ObservatoryICT

The school has Internet connectivity with a dial-up wireless connection. There is a local network connecting computers at various points in the school. This has made communication efficient and effective. 

The ICT technician has the following roles: - teach computer studies and basic computer skills. - give recommendations on what is to be done on issues to do with ICT in the school. - advise the school management and teachers on ICTs. - do the necessary maintenance and repair of computers and the network system. - connect the computers to Internet.  

The following are the software the school has: - Microsoft office and Microsoft windows. 

Teachers use computers in the school to store past examination papers with model answers in shared folders. They also use them to refer students to websites with relevant materials in various subjects. Teachers also browse the internet to obtain relevant information which they download and print for students to read. In the case of science teaching, teachers browse for illustrations of instruments which the school does not have such as microscope, download and print for learners to see. Teachers also use the computers to enrol for further studies in online study programmes for personal advancement. 

Students use computers to learn computer skills of how to operate the machines. They also used the computers for research, for example, on materials for Science Congress competition which they participate in once a year. They also use the machines to do practical work such as entering data on a worksheet for storage or further processing and also to seek general information from Encarta library or from websites on the internet. 

7 girls were involved in this discussion. Indicator 4.4. 3. Female learners’ points of access to computers/ Internet 1(a) Where do you get access to computers for learning (pedagogical) purposes (Probe: home, school and internet cafes, etc.) The school is well endowed with computers and no wonder then that all the 7 students said that they accessed computers in the school. 1/7 girls however reported that SHE also access computers from the cyber cafes. 3/7 reported that they accessed computers from home. (b) When do you get access to computers for learning purposes (Probe: home, school, internet cafes, etc.\ The students reported that the school computers were accessible only on Saturdays and Sundays ONLY. Accessibility at home is only over the holidays whenever they want. Visits to the cyber cafes are also done over the holiday and only (c) Which is the most common/convenient point of access? Explain why this is the most common/convenient point of access; 2//7 girls reported that cyber cafes was the best point of access while 3/7said home was the best point. 5/7 girls reported that school was the most convenient. Asked for the reason they said it is because the school computers were connected to the internet. (d) How do you use computers for learning purposes? The girls gave the following 3 ways in which they use computers for learning purposes: • There is the Microsoft Encarta from which they research • Google for information for all their subjects (e) Are there challenges/ problems/ hindrances you face as girls in as far as the various points of access are concerned? (Probe: home, school environment and Internet cafes) The following were cited as challenges in the different points of access. HOME: • Viruses • Power blackouts SCHOOL • Ltd time • Broken down computers • Some blocked cites like facebook INTERNET CAFES • Congestions • Low internet speed • It is expensive • Lack of security at nigh (f) Where do you get access to Internet for learning purposes? For learning purposes 2/7 girls reported that they accessed the cybers while 3/7 said it was accessed at home. (g) When do you get access to Internet for learning purposes? At school during the computer lessons.Accessibility at home and cybers only over the holidays. (h) Which is the most common/convenient point of access for the Internet? Explain why this is the most common/convenient point of access; Home was reported as the most convenient point of access .It was limitless in terms of time. (i) How do you use the Internet for learning purposes (probe: email; searching for information related to academics, etc) • Google for information for all their subjects (j) Are there challenges/problems/hindrances you face as girls as far as accessing Internet for learning purposes is concerned? • Lack of security at night  

Uthiru girls High School is a girls only school and therefore no data was collected on this indicator. 

Indicator 4.4.5 Female learners’ participation in Internet- based social networking 2(a) Have you ever heard about the following: • Facebook? 5/7girls have heard about facebook • MySpace? 3/7/ girls have heard about myspace • Twitter? 3/7 • Hi-5 none • MSN 2/7 • Yahoo-messenger none • You-tube 2/7 have heard about it (b) Have you ever used any of the following: • Facebook?- 2/7 use the face book • MySpace? 1/7 use it • Twitter? 1/7 use it • Hi-5 None • MSN None • Yahoo-messenger none • You-tube 1/7 has used it (c) For those who have used any of the above, explain how you have used it All the girls agreed that facebook was for socializing only. (d) Which of the above mentioned is convenient for learning purposes? Why? All girls agreed that facebook was the most convenient for learning because of the following reasons: • It is known by many people (e) Are there challenges/ problems/ hindrances you face as girls while participating in any of the above mentioned Internet-based social networking categories? Please explain your responses. The following were cited as major challenges faced by the girls in using the social networks: • It is addictive. • Costly • There are sometimes strangers who can mislead you.  

Uthiru girls High School is a girls only school and therefore no data was collected on this indicator. 

The following are the courses taught using ICT in the school: 1.Games- injury management 2.Physics- motion and energy 3.Biology- physiological system 4.Chemistry- reactions 5.Geography- physical features 6.computer studies- Kenya National Examination Computer studies syllabus 

A number of factors favour the use of computers by teachers for teaching. Teachers are motivated by the need to stay ahead of students to be able to teach them effectively. Other favourable factors include availability of computers, programmes, packages, and internet resources. Learners also possess computer skills and like to use computers to seek more information 

Teachers also reported challenges to the use of computers for teaching. They noted that power failure often interrupts lessons. Differences among students made some student move faster than others in the learning process. This made it difficult for the teacher to gauge the progress of individual students especially when they are sharing one computer to learn. Some learners also develop a negative attitude towards the use of computers from what their colleagues tell them. It was also noted that although all teachers in the school were computer literate, some were not computer competent and could therefore not use the machines for teaching effectively. Timetabling for computer lessons is also a challenge as there are times when classes are ready to learn on computers but the computer laboratory is not available for use.Teachers noted that a laptop computer and an LCD projector would be convenient for classroom teaching. But this was not happening for two reasons. There was no laptop computer in the school and there were no power sources in the classrooms. 

Factors that support the use of computers in the school include availability of hardware and software, integration on computer use in the teaching of all subjects, availability of teachers and students with computer skills and connectivity to the internet. Other supporting factors included awareness among teachers and students of the advantages of using computers. Students reported that the use of computers gives them a firm foundation for future assignments in their career goals, gave them easy access to materials for their studies and kept them well informed in many areas of concern including updates from newspapers. 

Challenges to the use of computer were also reported by students. They noted that the PCSs were too few and the time they spent on computer lessons was inadequate. They also experienced problems such as power failure, loss of materials saved on the computers due to sharing of computers, failure of some resource materials on the internet to open. Other challenges included inability by some students to operate the machines without assistance from the teache 

Teachers expressed the need to acquire higher levels of competence in ICT so that they can be able to integrate ICT in their teaching. While teachers indicated a good appreciation of ICT, they were constrained by insufficient knowledge of basic computer skills, inability to prepare lessons that can be delivered using ICT and lack of locally available content in some subject areas.  

Learners stated the need for basic computer literacy skills which can enable them to access information and knowledge in their various subjects from programmes such as Encrata Encyclopedia or the internet. These include keyboard manipulation, print, save and retrieve etc. 

Use of ICT in lesson planning has made the process easy and friendly. All what is needed is up-dating . The main impact has been positive in the sense that it improves teaching because one does not have to keep on preparing the lesson plan every other time. The time saved can be used in other teaching activities. 

The teacher uses power point presentations. The presentation is easy and the students' response positive. This has led to a wider coverage of the syllabus and it is also easy to review the lessons hence improving the learning process.  

The use of ICT has helped the teacher to evaluate student performance trends and therefore making it possible to tell whether the class performance is improving or declining. The quick evaluation enables the teacher to take the necessary remedial actions. 

The school has Internet connectivity. The ICT teacher is able to post learning materials through the local network on special accounts. The students are encouraged to share the questions and post them to the teachers account for review before the classroom lesson. This has motivated the learners to participate in the learning process, and do more reading before the classroom lesson. It becomes easier for the teacher to know the weaknesses and strength of each student and therefore can easily deal with each student. This has greatly improved the learning process and the interaction between the teacher and the learners. 

The use of ICT has enabled the teacher to reflect on teaching because he/she is able to compare the syllabus content, the book content and materials from the Internet. The power point projections makes the presentation well understood and teaching easy. Asked how ICT may have improved his /her own access to knowledge, the teacher said that most of the materials used are down loads from the Internet. Therefore, the cost of teaching materials have become cheaper because the teacher only pays for the downloads and printing of the materials. The teacher also gets the most current information for the welfare of the students. Asked how ICT has helped in producing teaching materials, the teacher said that by using power point presentations, the computer has enabled him to produce friendly teaching materials. The materials gathered are either scanned or keyed on the keyboard and then edited power point. 

Students reported that the use of computer has had a positive impact on their learning. They felt they were more knowledgeable and better prepared to do academic work. They were able to read more detailed researched information as well as see good illustrations provided on computer resources. This gave them long lasting memories. Computer studies assist students in studying all the other subjects whose information can be obtained from the Internet. An example was given as Home Science subject where information on recipes can easily be obtained from the Internet.  

Teachers observed that the use of computers for teaching has had a positive impact on the quality of teaching. The use of computers made analysis of exams easy, enabled learners and teachers to apply the skills learned, enhanced knowledge of students and made preparation of schemes of work very easy. 

Students reported that the use of computers has had a positive impact on their learning. They felt they were more knowledgeable and better prepared to do academic work. They were able to read more detailed researched information as well as see good illustrations provided on computer resources. This gave them long lasting memories. 

Teachers observed that the use of computers for teaching has had a positive impact on the quality of teaching. The use of computers made analysis of exams easy, enabled learners and teachers to apply the skills learned, enhanced knowledge of students and made preparation of schemes of work very easy. 

Learners also reported being able to produce documentation related to learning. They were given assignments like constructing work sheets, writing reports to present in class. They were also given assignment to listen to pronunciations in language lessons. 

Teachers reported that learners are able to produce documentation related to learning. They are given assignments like constructing work sheets, writing reports to present in class and also prparing posters and other materials for competitions such as science congress.  

- The school plans to buy 6 computers every year, train all teachers and students in basic computer skills, and inter-connect computers in all the departments in the school. - The Board of Governors and teacher Parent Association are responsible for computer maintenance in the school. 

- The school plans to purchase 6 new computers every year.They feel this will enable firstly to increase the quantity of the computers and aslo to replace those with lower capacity. Such a strategy will make it possible to phase out the older and less economical to run computers. The school also plans to enter into partnership with organizations such as the Computer for schools, Kenya. 

The school does not provide any ICT infrastructure to the community. This is beacuse the number of computers in place are not adequate for the school community and there is also the fear of misuse for example introducing computer viruses that may make them to crush.  

The school has a principal and a deputy principal at the top and the following heads of department: 1. Head of Department- sciences 2. Head of Department- Humanities 3. Head of Department- Games 4. Head of Department - Guidance and counseling 

The principal has received training in some computer courses in her degree course while she also has a higher diploma in ICT. The other teachers have ICT training mainly in computer software packages like MS word, MS -excel and power point  

ICTs is being used effectively in timetabling, library management, analysis of student's results and generally managing data systems in the school. 

The teachers can access Internet materials in all disciplines in the school. - storage and retrieval of student data - Exam analysis and preparation of reports - Accounting department for processing  

The main impact has been in the following areas: - increase of employment opportunities to the staff in the school. - it has enabled the teaching staff to search for teaching materials from the Internet hence improving their teaching. - there is better record keeping hence better labor management in the school - time saving on data storage, retrieval and processing. - The school has been able to track the flow of consumables and other stores an in the library. 

The following are the ICT skills of the head teacher: - assessment system and maintenance - software development - A++. N+ and C++ 

The main challenges facing the manager are: 1.The high cost of maintenance and the replacement of obsolete computers. 2.The overhead costs i.e. the employment of the computer technical personnel. 3.The school does not have enough computers. They are 23 against 500 students and 35 teachers. 4. The school has a very small computer laboratory and cannot accommodate many students at a go. 5.Power blackouts, which interfere with computer practical lessons and even examinations. 6. Computer viruses, which corrupts the computer programs and databases. 7. The senior students who are not taking computer studies as an elective are creating a negative attitude towards the use of computers in learning among the juniors. 8. Students have got varying levels of computer competence and yet they have to share the computers. Those who have less competence are left behind. This discourages them. 9. The Teacher Service Commission has not posted an ICT teacher to the school and the current one is on contractual terms and can leave any time if he gets a better offer. 

The main success stories in ICT integration are: 1. The school is grateful for the support given by the Computer for Kenya Schools Project that enabled all the teachers in the school to get basic computer training. 2. The Netherlands Embassy donated 3 computers to the school. 3. The networking of the computer laboratory by Mr. Mureithi the head of department. This has enabled the information to be accessible where needed without physical movement. 4. The provision of Internet facilities by the Board of Governors and the Parent Teacher Association. The school community can now access a wide variety of information for learning and teaching. This has generally improved the school's academic performance. 5. The school has introduced an introductory course to computers for form 1 and 2 and this is helping the learners to access knowledge through the use of the computers. 6. The school will sit for the computer studies examination (KSCE) for the first time in 2008. 7. There is better management of records and information in all the departments. 

- There has been more sharing of research work which has improved the socio-economic growth in addition to boosting of global markets. 

The school does not have "special needs" students. 

Both students and teachers reported that first language was not a barrier to them in using computers.This is because English is the language of instruction in school and is learnt at an early age by most learners. 

Parents, like the teachers concurred that the learners' first language was not a barrier to them in using computers.This is because English is the language of instruction in school and is learnt at an early age by most learners.