Managing ICTs in South African Schools

The purpose of this guide is to give school principals and senior school management personnel information on using and managing information and communication technology (ICT) resources so that they can provide leadership in their schools. The guide considers some implications of the use of computers and related resources for teaching and learning. It also takes into consideration paedagogic issues surrounding the integration of computers into the curriculum.

The guide is based on research conducted on the use of computers in twenty-one schools, together with research undertaken by various other organisations. The research showed that one of the reasons ICT projects in schools have not succeeded is that school principals are often not properly informed about what ICTs can or cannot do. This often hampers their ability to manage the introduction of ICTs into their schools.

Each chapter in this guide is structured around a key question:

• Why should we have computers in schools?
• How can schools benefit from computers?
• How can computers be used in teaching and learning?
• Can all schools use computers in all the possible ways?
• How can a school build a shared vision for ICT use?
• How do we go about implementing the vision?
• What are some of the practicalities that need to be considered?