October 2002 — Features
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Technology and Student Collaboration
A Research Project in One Botswana Secondary School
Technology use in botswana schools is relatively new compared to many other parts of the world. And because of its financial implications, the decision to implement technology had to be weighed against many other pressing needs, such as access to basic education, food and shelter. However, improving the quality of education is one of the country's top priorities, mainly because education has been heavily criticized for failing to better prepare students to work and participate in their society.
In 1994, the Revised National Policy on Education (RNPE) was released. It stated that computers should be introduced in Botswana schools to help enhance learning, as well as to help the country in its transition from an agriculturally based economy to an industrial one. The Ministry of Education introduced a computer studies course, which was taken by only a few students because of the limited number of computers. The course was aimed at equipping students with computer skills that would be useful for them outside of school. Computers are also used in different subjects to assist learning.
The literature is overwhelmingly positive about the potential of technology to be a powerful tool in strengthening the quality of education and making it more interesting, engaging and, most important, student centered. Research on the effects of technology on student learning is also positive, with studies reporting how technology helps students learn better.
The "Teachers and Technology: Making the Connection" report (1995) found many examples of how technology helps learning nationwide. Teachers in the study reported that technology helps motivate students to learn and address other students with different learning styles. The teachers also reported that students on the verge of quitting often find a new interest in school when they work with technology. Students were able to communicate with others outside of their school and bond with students across the globe, as well. The study concludes that these activities cannot easily take place in a normal school day, but are possible with technology and careful guidance from teachers.
Computers have also been accepted in schools, since they promise a new dimension to education. Dede (1995) proposes that computers enhance education by providing them more active learning, more varied sensory and conceptual modes, less mental drudgery, learning better tailored to individuals, and better aid to abstraction. Educators and psychologists believe that higher levels of comprehension and reasoning are not acquired through transmitting facts, but through the learner's interaction with content. These beliefs adhere to the theory of constructivism - that knowledge is constructed, not transmitted. According to constructivism, knowledge is constructed in multiple ways, as well as through a variety of tools, resources, experiences and contexts. The constructivist learning theory tells us that the more opportunities we have, and the more actively engaged we are, the richer our understanding.
