An Analysis of the Use of ICT in Schools Within the Caribbean Countries
In a wider global context, there have been a number of studies that have suggested that ICT within the education system is key to development of the third world and or LDCs countries and also survival in the 21st century globalized world. (Mason 2007). The literature reveals that in many studies the issue of the integration of ICT in the classroom is of paramount importance to the development of small island states (SIDs). Many of these studies have addressed the use of the ICT within the classroom in terms of the physical technologies (computers, peripherals, etc.) and related internet and communication topologies, and to a lesser extent the cost of placing the technologies in the classroom or with the students/teachers. However, in analyzing the available literature, it also reveals that within our smaller context of the Caribbean, with regards to the use of ICT in the classroom in terms of teacher training and adaptation, very little has been said on how teachers can actually use ICT in their respective subject areas beyond the generic IT classes for CSEC. As noted by the study conducted by infoDev- Edmond Gaible, PhD 2009 ( A World Bank Group Program to Promote Entrepreneurship & Innovation), In-service teacher professional development (TPD) relies on “pull-out” workshops, which produce limited change in classroom practice. In addition, Participation in technology-focused TPD falls short of goals. TPD models tend to teach ICT skills separately from pedagogical skills. Pre-service teacher education does not provide adequate introduction to ICT and does not address use of ICT to support teaching and learning (Gaible, 2009)
Also many of these studies have used a broad matrix that most times uses more impoverished countries of Latin America and Africa as the basis of their methodologies, and as noted by Mason in 2007, there is not a wealth of literature done on the Carribean and the actual practical implementation of ICT in classrooms.
