Research should guide ICT integration in education

When it comes to efforts to annihilate and wipe off the human race from the surface of the earth, the world has moved swiftly to embrace technology. Literally, the human race has become a victim of their own innovations.

A living example of how technology has dramatically changed, the war theatre is screened on a daily basis on our televisions through the on-going Russia-Ukraine war. The use of drones and precision guided missiles has assumed centre stage and attainment of parity in technology seems to be the reason why the war has become a ding dong struggle.

But there is no doubt that at the end of the day the use of sophisticated technology will determine the outcome of the war. Enough about wars of destruction! Shifting to a more positive and constructive project, it is interesting to note that there is no replication, in other spheres of life such as education, of the speedy and enthusiasm with which technology has found its way into war. A case has long been made for infusion of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in teaching and learning yet movement in that direction has been painfully slow.

The last two decades or so have witnessed robust debates and a stream of statements of intent showing commitment on the subject of integration and use of technology in education. Yet the actual infusion of ICT has been an elusive and a moving target. Presently there is a limited, sporadic and voluntary use of technology in the classroom. ICT utilisation depends on teacher competence, interest and attitudes. This is so because there is no hard and fast policy binding and guiding the use of ICT in schools. Schools are limiting themselves to merely offering basic computer skills to learners. It is soothing, however, to register that since the dawn of COVID-19, the use of ‘WhatsApp’ as a learning tool has gained currency. Teachers are increasingly posting learning materials and assignments on ‘WhatsApp’ making distance learning much more possible than ever before.

It is even now possible to give parents feedback on their children’s progress and at the same time solicit their engagement in the learning of their children through the same platform. At administrative level apart from the use emails, school principals as well as regional school supporting entities are able to organise and hold meetings via technology. This is a step in the right direction. If the world had its priorities right, the first port of call in so far as the use of technology is concerned should have been the education space not the military front. Limited or absence of technology in the classroom has created a culture overreliance of students on the teacher factor. That teaching hitherto remains a human enterprise has compounded the difficult manifold challenges afflicting the education system. Sometimes the human factor in the classroom can be a problem rather than a solution to the problems bedeviling schools. Do we ever stop to think just how many students have dropped out of school or hang on in school albeit less engaged simply because the school environment is hostile, dull, less exciting and challenging? Where human beings are turning off students, technology can be relied on to switch them on and reactivate their interests in education. Technology driven instruction could shift the game of classroom instruction from students’ engagement to empowerment. Engagement is reliance on the teacher while empowerment is self-determination. Learners are able to unleash their potential when given the tools and skills to stand on their feet. Education is a fundamental lifesaving undertaking, clearly deserving a fair share of the benefits accruing from technology. And the system must hurry to embrace technology because education cannot afford the luxury of waiting. The question is no longer whether technology can bring about a positive performance trajectory in our schools but how soon can technology feature prominently in the classroom. There is an urgent need to move a little beyond rhetoric. The education system cannot afford to live any more with the mishap of ejecting too many students into poverty and underemployment.

Technology could give the education system a new lease on life, an opportunity to rise again to execute its function of improving livelihoods. The stigma of academic achievement must fall and become a thing of the past. If there is no doubt that ICT will accelerate student learning, then progress in that direction should begin with the development of a fully blown ICT integration plan. The ICT integration and utilisation plan is the blue print giving direction on the how part and where to begin and with what. Already significant progress has been made with the acquisition of computers for students and teachers in senior secondary schools.

This is a good sign but the presence of computers cannot guarantee proper and effective utilisation. This is the more reason the development of the ICT integration plans is a matter of priority. Once the use of technology is no longer an option, teachers and school managers within and between schools should ‘normalise’ exchange of notes and experiences. Working in silos and leaving everything in the hands of individual schools may inhibit growth. As Robert John Meeham would say, “the most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other. Without collaboration our growth is limited to our own perspectives.” Consistent with the requirements of evidence-based decision making, a technology driven teaching and learning environment should be governed by research. Research would lay bare issues inhibiting provision of quality education.

Technology should be adopted not because it is fashionable to do so but because research dictates that it is the answer to instructional gaps identified. For instance, technology can become handy in sharpening the ability of students to navigate questions requiring high order cognitive skills. In terms of the Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy, many students in our schools across subject areas are comfortable dealing with low cognitive domains of recalling and understanding but are wanting when called on to show case high order cognitive skills of applying, analysing and evaluating.

It is therefore extremely urgent to design a policy to facilitate a seamless transition to technology driven classroom instruction. Expected learning outcomes should be clearly spelt out so that evaluation would be made based on what impact the programme is intended to achieve.