1. Educational
Technology in Namibia
Erkkie and Jake
Introduction to LET
21 Sept. 2012

2. Presentation Outline
 A snap-shot of Namibia (contextualised)
 Contrast between rural and urban areas
 Policies on technology in education in
Namibia
 The current situation
 Challenges and opportunities
 Conclusion and way forward
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 2

3. Basic Information
Variable Namibia Finland
Size (km2) 824116 338419
Population 2.2 5.2
(mil)
Official English (with Finnish and
languages over 25 Swedish
languages)
GDP (USD) 6,826 37,581
per capita
GNI Index 70.7 26.8
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 3

4. Rural-urban Contrast
 See separate document (Referring to
Namibia laying the foundation for change
through ICTs)
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 4

5. Technology in Education:
Policy Discourse
 ICT Policy for Education: Vision 2030 – knowledge
society
1. Produce ICT literate citizens
2. New economies and societies arising from ICT and
related developments
3. Leverage ICT to facilitate learning for the benefit of
ALL learners and teachers across the curriculum
4. Improve the efficiency of educational administration
and management at every level
5. Broaden access to quality educational services for
learners at all levels
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 5

6. What the Policy is Silent on
 Learning Content
 Not explicit on how learning content suitable to
the local context can be
accessed/created/adapted
 Pedagogy
 Much on integration of ICT in curriculum
development and delivery, less on the
pedagogical curriculum delivery
 ICT Literacy
 Emphasis on ICT literacy; silence on media and
critical information literacy
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 6

7. Technology and Teachers: Educators’
Technology Integration Curriculum
1. Operate ICT applications in an education
context
2. Design and deliver lessons using ICT
applications
3. Assess and evaluate learning using ICT
applications
4. Use ICTs to identify and undertake education-
related professional development opportunities
5. Use ICTs for learners with special needs
6. Comply with social, ethical, legal and health
Educational Technology in Namibia
requirements of ICT use in an education21.9.2012 7
context

8. Technology and the Students:
ICT Literacy Curriculum
Basic knowledge of ICT tools
Enhance work in other subject areas
Utilization of computers and their
applications in school and beyond
Create learning base in IT related fields
Grow awareness of ICTs’ practical use
and work-related situations
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 8

9. But how is the situation like
in practice? icon or find
Click
Video Interview issues embedded video on
addressed
site
 How teachers us edu tech &
other ICT
 Private schools VS public
schools
 Student access to computers
 Challenges faced & solutions?
 Policy VS practice
 University VS basic education
 School access to computers
 Usage of ICT in teaching
 Future of ICT in Namibia
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 9

10. Existing Tech-integration
Challenges in Teacher Education
Class sizes: Teacher-
centered Preparing for all
possible situations
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 10

11. New Developments and
Opportunities for the Future
Improved connectivity
Improved access to PCs
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 11

12. New Developments and
Opportunities for the Future 2
Availability of Research Data News media reports
 Individual Internet use
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 12

13. Conclusion – What’s the
Way Forward for Namibia?
 Educational technology integration efforts to be
centered around learning
 Policies on ICT integration to be informed by local
context, learning theories and pedagogical goals
 Paradigm shift: from top-down to a two-way approach
in policy formulation
 Provision of free or subsidized Internet to all
educational institutions, community centres, etc
 Serious consideration of mobile phones as an
educational technology tools
 Consider FLOSS (Free/Libre/Open-Source Software)
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 13

14. Comments are welcome
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 14

15. KIITOS TANGI
THANK
YOU
Educational Technology in Namibia 21.9.2012 15