Gender differences regarding ICT. Teachers' attitudes towards ICT

Dado que las TIC son extremadamente beneficiosas dentro y fuera del contexto escolar, y es escasa la información que existe sobre por qué las estudiantes tienden a estar por detrás de sus homólogos masculinos en cuanto a su uso, este artículo analiza el rol del profesorado de secundaria, quienes, en numerosas ocasiones, promueven y mantienen los estereotipos asociados a las diferencias de género, y cuyo comportamiento (consciente o inconscientemente) sitúa a las adolescentes en un segundo plano en cuanto a las TIC se refiere.Since ICT are extremely advantageous in and out of the school context and very little is known about the reasons why female students seem to be backward if compared with their male counterparts and missing many of these technological benefits; this review analyses what the scientific literature produces regarding the role of secondary teachers who, in many occasions, act as developers and maintainers of many of these gender differences and stereotypes, and whose behavior towards students –consciously or unconsciously- places girls in a second position when it comes to ICT

Developing Trainee Teacher Practice with Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

There is general agreement that Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have a place within the geography classroom; they offer the potential to support geographical learning, exploring real-world problems through student-centred learning, and developing spatial thinking. Despite this, teachers often avoid engaging with GIS and research suggests that the lack of GIS training in initial teacher education is partially to blame. In response to this, this article explores how 16 trainee geography teachers were supported to develop their use of GIS across a one-year, postgraduate teacher training course in England. The project, an interpretive case study underpinned by a constructivist epistemology, used questionnaires and interviews to elicit trainees’ understandings of the nature of GIS, and to explore their engagement with it across their training year. Results suggest a programme of embedded training developed in trainees a more nuanced understanding of the value of GIS for supporting geographical learning and, thereby, increased self-efficacy towards and engagement with it in their teaching practice. However, not all trainees embraced GIS as a pedagogical tool and the study raised several key issues for geography teacher education, including the knowledge culture within schools in the teacher training partnership, and the importance of trainee self-efficacy towards GIS

A Review of the "Digital Turn" in the New Literacy Studies

Digital communication has transformed literacy practices and assumed great importance in the functioning of workplace, recreational, and community contexts. This article reviews a decade of empirical work of the New Literacy Studies, identifying the shift toward research of digital literacy applications. The article engages with the central theoretical, methodological, and pragmatic challenges in the tradition of New Literacy Studies, while highlighting the distinctive trends in the digital strand. It identifies common patterns across new literacy practices through cross-comparisons of ethnographic research in digital media environments. It examines ways in which this research is taking into account power and pedagogy in normative contexts of literacy learning using the new media. Recommendations are given to strengthen the links between New Literacy Studies research and literacy curriculum, assessment, and accountability in the 21st century

Constructing multilingual digital identities: An investigation into Grade 11 learners’ digital practices in relation to English language learning in Rwanda

Magister Educationis - MEdRwanda has taken a strong move towards language-in-education policy shift whereby English became the sole medium of instruction in 2008, despite her rich linguistic diversity. The language shift occurred at the time when the country had resolutely embraced Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) as one of the country’s key development plans for socioeconomic development. In spite of these changes, research on multilingualism and digital identity in Rwanda is very limited. Given the pressing need for Rwanda to play an increasing role in the global economy, it is important to explore the ways in which the new generation negotiates multilingual digital identities in second language learning. The aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate the ways in which secondary school learners used digital technologies to negotiate new identities in two or more languages in order to understand the implications for English second language learning in the multilingual context of postcolonial Rwanda. Specifically, my interest was to examine Grade 11 learners’ current digital practices and the ways in which existing multilingual repertoires were drawn on as resources in navigating digital literacies. I also aimed at understanding how such practices could be harnessed as resources for English second language learning in the classroom. This study is informed by post-structural theories of identities as well as of Bourdieu’s theory of habitus, field and capital. The post-structural frame of analysis underlying issues of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has also been important to establish a bridge between the learners’ digital practices and their English learning processes. It draws on debates around digital literacies, multilingualism, and identity, theories of access to ICTs and digital technologies and English as Additional Language Acquisition. The research sites were two urban based high schools mainly selected for their proximity to digital technologies, namely cyber cafes and/or computer laboratories and by their representativity in terms of gender and subject choices. Drawing on the qualitative research tradition and informed by ethnographic methodology, the study investigated Grade 11 learners’ insider views of the affordances of digital technologies for language learning. To reach this end, non-participant observations, focus group discussions and a questionnaire were used. Issues of research ethics namely, informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality were adhered to throughout the research process. With regard to access to technologies, the research findings reflect Bourdieu’ post-structural theory notion of ‘habitus’ as they show that the social dimensions the learners were involved in influenced their engagement with several digital technologies. In relation to Warschauer’s model of access, this study was able to identify the following: (1) material access’ linked to the learner’s access to the internet connection; (2) skills access’ concerning the learner’s ability to interact with computers and communicate with peers or fellow friends by typewriting and (3) usage access’ associated with the learner’s opportunity to use ICT facilities. The findings also generated insights into the learners’ construction of multiple digital identities and the fluidity and hybridity of ‘youth digital literacies’. The learners created a form of global digital identity by simply interacting or engaging with various multimodal literacies. Findings also indicated that learners negotiated digital identities by immersing themselves in Social Networking Sites (SNS) that fall under ‘Web 2.0’, an online platform which online users make use of to interact, share and perform different activities, focusing chiefly on social media. It was observed further that learners constructed a national language identity in the digital world by visiting mostly popular sites whose medium of communication was the national vernacular “Kinyarwanda”, thus stimulating the sense of national language identity of ‘ Rwandaness’. Additionally, it was apparent that Grade 11 learners had a great sense of attachment to their language as a significant characteristic of their digital practices through ‘translanguaging’ which became one of the resources in the digital space. The findings also indicate that technology served as a bridge between learners’ digital practices and their learning of English as an additional language, although language power relations were apparent as English was conferred a status of symbolic capital. The study concludes that various forms of access to ICTs do not only inform and strengthen Grade 11 learners’ process of learning English as additional language, but also support the construction of their multiple identities. There is a need to capitalize on face-to-face interaction and integrate ICT in teaching and learning so that learners can create their own learning space whereby they construct their digital identities as adolescents in the different languages they get exposure to

An analysis of the utilisation of e-learning platform at a selected nursing school in Rwanda : a participatory action research study.

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2017Background: E-learning is a commonplace in nursing and healthcare professional education, and generally the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the internet in tertiary education is recognised. The use of technology is a policy directive in Rwanda. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was two-fold, that is to: (i) Collaboratively analyse the utilisation of the e-learning platform in selected nursing school campuses at University of Rwanda (UR), in Rwanda; (ii) Develop a middle-range theory on the implementation of e-learning in selected nursing school campuses at UR, in Rwanda. Methods: Participatory Action Research, and convergence parallel mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative data) also known as concurrent triangulation design were used, where quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously as recommended by Creswell and Clark (2007). Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS 23, and for qualitative data, the framework of grounded theory by Strauss and Corbin guided the analysis. Triangulation of results was done in chapter six of discussion of the results. Results: The quantitative findings of this study indicated that in e-learning, a blended mode was used and included 40% of face-to-face, and 60% of online teaching. ICT was reported to be pivotal in teaching and learning. Of 44 nurse educators, 95.5% reported using ICT applications to prepare presentations for lessons; 95.5% reported using ICT to provide feedback and/or assess students’ learning. Of 227 students, 96.9% used the internet to access full web-placed courses, and 93% for communication with their lecturers. Qualitative findings reflected E-learning as the core phenomenon of the investigation. E-learning was conceptualised as a mechanism to advance a political agenda, as a student-centred approach, as blended learning, and as a tool to open access to education for working nurses and midwives. The context of e-learning in nursing education is subjected to both internal and external influences in which education, health and technology originate. Data from this study indicated a number of intervening conditions which influenced the process of developing the middle range theory. There are two major processes involved in this model: Catalyst agents and hybrid teaching and learning. The catalyst agent process focuses on institutional support for students and teachers. The process of hybrid teaching and learning represents the actual facilitation of teaching and learning, through two phases: course development, and course delivery. The outcome of this is to improve the quality of nursing education, to fast-track production of the nursing workforce, to enhance nursing care and services, to enhance collaborative partnership, and to promote lifelong learning. Conclusion: E-learning is inspiring many in nursing education, and its success depends on adequate technology-based tools and guidelines that can be used in the establishment of a supported network learning space by using technology in teaching and learning. Keywords: blended learning, web-based learning, e-learning, distance learning, ICT in education

ICT-based Social Innovation in Africa: the case of Rwanda

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Sub-Saharan Africa has raised attention for its potential to foster multidimensional development. The rationale for ‘ICT for Development’ (ICT4D) revolves around Africa’s prospects to leapfrog to the digital economy amidst the 4th Industrial Revolution. This thesis reflects on the tech-based initiatives stemming from the African continent through the lens of “Social Innovation”. In other words, ICT-based applications whose primary goal is to tackle social challenges. Related tech products and services are seen as a ‘disruptive’ vehicle to address Africa’s need for ‘Homegrown Solutions’ to regional problems. They are context-specific and tailor-made to local realities. The conditions that foster the creation of impact-driven ICT innovation vary widely among African countries. The continent illustrates diverse ‘innovation ecosystems’ and ‘innovation cultures’. Nevertheless, there is a knowledge gap on how social innovation can be deliberately planned at large scale, and thus on how it translates into a practical formal strategy in contemporary African societies. This study examines Rwanda as a distinct case of African ICT-Based social innovation, that effectively manages to plan ICT-based Social Innovation as a state-led, formal practice. Embarking from the devastating 1994 genocide, Rwanda placed ICT at the forefront and formed a global “success story” of recovery and redevelopment. Presently, ICT Innovation is a cross-cutting force in Rwanda’s development agenda, serving the country’s complex socio-cultural context and macroeconomic particularities. Therefore, social innovation is policy-oriented and serves a long-term vision. The study investigates Rwanda’s approaches to reinforce ICT-based social innovation, by creating a conducive social innovation ecosystem and an innovation culture. It reviews strategies and practical initiatives that Rwanda employs for public mobilization and capacity-building and maps the conditions that enable social innovation to grow in Rwanda. The research conducted a preparatory document review of policies and strategies to outline Rwanda’s key priorities in ICT Innovation and ICT4D. Sequentially, the data collection used in-depth, semi-structured interviews with key informants in Rwanda. The thesis is exploratory and aims to identify key areas for further investigation. Results showed that the government’s openness to innovation and experimentation create a sense of shared purpose for innovation actors. The government designs tailor-made programs and campaigns directed to both users and innovators and establishes flagship regional initiatives that combine local and global approaches. Social innovation is enabled by a wide range of factors, notably sociocultural features, strong political will, the conducive business climate, Rwanda’s tech-based and market-driven development model, and Rwanda’s regional role as an ICT Hub in Africa. Perhaps more strikingly, visionary leadership and political championship enable the incremental growth of innovation. Rwanda’s social innovation ecosystem is supportive, synergetic and provides diversified opportunities for capacity-building and growth, whilst the innovation culture integrates cultural and traditional values in entrepreneurial ventures. Nevertheless, social innovation is a work in progress with challenges concerning finance, human resources, or adoption. Rwanda’s strategies are no fixed-recipe, but bring intriguing implications on how customized planning instruments can shape the conditions for social innovation to emerge

An investigation into teachers' experiences of in-service training and professional development in Rwanda

The purpose of this research is to investigate teachers' experiences of in-service training and professional development in Rwanda. It focuses on a programme for untrained secondary school teachers which aimed to equip them with the knowledge, skills and values in line with current government policy. It was concerned with whether the teaching and learning approaches used in the training programme were learner-centred, and the impact on teachers' professional identity. This is viewed against the backdrop of the assumptions that professional development improves the teaching and learning process and that teaching and learning improves with increased professional development provision. These dynamics are analysed from the perspective of the teachers' views and some observed practices, the theoretical principles of teacher professional development, and the policy guidelines of the Ministry of Education. As such, the research employs a qualitative methodology. The study has revealed that the training programme was presented, whether deliberately or by default as a course for upgrading teachers' status, and as a way of providing the superficial characteristics of a successful professional training. It has highlighted the challenges of the technical application of a model rather than identifying the needs and conditions for teacher engagement with their students in order to improve their own classroom performance. This is reflected through the overestimation of the trainers' capacity and the underestimation of the teachers' experiences, the lack of mastery of content, and the non-recognition of teachers as teaching and learning resources. There are also issues related to communication and interaction between the actors in the training programme which was a crucial factor that reflected the power relations between the trainers and the teachers. The teachers were being regulated by the terms of engagement set by the trainers instead of a collaborative effort. It highlights the restrictive nature of the assessment system, and interrogates the differences in the understanding of what teaching and learning is or should be, and what actually took place in the training of the teachers and of the students in the secondary school classrooms. The research has highlighted some issues which are not necessarily of a professional nature, but which nevertheless are of significance to the understanding of teacher professional identity. The teachers associate identity formation with the social developmental issues of qualification, status, recognition, and self-esteem. This has implications for the policies of the Ministry of Education viewed against the needs and conditions of the training of the secondary school teachers who are drawn mainly from rural schools. There are concerns about whether the programme appreciated the conditions in the schools, or whether the primary mission was to upgrade the qualifications of the teachers and not necessarily the upgrading of knowledge and skills. Finally, the research contributes to the illumination of both literature and methodology for future studies on the subject of teacher professional development, and to the current debate on its benefits and impact on professional practice in Rwanda

Designing Open and Distance Learning for Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: A toolkit for educators and planners

Everyone remembers a good teacher. Good teachers are the key to educational expansion and improvement. In many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is an urgent need to expand the number of primary and secondary teachers. In all African countries, there is an equally important need to improve the quality of teaching. To achieve this, it is clear that new approaches to teacher education are essential. Existing institutions of teacher education will continue to play an important role, but, alone, they will not meet the goals of Education for All (EFA) by 2015. It is fortunate that, just as the twin needs to improve the quantity and quality of teachers become imperative, so new forms of education and training are becoming available. The world is witnessing a revolution in information and communication technologies (ICTs), which can offer training and support of a type and at a cost hitherto impossible to consider, and thus, must be fully explored given the scale and urgency of demand. In doing so, however, it will be necessary to build on existing and well-tested strategies, including the best models of open and distance learning. This toolkit is the third in a series of recent publications by the Africa Region Human Development Department of the World Bank to share knowledge and experience on how distance education and ICTs can support education in Sub-Saharan Africa. It emphasizes the rigorous process by which new forms of distance-education programs for teacher education can be planned and implemented. The best models of established programs are considered along with the potential for incorporating, as the means become available, new modes of communication. Most forms of teacher education, particularly those concerned with qualification upgrading and ongoing professional development, will have to be based in schools. The authors demonstrate how school-based programs, appropriately resourced and supported, have the potential not only to raise significantly the number and quality of teachers, but also to improve classroom practice and school organization, generally. The guidance and advice, which is drawn from many years of experience in design and implementation, and embraces a range of case studies from across the region, will be of considerable value to those preparing new policies and programs of teacher education and to those seeking to improve existing programs

“Teacher, do you think I have a bright future?” - Anxiety and uncertainty in a Rwandan Catholic Secondary Boarding and Day School

This thesis offers an ethnographic account of the lives of a handful of Rwandan twelve to fifteen-year-olds over their first two years as students at a Catholic-led, public secondary boarding school on the outskirts of Kigali. The wider context is Rwanda as both a post-conflict state, in which schooling is thought of as a tool for shaping collective memories and constructing a shared civic identity in the name of ‘reconciliation’; and as a developmental state, in which schooling intends to make young people useful human capital for accomplishing national development goals. The focus of the thesis is on how the young Rwandans in the study (re)interpret and appropriate the discourses they encounter in the school and beyond as they perform their identities and imagine their futures. Told in the students’ own words, with particular attention to the creative production of alternative (non-elite) discourses at grass-roots, the thesis tells a story of anxiety and uncertainty as students struggle to navigate the many ambiguities in their lives and to truly believe the government’s promise of a bright future