Assessment of Information Communication Technology Proficiency of Secondary School Teachers in Edo State, Nigeria (Published)
This study attempts to assess of information communication technology proficiency of secondary school teachers in Edo State, Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive survey method and questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The total population for the study is one hundred and twenty nine (129) secondary schools teachers in four selected secondary schools in Etsako west local government area of Edo state. The population of this study is not too large and as such the entire population was taken as representative sample using purposeful sampling technique. It was revealed from the study that ICT is not employed for teaching by majority of the teachers in the secondary schools studied, most teachers have negative attitude towards the use of ICT, a majority of the secondary school teachers studied have positive perception of perceived ease of teaching and learning with ICT and Lack of ICT facilities in secondary schools, lack of commitment from government and school management, lack of motivation and training, lack of ICT policies in secondary schools, lack of technical support from government and private sector, lack of qualified teachers to teach ICT and Teachers’ anxiety over being replaced by technology are the major factors militating against teachers readiness and effective use of ICT in secondary schools in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo state. The study recommends that Government should be committed to full implementation of ICT in secondary schools by way formulating policies and implementing the existing one if any with all sincerity.
Keywords: Assessment, Edo state, ICT, Proficiency, Secondary Schools, Teacher
Issues and Options for Using Multimedia to Improve Pre-Service Mathematics Teacher Education in Ghana (Published)
It is well documented that the overly theoretical coursework in conventional mathematics teacher education programs does not effectively challenge pre-service mathematics teachers’ preconceived ideas about the teaching of mathematics. In addition, field experiences provided for pre-service teachers have been shown to have inherent limitations. Consequently, several mathematics educators have drawn attention to the need to engage pre-service mathematics teachers in experiences that present actual teaching practices and make it possible for them to study or critique those practices reflectively. In the developed countries like the US there appears to be a growing interest in the potential of multimedia systems to bring this type of reflective and critical thinking about the teaching of mathematics. In the developing countries such as Ghana, very little of such efforts, if any, is being done to improve mathematics teacher education. This paper looks at the potential of these multimedia environments to improve education of prospective mathematics teachers in Ghana. It focuses on how multimedia programs fit into contemporary theories of teacher learning and supports this with a discussion of empirical research efforts at using multimedia programs to facilitate education of prospective mathematics teachers. Implications for pre-service mathematics teacher education in Ghana are also presented.
Keywords: Education, Ghana, Mathematics, Multimedia, Pre-Service, Teacher