research-article

ICTs in Rural Education: Let the Game Begin

Authors:

Marlien HerselmanAuthors Info & Claims

DEV '15: Proceedings of the 2015 Annual Symposium on Computing for Development

Pages 105 - 113

https://doi.org/10.1145/2830629.2830646

Published: 01 December 2015 Publication History

Abstract

Over a period of three years, 255 teachers at 26 schools in Cofimvaba, which lies in the very rural Nciba district of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, have been using mobile tablets in their classrooms to support teaching and learning. The purpose of this paper is to describe the novel gamification approach to Teacher Professional Development in a unique context where schools are deprived of resources but still managed to successfully integrate mobile tablets in their classroom practices. These practices have changed the way teachers teach towards a pedagogy that is more suited to the information age. The success of this TPD model lies in the application of lessons learnt from literature, selected game elements, rewards based on demonstrated competencies, flexibility, innovation, creativity and co-creation. All of the teachers who took part in the project, achieved the 13 compulsory badges, which is noteworthy. This implies that all participating teachers applied all the ICT integration skills demonstrated in the ICT for Rural Education (ITC4RED) TPD course at least once in their classroom, and were able to collect evidence to support that they have gained the necessary competencies.

References

[1]

J. Keengwe, G. Onchwari, and P. Wachira, "Computer technology integration and student learning: Barriers and promise," Journal of Science Education and Technology, vol. 17, pp. 560--565, 2008.

[2]

R. Hermans, J. Tondeur, J. van Braak, and M. Valcke, "The impact of primary school teachers' educational beliefs on the classroom use of computers," Computers & Education, vol. 51, pp. 1499--1509, 2008.

Digital Library

[3]

J. Hardman, "An exploratory case study of computer use in a primary school mathematics classroom: new technology, new pedagogy: research: information and communication technologies," Perspectives in Education: Recearch on ICTs and Education in South Africa: Special Issue 4, vol. 23, pp. p. 99--111, 2005.

[4]

M. Ford and A. Botha, "A pragmatic framework for integrating ICT into education in South Africa," in IST-Africa, 2010, 2010, pp. 1--10.

[5]

A. Bytheway, S. Cox, C. Dumas, and I. van Zyl, "Educator discourses on ICT in education: A critical analysis Moira Bladergroen and Wallace Chigona University of Cape Town, South Africa," International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, vol. 8, pp. 107--119, 2012.

[6]

E. Were, J. Rubagiza, and R. Sutherland, "Bridging the digital divide? Educational challenges and opportunities in Rwanda," Development, vol. 31, pp. 37--43, 2011.

[7]

R. E. Anderson, R. J. Anderson, G. Borriello, and B. Kolko, "Designing technology for resource-constrained environments: Three approaches to a multidisciplinary capstone sequence," in Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2012, 2012, pp. 1--6.

Digital Library

[8]

R. Van Rensburg and U. Du Buisson, "Title," unpublished|.

[9]

G. Bloch, The toxic mix: What's wrong with South Africa's schools and how to fix it: Tafelberg, 2009.

[10]

M. Herselman and A. Botha, Eds., Designing and implementing an Information Communication Technology for Rural Education Development (ICT4RED) initiative in a resource constrained environment: Nciba school district, Eastern Cape, South Africa (In Press). Pretoria, South Africa: CSIR Meraka, 2014, p.^pp. Pages.

[11]

M. Ford, "ICT4RED Implementation Framework," in Designing and implementing an Information Communication Technology for Rural Education Development (ICT4RED) initiative in a resource constrained environment: Cofimvaba school district, Eastern Cape, South Africa, M. Herselman and A. Botha, Eds., ed Pretoria, South Africa: CSIR, 2014.

[12]

J. Voogt, "IT and curriculum processes: Dilemmas and challenges," in International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education. vol. 20, J. Voogt and G. Knezek, Eds., ed New York: Springer, 2008, pp. 117--128.

[13]

M. Prinsloo, The context of public primary education: Centre for Democratising Information, 2012.

[14]

Department of Basic Education. (2012, June). Action Plan 2014: Towards the realisation of schooling 2025. Available: http://www.education.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=zpM1hJi8qDs=&tabid=418&mid=1211

[15]

G. Gudmundsdottir, "When does ICT support education in South Africa? The importance of teachers' capabilities and the relevance of language," Information Technology for Development, vol. 16, pp. 174--190, 2010.

Digital Library

[16]

A. Chigona, W. Chigona, M. Kausa, and P. Kayongo, "An empirical survey on domestication of ICT in schools in disadvantaged communities in South Africa," International Journal of Education and Development using ICT, vol. 6, pp. 21--32, 2010.

[17]

A. Botha, "Teacher Professional Development," in Designing and implementing an Information Communication Technology for Rural Education Development (ICT4RED) initiative in a resource constrained environment: Cofimvaba school district, Eastern Cape, South Africa, M. Herselman and A. Botha, Eds., ed Pretoria, South Africa: CSIR Meraka: Integrative Competency Area, 2014.

[18]

A. R. Hevner and S. Chatterjee, Design Science Research in Information Systems: Theory and Practice. New York: Springer, 2010.

Digital Library

[19]

ICT4RED. (2014, September). ICT4RED publications. Available: http://ict4red.blogspot.co.za/p/resouces.html

[20]

C. M. Grant. (n.d.). Professional development in a technological age: New definitions, old challenges, new resources. Available: http://ra.terc.edu/publications/TERC_pubs/tech-infusion/prof_dev/prof_dev_frame.html

[21]

J. Voogt and G. Knezek, "IT in primary and secondary education: emerging issues," in International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education. vol. 20, J. Voogt and G. Knezek, Eds., ed New York: Springer, 2008.

[22]

J. Voogt and L. Odenthal, "Met het oog op de toekomst. Een studie naar innovatief gebruik van ICT in het onderwijs," With a view to the future: A study of innovative use of ICT in education). Enschede, Netherlands: University of Twente, Faculty of Educational Science and Technology, 1999.

[23]

A. Botha, M. Herselman, and M. Ford, "Gamification beyond badges," in IST Africa, Mauritius, 2014.

[24]

B. Costello and E. Edmonds, "A study in play, pleasure and interaction design," in Proceedings of the 2007 conference on Designing pleasurable products and interfaces, 2007, pp. 76--91.

Digital Library

[25]

S. Deterding, D. Dixon, R. Khaled, and L. Nacke, "From game design elements to gamefulness: defining gamification," in Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments, 2011, pp. 9--15.

Digital Library

[26]

K. Huotari and J. Hamari, "Defining gamification: a service marketing perspective," in Proceeding of the 16th International Academic MindTrek Conference, 2012, pp. 17--22.

Digital Library

[27]

J. McGonigal, Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world: Penguin. com, 2011.

Digital Library

[28]

J. Juul, "The game, the player, the world: looking for a heart of gameness," in DIGRA Conf., 2003.

[29]

A. Stott and C. Neustaedter, "Analysis of Gamification in Education," 2013.

[30]

S. T. March and G. F. Smith, "Design and natural science research on information technology," Decision Support Systems, vol. 15, pp. 251--266, 1995.

Digital Library

[31]

G. Geerts, "A Design Science Research Methodology and its Application to Accounting Information Systems Research," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, 2011.

[32]

A. R. Hevner, S. March, J. Park, and S. Ram, "Design science in information systems research," Manage Information Systems Quarterly (MIS), vol. 28, pp. 75--105, 2004.

Digital Library

[33]

B. Williams, "Preliminary Evaluation of the ICT4RED Initiative - Preliminary Working Evaluation Report " CSIR Meraka, Pretoria, South Africa 2013--2015.

[34]

A. Botha and M. Verster, "ICT4RED Teacher Professional Development," ed. Pretoria, South Africa: CSIR, 2014.

Cited By

Xie QGong QHe XChen YWang XZheng HZhao B(2023)Trimming Mobile Applications for Bandwidth-Challenged Networks in Developing RegionsIEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing10.1109/TMC.2021.308812122:1(556-573)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/TMC.2021.3088121
Saggah AAtkins ACampion R(2020)A Repository Collaboration Model to Gamify Education Using Synergistic Digital Hub2020 Fourth World Conference on Smart Trends in Systems, Security and Sustainability (WorldS4)10.1109/WorldS450073.2020.9210304(651-655)Online publication date: Jul-2020
https://doi.org/10.1109/WorldS450073.2020.9210304
Saggah AAtkins ACampion R(2020)A Review of Gamification Design Frameworks in Education2020 Fourth International Conference On Intelligent Computing in Data Sciences (ICDS)10.1109/ICDS50568.2020.9268748(1-8)Online publication date: 21-Oct-2020
https://doi.org/10.1109/ICDS50568.2020.9268748
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

ICTs in Rural Education: Let the Game Begin
1. Applied computing
  1. Education
    1. Collaborative learning
2. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)

Recommendations

Increasing Capacity for Computer Science Education in Rural Areas through a Large-Scale Collective Impact Model
SIGCSE '19: Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

Students living in rural areas are less likely to attend schools that offer computer science (CS) courses largely because educational institutions in these remote areas lack the resources to staff teaching positions for these courses. This study ...
"I believe I did not preach into the desert": Opportunities & Challenges in Scaling Teacher Mentorship through Mobile Technology in Rural Côte d'Ivoire
L@S '24: Proceedings of the Eleventh ACM Conference on Learning @ Scale

Mentoring is crucial for teachers' professional development but challenges of access, resources and capacity make it difficult for regular in-person mentorship in low-infrastructure contexts. Mobile technologies such as social media have the potential to ...
A State-Wide Effort to Provide Access to Authentic Computer Science Education to Underrepresented Populations
SIGCSE '20: Proceedings of the 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

The Exploring Computer Science (ECS) curriculum provides foundational knowledge of Computer Science (CS) to high school students as a stand-alone course. ECS began in the Los Angeles Unified School District in the late 2000s where it gained eminence for ...

Comments

Information & Contributors

Information

Published In

cover image ACM Conferences

DEV '15: Proceedings of the 2015 Annual Symposium on Computing for Development

December 2015

186 pages

ISBN:9781450334907

DOI:10.1145/2830629

General Chairs:
Arjuna Sathiaseelan
University of Cambridge
,
Marco Zennaro
International Centre for Theoretical Physics
,
Program Chairs:
Elizabeth Belding
University of California, Santa Barbara
,
Jay Chen
NYU Abu Dhabi

Copyright © 2015 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

Sponsors

ACM: Association for Computing Machinery

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 December 2015

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Request Permissions

Check for updates

Author Tags

Qualifiers

Research-article

Conference

ACM DEV '15

Sponsor:

ACM

ACM DEV '15: Annual Symposium on Computing for Development

December 1 - 2, 2015

London, United Kingdom

Acceptance Rates

DEV '15 Paper Acceptance Rate 13 of 50 submissions, 26%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 52 of 164 submissions, 32%

Contributors

Other Metrics

View Article Metrics

Bibliometrics & Citations

Bibliometrics

Article Metrics

6
Total Citations
View Citations
359
Total Downloads

Downloads (Last 12 months)28
Downloads (Last 6 weeks)1

Reflects downloads up to 17 Oct 2024

Other Metrics

View Author Metrics

Citations

Cited By

Xie QGong QHe XChen YWang XZheng HZhao B(2023)Trimming Mobile Applications for Bandwidth-Challenged Networks in Developing RegionsIEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing10.1109/TMC.2021.308812122:1(556-573)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/TMC.2021.3088121
Saggah AAtkins ACampion R(2020)A Repository Collaboration Model to Gamify Education Using Synergistic Digital Hub2020 Fourth World Conference on Smart Trends in Systems, Security and Sustainability (WorldS4)10.1109/WorldS450073.2020.9210304(651-655)Online publication date: Jul-2020
https://doi.org/10.1109/WorldS450073.2020.9210304
Saggah AAtkins ACampion R(2020)A Review of Gamification Design Frameworks in Education2020 Fourth International Conference On Intelligent Computing in Data Sciences (ICDS)10.1109/ICDS50568.2020.9268748(1-8)Online publication date: 21-Oct-2020
https://doi.org/10.1109/ICDS50568.2020.9268748
Saggah ACampion RAtkins A(2020)An Agile Holistic Framework to Support Teachers in Pedagogical Gamification Design2019 International Conference on Advances in the Emerging Computing Technologies (AECT)10.1109/AECT47998.2020.9194204(1-6)Online publication date: Feb-2020
https://doi.org/10.1109/AECT47998.2020.9194204
Cechetti NBiduki DDe Marchi A(2017)Gamification strategies for mobile device applications: A systematic review2017 12th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI)10.23919/CISTI.2017.7975943(1-7)Online publication date: Jun-2017
https://doi.org/10.23919/CISTI.2017.7975943
Katule NRivett UDensmore M(2016)A Family Health AppProceedings of the 7th Annual Symposium on Computing for Development10.1145/3001913.3001920(1-10)Online publication date: 18-Nov-2016
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3001913.3001920

View Options

Get Access

Login options

Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

Full Access

Get this Publication

View options

PDF

View or Download as a PDF file.

eReader

View online with eReader.

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

View Table of Contents