The integration of ict tools in education as an Example of the interplay between technology And society

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) constitute an essential part of the infrastructure for modern societies, facilitating access, processing and storing of information and promoting communication between people within and across communities. ICT have been recognized also as important tools for enhancing teaching and learning processes. Despite this, educational practice has largely remained unaffected in most systems, with teachers mostly failing to incorporate ICT tools effectively in their teaching. This is due to a combination of several obstacles and problems such as lack of equipment, need for technical support, inadequate teacher training programs, some teachers’ technophobic attitudes, a general lack of organizational structures for change management, and ineffective policy making and program planning. On the other hand, technology, in its essence, is considered to be a complex enterprise for solving social problems and fullfilling human needs. Its role in society could be studied through five perspectives: technology as a purposeful activity, a human endeavor, a set of processes and methods, an invention framework, or a set of knowledge and practices. An approach to study the educational problem from this theoretical perspective can yield useful insights. We suggest that technology and its social practice can provide a useful context to realize a more effective design of a solution to the problem of integrating ICT tools in education.