Module 9 Activity 5 Lessons Learnt from other Schools

It was an interesting activity in trying to determine what obtains at other schools regarding their ICT vision. It was revealed that schools are at different levels on the continuum of ICT integration, but crucial to their success is the need to have a shared vision.

Learning Communities

The Gayaza High school is an all girls government boarding school covering grades 8 – 13 which has integrated ICT into its operation. It offers a broad array of life skills like communication, analysis and critical thinking, and they boast of cultivating logical and creative approaches to problem solving in their students which they achieve by addressing the needs of each student.

At Gayaza they believe in a high level of academic excellence and this is a challenge that each student must face. Their goal is meet these expectations for all their students in a supportive, loving environment. With their ICT based education they endeavor to make sure that every student has access to the very best 21st century education by engaging them in a hands-on learning in class. Their goal is to educate students to become citizens of the global society, ready to take on the challenges of this still new century.

At present, teachers at Gayaza use ICT to prepare and print exams, prepare lesson materials and record sporting activities.  Most importantly, the teachers also use ICTs to teach lessons.  Students engage in the use of ICTs to do activities such as researching on the internet, and recording sporting activities. Students also get the experience of sitting in classes that are powered by ICTs. The school boasts computer labs which are utilized by students to get their ICT related work done.

The Gayaza High School has as its motto ‘Never Give Up’ and they use this as the guiding principle to execute projects/ideas. Gayaza appears to have a school headmistress who embraces the vision of ICT integration and they are making strides to do this. When compared to my school, there are similarities in terms of the use of ICTs. Like Gayaza, my school has IT labs that may be used for classes, but accessibility at the times when they are needed poses a problem. Teachers at my school also use ICTs to prepare and print exams, prepare lesson materials and teach lessons to some extent. What is lacking is the full integration of ICTs into the existing curricula of my school. Students in my school are encouraged to use ICTs to learn under similar circumstances to what obtains in Gayaza High School but it is taken a step further in Antigua and Barbuda because the fourth and fifth form students were issued with personal tablets that they are expected to use to complete ICT related activities.

Recommendations for my School

If my school is desirous of integrating ICT into its curriculum, it is imperative that the following measures be put in place:

·         Sensitize all stakeholders as to the value of ICT

·         Ensure availability of ICT resources

·         Train all teachers and students in ICT

·         Ensure accessibility to ICT resources

·         Existence of support for ICT at the school

·         Obtain teachers’ commitment to the innovation

·         Ensure that school practice supports use of ICTs