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 77 use of ICT in schools in OECD countries, Venezky & Davis note that ‘the central finding of this study is that ICT rarely acts as a catalyst by itself for schooling change yet can be a powerful lever for realizing planned educational innovations’ (Venezky & Davis, 2002, p13). Very often the most effective use of ICT is as a lever for educational change rather than as a change in and of itself. In this same study, it was shown that all of the innovations that occurred in schools using ICT arose as part of a strategy to solve other schooling problems, often at first unrelated to ICT. It is important that ICT be seen as one strategy for improving educational provision, not as an end in and of itself. In addition to viewing ICT in the context of educational processes more generally, it is important to consider the potential role of ICT in terms of the contextual strengths and weaknesses, which will then enable decisions to be made about the most appropriate technology to be used. All education involves processes of communication between an educator and a learner. Different communication media will be suitable under different conditions, and there are a variety of technologies that can be used to enhance this communication process. Mapp (1996, p68) notes that ‘evaluation studies show that educationally successful systems are not necessarily the most technically advanced: success lies in the balancing of the technical, the educational, the institutional and the personal’. Thus, as has already been pointed out, teaching and learning consist of combinations of different modes of communication. It is important to note the wide range of educational applications that continue to make use of print resources. Although ICT does provide additional and important educational applications, the value of print options should not be overlooked, for pedagogic as well as practical reasons, particularly in the context of limited technological resources, as is the case in most of sub-Saharan Africa. Saint (1999) also notes that mixed-media teaching has been shown to have a great impact on learning when compared to single-medium methods. In sum, this section has argued that while ICT is becoming increasingly important for educational provision, especially in the context of the knowledge society, it should always be seen as only one aspect 8. Importance of ICT for Education
78 Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning impacting on the learning situation. In some cases, new ICT will not be the most appropriate means of enhancing either access to, or quality of, education. The focus must be on sound pedagogy and on how ICTs can contribute to achieving this aim. ‘To “tech” or not to “tech” is not the question. The real question is how to harvest the power of technology to meet the challenges of the 21st century and make education relevant, responsive, and effective for anyone, anywhere, anytime’ (Haddad & Draxler, 2002, p16). Having covered many of the central theoretical and conceptual issues with respect to ICT and education, the following sections will focus specifically on initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa within the different educational levels. 8. Importance of ICT for Education
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Technological Infrastructure and Use of ICT in Education in ... - ADEA

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