Discuss about the Communication, Information and Technology Innovattion.
Communication, Information and technology with its continuous innovation have improved in very well in most domains of modern life. Most significantly, computers and electronic learning, in particular, allows learning easy and to be done anytime and anywhere. With good access to ICT, students in Rwanda schools can benefit well from these efficiencies. However, easy aces to educational technology in Rwanda is limited even today to advantaged few in urban areas against the majority in rural and remote areas (Lwakabamba 2005). The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of ICT in teaching of mathematics and sciences in local schools as well as the use of ICT in community development. Focus groups, questionnaire, and interviews were used for sole purpose of data collection (Uworwabayeho 2009). The findings showed that most science and mathematics teachers were motivated and ready to acquire ICT services in schools as well as the local communities (Akinyemi 2016). The study showed that ICT succeeded well in teach schools where the school administration allowed the use of computers mostly in technical courses like sciences and mathematics.
Most teachers in the schools were optimistic and also expressed a strong desire that they can be trusted both by the school and the community as a whole and asked to be given a proper time and environment to using computers in teaching students. The views here in matters of learning conditions shows that the schools created so that those who participated became responsible, more active and committed practitioners. The same response came from the local people who were ready to use technology in community-based work, and the assumption here was that positive believes can be an eye opener for ones future role in impacting change in community practices (Selinger 2009).
Research shows that there was a slight improvement in class that used computers in the subject of mathematics. In the community clinics and government offices were more comfortable in keeping clients document as a result of improved ICT within the locality (Waema 2002). However, to achieve as from the findings, the Rwandan government need to invest well in ICT and develop a well structured school-based curriculum including teachers’ development in areas of technology literacy, allowing teachers in schools to have an active and positive awareness to new technological tools.
The stakeholders who made this project successful include UK, African, and other international partners working closely with the school administration (Selinger2009).The project involved a lot of stakeholders who were interested to see whether ICT can help teachers achieve their dreams in helping students learn maths and sciences. Ministry of education in Rwandese government played a paramount role in helping us identify the two schools while still providing transport to the designated areas. Different organizations in the United Kingdom were responsible in supplying computer materials to the two schools.
While many children in this country go to school the big question remains the quality of education they get. Rwanda is one country developing at a high rate and technology can be used to improve quality of education by using digital learning materials. The Rwandan government has undertaken, through various stakeholders to equip all the schools with ICT. The goal here is to help empower outcomes in all the schools. This kind of policy contributes to providing for deployment of educational software and hardware in every school in Rwanda, full integration of ICT in school curriculum including teacher’s e-skilling. However, the project is based in two schools in the country’s.St Vincent is a girl’s secondary school with a population of over four hundred students and almost twenty-two teachers. The school has forty-six computers donated by world Links, Mineduc and Congregation Sisters. Only twenty-six computers are working while the internet connection broke down. The school uses the computers to help train secretarial students while the rest of the students use the computers to learn word and excel. According to teachers in this school, if by any chance they get internet connection they would use the computers to teach science and mathematics (Hennessy, Harrison, and Wamakote 2010). The students in the class prefer to study physical sciences and mathematics. Gahini is a primary school in Rwanda with a total population of almost to one thousand students. The school was provided with three computers by World Links which are located in the principal’s office with no internet access. After two teachers had been trained in ICT services by World Links, the school hired a qualified ICT trainer to train some of the teachers since the government training was not enough. In general, the school has managed to use well the few ICT resources they have (Rubagiza, Were, and Sutherland 2011).The students must be well prepared for current technology and provided with abilities needed to adapt and thrive in today’s technology based economy. The students have a role to play when it comes to improving the economy of the country. This can only be achieved only if they are introduced to technology based world at an early age in the schools mostly in the subjects of math and sciences.
One aim of Rwanda’s Vision 2020 was to identify and to strengthen teacher’s awareness in computer rich areas as a paramount government priority for them in order to achieve countries social and economic goals and objectives. The plan was to deploy more computers in both government and public schools, but the major setback is that many public schools in country mostly in rural areas lack power leave alone even phones or computers. About the development of technology and ICT system, education systems were supposed to priorities modern studies in schools including a compulsorily within teacher education programs. In affected environments, tutors working in developed community are required to be agents of change, for the willing ones who can make it happen (Waema 2002). Technology, as argued, does not modify? But it’s people who change their living areas by using modern technology. The education system in Rwanda has continued to advance in some development so as to help the country in development wise.
On this, the rate at which tutors in schools use computer tools will vary in connection to time and space. The first enthusiasm on the introduction of computers in learning institutions makes us assume that a robust studying area will lead to changes while improving school rules and regulations. As new technology develops, there is a change in actions and human interaction (Farrell, 2007). By this, student’s ways of learning continue to be shaped in line with the relevant knowledge means in major schools. This means that technology will transform learning not by narrow way but by an ongoing process. The mind maps below support the need for incorporating ICT into the education in Rwandese schools (Rubagiza, Were, and Sutherland 2011). The mind maps below support the need for incorporating ICT into the education in Rwandese schools.
In the projects, kits should be incorporated in all the classrooms as project based scenarios that the teachers can use as the project starting point as their own design. Good policies should be put into practice to make sure that the quality of education is improved. In Rwandan schools, mathematics and science subjects for a long time have been poorly done, and therefore it’s high time the government implemented sound policies and saw improvements in schools. This can be achieved if all the schools had access to ICT services. In most parts of the country the model of deploying ICT in schools is somehow not working, and it’s high time the government reviewed the methods being used and deployed different methods (Guldberg and Mackness 2009). School communities also need to have a common understanding with all other policy makers to make sure that there is proper coordination between teachers and ICT coordinators. Communication between the two should be right to ensure policies are implemented (Dzidonu 2010). Considering the findings, we can conclude that use of ICT to help teach mathematics and sciences in schools has not been achieved. If the most crucial factors are not addressed students in schools will continue to lack ICT access and associated enough opportunities to quality education (Gaible and Burns 2005). The same will apply to the outside community who need ICT skills to advance their lives. When this happens it will hinder their chance to progress in future and contribute to the country’s economy (Mukama 2009). However all this will be achieved if the Rwandan government provides power to all the schools in rural areas since ICT materials will use power.
Implementation of this plan may take five phases. These phases will include equipping classes with good ICT systems, awareness campaigns to both students and teachers. The stages will be the review, acquisition (equipping ICT tools), analysis, design, and evaluation stages. Many efforts are being made to establish ICT structures, training students, teachers and the local people. People have to deal with change at all cost .Efficient use of technology in learning centers as a tools for teaching must involve a change of attitude towards a bigger accountability and be optimistic so as to bring the necessary development in the centers. After a simple study, it was found out that although many schools and the local people remained marginalized regarding ICT, all was not lost (Guldberg and Mackness 2009). The people remained optimist that one day every child will get access to computer services in school. Information usage in schools in Rwanda as discovered by many people is too many people a new issue the whole system is trying to deal with including the community. It is worthy to think how most of the interviewed were eager and desired to get computer knowledge to improve their teachings and help the students become better people in the society (Were, Rubagiza, and Sutherland 2011). ICT has so many hints with a representation of large information sources which are better when dealt with collectively. Key to good learning is where teachers interact from each other while developing healthy culture of continued inquiry in today’s practices.
School evaluation is a collaborative and inclusive process of an internal school review. During this process, the school management, teachers, students and parents all engage in a joint inquiry on the progress of the school. This is an evident based process that is aimed at gathering information from many sources then coming up with a conclusion on how to improve the lives of the students in the school. In this case, it was very easy to do an evaluation of the two schools. Most of the information during the assessment process came from the teachers and the school management since they were going to be more involved in the project. Learner’s outcome and experience here should be put in consideration since the whole project is based on them.
During the evaluation process the following was some of the issues raised: Most interviewed people showed that there was a vision ahead of them although it was limited and only focused on the initial steps of familiarizing the students and the community with basic computer skills before using them to learn in class. Many participants had the feeling that their school and the community had a good concept and felt that the goals needed to realize this had already been identified. In the two schools where the research was carried out, there were limited internet connection and poor computer labs (Rutayisire, Kabano, and Rubagiza 2004). Most people desired to have more computers and good internet connection in the school compounds. Most of the locals interviewed said that for the community to grow then ICT was inevitable in the community. About three-quarter of the respondents thought that infrastructure was the primary cause of their school not having ICT resources. Mathematics and sciences are very technical courses, and computers would make the work easier. The government should ensure that every school has a modern classroom with electricity connected because the new technology will require the use of power. There is no need to supply computers to schools before making sure that there is power in the school (Harrison 2005).According to our study, most of the schools in the area were backed up by the NGOs but not the considered ministry in education. Without support from the concerned stakeholder’s students will continue doing badly in schools. The Education department should come up with programs to support extra-curriculum activities in the schools (Blumenstock 2012).Almost all the teachers indicated in the questionnaire that support, training, and leadership from the government about ICT were lacking. Some promises were there, but they had not materialized claimed the teachers. According to many of the respondents, most of the support came from NGOs rather than from the government (Rubagiza, Were, and Sutherland 2011).
In phase one of the project, the teachers will be given good support to develop learning and teaching scenarios to help teach science and maths.The ICT tools in schools should contain things like guidelines for teachers, contents in literature, teaching examples, learning sources and materials for both students and educators (Farrell 2007). The highest risk in this project is the failure to get immediate results in the school as witnessed in previous projects. Some of the trained teachers and other stakeholders might also due to various reasons leave before the completion of the project. However, the project went on well without any problem with the desired results being achieved. The process modeling is summarized by the diagram below.
Conclusion
For Rwanda to achieve economic and social-economic objectives first, it has to develop the people who are the country’s most valuable resource. This will start in schools where the student needs to be equipped well with ICT skills. More emphasizes should be put in place by the government to make sure that all schools are well prepared to accommodate ICT facilities. The problems that the two schools are facing are a clear reflection of what is happening in other parts of the country. However, all is not lost as more effort is being put in place to make sure that teachers are well prepared to teach students using the new technology. The teachers also need a lot of motivation not only giving them ICT skills but to make sure that their interests are put forward by the government. With this, the country is in a better position to achieve its goals and objectives and improve the economy. Countries that are using ICT in the education system are doing well economically than those that are analog.
Reference List
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