at work would be driven by the Internet, electronic commerce and PC-based activities, and would have an impact on home-use.
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