Time constraints

In the survey discussed in the previous chapter, workload was found to be an important obstacle against using ICT in schools. ,Teachers just did not have sufficient time to use ICT effectively. In the interviews, this point repeatedly was emphasized. As pointed out by Interviewee 12B, teachers were unable to prepare lessons with ICT due to time constraints, even  though they might be willing to use it. 
How can I say it?  We  actually are  very busy with our normal teaching activities. There is virtually no time to prepare additional teaching material. We teach more than 30 lessons in a week, and  we have to deal with numerous  inquiries from our pupils. We have to participate in many in-service training programmes as well….. The problem is that we do not have sufficient time to prepare for our lessons using ICT,  even though we realize that ICT may be useful in teaching and learning. 
Interviewee 12B (Teacher of School-12) . . . . Dialogue 1

Interviewee 12B was a teacher with 20 years of teaching experience. She said that she had being using computers for a few years in her teaching, but did not have sufficient time to utilize ICT to its full potential. She believed that having more  preparation time would allow her to perform much better. She rated time as being even more important than money.
I have been using ICT for a few years. I found ICT very useful in preparing examination questions, say. The questions are being kept in a data bank that helps me very much in preparing examination papers. However, the real hindrance is work overload ….. 
[Question: What would you ask for if you could?]
“More free time for teachers… this would be the most beneficial. There is no great advantage when the government only gives more money to hire  technical staff instead of teachers…..”
Interviewee 12B (Teacher of School-12) . . . Dialogue 2

Interviewee 14A, who was the Headteacher in School-14, compared current teacher workloads with workloads of the past. He also emphasized that the increasing demands on teachers must be offset by more preparation time. 
[Question: What problems exist that limit the implementation of ICT in your school?]
“Time! The workload of teachers already is  very heavy. In the past, a teacher could go into the classroom and start to teach using a textbook. It was relatively simple. Teaching has become more demanding today than ever before…..
Interviewee 14A (Headteacher of School-14) . . . . Dialogue 3

Teacher 12B further pointed out that demands upon teachers have increased because of educational reforms that have taken place in recent years. Some teachers have been required to attend various examinations and assessments, such as the Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers (LPAT), in order to fulfill requirements allowing them to continue in the teaching profession. Many teachers have felt threatened by these new requirements. Teacher 12B regarded them as having had a negative, rather than a positive influence upon teacher performance, essentially merely wasting teachers’ time.
[Question: Assuming that you are now giving suggestions to policy makers in education, what would you say?]
To give me more time, which is the most important thing I need. This is because we, the teachers, have to deal with a lot of trivial tasks in addition to teaching. For instance, the Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers is a big issue to teachers. These skills are not directly used in teaching and students will not benefit. Apparently, a lot of effort went into this program  and much money has been spent. Education expenses have been increasing every year but pupils receive fewer and fewer benefits. Teachers are required to attend training courses but do not learn much. This clearly is  wasting money.
…..
If more time is given, I can finish all of my tasks much better. If  asked to use ICT, I can go ahead and do it. However, currently I  only can manage to prepare as far as the next lesson or the next day. (I have insufficient time to plan further ahead) 
- Interviewee 12B (Teacher of School-12) . . . . Dialogue 4

It clearly is evident that Interviewee 12B has heartfelt complaints about educational policy. Her feeling of helplessness  was apparent in her response to the next question:
[Question: Do you receive any help from the Education Department? Where can you find suitable teaching material?]
It is very difficult. We teach six to seven lessons every day. In addition, we have to mark assignments, quizzes and examinations. We still have to prepare lessons for tomorrow. Do you think that I have time to do anything further? Not unless I get more time so that I can spare one or two hours everyday. 

[Question: Do you think that other teachers are experiencing the same?]
I believe that I already am among those who use ICT the most  ……
Interviewee 12B (Teacher of School-12) . . . . Dialogue 5
Interviewee 11A, a Headteacher, already had implemented some measures to reduce teacher workloads in her schools.
[ Question: Do you have sufficient teachers or other staff to handle so many resources in school? ]
How do you measure whether or not something is sufficient? ….. My view on the allocation of human resources is that “one must perform to one’s strength and get what one needs”. I allocate tasks taking into consideration each  teacher’s strengths. Our teachers are not required to service their own computers. We have subscribed to receive  maintenance services from an external consulting firm. They  look after our servers to make sure that everything is running well. Teachers  just focus upon their teaching responsibilities. If there is any demand for additional ICT services, we  deal with the consulting firm to see how these services can be provided. Of course, if the demand  eitheris  unreasonable or unaffordable, we have to look for alternatives. My objective is to avoid  requiring every teacher to become an ICT specialist. It (everybody becoming an ICT specialist) would be almost impossible. A person who has expertise in ICT may not be capable of teaching. Suppose that we have  a good teacher who is not competent in ICT; does this mean that he or she should not continue teaching? I believe that  every teacher’s  major responsibility is to teach pupils well. Also, does he or she serve as a good model for  pupils?The computer is a tool which is better maintained by technicians. Therefore I do not expect my teachers to manipulate it directly. We have found that this kind of arrangement is satisfactory in all aspects.
- Interviewee 11A (Headteacher of School-11) . . . . Dialogue 6

Headteacher 11A allocated most administrative tasks for ICT to technicians. According to her own view, this approach  successfully released teachers from “unnecessary” non-teaching related tasks, and let them focus mainly upon teaching activities.

However, another Headteacher, Interviewee 09A, had a different view on the workload. He did not recognize any increase in workload incurred by the use of ICT. 
[Question: Have you ever heard about any complaints from teachers that their workload has been greatly increased since the use of ICT]
Never! However……  <<< <<<
Interviewee 09A (Headteacher of School-09) . . . . Dialogue 7

This teacher made another general point. He felt that more time should be reserved for teachers to work directly with children to achieve better educational results, irrespective of ICT and non-ICT issues.

“ there is not sufficient time (for children). Even if we do not talk about ICT, the schedule already is extremely tight. Teachers do not have sufficient contact time with pupils. Unlike secondary students who can stay behind after school, parents usually pick up their primary school children immediately after school.”
Interviewee 11B (Teacher of School-11) . . . . Dialogue 8

Effectiveness

The responses to the question asking about the effectiveness of ICT fell in two extreme categories. As shown below, some teachers expressed concern that the effectiveness of ICT had been overstated and that numerous potential problems could result from its use. On the other hand, other interviewees, such as Headteacher 10A , had a strongly optimistic view.
[Question: First, what do you think about the usefulness of ICT in teaching?]
To keep pace with the advancements in society, teaching with ICT is very useful and important in primary education ……
[ Question: What is the result of the implementation of ICT? ]
I can say that it has been on the right track. Pupils  now are able to search for information on diverse subjects over the web. In addition, there are online forums available for discussions of various topics…..…
Interviewee 10A (Headteacher of School-10) . . . . Dialogue 9

ICT generally is regarded as a modern educational tool comparable to conventional educational tools (ref… ), Interviewee 11A had this view as well, as shown in the following dialogue:
[ Question: Do you think that ICT has an essential impact upon  modern primary education? ]
I think that ICT  occupies an important place in the modern world. In schools, ICT is an important tool. It is similar to what chalk, blackboards, cassette recorders and TV sets have been in the past…….
Many conventional pieces of equipment, such as TV sets, fall under the jurisdiction of ICT. However, the term ICT  frequently has a much narrower connotation. Most people regard ICT as a collection of computers and networking equipment, including the Intranet and Internet. We have found that these tools can extend beyond limitations of space and time for pupils. This is a very great breakthrough. ..….. The use of computers and networks can save a lot of time for both teachers and pupils. Therefore I say that ICT is a very powerful tool. 
Interviewee 11A (Headteacher of School-11) . . . . Dialogue 10

Visual and auditory effects are important features which make ICT an important addition to other conventional tools in modern teaching and learning activities ( ref… ). Interviewee 01A and 12C support this view, based upon their experiences.
[ Question: Do you feel that the introduction of ICT in schools is useful? ]
It depends upon how the teachers use it. If it is utilized in the appropriate way, it may have an excellent effect upon teaching. Pupils commonly find it more difficult to concentrate when teaching is restricted to verbal communication alone. Pupils usually receive visual in addition to auditory stimulation. Many find it boring just listening to their  teacher’s voice. The use of multi-media instructional material, such as that provided by ICT, may be  advantagous to this kind of student. However, teachers must provide careful guidance to their pupils when they are using this kind of material. Otherwise, pupils may lose themselves in the visual effects and forget the actual knowledge being conveyed.
- Interviewee 01A (Headteacher of School-01) . . . . Dialogue 11

Interviewee 12C, who was the ICT coordinator at School-12, agreed that the auditory and visual effects that ICT uniquely provides may result in improved student concentration.
[ Question: Do you think that ICT is useful for pupils? If yes, in which area? ]
Greatly useful! The auditory and visual effects of computers can help students improve their concentration. Pupils especially are interested in game-like material.
Interviewee 12C (Teacher of School-12) . . . . Dialogue 12

In School-01, the attractiveness of ICT was illustrated in a “Digital Library” project. The Headteacher of that school strongly supported the use of ICT because a very positive result had been observed in their Digital Library. Pupils appeared to take a great interest in reading electronic books with rich visual presentations. This had never happened before, as mentioned by Teacher-01A. 
[ Question: Generally speaking, is ICT attractive to pupils? ]
Yes, it is attractive. Especially now that we have a digital library in which electronic books are available to them. Whenever pupils have lessons in the library, they are excited and display improved concentration skills. Although its effectiveness in helping students learn language skills is not yet proven, the benefits of reading, whether conventional or electronic, is known. I have found that pupils are happy to visit the library. They especially are drawn towards reading electronic books with eye-catching graphics.
- Interviewee 01A (Headteacher of School-01) . . . . Dialogue 13

Despite the apparent improved concentration demonstrated by students, there are no data measuring the consequences of this improved concentration. Additional scientific research must been carried out on the effects of ICT on primary school students to determine if its use results in any meaningful improvement in actual learning.

In recent years, ICT has been a very popular topic in the education sector and in the general community. [ ref … ]. Many people spontaneously presume that ICT is beneficial without any hard evidence to support this view. The interviewees above had somewhat opposing views on the effectiveness of ICT.

Headteacher 10A had a basically positive view towards the use of ICT. He further pointed out that some difficulties may have arisen in the past but that they generally now had been overcome after a few years of experience. He believed that ICT currently fit students’ educational needs well, and he disagreed that the effectiveness of ICT has been overstated in the community
[ Question: Do you think that the importance of ICT has been overstated within the community? ]
Never overstated! However, it was a bit chaotic when ICT first was implemented; for example, teacher qualifications  were not up to standard,and so on.
[ Question: Was this a few years ago? ]
Exactly! This all happened a few years ago. In the beginning, there were problems with  hardware resources,  teacher computer skills, etc. Those resources were not adequate to support the fast pace of ICT implementation. 
[Question: What is the present situation?]
It is on the track right now. At present, ICT is able to meet the needs of our school. 
……
- Interviewee 10A (Headteacher of School-10) . . . . Dialogue 14

Some interviewees, such as Headteacher 08A, generally held a positive view, but expressed some reservations about the effectiveness of ICT. Some researchers (ref__, ref__, ref__) also have urged caution in delving totally into ICT. They argue that ICT should implemented “carefully” in order to achieve the best result. 

I believe that the implementation (of ICT) in primary schools is essential. However, I have certain reservations with respect to how it is  implemented and used, and concerns that its effectiveness may be overstated. Various aspects, including  implementation, have room for improvement.
Interviewee 08A (Headteacher of School-08) . . . . Dialogue 15

On the other extreme, some teachers actually question the effectiveness of ICT. For instance, teacher 12B had a “radical” (as she said) objection against the effectiveness of ICT. She argued that ICT’s failures could not be rectified by any input of money.

[ Question: Do you mean that there will not be much improvement to the quality of teaching no matter how much money is spent in buying computers and other equipment? ]
Yes, because it is not only a problem of money! …..
Is this a “radical” view? ……
Interviewee 12B (Teacher of School-12) . . . . Dialogue 16

In her response to the question of whether or not the effectiveness of ICT has been overstated, her straightforward answer was as follows.
[ Question: Do you feel that the effectiveness of ICT has been overstated within the community? ]
Yes, that is exactly how I feel.
Interviewee 12B (teacher of School-12) . . . . Dialogue 17

Teacher 12B did not agree that computers were non-replaceable. In her opinion, ICT is just one of many teaching tools. In many circumstances, other means of teaching can be just as effective as ICT.
[ Question: Do you feel that computers have been over-emphasized? ]
Exactly,that is sometimes true.
[ Question: Do you mean that computers are not always needed? ]
I believe that teaching is flexible. The most important thing  is how teachers conduct  their lessons. ICT was not popular many years ago but lessons still could be  presented well. Don’t you agree?
[ Question: Do you mean that computers are not non-replaceable? ]
Yes, ….. it is uncommon to see pupils collect useful information on the computer.
.….
Interviewee 12B (Teacher of School-12) . . . . Dialogue 18

Interviewee 12B was not alone in her objections. Another interviewee, Headteacher 02A, also expressed being discouraged over the use of ICT in schools. He argued that ICT did not generate any effective learning, but merely produced an attractive appearance to lessons. One advantage he did admit to was encouraging creativity in students
 [ Question: Do you think that ICT is useful in primary education? ]
I cannot say that it is useless. However, I personally would not encourage  adopting ICT for younger students. First, it is unhealthy for the pupils’ eyes. Second, if it only is used for getting online with the Internet, there may not be much usefulness. Searching over the Internet certainly is  more convenient, but I suppose that it is better for primary children to search material for in a conventional library.  … …. I believe that ICT does not enhance learning effectiveness, but it does produce beautiful packaging for education. It also helps pupils learning art and it enhances creativity.
Interviewee 02A (Headteacher of School-02) . . . . Dialogue 19

Interviewee 10A also noted that other factors might be equally as important as ICT.
 [ Question: Has there been any improvement in the ability of students to communicate as a result of the introduction of ICT ? ]
ICT cannot be considered as a universal medicine for all educational problems. Education should not be restricted to ICT as the one and only tool. It should be considered merely as one of many teaching techniques.
-	Interviewee 10A (Headteacher of School-10) . . . . Dialogue 20-