Summary

This short article reviews the Digital Education Enhancement Project (DEEP) and explores what actually happens in the classroom when ICTs are introduced. Human resource issues in teaching are often overlooked in the debate around technology applications for education but both student and teacher responses to these tools are critical determinants in whether or not they will contribute positively to the education environment. What has become apparent from an examination of this project is that the impacts of the ICTs extend beyond the immediate classroom and can benefit teacher's professional identities and the community as a whole.

Key Points

The project has been working with 12 disadvantaged schools in the Eastern Cape of South Africa by introducing rechargeable laptops and websites stored on CD-ROMs (Internet connections are generally not available). The teachers are trained in pairs with a variety of materials such as website mediated activities and guides. As the teachers developed new ICT enabled curricula, they shared them with other colleagues throughout the region, and met regularly in informal groups for additional support. Equipment such as printers and digital cameras were introduced slowly, so as not to contribute to ‘technology overload'. Most teachers had never used a computer before but after four months they all felt that the technology was important to learning.

The study also revealed some important features about how the technology is used and what happens with it in the classroom.

• By not introducing a printer at the outset of the project, teachers were observed to adapt and innovate in their teaching methods rather than reproducing existing materials.
• When computers were used in rotation by small groups of students, they work on ICT enhanced activities such as research that span several days rather than focusing on actual computer lessons.
• The equipment was widely utilized outside of the classroom for activities in the community.
• Teachers said that their confidence, enthusiasm and standing in the community was enhanced by their participation in the DEEP project.

What became apparent from this project was that the contribution of ICTs to educational institutions not only enhances teaching but also has considerable spillover effects into the immediate community. Training that is focused on curriculum development skills and processes rather than ICT skills have a far more beneficial effect on the ability of teachers to use the technologies efficiently in the classroom. The ICTs were made cost-effective by implementing a shared use strategy that also allowed the teachers to benefit from peer support and learning. If a particular piece of equipment is utilized to its maximum potential it is far more likely to receive widespread financial and moral support from the community and donor agencies. The final observation is the impact that ICT knowledge and access has on the status of teachers in the community by contributing to an aura of professionalism and respect. Especially important in a field dominated by women who are often otherwise marginalized.

Source: Jenny Leach, “DEEP Impact?” in Insights Education, (February 2003) available at ID21

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