Voices and implementation of information technology in an elementary school classroom: A Hong Kong case study

Childhood Education, 2003 by Ngan, Ming-Yan, Lee, Chi-Kin John, Koo, Ramsey D

When confronting the new millennium and the era of information technology, schools around the world tend to jump on the bandwagon of computer-aided and Web-netted learning. As the social and economic environment has changed, so, too, have schools in Hong Kong. In exploring the real picture of how such changes impinge on our school stakeholders and their daily classroom practices (in terms of a Chinese culture context), the authors interviewed pupils and teachers by asking three questions:

* How do students perceive and talk about information technology (IT) education?

* How do teachers administer pedagogy in an IT context?

* What facilities and implementation approaches are used to overcome the challenges in the IT era?

Since 1970, numerous education innovations have been promoted in Hong Kong by the Education Department. Hong Kong's schools have been implementing the activity approach, integrated curriculum, mastery learning, target-oriented curriculum, and information technology (IT), among other innovations. Although such classroom-oriented reforms are important (Stigler & Hiebert, 1999), researchers (e.g., Morris, Lo, & Adamson, 2000) have noted that "many educational innovations and reforms had been unsuccessful in changing classroom practice because there was not enough consideration of the social conditions of schooling and the constraints of the classroom situation" (p. 259). Any benefits of various educational innovations must be proven on the classroom "battlefield," and teachers are the gatekeepers. As the curriculum makers, they play a significant role in the implementation of these innovations (Clandinin & Connelly, 1992; Connelly & Clandinin et al., 1988).

In Hong Kong, school curriculum is under reform, in order to cope with the needs of the information society and the challenges of a new century. To promote lifelong learning and provide the guiding principles and overall aims for the school curriculum, the Hong Kong SAR Curriculum Development Council (CDC) recommended four key tasks (IT for Interactive Learning, Project Learning, Moral and Civic Education, and Reading To Learn) to develop independent learning capabilities (CDC, 2001). The existing school subjects are categorized into eight key learning areas (KLAs): Chinese Language; English Language; Mathematics; Persona], Social and Humanities; Science Education; Technology; Arts; and Physical Education. According to a 2002 CDC document, Basic Education Curriculum Guide, the goal of using IT is to harness its ability to promote interactive learning and thereby enhance students' learning. According to the consultation document Learning To Learn: Key Learning Area, Technology Education (CDC, 2000), students in the junior primary school years should be able to (p. 41):

* Use computers in schools to conduct searches on CD-ROM/CAL software for information pertaining to design problems

* Input Chinese characters with a handwriting recognition device, including acquisition of the basic concept of a system by means of computer-controlled construction kits; and, via a computer tablet, write up in Chinese the title and a brief description of a design project under the teacher's guidance

* Use multimedia resources to support learning with the help of teachers (e.g., follow the teacher's guiding questions to suggest at least two sources, such as CD-ROMs and the Internet, for retrieving information relevant to solving a problem)

* Manage information with IT tools in learning activities, including the use of drawings/graphics or presentation applications, to communicate design ideas with classmates.

With the current reform in education, IT has become an integral part of the whole-school curriculum in Hong Kong. The government required all schools to teach at least 25 percent of their curriculum through IT by the 2002-2003 academic year, which they achieved. The Education Department has allocated $HK 3200 million (or roughly $US 410 million) for technological innovations and $HK 500 million (or about $US 64 million) for using IT in education settings. Moreover, more than 65,000 computers have been installed within the 1,300 schools in the territory, with an average of 40 computers for each primary school and 82 computers for each secondary school. To enhance the use of IT in schools, teachers are invited to attend relevant training workshops, special seminars, and consultative meetings, and to participate in continuing education courses that are supported by government tax concessions. Furthermore, with the financial assistance of the government, each school can recruit technical assistants to support staff in teaching as well as in maintaining and developing IT course activities.

Concerning the attempts to foster an information and communication technology environment in Hong Kong schools, Lee (2002) summarized four important conditions that have a profound impact on the teaching and learning process (p. 21):

* Time and effort must be expended to provide teachers with a critical understanding of ICT as a shaper of information and values