INTRODUCTION TO ICT..INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

From the earliest times when computers were commercially available, they could be found in

use in educational institutions, and educators (e.g. Bork, 1980; Carnegie Commission on

Higher Education, 1977; Papert, 1980) argued that computers should be used to support

learning. There has always been huge community support for this as illustrated recently in a

survey of voters in the USA which indicated greatest support for expenditure on ICT in

schools when compared with a list of alternative expenditures in education (Lemke, 1999).

However, there has always been debate among educators on how the technology should be

used and what improvements in student learning could be expected.

Initially computers were used to teach computer programming but the development of the

microprocessor in the early 1970s saw the introduction of affordable microcomputers into

schools at a rapid rate. Computers and applications of technology became more pervasive

in society which led to a concern about the need for computing skills in everyday life. As

public awareness grew, this need for computer literacy became extremely influential and

many schools purchased computers based on this rationale.

The 1990s was the decade of computer communications and information access, particularly

with the popularity and accessibility of internet-based services such as electronic mail and

the World Wide Web. At the same time the CD-ROM became the standard for distributing

packaged software (replacing the floppy disk). This allowed large information-based

software packages such as encyclopaedias to be cheaply and easily distributed. As a result

educators became more focussed on the use of the technology to improve student learning

as a rationale for investment.

Today computers in schools are both a focus of study in themselves (technology education)

and a support for learning and teaching (educational technology). Rationales can be

presented for both computer literacy and using computers as part of educational technology.

This review will concentrate on the latter but will address the issues surrounding computer

literacy where relevant. The focus of this review will concern the use of computer technology

as an aid to learning and teaching in schools. How can computers help students, teachers

and administrators? When should computers be used in the classroom? What is the effect

of computer use on teachers, students and learning within the classroom and school?