The Impact of Ict on Teaching Practices: A Case Study

This dissertation, "The Impact of ICT on Teaching Practices: a Case Study" by Wai-keung, Joseph, Hui, 許偉強, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: Abstract Recently, the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has attracted much attention. Governments have spent millions of dollars on ICT infrastructure and providing teachers with various kinds of training, trying to equip them with the necessary skills to accomplish such goals as fostering students' "lifelong learning and all-round development" (EC, 2000, p. 3). Consequently, teachers should adjust their teaching approaches in order to meet such aspirations. This research attempted to scrutinize how such changes affect teachers' teaching strategies; to examine whether their ICT knowledge and the use of, such technical know-how, have a positive impact on teaching and learning. In answering this it is important to look into the utilization of ICT resources to see whether they have been managed in a way that enhances students' learning in a sophisticated world; as well as how teachers feel facing the challenge of ICT integration. The findings of this research were summarized in order to devise suggestions for future planning and professional development considerations for schools. This research used a case study approach collecting data through interviewing two Subject Leaders and five Chinese Language teachers at a school in Hong Kong. The data was triangulated using mini-survey and lesson observations. It was found that teachers regarded the current way of providing school-based technical training as a successful one, however they often used presentation slides as well as word processing software to prepare and present their lessons. They seldom used e-communication or designed websites of their own to extent teaching beyond classrooms. It was clearly evident in this study that although the teachers had received ICT training, they still used traditional approaches in conducting their lessons. Nonetheless, the results showed that the teachers of this study would like to further develop their capability through training and sharing. They also believed that the introduction of ICT infrastructure could help them in sharing their resources and promote team work. Indeed, this is one of the major findings and subsequent recommendations that the researcher has put forward as a result of this study, in order to enhance future professional development of teachers in Hong Kong schools. Other considerations include planning the professional developmental programmes in order to suit the needs of the school and soliciting the help of outside forces, such as an IT company and tertiary institutions are helpful as well. Moreover, schools should try to encourage a shared vision developed by the school team to ensure that teachers understand the essence of educational changes and pedagogical uses of ICT resources in their school. While this study focused on the impact of ICT on teaching strategies and professional development, there were other important areas found important, for example, the role of administrators and school culture. - ii - DOI: 10.5353/th_b2946978 Subjects: Computer-assisted instruction High school teaching - China - Hong Kong High school teachers - China - Hong Kong - Attitudes