4.4 A PPRECIATION
4.4.1 Support
ICT “nourishes” and “it gives you wings”. Educators allude to the reliable support that ICT is capable of providing. Educators in general, view ICT as useful “supporting material” (Van Zyl, 2013:132). Available ICT tools assist educators in simplifying their work and raise the level of quality in education. Educators believe that ICT tools improve efficiency and enhance effectiveness in academic delivery. They also seem to think that pedagogical practices cannot effectively function without the support that ICT can provide: “without it everything around it will basically just die” (Ophelia, TVET1). Educators also seek the assistance, and are grateful for support from computer literate colleagues if they struggle with ICT (see Figure 12). Assistance or the lack thereof by ICT knowledgeable individuals influences the adoption decision taken by users in need of assistance. The nature of the support they receive reflects in the symbolic meanings the rest of the ICT users attach to it (Lin, 2003:351- 352).
Figure 12: Ophelia – “Making the world a better place”
Well, just like a waterfall that nourishes the earth…without it everything around it will basically just die. This is how I feel about IT in an education environment. It has really created so much value in education; nourishing it, making it grow, giving us new and better
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ways to educate learners. I think it definitely brought a higher level to education. (Ophelia, TVET1)
“…without it everything around it will basically just die” (Figure 11). This utterance fortifies the symbolic power ICT has for some educators, and perhaps the foothold of the technological imperative prevalent in education. Within a symbolic interactionism rationale, Michalski (2013:3-4) notes that symbolic status of this powerful nature, are influential in negotiating perception and meaning of technology. This powerful status is fortified by Ophelia’s position as an ICT lecturer at her institution. Moreover, Ophelia’s identity as a Practicalist ICT user type permits her to assume and reflect the “role” and behaviour expected of Pragmatists, and to express and share rhetoric of techno optimism (Burke, 2005). Ophelia is the only ICT lecturer that participates in this study, but Burke would argue that her meanings of ICT characterisation are shared among ICT lecturers (2005:2). Van Zyl (2013:148) cautions however, that symbolism vary among individuals and within a community, and advocates the observation of “multiple symbolisms” in the local context.
Figure 13: Cleopatra-“Value 2”
This photo I took in December when I was on holiday in Wilderness. When I looked at the photo again I realised the value of computers in our work, because the moment you walk in here until you leave you are busy with computers. I thought, “It gives you wings”. The symbolism is that it makes you fly. You can just do your work so much more effectively. If
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you can type out assignments and tests on the computer, store it - it is accessible the next year. So it is about the value, and it gives you wings (Cleopatra, TVET2)
“It gives you wings” and “the symbolism is that it makes you fly” (Figure12). These utterances suggest that metaphorically ICT represents professional empowerment. ICT empower by information production, sustainable development, transfer of information and progress. Lakoff and Johnson (2008) observe that people often represent their thoughts and experiences with metaphors. Further, in a historic study, Hennestad (1987 cited in Prasad, 1993) suggested, “computers and their systems also play a role as metaphor and source of ideas”. By citing Hennestad, Prasad (1993:1402) underpins the belief that symbolic perspective go beyond explaining ICT in terms of technical and economic advancement, but allow explanation about people’s representations of ICT, which in turn influence their interactions with technology.
Figure 14: Support and caught-net if something goes wrong
“If you master something on the computer, then you feel so good. You are on cloud seven, you are proud of yourself. Then again, a computer can bring you back to earth quickly if you struggle again. If I go to another program- the basis stays the same- but the functionalities is different. You are then very frustrated; you are back to struggling and have to start again. If you look at this photo, it is steel cables. If you are not a computer lecturer, you depend so much on the computer literate lecturers because they are specialist. The caught-net is also
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there, it helps if you use a computer. You are not that scared. If something goes wrong, you can ask the computer lecturers.” (Hermia, TVET2)
The photos and responses of Figures 13 and 14 indicates that ICT support and assistance provided to educators, causes them to endure in their difficulties with technology and fortify the value they perceive ICT to have. Blumer’s third premise of symbolic interactionism holds that a person undergoes an interpretive process in which meanings are dealt with or altered during social interaction (1969:2). By interpreting the supportive actions of ICT knowledgeable colleagues, Hermia and Cleopatra symbolically ascribe positive meaning and connotations to their technological experience. Further, Blumer’s second root image namely the nature of social interaction (1969:7), is an example of Hermia’s technological encounter.
Blumer explains that people take each other’s actions and behaviour into account during social interaction, thereafter they change or re-examine they own behaviour. Hermia’s feelings of frustrations with technology change to feelings of optimism after encountering the supportive actions of others.
They are our two…whatever you call them…that is Iago and his assistant Demetrius. The idea behind taking this picture; it is nice to have 2 people on our campus that you can phone Figure 15: Cleopatra- “Conve”
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quickly and say, “Listen here, I try to do this but it doesn’t work” or “Listen here this thing’s cables are not connected come quickly”. Therefore, the two of them for me represent
“convenience” because they are close and it is easy to get a hold of them.