Why Isn't ICT as Effective as it Ought To Be in School Education?

Fluck, A.

Meta-studies of the effectiveness of ICT (information and communication technology) in education indicate that it has about as much impact as any other innovation (Parr 2000). However, there are great expectations about ICT having as significant an influence in this area as it has had in industry and commerce (Kraver 1997). Where have we gone wrong? Are teachers bound to the past and determined to dismiss any technological innovation until it has truly proven itself reliable? Or are systems rushing into the adoption of computers in schools belatedly for a mixture of social, economic and purportedly pedagogic reasons? I say belatedly, because it is increasingly the case that in several countries students have far easier access to a computer and the Internet at home than in the classroom. This paper describes some of the significat issues threatening greater adoption of ICT, including industrial fears, teacher professionalism supported by school effectiveness research, examination systems, current curricula, and equity policies. It indicates how some of these threats are being met by reference to short case studies and a discussion about evidence of systemic transformation.

Cite as: Fluck, A. (2003). Why Isn't ICT as Effective as it Ought To Be in School Education?. In Proc. ICT and the Teacher of the Future - Selected Papers from the International Federation for Information Processing Working Groups 3.1 and 3.3 Working Conference, Melbourne, Australia. CRPIT, 23. McDougall, A., Murnane, J. S., Stacey, C. and Dowling, C., Eds. ACS. 39-41.

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