| dc.description.abstract | The constant change in technological advances, the information explosion, and rapid knowledge
acquisition is demanding a new learning environment in secondary schools. Teachers need to
embrace the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance the learning
process. A great cause of concern, however, is the lack of use of ICT in education. Although
teachers are mostly aware of the multiple advantages of the use of ICT in teaching-teaming
situations, they do not implement ICT in their teaching. TNs lack of use of ICT in education seems
to be even more of a problem in developing countries such as South Africa.
Research has identified the following advantages of effective integration of ICT in the curriculum for
the teamer: /CT provides a cost effective improvement of the quality of and access to education, it
can improve the academic achievement of the Iearner, it can enhance the learning environment, it
improves the adaptation of the learning environment to suit learners' unique needs and empower
the learners to reach their learning outcomes. The main advantaged of integrating ICT is the
potential it has to develop learners into more active, self-regulating and skilled lifelong learners.
/CT integration also has the following advantages for teachers: it helps in establishing unique
teaching skiff, it supports the use of new teaching models and increases the productivity of
teachers.
The following components, according to research, are required for the successful integration of
ICT: ICT strategic management planning and integration policies at national, provincial and school
levels, technical support for hard- and software, the necessary infrastructure, the necessary training
of teachers and sufficient finances.
In the light of the above-mentioned, the need arises to conduct a thorough analyses of the
implementation of !CT in South African schools. For this analysis, data were collected to determine:
the type, quantity and availability of ICT in high schools in the Potchefstroom district; the measure
of the integration of ICT by teachers in their teaching and learning process; the skills of the
teachers in using ICT; the available professional development opportunities, if any, for teachers in
the Potchefstroom district; and the appropriateness of ICT policies at national, provincial and
school levels.
Based on the analyses of the data the following are recommended for successful integration of ICT:
each school must develop its own ICT school policy, which includes, with Whitepaper 7 as
guideline, the ICT vision, strategic plan, budget, infrastructure and usage policy; the schools, in
accordance with Whitepaper 7, must involve the school community to firstly generate enough
revenue to acquire ICTs and secondly to create a sufficient infrastructure; and professional
developing programs need to be developed by the national and provincial education departments to
empower teachers to successfully integrate ICT in their teaching and learning. | |
