Identifies several ways in which ICT’s can and should impact

education. In the context of his article, critically evaluate the

Gauteng Online and Khanya projects in South Africa.

The South African Department has initiated the programme which will be
serving as the tool for assessment in learners’ education and introducing a
system which will assist educators in recording, preparing activities and
promotion of ITC to match the other countries. Gauteng online and khanya
project has been awarded tender by the department to erect, emerge or
revamp the computer laboratories in school within the country. The project
is also catering the community to enhance the computer skill in the youth.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF ICT FOR EDUCAITON IMPACT

The department of education has established the system which will help to
monitor the implementation ITC in schools to condone the teaching
strategies amongst the teachers and the learners.

It has introduced the bursaries where educator will be trained in the higher
institution to acquire a better knowledge on how to impart the skills of ICT
that will have much impact in the ITC processes, and to match global status.
All educators who are furthering their studies have been assessed their
qualifications and the abilities by the department and the institution to
qualify.

The tendered companies are always made the survey to check whether the
equipments are working appropriately to avoid the disturbances in teaching
and learning. The schools are also encouraged to develop their monitoring
tools to monitor and evaluate the optimal use of computer laboratories.

Schools to monitor and evaluate, they need to draft the time table and have
the monitoring plan to ensure all educators and learners are learning
according to the set plan of assessment. School Management team is the
one who is responsible for this task whether the learning and teaching is
taking place.

IMPACT ON LEARNING AREAS

There are several softwares which are able to be discussed and scrutinized
by the department of education, E-Learning committee and School
Management team whether they are relevant to the that particular learning
area i.e.

i) Version

Each an every software bought must be accommodated or accepted by the

window installed in the tower system though is the old one or the latest one,
because it upgrade learners’ mind to fit in the new dispensation.

The latest version must be used when the computers are online or offline in
order to cover certain aspect and to allow learners to study at their own
pace while they are at home. It must also play in DVD player and CD-ROM
with sound to give clear sound.

ii) Service

The government needs to ensure that the subsidy allocated in school must
be adequate in order to last longer, because these computer laboratories
need thorough service. Otherwise the school planning will fail. It also
discourages learners. District office should organize or train its employees to
service the computers in schools, because there are lots of viruses which
multiplies themselves and affects other files, ultimately the computer freeze
or jam.

iii) Gender issue

There must be no discrimination according to sex of the learner, each

learner must be treated equally, though the is the phenomenon that says
girls become wiser than boys, and when they grow up they loose
concentration because they focus in other lifestyle of entertainment, while
boys at adolescence stage put more love, interest in their studies.

The computer laboratories must accommodate caters all genders.

iv) Upgrade

As the technology changes on daily basis viruses are also increase and
affects the computers and softwares are upgraded, then they affects the
functional part of computer such as affection to the speed of computer,
affect the capacity of hard drive so it must upgrade e.g. RAM to increase the
speed of the computers and install hard drive with more capacity with 120
Gigabytes.

The access of internet is mostly offline and inconveniences the teaching and
learning as well the planning of the particular learning areas, they need to
visit the schools regularly to made changes as the schools will need to install
more softwares through server. Other hardware components need to taken
into cognizance.

Negative impacts on learning

The school, Management Team together with the committee responsible for
the computer (E-Learning committee) laboratories must ensure that
community is catered for to avoid unnecessarily burglary. The community
needs to be involved to support, and have the sense ownership to look after
the school as is theirs.

Security must be beef up to frighten the robberies for instance installing the
alarm systems which rings in police station and employ security personnel
who will serves as the eye witness, and write the proper statement to serve
as an evidence.

Reference:

Kozma, B: Monitoring and evaluation of ICT for education impact: a review

(In: Wagner et al, 2005. Monitoring and Evaluation of ICT in Education
Projects.)