Act. V

It seems ‘computer literacy' has evolved to embrace a greater understanding of how the computer accomplishes its tasks rather than just the knowledge of how to manipulate the machine. This left me thinking about whether the subjects in Dr. Mitra's experiments could be deemed computer literate in the context of some of the definitions which confront us.

   The adoption of a ‘learning community', with its premise of broad involvement of personnel with different levels of expertise within these groupings, may just be the best approach to becoming ‘computer literate', in the broadest sense, attempting to embrace all comers to this debate. 

   I tend to agree that everyone has a role to play, with the greatest perhaps being the learner's, in the acquisition of ‘computer literacy'. In the case where students generate their own learning and may design their tasks, their role gets greater. I see a  big role also for curriculum designers and managers.

   As for as the teacher's role in ‘teaching computer literacy’, we remain important as a guides, critics; assessors. Our need for technical expertise is superseded by the need to achieve our objectives and learning outcomes. We probably will or will need to enhance our skills levels within the different aspects of ‘computer literacy’ as learning and teaching progresses, but our major concern should rest in being able to employ the technology flexibly to enhance the learning experience for all involved.

Spontaneous learning

Vygotsky sees the role of schooled learning as that of an arbiter for the human culture and all its associated knowledge, and the approaching learners. Here, teachers should aim to provide the ideal merger of simplified scientific concepts with spontaneous learning experiences, thereby enhancing the learning process and outcomes (read ‘achievements’) for the learners. The teacher’s main role here is to select the concepts, methods and occasions for the enabling of these goals.

Thus, for those of us both in ICT as well as in a schooled learning environment, it emerges that ICT isn’t here to reduce the role of the teacher, or simply to replace the old with new, but rather can provide enhancement andgreater accuracy to our efforts in linking the types of learning exposed here. This especially in light of the fact that the two types of learning are seen as integral to each other. ICT should then be recognized as being able to play a major role towards such an effort.

    It therefore comes to us to embrace ICT and the ‘power tools’ it possesses. We would need to weld it into our schemes to reinforce concepts such as multiple modes of presentation, seeing a concept at work (hands on or vicariously), incidental teaching, and providing more immediate real-world feedback for learners and teachers. This may just lead us into a more collaborative, learner centred theatre of operations, a learning community which, in a wider role, enhances learning efficiently while maximizing the use of slender resources on the ground. The potential for the the transformation of present day classrooms into more vibrant centres of learning has reared its head.

As a whole, ICT can be seen here as providing the learners with the tools that help them to learn as themselves in, basically, almost any environment we wish, or which we wish to create.

Conclusions from the discussion on ICT integration in developing countries:

It seems to me that there is a lot of passion surrounding this issue, and that many of the participants here are quite pro-ICT, including myself.

 The literature indicates the documentation of substantial benefits derived in cases where, with some forethought, ICT programs were implemented. Some of the case studies I find fascinating and worthy of some follow-up research.

 It would seem that remarkable changes would have to be implemented for us to be a working part of what emerges as global acceptance of more widespread ICT in schools.

Though moves are afoot for teachers to progress in ICT literacy - e.g. training workshops, personal development of their own undertaking, I believe that it has mostly been thrown into the teachers' laps to flesh out the bones of whatever structure now exists, a mostly ad hoc approach.

 I do have the urge to see a more structured approach to our whole situation, one that would allow us to embrace the latter rationales that were presented as the more desirable. One that would allow us to maximise the gains from our already limited  human and  capital resources with some sense of independence. Thus we  would permit ourselves a greater hope of standing equally with developed nations in the ICT pursuit. 

Audit of my school’s ICT use (what we have and what we do with it):

Our school has a computer lab equipped as outlined in in my Hello activity.

There are seven desktops and two laptops which the staff can access, along with a white board, an electronic whiteboard, one multimedia projector, a scanner, printers, and associated audio devices. There is internet connectivity, but it is often unstable. Students (Grades 3-6) have net books free of cost from the government, but the first operating system- now being replaced- was clumsy to manipulate, though not impossible.

At present, we employ these mainly for document preparation (tests, memoranda, etc.), for the research and acquisition of supplementary materials for lessons as well as extracurricular activities (PowerPoint presentations, quizzes, worksheets are examples); for communication with the Ministry of Education (e.g. submission of monthly records). As such, there’s fairly wide usage of these resources.

The equipping of some students with net books is advantageous but accompanied by several drawbacks, the main ones being the somewhat stuttered approach used for their introduction a few years back, and what appears to be a high rate of attrition among these net books for whatever reasons. Despite this, the students possess this resource but there is lack of curricular integration on a wide scale. Hence, it is basically in the hands of teachers to employ these to the best advantage, and this is hindered by wide gaps in teacher training in this field.

Our usage of ICT thus far indicates that we lean heavily towards rationales #2 & 3 as they appeared in the literature and less so to # 4 & 5. If we should find it desirable to shift the seeming imbalance, there would need to be more structured moves towards ‘pupil-centric, active-engagement interactions’ with the technology.

Hello activity

Good day to all the ones participating in this course of study. I do hope we've gotten past any initial hiccups that may have been experienced.

I'm Mr. Adrian Neverson, a teacher of 28 years experience. I've taught at the New Grounds /Union Methodist Primary School for the past 8 years, where I've been largely involved with the grade 5/6 streams. Our school, located on the windward side of our island overlooking the vast Atlantic just may have the distinction of having the largest school-yard on the island. Our school's present population is relatively small at under 300 students. There's a teaching/administrative staff of 14. Having been born and raised in this region myself, I attended this school as a child, although in a different location. Our current buildings were donated by the Canadian government nearly 20 years ago.

St. Vincent is, as you may know, the largest of the islands in our in our multi-island state of St.Vincent & the Grenadines (SVG). Further afield, we're a part of the wider Caribbean region located between North and South America. Our nation is a member of several sub-regional groupings as well as of the major international organisations relevant to our development and well-being.

At present, I teach all the subjects in the lone Grade 5, which is where the formal 2-year transition to the secondary school begins for us. These days I tend to gravitate more to the science/math aspect of teaching and less to the languages. This may be due to the fact that over the years my interests have veered more towards technical/electronics developments around us. I have a strong appreciation for the intricacies of photography and music production, on the artistic side of things.

 The students i teach (10-11 years) are many and varied in different aspects, coming from their different social backgrounds. In the main I find they possess that urge for learning which I try to bring out daily, as best I can.

 I also happen to be the technology co-ordinator for the school at present, a post necessitated by the introduction, a few years ago, of a programme that aimed to supply one net-book per student/teacher in SVG. This programme seemed to presage the introduction of a greater degree of ICT-centred learning in our schools, hence the introduction of courses like this one. Initially I had hoped that this course would have been more technically-oriented, but that may be for another time and place. From this course, anything that I may gain to facilitate the structured use of ICT in schools and to increase the positive learning outcomes for the pupils in our care would be what i hope for most, despite the fact that, so far, ICT-centred lessons seem a bit more labour-intensive. 

Most of the students in our school, from grades 3 - 6, have net-books which they would take with them to the secondary level. In addition we have access to a computer lab with seven computers, as well as projectors, scanners, a white board and other related devices. It would seem, at our school at least, that the introduction of a course such as this couldn't have come at a better time, insofar as it would better equip us for what seems to be the current thrust in ICT-centred learning.

Adrian.