University of KwaZulu Natal

Integration of ICT in schools in KwaZulu Natal (KZN).

The introduction of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to our schools is creating new ways for students and teachers to engage in information selection, gathering, sorting and analysis. ICTs have the potential to improve the management and administrative capacity of schools. It also has a way of providing better access to quality education for all.

The ICT revolution has had an impact on curriculum development and delivery and continues to pose new challenges for education and training systems around the world. These challenges can be summarized into three broad areas viz:
1) participation in the Information society,
2) impact of ICTs on access, cost effectiveness and quality of education and
3) integration of ICTs into the teaching and learning process.

This project will focus on the third challenge viz. integration of ICTs into the teaching and learning process. The aim of the project will be to identify, describe and interpret elements that promote or inhibit the effective integration of ICTs in schools in KZN. The objectives will be to :
determine the status of existing ICT in schools in KZN,
determine what infrastructure exists in schools in KZN,
determine what infrastructure is needed for the successful integration of ICT in schools in KZN,
determine what training is required for teachers (in-service & pre-service) to enable the successful integration of ICT in schools in KZN.

The Department of Education's Draft White Paper on e-Education (Transforming Learning and Teaching through Information and Communications Technologies) was released in September 2003. The White Paper sets out the Government's response to a new information and communication technology environment in education. Through the Department of Communication, the Electronic Communications and Transaction Act (2002) leads all ICT initiatives in SA. It calls for the development of a five-year national e-strategy that aims to enable and facilitate electronic transactions in the public interest, including the education sector. The challenge is to roll out ICT infrastructure that is specifically suited for SA.

A preliminary literature review reveals that ICTs, when successfully integrated into teaching and learning, can ensure meaningful interaction of learners with information. ICTs can advance high order thinking skills such as comprehension, reasoning, problem solving and creative thinking. Success in the infusion of ICTs into teaching and learning will ensure that all learners will be equipped for full participation in the knowledge society before they leave further education and training(FET) institutions.

Therefore a project that identifies, describes and interprets elements that promote or inhibit the effective integration of ICT in schools in KZN is necessary.