The implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning in Rekopantswe area office Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning in Rekopantswe Area Office schools. The effective and sustainable use of ICTs has become of utmost importance to meet the educational demands of the 21st century for both teaching and learning. Integration of ICT has become more than just an addition to the existing practices. Therefore the role played by teachers and principals in the implementation process, determines the successful integration in the classroom. Constructivism as a theoretical framework was used in this study. This theoretical framework maintains, inter alia that the learner must individually discover and transform information in order to make it the individual’s own. In South Africa computers were introduced in schools in the 1980s mainly for administrative purpose. As South Africa experienced democracy in 1994 the Department of Education (DoE) fully implemented ICT into the school curriculum as well as in the school administration. Although different methods and initiatives have been tried in the implementation process throughout Rekopantswe Area Office, no systematic-wide effective and sustainable ICT integration in schools has come about. The implementation process is gradual and teachers avoid using technology in their teaching and learning practices due to lack of confidence, resistance to change and negative attitudes, insufficient training, insufficient technical support and insufficient infrastructure. A qualitative approach was used in this study. Various sources of data collection included semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews and observation.