INTRODUCTION

There is a consensus that use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will
enhance the quality of teaching and learning process (Paul, 2002; Papert, 1987; Voogt &
Pelgrum, 2005; Watson, 2001; Well-Strand, 1991). ICT, which is the acronym for
information and communication technology can be defined as: combination of
computer, video and telecommunication technologies, as observed in the use of
multimedia computers and networks and also services which are based on them (Van
Damme, 2003). Education is the process which has transmitted to students by the most
effective methods that could be devised (Blenkin et al., 1992: 23). But, the dominant
productive education is most often considered as a technical exercise in which objectives
are set, a plan is drawn up, and then applied.

THEORETICAL PRACTICAL PRODUCTIVE

In praxis, critical pedagogy goes beyond situating learning experiences within the
experiences of the learner. This process needs the experiences of both the learner and
teacher in different activities such as dialogue and negotiation. It prepares and encourages
them to recognize and confront the real problems of heir existences and relationships.
When students confront the real problems of their existences, they will also be faced with
their own oppression (Grundy,1987). The significant part in praxis is the development of
two contrasting easoning skills; inductive reasoning when moving from action to theory,
and eductive reasoning while developing action from theory.
Pedagogical approaches
Use of computers to support constructivist pedagogy was shown to be effective by
Dreyfus & Halevi (1991). They showed that the use of computer programs to provide an
open learning environment allowed pupils to explore within a framework. They also
declared that the teacher was working as a guide; even weak students were able to deal in
depth with a difficult topic. McLoughlin & Oliver (1998) defined pedagogical roles for
teachers in a technology-supported classroom, including settings of joint tasks, rotating
roles, promoting student to be self manager, supporting meta-cognition, fostering
multiple perspectives and scaffolding learning. An assumption here is that the use of ICT
has changed pedagogical roles of teachers, and a compelling rationale for using ICT in

schools is, its potential to act as a catalyst in transforming the teaching and learning
process (Hawkridge, 1990). The differing background The potential for using ICTs well
in education and in building human capital depends on a number of factors that differ
from one country to another, and especially between developed and developing countries.
It is important for countries to bear these differences in mind when making investments.
What works in a country with high levels of computer access and low telephone costs
will not necessarily transfer to somewhere with few computers and expensive connection
charges. ne of the most important differences between countries is the availability of
hardware. A computer isn sentially an individual device, most useful for one person at a
time. Everywhere, youngsters tend to have better ccess at home than at school. In
Sweden, for example, an OECD survey of 15-year-olds in 2000 found that 0 per cent had
almost daily access to computers at home, but only 37 per cent at school. In nearby
Latvia, by ontrast, only 15 per cent of 15-year-olds had near-daily access at home, and a
mere 5 per cent at school. At niversity level, computer ownership is almost universal in
richer countries.2b n developing countries, it is far ower (see Figure 1). This inevitably
affects the ways ICTs can be applied.
Task-Based Approach to learning:
Historically, Task-Based Learning (TBL)seems to be an approach in language learning.
According to Willis (1996), thetask is a goal-oriented activity in which learners use
language to achieve a realoutcomelearners use any target language resources, in order
to solve a problem, do a puzzle, play a game, or share and compare experiences. Some
educators in the field of ICT education have also put ideas similar to TBLactivities
forward quite strongly. This includes those who advocate theories of constructivism and
apprenticeship learning (Kafai & Resnick, 1996; Lave & Wenger, 1991). These views
raise fundamental doubts about the validity of conventional learning of declarative
knowledge, which is distanced from the actual physical and social context. At the
beginning of the lesson, the teacher usually takes an active role in providing the
background of the task (reviewing related knowledge, introducing the purpose of the task,
and so on) and in teaching the students how to use the technology.
Problem-Based Approach to learning:

The early applications of ProblemBased Approach (PBL) were in medical schools in the
1960s. It is now widely used in the field of education. The PBL instruction addresses the
ability to: think critically and be able to analyze and solve complex, real-world problems,
work cooperatively in teams and small groups, and demonstrate versatile and effective
communication skills, both verbal and written (Duch, Groh, & Allen, 2001). In PBL,
learning begins with facing a messy, unstructured real world problem. The problem
triggers the learning by having students define the problem, analyze the problem,
generate hypotheses, and identify learning issues. Students then work in small group to
discuss the problem scenario. They ask themselves questions, such as what they know
from the problem scenario presented, what they need to know and what ideas come to
their minds to solve the problem proposed by the teacher (Aspy, Aspy, & Quimby, 1993).
PBL includes students' abilities to: a) pose questions and/or answer, questions about a
suitable issue intelligently by formulating strategies/plans and conducting investigations,
b) collect data, c) analyze data mechanically, d) use the computer and spreadsheet
programs (Excel) as a tool for statistical
calculation, e) represent data graphically using Excel, and f) interpret data and draw
conclusions. Changes in Communications and Information Industries
Our emphasis on digital ICT tools and applications in education mirrors profound
structural changes occurring worldwide in communications and information industries.
The ability to digitize analog signals and transmit them over telecommunications
networks is resulting in the restructuring of the radio, telephone, television, publishing,
entertainment, and computer industries into new multimedia industries that create digital
products combining voice, video, text, graphics, images, and animations, and deliver
these signals electronically (Bane, Bradley, & Collins, 1995).
An example of this trend can be found in Hong Kong where New World Telephone is
installing PowerPhones from which users may read or send electronic mail, send a fax,
search online multimedia directories about hotels and tourist spots, and make a telephone
call (South China Morning Post, 1998). Another example is Internet telephony software
that now makes it possible to place domestic and international calls from a computer to
any telephone anywhere in the world (cf. http://www.net2phone.com/ telephone.html).
ICT Access Worldwide Our emphasis also mirrors the increasing access to digital tools

and resources worldwide. Although estimating the number of people with Internet access
is difficult at best, one3 current estimate places the total number at around 150 million in
late 1998, an increase of over 60% since early 1997 (Nua Internet Surveys, 1998).
Internet access is at present strongly concentrated in a small number of countries,
providing services to a fraction of the world's population: over 90% of Internet hosts are
located in the world's richest 29 counties (Cukier, 1998). However, this may be expected
to change over time as telecommunications costs continue to drop precipitously and
governments deregulate access. For example, the number of Internet users in India is
expected to climb from half a million in 1998 to 1.5 million by the year 2000 (Rao,
1998). In Africa, it is estimated that there currently are between 800,000 and 1 million
Internet users. The current ratio of Internet users to people in Africa is estimated to be one
for every 5,000 compared to a world average of about one Internet user to every 40
people. But here, too, the situation is rapidly changing. In 1996, only 16 countries in
Africa had Internet access. Now, 53 (three-fourths) of the capital cities are online and the
rest will soon follow. A number of international infrastructure building initiatives are
underway on the continent including the United Nations Secretary Generals programme
Harnessing Information Technology for Development that will substantially improve the
Internet infrastructure by the year 2000 (Jensen, 1998a). The Russian Non-Profit Center
for Internet Technologies estimates that there are now about 1 million Russians online
and that this number is doubling every year (http://www.rocit.ru).
ICT Access in Informal and Non-Formal Education Informal and non-formal education
refers to educational activities and programs that are offered outside of formal
educational institutions, including those offered by libraries, museums, community
schools and centers, zoos, planetariums, commercial companies, and many other
organizations. Informal and non-formal education institutions, too, are increasingly being
equipped with ICT and connected to the Internet. At present, about 20% of libraries in the
United Kingdom are connected to the Internet. The British governments National Grid
for Learning initiative will connect all British libraries and museums to the Internet
(United Kingdom Department for Education and Employment, 1997). In the United
States, a 1998 survey sponsored by the American Library Association found 73% of the

nations public libraries offered basic Internet access to the public (American Library
Association, 1998).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
Various terms have been used for the definition of ICT-related curriculum. This
discussion has shown that semantic differences between various terms still are not clear;
however different words entail different conceptual understandings of the scope and
nature of ICT-related curriculum. This paper defined ICT in curriculum as a transferable
set of capabilities related to ICT use. This definition conforms with technology as tools,
relevant to various contexts.
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Aspy, D.N., Aspy, C. B., & Quimby, P.M. (1993). What doctors can teach
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