Pote Sapianchai, Paul TJ James (2005) ICT in Thai Education: Ideological and Structural Determinants that Support its Development, Introduction and Use
Educational technology – in its many forms, guises and usage’s – is considered to be central to assisting the application and management of quality within the classroom and that to improve attainment levels using ICT, the Thai education system needs to support institutions as learning organizations, by employing new ways of working in which informed choices are exercised by capable professionals (based on Kinder, 2002) and scholarly parents. Attitudes to technology appear to affect how technology is viewed and used. This is also a management issue, as a more positive attitude to ICT makes it easier to accept and experiment with. The development of access to facilities requires a managerial strategy that reflects the various uses the technology is used for, priority in resourcing needs, and school managerial and structural strategies. All these elements have to work together in order to ensure a variety of access conditions for both staff and students. Thai Classrooms are not passive environments and technology can enhance these environments by helping to develop interactive teaching and learning strategies. However, acceptance of the use such technology appears to reflect a set of ideological, political and cultural biases that narrows the field of socialisation to that invested in the technology. Technology-rich classrooms could help deliver more flexible learning strategies and make it easier for Thai educational institutions to assist in the development of both learners and staff.
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