However, there seems to be a dearth of ‘how to’ implement ICT related activities to develop reading, talking, listening and writing within a science classroom learning context with special reference to promoting scientific literacy in its fundamental sense. General learner literacy and ICT literacy development and usage for learning are high on the government’s agenda, as is scientific literacy. At the same time, South African education is still suffering as a result of the legacy of apartheid and the great majority of schools are lacking basic resources such as libraries, infrastructure and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources, including internet connectivity. Clearly this suggests that something has to be done to address this. The overall performances in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) of South African learners have been dismal to say the least and the Annual National Assessment test results of grade 3, 6 and 9 learners related to general literacy and mathematics have left a lot to be desired. Interactive course components and hands-on practical assignments stimulate the higher-order cognitive skills and promote experiential learning complementing rote memorization of learning materials. Yet, it has been documented in many studies that online lab components and interactive tools engage students in the learning process and facilitate to improve learning outcomes. But the costs to develop such high- quality learning materials/environments are high and development time is comprehensive. Higher Education institutions are available. Technical know-how and hardware/software resources to develop online labs at U.S. Digital recordings, virtual (remote) computer laboratories and interactive simulation tools have been developed to teach hands-on lab sessions of courses. This shift from instructor-centered e-delivery of course material to participatory, student-centered teaching is expected to grow. Emerging technology tools such as wikis, blogs, and e-journals are integrated into online delivered courses to foster student interaction in online learning. A large body of literature suggests that communication in the classroom is central to the learning process. The latter ones provide socially-oriented learning environments that enhance active participation of students in courses and engage them in real-time discussions that stimulate critical thinking. Asynchronous and synchronous (real-time) communication tools are used to interact with students including emails, text-based chats, bulletin boards, collaborative whiteboards, and video and audio supported online collaborative software. Web-delivery of course material is supported by various Learning Management Systems (LMS) (e.g. In 2007 60% of students were enrolled in a traditional (on- campus) classroom course at a university/college 14% in a hybrid (mixed face-to-face and web- facilitated course), 20% in a complete (100%) online course, 2% in a correspondence course and 4% in other courses (survey data - Eduventures LLC). In 2005 national enrollment in online courses was ~2.4 million. distance education courses and curricula have been growing at an annual growth rate of about 20% over the last few years according to the Sloan Consortium. email, phone, bulletin boards, and chatrooms). Flash animations, simulations, interactive demos, virtual computer laboratories), (iii) Interpersonal interaction (i.e., interaction between instructor- student and student-student) (e.g. web-based materials - HTML, pdfs, e-libraries, CDs, and DVDs) (ii) Interaction between learner and content, i.e., interaction between computer-student (e.g. Computer aided learning and teaching employ a variety of approaches: (i) Online delivery of content such as text, Power Points, images, and digital recordings (e.g. about 75% of the population has Internet access (World Fact Book) and about 78% of Internet users enjoy high-speed (broadband) Internet access, while low-speed connections (≤56 Kbps) are declining rapidly. Emerging information and communication technologies, such as the Internet, have changed how on-campus and distance education courses are taught.
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