Driving Forces for ICT in Learning

Abstract

Educational change has some reason for taking place. Those reasons are driving forces. Based on a conceptual framework representing the key elements of learning process, this chapter discusses four driving forces for the use of ICT in learning: the teacher, the learner, the learning content and the learning materials. A learning process is seen as the result of both structural conditions (of content and materials) and individual characteristics (of teacher and learner). We argue that the dominance of each driving force can be seen as an instructional paradigm for learning. In order to illustrate the mutual influence and dependence of the driving forces, we elaborate an example of the way driving forces interact. In a final section, we discuss some major implications derived from the various paradigms of ICT in learning and the controversies teachers face when integrating ICT in classroom practice: technology push versus educational pull, and the necessity of leadership and personal entrepreneurship. Intensive use of ICT is fully integrated in our daily lives. The rise of this so-called digital generation poses serious questions for teachers with regard to the use of ICT in education and ways to stay connected with their pupils. Most schools have invested in the availability of an ICT infrastructure, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the availability of an adequate ICT infrastructure, while necessary, is not in itself a sufficient condition for effective use of ICT in education. At many schools, teachers are struggling with the question how to use ICT for instructional purposes. In this contribution, various driving forces and contrasting issues on using ICT in education for teaching and learning are discussed on the basis of a conceptual framework.