ObservatoryICT

Broadband: DSL, Service Provider: Ghana Telecom at 256 kbps. Only 4 desktop PCs were connected to the Internet. The two computer labs hosting 30 PCs each were not networked. The ICT Head of Department indicated that lack of funds to contract technical expertise was delaying the networking of the labs. He expressed his keen desire to learn essentials of networking so he could do the LANs for the School 

The ICT Head of Department manages the ICT facility and resources of the school. He assists ICT users (teachers, students and staff) in their work with computers. He performs minor repairs and maintenance work. Together with three other ICT teachers, the HOD also teaches ICT as a subject. The ICT HOD also advises school management on purchases of ICT equipment. He helps with the formulation of ICT user policy. He also mentors interested teachers in ICT literacy  

Microsoft Office Suite (Word processing: Word, Spreadsheet: Excel, database management system: Access, presentation: PowerPoint) used by staff and teachers for document preparation, grade processing, preparation of student reports, teaching and learning West African Examinations Council (WAEC) online registration software used for candidates registration. Other schools in the Tamale metropolis also use this software at Tamale Secondary School. Mavis Beacon typing software used to train students and by new secretarial staff; Encarta encyclopedia used by teachers and students for teaching and learning Subject-based applications were not available partly due to lack of ICT knowledge and integration skills, and partly because of lack of funds to purchase required software. The Headmaster also indicated that previous school administration (leadership) did not support ICT integration in any meaningful way. The new headmaster and ICT personnel interviewed indicated that the school is now desirous of acquiring more computers and their accessories as well as subject-based software and tutorial/drill packages when funds are secured. .  

Instructors for the Core ICT courses use the internet to source teaching and learning materials for their lessons. They use MS Word and PowerPoint for lesson plans (but they could not use same for lesson delivery because the labs were not equipped with digital projectors). They also multimedia equipment such as digital cameras to capture pictures and video clips to use for their lessons. Teachers use email to communicate with learners, though students are not required to submit assignment through this medium. Teachers from the other subject areas mainly use MS Word for document preparation, typing exam questions, and MS Excel for processing examination grades and reports. Apart from the Core ICT teachers, almost all other teachers do not use ICT for teaching and learning. However, the new educational reforms of Ghana require that senior high school integrate ICT into teaching and learning. The main reasons for the non-implementation of this policy are the lack of ICT integration skills and knowledge among teachers and lack of ICT facilities and equipment in the classrooms..  

Computers: students access teacher-made learning materials (ICT teachers alone provide these materials) and store soft copies of their assignment on secondary storage of the lab PCs The internet: students use the Internet for communication with their colleagues and for searching for information for their assignments. However, students assignments do not require them to use the Internet because, according to teachers, of limited Internet access and the associated of using the public internet cafes Typing software: students use Mavis Beacon typing software to practice their typing skills. Microsoft Encarta encyclopedia: students use this software to learning spelling and grammar, and search for information about their subject area content Note: until recently (September 2007), the Ghana education service did not require the use of ICT in teaching and learning nor was ICT part of the national curricula. For this reason, the use of ICTs for learning is limited now.  

ICT: instructors use basic MS Suite applications , multimedia tools for lesson preparation, and the Internet for searching for teaching learning materials English Language, Agricultural Science, Home Economics, Science, and Social Studies: to a limited extent encourage their students to use the learning resources at the lab to do their assignment, i.e. students rather than their teachers use the lab for learning  

As already stated early on, most of the contextual conditions for integrating ICT into teaching and learning in Tamale Senior High School are lacking. However, almost all the participating educators indicated (i) availability of ICT facilities and equipment in adequate numbers (also multimedia PCs with higher processing speed and storage capacity) (ii) availability of software for teaching and learning (iii) the skills and knowledge of teachers in ICT integration for teaching and learning as well as general ICT literacy among teachers (iv) Subject-based software and tutorials/Drill packages, (v) reliable power supply, (vi) Administrative support as some the factors that would favour effective integration of ICT for academic purposes. Though issues concerning teachers’ attitudes and motivation towards the use of ICT for teaching and learning were not raised, these responses indicate that most teachers are susceptible to the idea of technology integration across the school curriculum, they are desirous of using ICT facilities for their professional work and students’ learning, if the these were available and if they were appropriately trained and equipped with literacy, information and integration skills and knowledge.  

According to those educators that the researcher interacted with, a wide range of barriers precludes the effective use of ICTs in their courses. With the exception of the 4 ICT instructors, almost all other teachers have little or no ICT literacy, information and integration literacy and skills and knowledge. This inadequacy is coupled with the lack of technology facilities and equipment in classrooms, computer resources for students (adequate numbers and quality of PCs and expanded Internet access, for example). Even though the new administration at TAMASCO encourages teachers in their use of ICT for academic purposes, no concrete steps have been taken by either GES or the school authorities to train teacher and re-orientate them on how to cope with the demands of the new curriculum being implemented. For instance, one interviewee remarked that if teachers were required to include how they use ICT in their lesson plans submitted to their HODs, most teachers would be motivated to start integrating technology in their lessons. In summary the barriers to integrating ICTs into teaching and learning include: (i) lack of or inadequate integration skills and knowledge among teachers, (ii) lack of or inadequate ICT facilities such as computers and their accessories in classrooms, insufficient numbers of computers in the lab for the large student population, limited access to the Internet, (iii) administrative commitment to implement the new educational reforms in practical ways.  

Most of the students are of the view that (i) adequate computing facilities and access to the Internet would help them in their use of ICT for learning. (ii) The amount of time they spend in the lab and academic use of the Internet was another factor they said would help them. (iii) Sharpening students ICT literacy was also cited as essential for their effective use of ICT for learning in their various subject areas. For instance, some student interviewees said they require Internet browsing skills so they can spend quality time at the Internet Cafes. (iv) Students, in commending their ICT instructors, indicated that teachers’ own efforts at helping them use ICT were a motivating factor to them.  

The common challenges students face in their use of ICT at school include (i) reliable power supply, (ii) inadequate access time to school computing facilities, (iii) limited numbers of PCS and accessories, (iv) low speed PCs and low storage capacity, (v) Lab environment was not friendly (no air conditioners, layout was not conducive for maximum interaction with instructors, (vi) subject-area software were not available, (vii) Teachers, apart from the ICT instructors, do not use ICT in their lessons, (viii) some students lack the basic ICT literacy before they enroll at the SHS.  

The competencies required by educators in TAMASCO were diverse in nature. While the ICT manager indicated he required networking skills, database management competences, and computer programming skills and knowledge to help him development software for education and business, most teachers require basic ICT literacy with MS Office tools, multimedia editing software, typing skills, and use office equipment for their professional work. The Headmaster indicated that teachers use the secretariat services Center to type their exam documents and terminal reports. Our interactions with some teachers, however, show that teachers do not type their own document; they hire the services of the secretariat staff.  

Typing skills, internet browsing, programming (may be LOGO to start with), Windows skills (creating folders and storing information).  

The Internet has had the greatest impact on teachers’ lesson planning. Almost all the teachers indicated the Internet has been a main source of teaching and learning materials, which they use for their lesson planning. ICT therefore has helped teachers to prepare ahead of lessons, to rehears lessons before delivery, to be abreast of latest development in their subject areas, according to one interviewee. Another area teachers reported to have had an impact on their lesson planning is the use of portable computer storage devices such as CD-ROMS and pen drives, which they use to store information from the Internet and other sources for use in planning their lessons.  

Students’ knowledge in ICT has had an impact on in-class teaching because students conduct research using the Internet and contribute new ideas in class during lesson delivery. Teachers reported that the use of ICT makes students pay attention to lesson in class, and helps teachers to deliver lessons more effectively through the use of multimedia elements that reflect real life situations. One teacher reported that ICT helps him deliver his lessons in a more systematic manner. 2008-12-15  

The ICT teachers reported that the practice where students store their assignments in the computer secondary storage makes their evaluation exercises easier and more organized. Teachers reported that the use of Microsoft Excel to process students’ grades and reports has eased their tasks greatly. Others feel that through the use of Microsoft Word to type and print their questions the evaluation of their students have become easier. It was also reported that through the use of the Internet and CD-ROM materials students’ performances in assignments have improved.  

ICT has made communication between teachers and their students more frequent and timelier, according to one interviewee. Students could submit their assignments through the Internet. Even though student use of mobile phone is prohibited in school, two teachers reported that they use the mobile phone to address his students’ problems anytime the need arises.  

Using video footages of lessons delivered has helped some teachers reflect on the lessons, since this provides them with an opportunity to review the lesson. This process has helped teachers to improve on their lesson plans and delivery strategies by editing what is to be taught. “yes, because sometimes when you use [PowerPoint] presentation, you can replay the slides after the lesson see if it needs improvement”, was a typical response of one ICT teacher to this issue of reflection on teaching. Another teacher reported that after his teaching he usually goes to the Internet to access information on his lesson to confirm the appropriateness of the lesson content and delivery.  

ICT increased confident and better equipped to help others , research for knowledge and information, the computer illustrations helps in understanding abstract ideas, Typing made easier less expensive through Mavis Beacon, makes learning more practical, and hands-on experiences are enhanced.  

Some students that have access to the Internet have improved their performances academically; Those students without access are at a disadvantage as far as their academic work is concerned. ICT through the internet has enhanced quality of assignments and enabled inquiry-based learning. The Internet has increased students’ sources of learning materials. However, other teachers are of the view that there has not been much impact on students’ learning because of lack of ICT facilities such as access to the internet, computers, digital projectors, printers, and lack of ICT integration skills and knowledge on the part of teachers and students. 2008-12-15  

Access to learning and new ideas discovered from the Internet and CD-ROMs, software on language learning (pronunciations, spelling ) helps increase students’ learning materials, access to information on landscapes of Ghana in Geography, TV programmes helps expand students’ access to knowledge, students get motivated and excited by reading about role models, and watching advertisements in the Internet and TV. 2008-12-15  

The use of the Internet has had great impact on students’ access to knowledge; use of teacher-prepared learning materials on computer secondary storage and off-the-shelf teaching and learning materials have helped increase students’ access to knowledge and information too. Teachers also stated that ICT impact on students’ access to knowledge has been in the following areas: (i) Learning new things becomes easier (ii) E-dictionaries helps with language learning (iii) Students get to know more about other people and their cultures (iv) TV educational shows expands students’ access (v) TV and Internet advertisement and use of graphics in classroom settings excite and motivate students to learn more  

Computer based learning materials helps in preparing assignments; though, assignment not yet typed out, for the Core ICT course students upload their assignments on the lab PCs secondary storage. Generally, students are not yet skillful in use of computer applications. Therefore the impact on their documentation produced has been limited.  

ICT has helped students in their assignment documentation and presentation. In Tamale Senior High School, however, students are not yet required to produce computer-based projects. So the impact has been minimal. Some teachers nonetheless stated that their students upload their prepare softcopies of their assignments and upload them on the lab computers hard drives, and has helped improved the submission of assignments.  

No; The Ghana Education Service policy on ICT in Education is supposed to guide schools in their ICT integration.  

The ICT in Education policy directs all teachers to integrate ICT across the curriculum starting September 2007, but factors such as inadequate ICT facilities and teachers’ lack of ICT literacy, information, and integration skills and knowledge have precluded a smooth implementation of this policy.  

Sister institutions with the Tamale Metropolis have access to the computer lab for internet services; other schools use the West African Examination Council candidates’ registration software; The ICT personnel also provide training for some members of the community on demand.  

Administration: This set of managers is headed by the Headmaster. He is assisted by three Assistant Headmasters (Administration, Academic, and Domestic); the school Bursar is also a member of the top administration category. Academic & Domestic: Each of the academic departments has a Department Head; each of the 8 students’ dormitories is managed by a Housemaster, while the domestic Bursar is in charge of dining services.  

The only manager who had some basic ICT integration training is the ICT Head of Department. He is a graduate of ICT Education at UEW-Kumasi Campus. Besides the School Bursar who has been trained to use accounting software and Microsoft Excel, all the other managers have not had any training on use of ICT in education. The Headmaster indicated that heads of institution were trained on financial management software, but not in ICT integration in education.  

Apart from the West African Examinations Council’s Registration software and accounting software, the school uses computers to store personnel and students records. Students’ records include fees, admissions, accommodation, courses, and students’ background information. The school also uses the computers to type and print examination papers and quizzes. Even though the School has no official email account, some managers use the limited Internet facility to communicate with colleagues and other stakeholders.  

Not much impact has been recorded in this school, because (i) the ICT integration is new (started officially in September 2007), (ii) teachers lack the necessary ICT integration skills and knowledge, (ii) limited ICT facilities (computer labs, access to the Internet, classroom PCs and presentation equipment). The Headmaster, however, reported that a few teachers use ICT (Internet and PowerPoint Presentations) to search for information, prepare for lessons, and deliver their lessons.  

Tamale Senior High School has no continuing education/professional development programmes. The School like other public schools relies on the Ghana Education Service to organize such professional development as required periodically. The ICT in Education policy stipulates that all teachers will be trained to integrate ICT into teaching and learning, but the implementation of this aspect has not yet started.  

Besides the Core ICT Head of Department, all other managers in the academic departments have rather limited ability to use ICT. The ICT Head of Department is competent in the following areas: (i) Basic Microsoft office applications, (ii) basic hardware/software repairs, (ii) software installation, (iii) website development using html (iv) creation of databases using Microsoft Access (v) Internet surfing for searching for teaching and learning materials (vi) Multimedia equipment to capture multimedia elements to incorporate into lessons (vii) Windows operating system knowledge used to organize, run, manage applications and information on PCs This manager uses all these abilities in teaching the Core ICT course, maintaining the ICT facilities of the schools, and for his personal professional development and consultancy.  

Some of the barriers reported by managers include: (i) lack of software for various subject areas, (ii) insufficient number of computers for students and teachers, (iii) non-networked computer labs (iv) limited internet facility, (v) lack of ICT integration skills and knowledge among teachers, (vi) time constraints for teachers to attend technology professional development, (vii) older teachers have inertia towards the use of computers. It can be concluded that Ely’s (1999) contextual conditions for effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning are not met in this school. Availability of adequate computing facilities in the labs and classrooms would go a long way to encourage teachers and students to use ICT for academic purposes. Since each subject has its specialized content, applications tailored for each subject make the integration meaningful, relevant, and useful to teachers and students. Teachers and students of this school all agree on the usefulness of the Internet as a useful teaching and learning tool. Therefore, increased access to the Internet would improve the quality of teaching and learning outcomes. Teachers need to be competent in ICT integration in order to meaningfully use the available ICT facilities for academic purposes. Since technology, particularly computer-based technology is so dynamic, continuing education of educators in the skills and knowledge of ICT integration and equipment use should be a regular feature of the school system. Studies have shown that time constraints for teachers to attend professional development sessions is one of the major factors negatively impacting teachers use of ICT in classroom settings. Similarly, teachers’ attitudes towards ICTs may promote or hinder their use of ICT as an instructional tool. The older folks have a phobia for anything ICT, and they need special encouragement and motivation to gradually get on board. Would the requirement that they integrate ICT into their instruction alone be sufficient to provide such motivation? The answer is no: first they need to be comfortable with technology. Research (Becker, 2000; Ely, 1999; Palak, 2004) indicates that teachers who have a reasonable amount of technical skill, and who use computers to address their own professional needs, use computers in broader and more sophisticated ways with their students than those who have limited technical skills and no personal investment in using computers themselves.. References: Becker, H. J. (2000, July). Findings from the teaching, learning and computing survey: Is Larry Cuban right? Paper presented at Council of Chief State School Officials Technology Leadership Conference. Washington, D.C. Ely, D. P. (1999). Conditions that facilitate the implementation of educational technology innovations. Educational Technology 39(6), 23-27. Palak, D. (2004). Teachers' beliefs in relation to their instructional technology practices. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, West Virginia University.  

The school, like all other public schools, started the implementation of the new educational reforms in September 2007. No visible successes have been recorded in the school so far because ICT integration is relatively new and the contextual conditions for effective implementation of the integration policy are not yet in place. The leaderships at the school level and at the national level (GES) in the past did not do much to integrate ICT into the curriculum. The school contracted a private ICT service provider who managed the old school lab and taught students basic computing skills and literacy. But due to non-performance the contract was abrogated and the lab closed down. A group of past students donated 64 refurbished PCs for the present laboratories. The lab building was built by Ghana Government under the selected school upgrading project. Thus the present efforts at integrating ICT across the curriculum started less than a year ago (November 2008) when the new Headmaster assumed office.  

Ghana uses national curricula in all pre-tertiary institutions. The course content of each subject is based on these curricula. Course content materials are print or text-based and textbooks are recommended or supplied by the Ghana Education Service. The development of such content is done by local authors and publishers. Some of the authors are faculty of higher education and others are experienced teachers at the lower levels. The Headmaster, however, indicated that some teachers (mainly the Core ICT teachers) use multimedia equipment such as digital cameras and camcorders to capture multimedia elements, which they incorporate into their teaching and learning materials. Such teacher-made content using ICT tools augment the standard textbooks recommended by the Ghana Education Service.  

The three students with special needs (2 visually impaired, 1 hearing impaired) like all other students have equal access to the computer lab, but the school has not provided special software or equipment for their special needs. The school managers indicated that there has not been any observable impact on these three students.  

All educators were unanimous about the position that there was no relationship between the first languages of the learners and ICT- in-Education. The medium of instruction, and in deed that official language of Ghana is the English Language. Since most ICT equipment and applications used in Ghana are English-based, the effect of first languages (Ghanaian Languages) on ICT integration is non-existent.  

In Ghana, local or first languages are not used for computer instruction or use in the school system. Therefore, it has no relationship with ICT in education. The English Language is the medium of instruction.