Dan Rendel GG3077 ICT4D
"Educating the educators in Sub-Saharan Africa through ICT’s’, An Annotated Bibliography
The following references are an exert of the literature and resources available on the topic of aiding teachers (at all levels of education) in Sub-Saharan Africa to more effectively teach using information communication technologies. These technologies are being used to empower teachers with the knowledge and techniques to more effectively do their job. Sub-Saharan Africa, especially rural areas, have little or no teacher training or access to it and thus many agents have attempted to make this training available through methods such as distance learning and online resources. Many of the articles asses the current state of ICT in Africa as well as possible solutions to its current pitfalls.
Wadi D. Haddad, Sonia Jurich
Ict for Education: Potential and Potency
The fifth chapter (Enhancing the Quality of Teaching) covers many aspects of how ICT’s are being used to both assist and aid teachers in Africa and other areas of the world with a lack of teaching resources (including the United States). The use of ICT’s to asses the standard of teaching is highlighted as being essential in developing teacher training;
“Videos can also be used to analyze teaching styles and idiosyncrasies and help educational systems to change their approaches.”
The report comments on the use of educational programs via radio and television, such as the IRI and Telesecundaria projects to empower teachers. The report then goes on the asses the use of the internet as a resource for teachers to better their training. This assessment seems accurate if not slightly simplistic.
The report on the whole contains much theory of the use of ICT’s but lacks case studies to back up the authors assumptions. There little mention of implementing these ICT’s and ignored the use of them in the most rural communities.
Robert J. Hawkins
‘The Global Information Technology Report 2001-2002:
Readiness for the Networked World’
World Links for Development Program, The World Bank Institute
Oxford University Press
The third ‘lesson’ in chapter 4 (Training, training, training) focuses on how ICT’s are used to develop teacher skills as well as how they interact with their pupils. It comments on how those ICT’s need to be user friendly so they do not intimidate the teacher and allow them to use the technologies more effectively.
The chapter includes an assessment of the ‘World Links’ program and how it is transforming classrooms.
“Over 80 percent of surveyed teachers said that their interest and enthusiasm for teaching had increased greatly under the World Links program”
(Kozma, Robert. “World Links for Development: Accomplishments and Challenges. Monitoring and Evaluation Annual Report 1998–1999.” SRI International, 1999)
Details in this report are limited as well its assessments being mostly positive with little critique.
Alan Rees Thomas, Sarah James, Seife Ayele, Hazel Johnson
‘Distance Education and Training Projects
and Programmes in Africa’
An inventory focusing on ten countries in sub-Saharan Africa
2003
ICLEI
European Commission
This report covers education, health, housing, transport and environment and how distance learning (using ICT’s) can aid to develop them, specifically with distance learning. The four main aims under investigation in the case of teacher training are as follows;
- The most important distance education and training projects and programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa, their providers and supporting donor agencies, and their key student target groups.
- The factors that support the success (or factors that contribute to the failure) of distance
education and training projects and programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly those using ICT’s;
- The extent to which local governments and local sustainability issues are targeted in Sub-Saharan Africa electronic distance education projects and programmes, for example, through the provision of relevant vocational training in distance models.
- The lessons learned from current and past distance education and training projects and
programmes in SSA, both electronic and non-electronic.
Methods of distance learning are assessed as well as including many case studied such as Commonwealth Youth Programme, Course for Distance Education Policy-Makers in Southern Africa, Open University Global Programme in Development Management, African Local Government Forum.
Unwin, T
‘Towards a framework for the use of ICT in
teacher training in Africa, Open Learning’
The Journal of Open and Distance Education 20(2), 113-129
This article addresses six fundamental issues of good practice concerning for programs that involve using ICT. Possible frameworks for a new way of implementing ICT’s for teacher training in Africa are approached as well as a contextual introduction to identify the need for these technologies and the current landscape of the field. The article contains many useful web-links to projects currently (2005) in operation in many countries, however even though the links are available each case lacks a detailed description.
Lewin, K.M. and Stuart, J.S.
‘Researching teacher education: new perspectives
on practice, performance and policy.’
Multi-Site Teacher Education Research Project synthesis report
DFID, Education Research Paper, No. 49a
This paper produced by DFID is one of a series of educational articles in a series. The project (MUSTER) focuses on Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa1 and Trinidad and Tobago and issues faced by primary education therein. The paper is extensive and includes much on the use of ICT’s to improve the quality of teaching. Findings and accounts are comprehensive and balanced. Predictions for the future use of ICT’s in teacher training are approached.
The paper, as well as the series as a whole, covers a vast amount of issues in African Education. This resource is a good source of background for the particular issue of teacher education covering many case studies and research.
Perraton, H., Robinson, B. and Creed, C.
‘Teacher education through distance
learning: technology, curriculum, cost, evaluation.’
UNESCO.
This paper covers many case studies, those in Africa being Burkina Faso, Nigeria and South Africa. The report focuses on how these countries need a higher standard of teachers to meet the needs of the children living there. The use of ICT’s to achieve this goal is assessed.
“…using ICT to support teachers who are teaching these subjects.”
Distance learning by teachers using ICT’s is specifically focused on in each case study. The background and theory of distance learning is well written and comprehensive. Each country is summed up by the ICT’s in use and how successful each has been in each specific country.
Pye, D.
‘Using ICT to increase the effectiveness of
community-based, non-formal education
for rural people in sub-Saharan Africa:
The CERP Project Final Report.’
DFID Education Papers
This paper produced by DFID shows the findings of research into using ICT’s in developing education in Africa. The study had the aim to produce a model that can be applied to the implementation of ICT’s in African education. The report is balanced and comprehensive in content, highlighting issues from both a large research project and other works. The piece would be very useful to those implementing ICT’s for education on a lager scale than the research project.
The paper gives many comments on the need to implement and improve ICT resources for teacher training in Africa to enable them to achieve a better standard.
SchoolNet Africa
http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/index.php
(Visited 1 Dec 2006)
This website called The African Education Knowledge Warehouse made by schoolnet.net has the primary aim of improving the quality of secondary school teaching in Africa using ICT’s. The African teacher’s network part of the site is an account of research on the variety of online professional development courses available to African teachers. The course are web based and are available in a variety of languages. The site encourages African teachers to create a network where they can exchange resources and ideas in the ‘teachers lounge’. The site is well produced and easy to use.
Commonwealth of Learning
http://www.col.org/
(Visited 1 Dec 2006)
The commonwealth of learning website contains a large amount of resources and research in the field of improving education around the world. The main aim of the organization is to help achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goals, the goals of Education for All , and Commonwealth's objectives of peace that are concerned with education. This is achieved in many ways including using ICT’s for teacher development. Notable resources available free of charge to teachers are a database of open source learning content and the ‘knowledge finder’, both with good content and ease of use. The website is easy to use and contains comprehensive content.
DFID: Communication Development Research
http://www.id21.org/ed.html
(Visited 1 Dec 2006)
The Education division of the DFID ‘communication development research’ website is a very useful source of research and findings by the organization. 57 papers are available to download free of charge. The papers themselves are either about teacher training in Africa or are on subjects closely related to the issue. ICT’s are a recurring theme in the research papers and the papers are of a high standard. Some of the publications are however slightly dated.
Schools online
http://www.schoolsonline.org/resources/index.htm#teacher
(Visited 1 Dec 2006)
Schools online is a website resource produced by Relief International. The organization offers support and active instillation of ICT’s into schools across the globe. By giving these schools access to the internet the company hoped to develop the stand of teaching. Resources available on the website include guides to using the internet and guides on web mentoring which connects teachers in remote areas to teachers in Europe and America. These resources are available in many languages. Website is very well made and easy to use.
Schoolnet Uganda
http://www.schoolnetuganda.sc.ug/homepage.php?option=aboutus
(Visited 1 Dec 2006)
Schoolnet Uganda, part of the schoolnet collective, is an organization made of a network of professional teachers. Their aim is to transform Uganda from an industrial model (learning by assimilation) to a knowledge-based model using ICT’s. The organization specializes in capacity building and using ICT’s to educate the teachers of Uganda. The site does not contain many resources or content but does provide an overview of the work done by the schoolnet.
S.E. Anderson
‘Improving School through Teacher Development, Case Studies of the Aga Khan Foundation Projects in East Africa.’
Swets & Zeitlinger
This book presents a story of school improvement activity in East Africa from 1985 to 2000. The book consists of evaluations of six case studies throughout the region. The book is not specifically about using ICT’s to achieve improvements but they are mentioned occasionally in all of the case studies as well as being commented on extensively in a small number (especially chapter seven).
Leslie Casely-Hayford
‘Strategic Thinking Review of Good Practice in ICT and Special Educational Needs for Africa Africa.’
This report is the result of a study focusing on the use of ICT’s to support special educational needs in Africa with particular reference to special schools, teacher education and inclusive educational programmes. This report is divided into six sections. Section one explores the definition, context and research available on ICT and special educational needs with particular reference to Africa. Section two provides an overview of the policies guiding ICT’s and special educational needs in Africa. Section three highlights the key lessons learned and experiences from outside Africa in the use of ICT’s and special educational needs. Section four discusses the experience of ICT and special educational needs in Africa. Section five presents the challenges and the expectations of ICT within the special needs sector as well as examples of ICT resources potentially available. It also provides key recommendations and guidelines for African governments considering the integration of ICT within the special needs sector. The report is well written and informed.
The Socrates - Mailbox project
‘THE CONNECTED TEACHER,
Using ICT in school for teachers in training.’
This project is concerned with studying the use of ICT’s in teacher training in seventeen schools in Europe. Although this research is not specifically in Africa many of the findings and theoretical context is applicable. The report comments on how teachers can benefit from training with ICT’s as well as well as framework of implementing them from the experiences found in the case studies.
Martin Monk
In Service for Teacher Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
DFID
This paper is part of the DFID series on education. The focus in the paper is on teacher development, forming skills and how best to implement improvement techniques. The fifth chapter of the book is concerned with distance learning and how is best used in rural areas. It summarises many studies into the topic including ones in Africa. The benefits and costs of distance learning by teachers is given with case studies, however these are often brief.
Govinda Shrestha
‘Utilization of Information and Communications Technology for
Education in Africa.’
UNESCO
This paper approaches the challenge of reforming educational practice in Africa with specific use of ICT’s. There is a large section included which tackles the issue of teacher education using ICT’s. The paper summarises projects in place and the their needs to be successful. A framework for the strategy to implement ICT’s in African teacher training is given in six parts which is well written and covers many areas of good practice.
Elizabeth Mattson
‘Field-Based Models of Primary Teacher Training:
Case Studies of Student Support
Systems from Sub-Saharan Africa.’
International Research Foundation for Open Learning
This is one of a series of Education Papers issued by the International Research Foundation for Open Learning and produced by DFID. The paper assesses the use of distance learning for teacher education in Africa through primary research in Zambia, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and Malawi. A model of teacher education in the region though this method is created from the research. A literature review of the topic is also included of academic publications and ‘grey’ materials found in the field (project proposals, promotional literature, college prospectuses, course handbooks, evaluation reports etc.) The paper is well written and comprehensive covering many issues on the topic if not slightly pessimistic.
Tina James
Final Report: Review of Basic ICT Skills and Training Software for Educators in Africa