Exploring the Feasibility of Deploying Technology Enhanced School-Based Teacher Continuous Professional Development in Internet-Limited Environments in Tanzania
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21729339 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Salome H Maro, Salome Maro (0000-0003-1560-6833, University of Dar es Salaam), Aron W Kondoro, Aron Kondoro (0000-0002-7734-7817, University of Dar es Salaam), Joel S Mtebe (0000-0003-2760-7673, University of Dar es Salaam), Jamie Proctor (0009-0004-0571-6646, Foreign and Commonwealth Office), Aneth Komba (0000-0002-6288-517X), Björn Hassler (0000-0001-5040-4917, Open Society) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 60-76 |
| Publication date | 2024-05-16 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1492-3831 • E-ISSN: 1492-3831 |
| Publisher | Athabasca University Press (PUBLISHER • CA) |
| DOI | 10.19173/irrodl.v25i2.7428 |
| OpenAlex | W4396947883 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 1 |
In low-income countries, the use of technology to enhance teacher continuous professional development (TCPD) activities has been increasing significantly. However, most technology initiatives related to TCPD require the installation of complex information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure in schools or availability of reliable Internet connectivity. While installation of ICT infrastructure is costly, the cost of the Internet is unaffordable to most teachers in low-income countries. This study explored the feasibility of deploying Raspberry Pi computers and tablets as micro-servers to facilitate school-based TCPD activities via a learning management system (LMS) without Internet connectivity. Teachers in eight schools in Dar es Salaam and Lindi accessed a TCPD sample module with Raspberry Pi and tablets providing hotspotting and treated as offline local servers hosting a LMS. After the trial, data was collected through focus group discussion, observation, and LMS logs involving 69 teachers. The findings showed that both Raspberry Pi and tablets could be used as micro-servers to provide access to learning resources in offline environments, but Raspberry Pi fared more favorably. Raspberry Pi was easy to set up and connected more devices than did the tablet. However, Raspberry Pi required careful handling as it is a delicate device. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in terms of the performance and cost of the two micro-servers. This study provided further evidence that both Raspberry Pi and tablets could be cost-effective approaches to deliver TCPD activities without installing complex ICT infrastructure or in areas with limited Internet connectivity
Internet access · Mathematics education · Medical education · Multimedia · Pedagogy · Professional development · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Tanzania · The Internet · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Education and Technology Integration · Medicine · Online and Blended Learning · Psychology
| Highly cited | No |
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