Inservice Teacher Training and Technology: A Case of Botswana

The challenges that are facing teachers of the new millennium are many and complex, and for teachers in Botswana, they find themselves at the crossroad of so many changes that are rapidly taking place both in and outside school. Among these changes has been the introduction of technology in schools, and just like any other reform that takes place in education; teachers play a key role in its development. Schools in Botswana have been and are still being equipped with computers to be used in the teaching/learning process. Literature indicates that there is a great need for teachers to learn and use technology with their students. Practicing teachers are faced with a challenge to learn technology so that they can function in technology-based classrooms that are being created in schools. Inservice teacher training takes different forms in different schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate how practicing teachers in one secondary school in Botswana are prepared to work with technology in their classes. Data was collected through indepth interviewing of teachers and officials from the Ministry of Education. Findings indicate that teachers who have already acquired computer knowledge through their own initiative do the technology teacher training in this school. Teachers are also not satisfied with the training that they are given. The study recommends a more systematic approach to teacher training in the school so that more teachers can be involved and also benefit from the training. Literature Review For computer technology to be successful in schools, teachers need to be trained and well prepared to competently integrate it into their curricular. Teacher training is a core activity in the development of educational technology practices because at the center of effective use of instructional technologies are those who oversee the daily activities of the classroom--the teachers. They are the main promoters of any innovative activity in education; therefore, it is important to help them to effectively integrate technology into their work (Pettenati, Giuli, & Khaled, 2001). The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) report of 1995 stated that for teachers to use technology well, they not only need to have access to it, but they also have to discover and experiment different ways that it can be applied. It is therefore important to understand how teachers relate with technology, what their role is in this new environment, and what is being done to help them function in technology-based classrooms. The use of computers in schools poses a challenge for practicing teachers who already have their own established ways of teaching and do not know much about computers because they were not part of their preservice training. These teachers are faced with a task of learning something completely new and having to change their way of teaching, which is not an easy task for most of them. The Need to Train Inservice Teachers to Use Technology Technology has no doubt fully entered the education system and teachers find themselves in a position where they do not have much choice but to learn it. For most experienced teachers, technology was not part of their initial training, and educators admit that reeducating this existing teaching force is not easy, but it is necessary (Technology and the New Professional Teacher, 1997). Teachers play a key role in students' learning and there is no way they can stay ignorant of the changes that are taking place in education that affect their students. According to a report by president Wise of the National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education: It is impossible to deny the tremendous effect rapid technological growth has had on our society. This explosion of new technologies has changed the way we live-from the way we do business and to the way we communicate with each other. …