The Rationale for ICT in Schools

It is necessary to develop a thorough rationale before beginning to use computers in schools

and classrooms. There is little or no point in providing computers in schools unless such a

rationale has been completed. With the increasing availability of computer hardware it is

important that teachers do not become engrossed in the machine but focus rather on their

primary role as educators. Teachers need to extend their imaginations with the awareness

that as developments in computer technology occur they will be able to achieve more of their

goals.

Since the 1960's the computer has been heralded, by some, as the solution to many

problems in education. Many early computer scientists saw the possibility of the computer

replacing teachers in schools. However these pictures of students sitting behind computer

terminals for much of the day have largely not occurred in mainstream schools, and most

would not like this to be realised (Collis, 1989). There are three main rationales for ICT in

schools: one concerns the organisational productivity of the school, and the other two focus

on the needs of students: technological literacy and support for their learning. The latter two

rationales are supported by the recent Australian report Raising the Standards (DEST, 2002,

p. 38)

The need for ICT competent teachers stems from the need for ICT competent students

and for ICT-rich learning environments that enhance students’ learning across the

curriculum.

Apart from in a few exceptional schools, in the 20th century computers had only a minimal

impact on what happens in classrooms (Becker et al., 1999). There has been much debate

over the reasons for this discrepancy between the potential and what is realised. The

computer is one of a range of technologies now available to teachers and students. In past

decades technologies such as radio, television and overhead projectors similarly had little

lasting impact on the experiences of students and teachers in schools. In these cases a

large amount of money was spent on these resources which some would argue would have

been better spent on other resources. It is important that scarce resources to support

learning in schools are not wasted and therefore care needs to be taken in choosing to use

computers to support learning.

Historically, technology has been developed to solve problems, improve living standards and

to increase productivity. Therefore, it is reasonable that we should expect educational

technology to be developed with similar objectives. Within the educational context these

objectives become to:

· Increase productivity

· Solve problems in teaching/learning programmes

Educational Productivity

Productivity is a concept most happily found in economics textbooks where the productivity

of a worker or economic unit is defined by dividing the output (revenue) by the input (costs).

This is more difficult to define for the education industry since the output is not easily

measured, particularly not in monetary terms to compare with the costs. The output is

largely the quantity and quality of learning demonstrated by students, or learning outcomes

(as shown in the equation below).

Productivity =

=

Output

Input

Educational Outcomes

Costs

Outcomes Quality and quantity of student

learning.

Costs Teacher and student time,

classroom materials, equipment,

etc.

From the formula above it is clear that to increase productivity either the outputs must

increase, the inputs decrease or both. There has been research conducted to attempt to

estimate a numerical value for educational productivity. The best known work goes back to

that by Niemiec, Sikorski and Walberg (1989) who calculated cost-effectiveness ratios. They

found about a 30% average productivity improvement for examples involving computers

compared with about 10% for peer tutoring. Unfortunately, educational productivity is difficult

to calculate because it is difficult to estimate the value of educational outcomes. Even so it is

useful to consider the concept of educational productivity, particularly the effect that

educational technology may have.

Educational technology should influence educational outcomes and costs. If the most

appropriate educational technology is selected by a teacher then student learning should be

optimized, which means an increase in the value of the outcomes. However, the use of

some technologies is more expensive than others. ICTs tend to be relatively expensive to

procure, install, maintain and support users and this must be compared with the potential

outcomes (Lankshear & Snyder, 2000). While it is important to consider educational

productivity this should not be the only consideration in deciding to use a technology. There

are situations where a certain technology should be used because it solves a major problem

in teaching or learning (Lankshear & Snyder, 2000). This could in fact be seen as related to

productivity, for if a part of the curriculum is not completed due to a lack of technology then

the associated value of the outcomes is zero and therefore the productivity is zero.

Educational Technology Solves Problems

Fundamentally computers need to be used to address problems which occur in the regular

curriculum (not 'fitted into the curriculum'). If the computer is a problem-solving machine then

it must be applied to typical school problems such as those concerning student learning,

teacher instruction, school administration, and so on.

Educational Technology should be selected on the basis that it has the best characteristics

for the implementation of the curriculum. An educational technology should be used

effectively or not at all. This requires:

· Problems in the implementation of the curriculum.

· Teachers who know how make use of the technology effectively.

· Teachers and students who know how to operate the technology.

The initial questions that should be asked are: "Where are the problems to be solved and

tasks to be completed?" and "Is a computer solution the most effective approach?". Potential

sources of computer solvable problems in schools include,

· The computer can be used to support learning activities which are difficult to perform in

other ways.

· The computer may serve a role to address the needs of special groups of students, e.g.

the handicapped, low ability and those requiring extension activities.

· The computer is able to support problem solving activities in many forms. It is well suited

for use as a means of enhancing higher order thinking skills.

· The computer should form an integral part of student activities as a productivity tool.

· The computer can be used in many ways as stimulation and motivation for a range of

other learning activities and situations.

Student Learning

There are many potential uses for computers in the learning process. In some situations

changes in relevant industries makes computer use in schools imperative. For example, to

provide courses in music, technical drawing, statistics, and business which do not

incorporate computer use reduces the relevancy of the courses to the real world. Here the

rationale cries out from the work place but needs to be responded to with carefully

Impact of ICT on Learning & Teaching Page 14 of 73 Dr C. Paul Newhouse

constructed learning experiences. How much of our curriculum is made up of historical

solutions to past problems? The curriculum needs to be updated continually to take account

of the technology prevalent in society.

Any rationale for the use of computers in the large proportion of schooling devoted to

'general' education, such as: mathematics, social science, science, communication and

language, requires much more critical examination. Consider the teaching area of

mathematics and the problems associated with student learning. Mathematics has tended to

be very abstract while most students tend to operate on a concrete level. The use of

concrete materials in some lessons is useful but often not convenient. The computer can

provide experiences with virtual concrete materials.

In approaching problems associated with remedial and extension students computer use can

provide appropriate material and overcome classroom management problems. However, a

computer solution is not necessarily the best solution. The problems associated with student

learning are most often discipline and even teacher specific. Therefore each teacher needs

to consider the problems associated with student learning in his/her subject area and be

aware of computer solutions.

Management of Learning Experiences

The management of high quality educational programmes requires and generates large

quantities and types of data. Teachers face many management problems which when

analysed could be suitable for a computer solution. There are many such tasks which may

be both time consuming and tedious for which teachers should consider a computer solution.

Such tasks may include: the organisation of assessments, the maintenance of library

functions, the preparation of reports and the organization of events. There are many school

management packages which will complete tasks such as these and thereby free up a

substantial amount of time for other more important tasks. Schools should make use of the

opportunity to continually provide more appropriate solutions to the dynamic problems

associated with the provision of schooling.

Provision of Support Materials

The access to, and production of, resource materials associated with the processes of

learning and teaching learning is readily facilitated by the use of productivity software tools

and networked computer systems.

Access to Information

There are a number of reasons for exposing students to using computers to access and

present information in schools. First and foremost there is a need to respond to a mass of

information. To some extent there is a social role in putting students in touch with other

people and their ideas. Also the efficiency of bringing information to students and teachers

provides an economic rationale. For up-to-date information or spasmodically used

information it is likely that the off-site computer database accessed through the internet will

offer the most cost effective solution to information needs. ICT does not only concern

gaining access to information but also involves using computer systems to process and

interpret the information, to make meaning and present information.

Computer Literacy

When people use computers to help them complete tasks which they regard as problems,

then they are likely to have a more positive attitude towards the use of computers, and are

likely to look for further tasks which can be completed using a computer. If, however, people

use a computer to complete what they regard to be an unnecessary task or in using the

computer, the task is made more difficult or less satisfying, then they are less likely to use

computers in the future.