Talk:Manual on teaching ICT in secondary schools

See the original thread of this E-Discussion on D-Groups

Theresa Stanton, 2009/01/08

Dear colleagues

Are any of you aware of the existence of a very practical manual on how to start using ICT in secondary schools, based on good (and bad) practices on the ground?

We are working with our local partner organisations in Africa to develop such a manual and were wondering if some work had already been done in this area. Our target group is teachers who want to start up a computer room in their school. In this respect, a very 'hands-on', step-by-step manual is needed. If you are aware of the existence of such a manual - in French, Spanish or English - or if you know of any other organisations who have done (or are doing) work in this field, we would really like to hear from you.

Any useful tips and insights you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all your help,

Writer/Editor, International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), The Netherlands.

Ssozi Javie, 2009/01/08

Dear Theresa,

Thats a very good idea you are cooking there. Well not a lot has been done there in regard to integrating ICTs in Secondary School. I know of one organization which I am helping as a volunteer and it is trying to start up something in that line. It has also put Primary Schools in consideration. Its objective is to introduce ICTs in Schools in Uganda.

The organisation is called Tract Foundation

I think your project has a lot in common with theirs'.

Hope this will help.

Sophie Treinen, 2009/01/08

Hi Theresa,

Nancy Hafkin has written an excellent article on the matter called: [info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/voddocs/501/965/hafkin.ppt Girls do not run]". This means that in South Africa, boys who were running to computer lab were able to sit in front of a computer and the girls, who don't run as it is not part of their culture, had to watch as they were not sitting in front of the computers.

Judith Henderson, 2009/01/08

Hi Theresa,

You could try contacting VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) a UK-based development organisation - they might have something - you will have to contact them directly, but you need to be a serving or returned volunteer to access certain resources online - however I am sure they'll be helpful. I can also check out some material from here in Namibia as I do know of some projects/organisations that might be useful to contact.

Henderson Library and Information Services Windhoek, Namibia.

Riff Fullan, 2009/01/08

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Dear Theresa,

I am no expert in this area, so the first thing I'll say is I'm sure there are many other resources out there, but I do remember some innovative work done by Schoolnet Namibia, both in terms of setting up LANs to function without much need for technical intervention and the production of capacity building resources such as comics to teach basic computer use (and I know they have some kind of lessons learned material around setting up ICTs in schools). You may want to contact them directly, but perhaps start with a look at some of their resources online at:

http://www.schoolnet.na/projects/index.html

There are also a number of other schoolnets in Africa which is equally interesting, including Schoolnet Africa.

Another initiative that may be worth checking out is World-Links:

http://www.world-links.org

I hope this helps......

Judith Henderson, 2009/01/08

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Hi Theresa,

Try www.schoolnet.na

Although it is more project based - there seems to be an online space for teachers - once again I am sure if you contact them directly they'll be helpful. Let me know if you need more details - I vaguely know the guy who runs the project

Henderson Library and Information Services, Windhoek, Namibia.

Caitlin Bentley, 2009/01/08

Hi Theresa,

I'm sure I could probably help you find some useful resources that could help your teachers implement technology into their curriculums, but I was wondering if you could tell us a bit more about the situation.

Primarily, what do the computer labs generally 'look like'? Are the computers connected to the Internet, how many computers are there, how often will children have access to the computers, how old are the computers, are there regular interruptions to the electricity, and etc...

Next, I would suggest consulting with the country's ministry of education as they often have ICT policies, ICT curriculums, or possibly skill sets that they recommend being taught in schools -- What are they meant to teach and how?

If not, then perhaps the teachers should be consulted to find out for which subjects in particular would they like to use computers to help them teach. Or maybe the guide could help them figure that out :)

Two people just mentioned SchoolNet, I would agree that that is definitely a great place to start as there are lots of resources there too.

Also, the OLPC portal could be an example of what a guide could look like.

In my experience and opinion, I think it's important to help the kids learn how to use the computers to accomplish authentic tasks. For example, NGO in a box has a collection of open source tools to help NGOs produce media. One project could be to produce radio shows surrounding an important issue in their community that could then be shared with local radio stations. Just one idea, but there are many that are great ways to involve computers in helping to create richer more meaningful educational experiences for children.

Elliot Lazerwitz, 2009/01/08

"How to Manual" on training people with disabilities?

As a lurker on the list (hoping my post will be approved) I'm wondering if any kind of ICT training material has been prepared for people with disabilities (meaning all types -- physical, sensory -- deaf and/or blind people, psychiatric, learning or cognitive disabilities).

Perhaps there are common issues in training which bridge across different disabilities (like the girls in Africa whose culture forbids running and so were last at the lab).

Would appreciate any information people have on the list. Of course if I should become a member of KM4Dev I'd be happy to sign up

Theresa Stanton, 2009/01/15

First of all, many thanks to all of you who sent tips and advice in response to my recent request for suggestions for one of IICD's local partners in Burkina Faso who is preparing a 'How to introduce ICTs into the classroom' manual for secondary school teachers. We will let you know how the manual progresses.

Incidentally, the link to the article by Nancy Hafkin called 'Girls do not run' was also especially relevant for another IICD partner who is conducting a study entitled 'ICTs in Education: Engendering ICT initiatives in Senior High Schools in Northern Ghana for Gender Equality and Social Change'. So the timing is excellent.

Last but not least, I'm trying to gather information about any experiences that secondary schools in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America have had so far with 'Interactive Whiteboards'. I'm particularly interested in the challenges, benefits and effectiveness of this technology in the schools. So any feedback you can provide on this would be greatly appreciated.

Best wishes and thanks once again...

Writer/Editor, International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), The Netherlands.

Katabani munali Silomba, 2009/01/16

Hi Theresa,

You can find some case studies on this link: http://www.virtuallearning.org.uk/iwb/. Hope you will find it useful in one way or another.