PRESENTATION ON THE TOPIC:

GHANA AN EMERGING INFORMATION SOCIETY – THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

INTEGRATION IN TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES AT THE BASIC SCHOOLS

BY : JAMES SUNNEY QUAICOE

AT :TALLINN UNIVERSITY, INSTITUTE OF INFORMATICS

ON: 19TH FEBRUARY 2014

UNDER THE TUTELAGE OF:PROF. PETER NORMAK

COURSE : INFORMATION SOCIETY APPROACHES AND PROCESSES

AGENDA1. Objective (s) of this presentation

2. Introduction of Research area/interest.

3. Information society (IS) explained and visualised.

4. The Place of Africa on the Information Society League table

5. Ghana’s reaction to IS revolution.

6. Ghana’s performance challenges and way forward.

7. ICT integration in teaching and learning and citizenship in the

Information Society.

8. Research Problem Conceptualised

9. The enablers and inhibitors discussed

10. Way forward

OBJECTIVE (S) • Assess Ghana as an emerging information society in the context

of:– Policies and Legislature– What has been done to catch up on the IS platform– What is her performance so far

• Find the links between Ghana’s quests to be an information society and her educational practices and systems (focusing on Basic Schools) in the context of:

– Policies on ICT in Education– School based practices and conditions– General attitude of stakeholders in the Education industry

• Determine the way forward.

RESEARCH AREA & INTEREST

Topic: Information and Communication Technology integration into teaching and learning

activities in Ghana’s basic schools.

(Supervisor: Kai Pata (Phd))

Goals:• Research Goal 1: To improve teacher professional standards in ICT knowledge and skills.

• Research Goal 2: To enhance teachers' use of available ICT resources for teaching and learning activities.

• Research Goal 3: To increase the teacher support structures and systems to promote ICT integration in the classrooms.

• Research Goal 4: To facilitate equity in the deployment and management of ICT resources in schools.

• Research Goal 5: To promote ICT integration into teaching and learning in schools through the design and development of Technology Oriented Teaching and Learning model for continuous teacher ICT Professional Development.

INFORMATION SOCIETY EXPLAINED AND VISUALISED

The influence of technology on all fronts of human endeavours is not a subject for debate

Courtesy BSUN Think-Thank Workshop (2013) Romania

INFORMATION SOCIETY EXPLAINED AND VISUALISED

?

Álvarez & Kilbourn (2002)

The IBM Community Development Foundation:

A society characterised by a high level of

information intensity in the everyday life of

most citizens, in most organisations and

workplaces; by the use of common or

compatible technology for a wide range of

personal, social, educational and business

activities, and by the ability to transmit,

receive and exchange digital data rapidly

between places irrespective of distance.

“The term “information society” usually denotes a

society, where the majority of values created by

mankind are contained in information. Most of the

information stored by the society is maintained,

transformed and transmitted in a universal digital form.

By using a data exchange network, all

members of society have access to information.

Furthermore, in the information society, all the routine

mental work is entrusted to machines”.

( Source: Estonian Information Society Strategy 2013)

INFORMATION SOCIETY EXPLAINED AND VISUALISED

Pattern of evolution and measuring Information Society by International Communication Union (ITU) :

1. ICT Readiness: Infrastructure existing in the

country (i.e. Access).

2. ICT Use: Extent to which technology

has integrated into the life of the citizenry (i.e. Intensity).

3. ICT Capability: The skills and competence

needed to facilitate the maximisation of ICT services (i.e. Skills).

Conceptual Framework for Information Society (IS)

Source: ITU Report ( 2013)

IDI rates compared globally

Source: ITU Report 2013

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012* 2013*

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Africa

Arab States

Asia & Pacific

CIS

Europe

The Americas

Africa

Arab States

Asia & Pacific

CIS

Europe

The Americas

Households with Computers ( % of total households)

Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database.

Household with Internet Access

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012* 2013*0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Africa

Arab States

Asia & Pacific

CIS

Europe

The Americas

Individuals using internet

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012* 2013*

2.4 3.3 3.96.4

7.810.1

12.414.3

16.3

8.311.1

13.416.1

19.8

25.5

29.8

33.7

37.6

9.4 10.613.4

16.218.9

22.525.6

28.831.9

10.312.6

16.819.5

23.8

34

40.9

46.4

51.9

46.349.7

56

60.263.2

66.969

71.2

74.7

35.938.8

42.744.2

46.149.3

53.4

57.2

60.8

Chart Title

Africa Arab States Asia & Pacific CIS Europe The Americas

1992 Experienced first Mobile Service by (Mobitel)

1995 First South-Saharan nation (SSA) to be hooked the internet.

Research and Education Network (REN) Wide Area Network for Universities and Research Intuitions for collaborations.

Developed national fibre optic network 2003 Designed and gave legislative

backing to ICT for Accelerated Development Policy (ICT4AD) Framework

2004 Passed National Telecom Policy (NTP)

Creation of Community Information Centres (CIC)

• Creating state of the art IT Training Centre ( Kofi Annan ICT Centre of Excellence) ; Ghana-India Project

• Liberalised the and expanded the Telecommunication Industry

• Draft of ICT in Education Policy was produced in 2006

• Globacom submarine cable system connecting selected West African Nations and some European Countrie in cluding Britain (Bude), Portugal (Sesimbra) and Spain (Vigo).

• World Bank Report (Data development group) reported the compared to neighbouring SSA nations Ghana’s ICT Infrastructure is 1.1% above average. Etc. etc

GHANA’S REACTION TO INFORMATION SOCIETY REVOLUTION.

Source: Ministry of communication (Ghana)

GHANA’S REACTION TO INFORMATION SOCIETY REVOLUTION.

• Legislature:

– National Communication Authority Act 2008, Act

769

– National Information Technology Agency Act, 2008

Act 771

– Electronic Transaction Act, 2008, Act 772

– Electronic Communication Act, 2008, Act 775 Frempong (2010)

GHANA’S REACTION TO INFORMATION SOCIETY REVOLUTION.

GHANA’S PERFORMANCE, CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD

ITU Report 2012

GHANA’S PERFORMANCE, CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD

(ITU Report 2013)

IDI Sub-indices: Ghana performance

IDI sub-index

World Position 2012

IDI ScoreWorld IDI

RangeWorld

Position 20112011

World IDI Range

Access 126 2.4 9.18-1.12 128 2.15 9.13-1.12

Use 94 1.71 8.25-0.03 96 1.25 8.16-0.02

Skills 118 4.76 9.86-1.51 118 4.72 9.86-1.49

Overall IDI 113 2.6 8.57-0.99 114 2.3 8.51-0.93

Source: ITU Report (2013)

GHANA’S PERFORMANCE, CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD

• Lack of capital for large scale telecommunication infrastructure deployment

• Poor equipment and resources (obsolete)

• High cost of internet usage( IT Services in general)

• Low presence of ICTs at some levels of the educational system

• Lack of shared vision of the ICT4AD across various economic, social and political shades.

• Less regard for science and technology (technical vocational / skills) based initiatives .

• Lack of understanding of the concept ICTs and quality life and efficiency etc.

• The urban-rural divide and its effect (general attitude to ICTs)

• Poverty (ICT as domain for the elite class)• Attitude of culturally conservative society

(has Africa migrated from the Agrarian and Industrial ages to the Information age?)

• Political interruptions (for cheap points)• ICT and Gender (Women in ICTs)• Management of Community ICT

Centres(relation with school/teachers)• Inability of institutions to take ownership

of funded ICT projects after their deadlines.(Overdependence on GOG) e.g educational institutions.

• ICTs seen as medium for breeding social vices.( scepticism of ICTs)

• Duplication of ICTs Training Programs by Government (school based versus non school based ones) - and lack of coordination.

• “Swarts (2006) ICTs can be powerful, essential tools for learning:.........OR they can be black holes into which we pour our money, intelligence and time, getting very little in return”. (MOE 2008)

• It is established the in ITU Reports of low e-skills capacity in Africa

• Way forward: – Need to well fashioned structure to produce

human capacity base to develop and manage ICT services.

– Need for collective sharing of visions (ICT4AD).

– Education , Training, Research and Development be used as a leverage to consolidate and propel the nations to IS threshold gains.

– Political governance – should offer continuity and consistent incremental interventions of creating a knowledge base economy and IS

– ICTs should be seen as tools for empowerment for the citizens of developing countries ( Obijiofor, Sohail and Stevenson (2005).

• Education be should be seen as the key for building capacities in digital literacy (Frempong and Imoro 2006)

Conclusion:– ICT should be seen as enabler of

equity.– ICT is not a preserve for the elite or

developed economies, but a platform for mutual collaboration for promoting quality life among all humanity and in all nations.

– Up and coming generation need ICTs to survive as citizens of IS

– Education should be seen as a tool for preparing ICT minds for an IS.

– ISs will be created and sustained if today’s beneficiaries of education who are tomorrows IS citizens are properly oriented about their roles.

GHANA’S PERFORMANCE, CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD

GROUP ACTIVITY

How can ICT integration into

teaching and learning activities

influence the emergence and

viability of information societies?

1. In your view what factors or conditions define an information Society (List or describe them).

2. Create a progressive mind map to link ICT integration in teaching and learning at the basic school level with the intend of preparing pupils to be citizens of an Information Society.

ICT integration in teaching and learning (specifically for

basic schools) and citizenship in the Information SocietyFunctions of education/school to the individual:

• Each person needs to develop his/her inborn potentials

• Personal behaviours require modification

• Need for total development (physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual)

• Orientation into the future• Skills training/ economic preparation• Developing personality and adjusting

skills

Functions of education/school to the society:

• Socialisation (social change and control)

• Equity promotion function• Ethical and Moral Function• Economic Functions• science and technological

Function.• Leadership/Political

Function

Who is responsible for the development of ICT Minds for quality life?

Source: Ministry of Education(2008)

ICT integration in teaching and learning (specifically for basic schools)

and citizenship in the Information Society

Thematic Area 1: Education

Management – Ministry/Agencies and Educational

Institutions

Thematic Area 2: Capacity Building

Thematic Area 3: Infrastructure, E-readiness

and Equitable Access Thematic Area 4: Incorporating ICTs

into the Curriculum

Thematic Area 5: Content Development

Thematic Area 6: Technical Support, Maintenance and

Sustainability

Thematic Area 7: Monitoring and Evaluation

PHASES OF IMPLEMENTATION

PHASE I: Enhance a system-wide and institutional readiness to use ICT for teaching, learning and administration.PHASE 2: Ensure system wide integration of ICT into teaching and learning .PHASE 3: ICT integrated at all levels of the education system – management, teaching, learning and administration.

Consequently, ICT resources deployment and capacity building projects were initiated.

• One-child-one Laptop Project• ICT Training and workshops for Teachers • ICT as a course for Teacher Trainees ( Pre-Service Teachers study

computer applications or ICT Studies as a course)• ICT Studied at Basic Schools as a subject and expected to be

integrated into instructional delivery.• ICT an examinable subject at terminal point of Basic education

Today, the policy direction is School computerisation project: • Supply 60,000 laptops to about 2500 Basic schools. • Supply 40,000 laptops to teachers. • Training of 50, 000 teachers in ICT knowledge and skills. • Incentives for ICT Teachers (on paper)• Creating Community Information Centre (CIC), (Over 70 centres

in use presently)

Network all District, Municipal, Metropolitan and Regional Education Offices to GES Headquarters

THE ENABLERS AND INHIBITORS DISCUSSED

ICT Labs in schools

Supply of Laptops to pupils

THE ENABLERS AND INHIBITORS DISCUSSED

ICT Training for Teachers

√ Teacher ICT ReadinessKnowledge? Confidence? Competence? Use?

Shared vision of ICT integration

Teacher Support systems? ICTs for Professional Development?

Online support/peer networking ?Teachers’ ICT Resources Centre?Web based repository of TLMs?

THE ENABLERS AND INHIBITORS DISCUSSED

√ Pedagogy: ICT Integration ?

Methods?Access to resources?

Large class sizes ?

Rural – urban divide ?“Haves versus the Have nots”

The endowed versus the deprived

√ Deployment of ICT Resources

Equity ?

THE ENABLERS AND INHIBITORS DISCUSSED

The endowed versus the deprived

Equity ?

• Local Sources: Andoh-Buabeng (2012).

• A Study carried out to to explore Teachers’ skills, perceptions and practices of ICT in teaching

and learning in Ghanaian second cycle schools.

Boakye, K. B. and Banini, D. A. (2008)

• A study carried out to find of ICT readiness of Teachers Ghana.

Acquah, Y. S. B ( 2012) .• A study conducted to look at the status of the implementation of the ICT curriculum in

Ghanaian schools

THE ENABLERS AND INHIBITORS DISCUSSED : Empirical findings

• International Sources: EU (2013). Survey of Schools: ICT in Education.

– A survey conducted to measure access, use and attitude to technology in selected EU countries

Farrell, G. and Shafika, I. (2007)

– A survey conducted in 53 countries in Africa to assess ICT

and Education in Africa.

– A global study carried out in selected nations on ICTs for

Development

UNESCO (2013) Facilitating Effective ICT-Pedagogy Integration

Project

– Final report of the project (January 2010 to March 2013)

• The aforementioned reviews , observed situations and discourse seems to suggest that:• ICT in Education has not gained the expected grounds to produce IS Citizens across the nation as required in the

ICT in Education Policy direction.• Some teachers not actually serving as change of agents in bringing technology closer to the IS child - who is the

citizen of the knowledge based system.• Some Teacher are limited by these suggested factors ; confidence, competence and support to integrate ICT,

even in situations of availability of some resources.• Teachers are not committed to the vision of ICT integration or the vision has not been communicated properly to

the classroom teacher .• Deployed ICT Resources not being maximised or not used at all by some teachers in the teaching and learning

activity or probably they are not readily available.• Teachers lack online support from major teachers associations and educational management bodies.

• Effect on beneficiaries of Education:• Lack of coordinated ICT knowledge , skills and competence orientation for the up and coming generations who

are destined to live with ISTs for their survival. • Up and coming generation not exposed to the reality of Information Society Technologies that will shape their

lives as citizens of the Information Society.• Today’s child is already being subjected the elusive quality life as tomorrow’s adult .

• Way forward:– In addition to the deployment material resources, the Teacher should be re-positioned in the ICT integration in

pedagogy paradigm to properly comprehend technology integration roles.• Teacher empowerment in the context of ICT competence is essential.• Teacher ICT standards should be set to enable the teacher work out to attain targets.• Online Continuous Professional development model should be made available to the classroom teacher together

with real time resources and support structures.• The teacher should be oriented in the reality of the vision of ICT integration in education as network of events

and occurrence defining the very survival of the future generations.

– Need to have unbiased assessment of the situation via empirical findings : and remedial action taken where there are deficiencies and enhanced best practices. discovered

RESEARCH PROBLEM CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Information and

Communication Technology

integration into teaching and

learning activities a reality -

with teachers acknowledging as

their professional

responsibility the use of ICTs

to promote innovative teaching

and facilitate learning activities

Technology Oriented Teaching and

Learning Environment (ToTaLE)

facilitating Teacher ICTs integration

Information and

communication

Technology

integration into

teaching and

learning

activities in

basic schools in

theory

Teacher Professional disposition towards

teaching and learning using ICTs generally, as observed by the

researcher and from empirical sources

gives cause to doubt the success of the

objective of integrating ICTs into

teaching and learning in the public basic schools in Ghana – hence the existing

gap that needs to be filled.

To create a learning environment where ICT supports teaching and learning;

• deploy ICT Resources and equipment,

• visualize the expected innovation/change,

• Anticipate services to learner needs and learninng and instruction;

Essentially the role of the teacher should not be underestimated.

• teacher needs to understand to the system and the direction of the vision/innovation,

• the role of the deployed resources and how to create harmony with instruction,

• Readiness to adopt the vision, change or innovation,

• and use of the resources and the conditions towards the attainment of the expected innovation/change.

Underpinning Theory:

In adopting the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) theory, the motive is to model a framework for

TOTaLE (Technology Oriented Teaching and Learning Environment) based on finding the gap

between the status quo and the expected level of innovation in the schools; and bridge it with

framework that will empower and support the teacher to model his/her learning unto building confidence

and competence in ICTs integration ; and thereby initiate appreciation and use of ICTs as tools for

professional development and practice.(McKenny 2013).

WAY FORWARD: INFORMATION SOCIETY, ICT IN SCHOOLS AND RELATED ISSUES

WAY FORWARD: INFORMATION SOCIETY, ICT IN SCHOOLS AND RELATED ISSUES

ICTs in teaching and learning school readily overlaps with very pertinent

issues being researched into colleagues. ICT sustainability issues.

Issues about appropriation

User sustainability

Internet Security (, Social Engineering etc). E- Safety

Child protection /Bullying

Identity Protection

Netiquette etc

The case of enterprise versus open source applications. ICT for all and the role of Free and open software issues

HCI issues in the intended teacher model for learning Issues of about teachers acceptance of model for learning based on

user friendly parameters

Thank you

The end of the presentation.

Questions Time

REFERENCESAcquah, Y. S. B ( 2012). Status of implementation of the ICT Curriculum in Ghanaian Basic Schools. Journal of Arts and

Humanities (JAH), Volume -1, No.-3, December, 2012

ALVAREZ, Isabel; KILBOURN, Brent. Mapping the Information Society Literature: Topics, Perspectives, and Root Metaphors. First Monday, [S.l.], jan. 2002. ISSN 13960466. Available at: <http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/922/844>. Date accessed: 06 Feb. 2014.

doi:10.5210/fm.v7i1.922.

Boakye, K.B., & Banini, D.A. (2008). Teacher ICT Readiness in Ghana. In K. Toure, T.M.S. Tchombe, & T. Karsenti (Eds.), ICT and Changing Mindsets in Education. Bamenda, Cameroon: Langaa; Bamako, Mali: ERNWACA /ROCARE.

BSUN Think-Thank Workshop (25 September, 2013 Bucharest, Romania  

http://www.bsun.org/?task=homepage&language=en&web=bsun

EU Report (2013). Survey of Schools: ICT in Education. Brussels: European Union

Frempong, G. (2010), Ghana ICT sector performance review 2009/2010: Towards evidence-based ICT policy regulation volume two, policy paper. http://www.researchictafrica.net accessed Feb. 05 2014.

 Ghana ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) Policy. Source: www.ict.gov.gh

Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication (2006). Estonian Information Society Strategy 2013

MOE (2008). ICT in education policy. Accra. Ministry of Education