ICT in English Schools: Transforming Education?

Abstract

The use of information and communications technology (ICT) as a learning tool has long been acclaimed as a catalyst for educational transformation. Over the past decade, evidence of good uses of ICT has emerged in numerous studies. While such use promises transformation in supporting teaching and learning, evidence suggests that progress is limited in English primary and secondary schools. This paper attempts to develop understanding of why this is so. Based on a review of previous studies and empirical fieldwork, this paper demonstrates that sustained educational transformation using ICT involves more than pedagogical awareness alone, and that a broader array of factors should also be taken into consideration. Standing back for a wider view, it appears that this lack of transformative use of ICT may ultimately result from a lack of coherent understanding of what educational transformation using ICT truly implies. © 2012 Copyright Association for Information Technology in Teacher Education.