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Abstract: In South Africa, the Western Cape government (WCG)'s current broadband strategy aims to ensure that all schools will be connected to broadband service within a reasonable time-frame. According to the WCG integration of ICTs and the broadband will remove the digital divide and enhance curriculum delivery in schools. To achieve this, sensible long-term planning must be in place to ensure that subject advisors are adequately trained and equipped to participate in the connected schools environment and effectively assist teachers integrate digital resources into classrooms. The aim of this paper is to explore how subject advisors perceive of their preparedness to embrace new technologies for their advisory job; to ensure effective teaching and learning. A qualitative research approach was used; randomly selected education districts in the Western Cape Province provided subject advisors to be participants in the study. Results show that most subject advisors perceive their complex knowledge of how to effectively integrate ICTs into curriculum delivery as inadequate hence are hesitant to advise teachers on effective technology integration into classrooms.
Keywords: connectivity, subject advisor, integration, curriculum delivery, 21st Century, South Africa
1. Introduction
Connectivity in the classroom is an exciting innovation in education in the 21st Century. Where such technologies have been effectively used, stakeholders testify to an enhanced quality of education. The Western Cape government (WCG)'s current broadband strategy aims to ensure that all schools will be connected to broadband service within a reasonable time-frame. According to the WCG integration of ICTs and broadband can remove the digital divide and enhance curriculum delivery in schools.
Educators' pedagogical beliefs and practices in curriculum delivery are central to all teaching and learning activities using new technologies (Pamuk, 2012). In an effective curriculum delivery scenario, educators may consider a number of factors (i.e. instructional content, student background, instructional activities) to compose a pedagogical approach and to plan effectively curriculum delivery (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). The onset of ICTs for teaching and learning in the 21st Century requires subject advisors to assist teachers to integrate ICTs into the classrooms; taking advantage of the ICTs and connected classrooms. Studies on "early adopters' uses of technology indicate that this is not an easy task that educators can accomplish through simple changes in approach" (Pamuk, 2012:425). Mishra & Koehler...