ICT and Changing Mindsets in Education

9. Introduction of ICT in Schools and Classrooms in Cameroon

113 9. Introduction of ICT in Schools and Classrooms in Cameroon Moses Atezah Mbangwana Abstract The introduction of information and communications technologies (ICT) in education reflects and responds to present and future needs of people functioning in an intensely changing and challenging intellectual environment. If ICT based education is a gateway to participation in future culture, society and economy, what should be the nature and form of educational infrastructures? Human, pedagogical, physical, technological and organisational aspects must be considered. ICT, when appropriately used, can serve as a vehicle and a platform for meaningful educational reform geared towards a shift from didactic “instructionism” to constructivism. However, our literature review and empirical evidence from eight schools in Cameroon, reveal that the integration of ICT in Africa remains sporadic and without clear direction. Access to ICT by students and teachers has begun, yet its use supports traditional teaching rather than the shift to new roles and pedagogical practices. Policy implications include the need to develop expertise within the nation, provide training opportunities, and encourage initiative and innovation on the part of teachers. Keywords: access – ICT – secondary schools – pedagogy –constructivism – teacher training – partnerships – local expertise – partnerships – Cameroon Résumé L'introduction des technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) dans l'éducation reflète et répond aux besoins actuels et futurs des personnes évoluant dans un environnement de défis intellectuels intenses et renouvelés. Si l’éducation basée sur les TIC est une passerelle vers la participation à la culture de demain, à la société et à l'économie, que devraient être la nature et la forme des infrastructures éducatives? Qu’ils soient d’ordre humain, pédagogique, ou physique, les aspects technologiques et organisationnels doivent être pris en considération. Les TIC, lorsqu’elles sont utilisées de manière appropriée, peuvent servir de véhicule et de plateforme utile pour la réforme de l'éducation visant à passer de« l’instructionisme » didactique au constructivisme. Toutefois, notre revue de la littérature et des données empiriques de huit écoles au Cameroun montre que l'intégration des TIC en Afrique demeure sporadique et sans orientation claire. L'accès des étudiants et des enseignants aux TIC a commencé, mais certains enseignant(e)s privilégient l'utilisation des techniques d’enseignement traditionnel plutôt que le passage à de nouveaux rôles et pratiques pédagogiques. Les implications politiques comprennent la nécessité de développer une expertise au sein de la nation, offrir des possibilités de formation, et encourager l'initiative et l'innovation de la part des enseignants. Mots clés : accès – TIC – écoles secondaires – pédagogie – constructivisme – formation des enseignant(e)s – expertise locale – partenariats – Cameroun Introduction Information and communication technologies (ICT) are simply technologies arising from scientific and technological progress in computer sciences, electronics and telecommunications. They enable us to process, store, retrieve and disseminate 114 valuable information in text, sound and video form. In an increasing interconnected world, brought about by the application of technological advances to all sectors of society, quality education necessitates active and innovative exploration to maximize the benefits of ICT and develop and maintain the partnerships that use of ICT in education requires. This calls for re-conceptualising and restructuring the educational enterprise, so as to confront the technological challenges of this millennium. With rapid changes within society and radical transformations in the way people acquire knowledge, new teaching paradigms are required, ones that tune educational systems to modern times and ensure quality training for large numbers of persons. This paper is concerned with how ICT such as computers and internet are being integrated into Cameroonian classrooms at the outset of the 21st century. We will briefly review experiences in other African countries and divergent research results on the pertinence of computing for teaching and learning. That background will help contextualize results from the first major study on the use of ICT in primary and secondary schools in Cameroon. ICT in schools in Africa Despite the fact that Cameroon and other African countries are in the initial stages of introducing ICT into schools, there are documented experiences on the continent on which we may draw as we move forward. Miller (1997) for example developed the Evolutionary Model for understanding the integration of computers into education. The model includes five phases: 1/ introduction, 2/ entry, 3/ intermediate, 4/ penultimate, 5/ creation. She found that a South African high school selected for in depth study was at the entry phase...