An examination of applicability of IT based education within present secondary school curriculum

Portfolio Area of Impact: Education

Word count:1001

A Presentation of the issue

Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in the emergence of technologies in the classroom; allowing a large number of children to explore methods of assimilating information. In the United States, it was seen that 83% of teachers using vision report increased interaction with their students (Geneva Logic, 2007). Interactive whiteboards, PowerPoint presentations and online research has given children the opportunity to be exposed to an open educational system. However, the global development of the child cannot be attainable if the system being put in place is being limited to the schools’ own VPN (virtual Private Network) or through a governmental portal whereby only the information which is deemed appropriate by the government is offered to students.

Both State and private secondary schools offering the traditional British curriculum namely Cambridge School Certificate and the Cambridge Higher School Certificate are actively involved in a run for scholarships. This approach to education is more elitist and consequently a holistic education aiming at developing the global potential of the student cannot cohabitate with it. The introduction of an IT based system in such schools tends to negate the very essence of the aims of a “connected” school. Consequently whilst the efforts of Droopnath Ramphul are commendable, unless there is a fundamental shift from the elitist to the holistic education, these efforts will eventually be limited to only a computerization of a traditional system of education. Is the pilot project underway at Droopnath Ramphul going to provide a real equality of access of the same level as an IB based schools?

B IT background of the Issue

The implementation of Information technology in a school is a long process which is closely related to the system life cycle.

To create a fully operational IT system at school you first need to have the hardware necessary. These include a server where all the files and documents of each and every user from school will be stored, broadband Internet obtained by a cable or DSL line, computers each containing a recent operating system; containing an integrated network card, and a LAN (Local Area Network) needs to be set up either using cables or by use of a wireless connection. The systems implemented in schools use IP addresses to provide a single, multiservice infrastructure that supports information exchange and sharing or files as well as video services. In a LAN each computer and networked peripheral acts as an individual node on a network. These nodes are in turn connected to hubs or switches; they allow any node on the network to communicate with other nodes. A hub or switch could be used to transmit data to devices on the network. However, a hub only allows one message to be transmitted across a LAN at a time, contrary to a switch which can send several.

Although physical cabling has been used in the past, the latest trends are definitely for wireless networks (Beekman & Quinn, 2008).

Figure 1 Showing a LAN (http://img.zdnet.com/techDirectory/LAN2.GIF)

Network administrators or IT technicians are in charge of configuration details as well as the maintenance of the system. This provides the school with a means of communicating and sharing files, and eventually having access to the Internet from different areas of the school complex.

C Impact of the Issue

Although the implementation of IT in the classroom has captivated the ...

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Although physical cabling has been used in the past, the latest trends are definitely for wireless networks (Beekman & Quinn, 2008).

Figure 1 Showing a LAN (http://img.zdnet.com/techDirectory/LAN2.GIF)

C Impact of the Issue

Although the implementation of IT in the classroom has captivated the interest of the students (Hargittai, date unknown) by allowing them to use technological hardware which was not used before, the system currently in place at Droopnath Ramphul State Secondary school does not allow the student to fully encompass the concept of an IT based education. The latter is one that provides students with unlimited resources to information, and is not restricted by governmental bodies which prevent total freedom of choice. However, such freedom enables people to become more responsible in their approach to Internet.

This initiative will however question the government as to its position regarding the education system. Will it continue with the present elitist system or will the holistic education system prime? This is especially so as two dynamics will occur. Firstly, this pilot project is scheduled to be repeated in other schools and secondly students from Droopnath Ramphul will have the opportunity to compare themselves with those from schools offering holistic development.

The contradiction between the good intent of the parties behind the pilot project and the actual practical realization within such a limited scope of an IT based education will create some form of inequality of access for the students to the real IT based education.

D solution to the problem

The main solution which needs to be implemented in order to provide student with an equality of access to information, may it be on the web or other places, would be the dissociation of the school from the governmental portal. This would allow students to search the web without information being filtered. Obviously, the computers should be equipped with firewalls and antivirus systems in order to prevent misuse of computers.

The second solution to the problem is clearly a radical shift in the educational philosophy, from the elitist system to one that will enable the overall development of the potential of the adolescent.

Furthermore, additional trust should be placed in the students. This would give them the opportunity to become more responsible, giving them the choice between using this technology wisely or not.

The fourth solution would be to ask their sponsors to make a full comparative report for them regarding application of an IT based education in an elitist school with respect to a holistic development school.

The solutions to the problems in relation to the equality of access are numerous, and applied properly the current IT system which is under way in Droopnath Ramphul could be further improved. The government needs to take an open view on the issue and even a lateral choice of making the school not only be a pilot case of implementation, but overall restructuring to the global education approach.

Bibliography

David J., 2010. L’informatique s’invite à tous les cours. L’express, 4th March 2010.

Hargittai E., year unknown. The Pros and Cons of Implemeting It in the classroom: Making sense of the Hype [online] Available at: [Accessed:05.03.10]

Geneva Logic, 2007. Classroom Technology & Teacher-Student Interaction [online] Available at : [Accessed on : 03.03.10]

Beekman & Quinn, 2008. Tomorrow’s Technology and You., 8th ed., New Jersey: Pearson International Edition.

Articles in both French and English

SSS Droopnath Ramphul

L’informatique s’invite à tous les cours

Jonathan DAVID, L’espress issued the 4th march 2010; Accessed on the 4th of march 2010

INTÉGRER les technologies informatiques à tous les cours dispensés. Ordinateurs portables, projecteur, electronic white board , sont autant d’outils sur lesquels mise le SSS Droopnath Ramphul de Pamplemousses. Ce collége veut dynamiser l’enseignement à travers de nouvelles méthodes impliquant notamment des sessions interactives avec le Rajasthan et Chennai en Inde. Selon Neeru Beeharry Panray, la directrice, « il s’agit d’une approche plus adaptée à l’évolution de notre société. Elle dotera nos étudiantes de nouvelles aptitudes tant dans la communication que dans la manipulation des TIC » . Cet établissement scolaire a, en fait, lourdement investi dans les outils informatiques.

Ainsi, toutes les salles de classe sont pourvues d’une connexion Internet alors que chaque laboratoire est équipé d’un ordinateur portable et d’un projecteur. L’ordinateur peut être utilisé pendant une expérience de physique et les données converties en graphiques précis en un temps record. « Nous estimons que l’apport de l’image et du son en cours captive mieux l’éléve, qui fait montre de plus de volonté à apprendre et à accroître ses connaissances » , précise Neeru Beeharry Panray.

L’interaction et le visuel privilégiés

Pour ce qui est de la bibliothéque du collége, une douzaine d’ordinateurs a été mis à la disposition des éléves et des enseignants souhaitant effectuer des recherches sur le web. Le SSS Droopnath Ramphul dispose aussi d’une salle audio- visuelle où un electronic white board , un projecteur ainsi qu’une connexion Internet haut- débit sont utilités pour des télé conférences de même que pour des p résentations liées aux programmes académiques. Ce tableau électronique est relié à un ordinateur portable.

L’utilisateur peut, de ce fait, interagir en utilisant son ordinateur à partir du tableau à l’aide d’un stylet spécial.

Rendant, par la même occasion, les cours plus interactifs et visuellement plus attirants pour l’éléve. « Notre but est d’encourager l’éléve à venir en classe. Et nous le faisons en utilisant les derniéres technologies informatiques comme support aux cours » , explique Soundara Rajen Veerapen, chef de département Computer Studies. Et de souligner : « Il est essentiel de développer des aptitudes qui serviront à l’éléve tout en lui assurant une ouverture sur le monde. » Les étudiantes ont droit à des sessions interactives avec des éléves du même groupe d’âge qu’elles, situés au Rajasthan ou à Chennai, en Inde, par exemple. Les enseignants ont, pour leur part, droit à une session de travail mensuel avec des pédagogues et des chefs d’établissements scolaires internationaux pour des échanges d’idées et le développement de nouvelles approches d’enseignement. Le SSS Droopnath Ramphul figure parmi les 31 Most innovative schools à travers le monde. Le collége a été choisi par Microsoft qui monitorise ce projet pilote.

TO INTEGRATE information technology in all courses. Laptops, projectors and electronic white boards are some of the tools that SSS Droopnath Ramphul wants to invest in. This college wants to boost its teaching through new methods, in particular by initiating interactive sessions with institutions from Rajasthan and Chennai in India. According to Neeru Beeharry Panray, the director, “it’s all about a more adapted approach to the evolution of our society. It will equip our students with new aptitudes in communication as well as in the handling of TIC’s”. This school establishment has, in fact, heavily invested in those IT tools.

Thus, all the classrooms are equipped with Internet connections, whereas each laboratory is equipped with a laptop and a projector. Those computers can be used during physics experiments where data is converted into precise graphs in a short lapse of time. “We believe that the use of image and sound are key ways to attract a student's attention in class, resulting in a shift of interest in students; they are more keen to learn and increase their knowledge”, Neeru Beeharry Panray specifies.

Putting emphasis on interaction and visual needs.

As for the school library, a dozen of computers were placed at the disposition of both the students and teachers wishing to carry out research on the Web. The SSS Droopnath Ramphul also has an audio visual room where an electronic white board, a projector as well as a broadband Internet connection are available for video conferences as well as for presentations related to the different academic programs. The electronic white board is connected to a laptop. The user can thus make use of that board with the help of a specially designed pen.

“While making classes more interactive and visually more attractive, our aim is to encourage students to come to class more promptly. We plan to reach that aim with the support of the latest advances information technology”, explains Soundara Rajen Veerapen, head of the Computer Studies department. He underlines that: “It is essential to develop the student's learning capacities in such a way that it will be helpful for their personal development and at the same time give them a better positioning in the outside world. For example, students are allowed to have interactive sessions with other students of their same age group from Rajasthan or Chennai, in India. The teachers have, for their part, monthly work sessions with pedagogues and head of international schools for exchange of ideas and the development of new teaching approaches. The SSS Droopnath Ramphul has been ranked amongst the 31 most innovative schools throughout the world. The college was chosen by Microsoft, who fosters this pilot scheme.

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