ICT in schools

I do not intend to comment on our OLPF project other than to say that I hope it overcomes the challenges it faces and achieves significant success.Likewise the ICT for schools programme being run by the Ministry of Education. However, on this front there is recent news of interest.

An article reported in the Antigua Observer describe a soon-to-be-published study by the IBD which quotes a source as saying:

“It is vital for governments to conduct careful evaluations of these initiatives and, particularly, to budget enough resources to train teachers and develop adequate software for students. Countries cannot expect that learning will improve with simply greater access to computers. Quality of use is crucial.”

and

“The evidence so far indicates that programmes that overlook teacher training and the development of specific software may yield very low returns. Also, rather than doing homework or studying, children with weak adult supervision at home may spend more time using computers in ways that do little to boost their educational achievement”

It would seem that an effort is being made to avoid these pitfalls but it will not be easy given our resources. What ever happens we need to patiently learn from the successes and failures and move on from there. Endless finger-pointing is not productive.

Links
The IDB study
The “pilots disorder” continues to provoke controversy about the use of ICT for Education
Worst practice in ICT use in education