Editorial: Using ICT to Transform Education (2007)

Welcome to Volume 3 Issue 1 of the International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology (IJEDICT). This issue contains articles concerned with using information and communication technologies (ICT) to transform education, especially in developing contexts. It brings articles from and/or about Africa, Australia, Caribbean, Hungary, India, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Romania and Saudi Arabia. Female researchers and are important stakeholders in the development of agriculture in Nigeria because they are required to provide support to the female farmers who ordinarily would be more comfortable with female researchers. article by E.I. Adebayo and O.M Adesope - Awareness, access and usage of information and communication technologies between female researchers and extensionists - examines awareness, access and utilization of ICT among female researchers and female extensionists. Information collected showed that female researchers and female are aware of ICT and both categories of respondents know how to access Internet on their own. However, respondents do not have adequate access to IT. In her article Exploring the use of computer technology in a Caribbean context: Views of preservice teachers, Pier Junor Clarke presents a qualitative study of five pre-service secondary school mathematics (PSSM) teachers. major goal of this study was to investigate the experiences and perceptions of the PSSM teachers as they explored the use of computer technology (CT) in their mathematics instructional practices, and to identify factors they consider necessary for successful integration of CT in mathematics instruction. Gyorgy Katona examines whether applying ICT in teaching Physical Education (PE) increases pedagogical effectiveness in the article The use of digital materials for instruction in sport topics at the University of West Hungary. A special e-book on sports was made in CD-ROM format, because of the low rate among our correspondence students who have access to the Internet. CD-ROM contains theoretical and practical general material used in the course of teaching PE, demonstrates specialized vocabulary through videos and charts and provides the possibility for testing and self-testing. CD-ROM also contains an audio version of the material for the benefit of sight-impaired students. results indicated that using ICT increases effectiveness in teaching PE. incorporation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into the educational curriculum has been promoted as a key step in bridging the digital divide. Despite considerable growth in the numbers of computers acquired by schools in in recent years and the sacrifices made to finance these, there has been little evaluation of their effectiveness. article by Padraig Wims and Mark Lawler - Investing in ICTs in educational institutions in developing countries: An evaluation of their impact in Kenya - describes research that seeks to redress this by examining the impact of ICT projects in educational institutions in Kenya. Teaching staff, current students and former students together with parents of current students were surveyed. Key informants were also interviewed to establish the current policies concerning ICT in education in Kenya. research revealed tangible benefits to students from exposure to ICT. It was also found that exposure to computers in schools influenced the career choices of former students. In the article Students' perceptions of prehospital web-based examinations, Brett Williams describes a study that examined the attitudes of prehospital undergraduate students undertaking a web-based examination (WBE) as an adjunct to the traditional paper-based examination (PBE). Students were asked to complete a questionnaire which was designed to obtain information about students' attitudes of WBE. Quantitative results produced high student satisfaction and acceptance of WBE as an appropriate teaching and assessment resource in the BEH degree. …