Some educators ascribe their own inability to operate and understand technology as a detriment that affects the adoption of ICT. Perseverance, however, is parallel to this frustration. Thus, educators take responsibility and want to address the problem. They do so by investing genuine effort to understand and use ICT. Therefore, I consider Perseverance the most important theme of the three themes that emerged. Growth (or, personal and professional enhancement) has been a central aspect of the Perseverance theme. Educators want their ICT knowledge to “grow”, like a “King Protea”, but “the conditions need to be right
… the sunshine, the ground, the rain, etcetera” (Figure 32). This analogy indicates that government and institutional policymakers need to know that educators want to use technology. They should introduce technology, however, with thorough understanding of the social dynamics and cultural beliefs that prevails in the TVET academic sphere. In reaching this understanding, they can strategically implement and plan technology diffusion, which may result in a higher uptake of technology.
Figure 32: Emilia-“Growth” and transformation of ICT knowledge
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That is the King Protea, our national flower. For me the importance here is you once again the impressive final product, and that starts with something so elegant like that beautiful knob. As it grows, it becomes that profoundly impressive flower. There is an element of the intelligence and ability that goes into computers. It starts as something small, that you can actually miss, but ends with this impressive product that have profound impact. It is also ones progression on the journey with computers; if you start, you do not know anything. I remember the first computer that I saw were my father’s computer at his work- the mine. It was as big as this classroom; it stood in a giant glass container. Nowadays they are so small. My father told me that he went in the late 50’s to London to look at the first computer.
It studied in France. It was a huge thing, primitive. This whole process starts with the seed of a Protean- this small little thing. It then becomes a little knob, and then it becomes this beautiful flower. A person’s knowledge also grows like that if you put in a little bit of effort, and get help from people that knows how to help you. I cannot grow on my own; my brain does not work that way.
Researcher: Because you are clearly impressed with the process, is it safe to presume that you want to use computers in academics to improve the academic side?
Yes, you can deliver such a good final product in the academic world, or in the way you impart knowledge in your teaching methods. Only if the process is executed the right way. If it grows the right way like this flower grows. But it does not just grow, a little bit of effort is needed.
Researcher: You mentioned earlier that you need people to grow with you or needs to help you grow, and with help, you will become better…
Yes. The conditions needs to be right. In the case of this flower- the sunshine, the ground, the rain, etcetera. That things needs to be right. I cannot take on this process by myself.
A first step implementers can take is to engage educators to determine their needs.
Educators want implementers to approach them and talk to them, find out what their needs are, as the following excerpts confirm, “…why do they not come and talk with us? Why do they not ask us what our needs are?” (Cleopatra, TVET2); “I cannot take on this process by myself” (Emilia, TVET1). Institutional management can use the impetus of the educators’
perseverance and willingness to share their ICT struggles, in conjunction with the following five determinants presented by Karsenti et al. (2002:4) to aid and drive the successful integration and perseverance of ICT. These determinants especially aim to motivate future teachers to embrace ICT confidently into their teaching practices:
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The application of ICT into teaching practices by the instructors of educators in training might motivate the training educators to integrate ICT into their own future teaching practices.
The presence of ICT knowledgeable educators might inspire a positive perspective of ICT.
ICT training in the workplace can influence successful integration of technology into teaching practices.
Educators who had ICT training during tertiary education tend to be more accepting of ICT integration into their own teaching practices.
Producing an atmosphere of value and expectations of success in integrating ICT into the teaching practices can be a key factor in motivating educators to embrace ICT.
Brown (2011:216) opines that students should be trained to apply ICT appropriately, instead of training students how to use technology, for example not “how to use Microsoft Word”, but rather, “how to easily format your assignment”. I want to make a similar argument in the context of ICT use by educators: instead of only making ICT available in the institution, educators should be approached and asked how ICT should be implemented to make teaching and learning easy for both educator and student. This concept linked closely to another suggestion of Brown in that technology should be integrated into the curriculum as well as the disciplinary domain. The following response illustrates an educator’s notion of integrating technology in the teaching and learning process with the aim of engaging students and addressing potential challenges that might hinder educational objectives:
They want to have free access to WI-FI if they are on campus. I asked them many times to use their phones to Google the answer to a question that they cannot answers. Let us go and look for the answers. If they ask me, “What does this word mean?” I instruct them to take out their phones and Google it. I think if we can just give them that access to technology, it will lessen my frustration also. It becomes homework; go home, look for a computer, go to the library…If they can do it immediately in the classroom, I can incorporate it into a lesson and build on it. With WI-FI, a lesson can be completed in an hour, but now it takes 2 to 3 days to finish a lesson depending on when everyone gets access to the Internet (Desdemona, TVET2)
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