Technologies are emerging and affecting our lives in ways that indicate that we are on the verge of a Fourth Industrial Revolution. South Africa also wants to keep up with the latest technologies, however, it is still seen as a developing country as it has many poverty-stricken areas, even more than the financially stable areas. This makes South Africa unfit to even consider integrating technology in schools.
The acceptance of ICTs in education poses challenges in South African schools as most teachers believe that technology is not always the answer. There are many teachers as well as learners that are not for the integration of technology in classrooms and instead, prefer reading print as well as manual writing and see technology only as a distraction. They feel that they are able to teach and learn better without the use of technology.
South African teachers are faced with challenges in integrating technology effectively into a coherent framework at school level. Technology is not always reliable and can sometimes break down due to misuse or age. This can cause the learners to lose work ethic as well as focus. Technology can affect lesson time and flow as some learners will refuse to look away from the screen during instructions and will fail to comprehend the task. In order to implement technology in the classroom, training is essential, and this could be time consuming.
An important factor to consider before implementing the use of technology in classrooms is that not all learners and teachers have access to technology at home, especially in South African homes. This presents challenges for the teachers as they might have to create different tasks for the learners or avoid tasks that include the technological element completely.
Even though there is no doubt that technology can enhance learning, I strongly feel that South Africa should piece itself together first before implementing technology in the classroom. The massive amounts of money given to schools by the department can be used to develop the country as South Africa can’t move forward into a technological era, without fixing the problems of the country first. There is no doubt that keeping up with technology is important, but its value will not change unless the needs of the people are met first.
Jade's Blog 