Use of Information and Communication Technology in Enhancing Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This paper describes case studies of 15 schools in one Canadian province that have been involved in a national project directed at the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into teaching and learning. By focusing on a specific change related to the integration of ICT, the research explored two primary questions: (1) What factors facilitate or inhibit organizational learning? and (2) What are the sources of leadership that influence organizational learning and what is the nature of that leadership? Of the 15 schools studied, 6 were identified as innovative, 4 as moderately innovative, and 5 as static. Findings are described in detail for each of these three categories. The study provides empirical evidence to show that changing school practices, such as using ICT in teaching and learning, is very much dependent upon the level of organizational learning in a particular school. Findings also present evidence that formal planning processes provide continuity of organizational learning only if there exists a critical mass of leadership to facilitate the process. Contains 36 references. (AEF)