Evaluating ICT System Updates and Integration in Public Education

This report investigates the status of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems in public schools, particularly in California, highlighting the gap between the Ministry of Education's goals and the realities in schools. The study uses a survey design and observation methods to collect data from 1000 schools, revealing that many lack adequate computer systems, suffer from poor maintenance, and require upgrades. The report emphasizes the need for integrating technology to enhance teaching, learning, and administrative functions, drawing on literature that supports technology's role in modern education. Proposed solutions include upgrading hardware and software, automating library services, enhancing network infrastructure, and providing training for school employees. The report concludes that addressing these ICT deficiencies is crucial for improving service delivery, educational quality, and competitiveness of public schools.

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Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Schools Information and Communication Technology Updates
Summary
The changes in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the internet
of things have directly and indirectly influenced the delivery and learning in modern education.
Kirkwood and Price observed that technology in school could be used to “replicate existing
teaching practices, supplement existing teaching and transform teaching and learning processes
and outcomes” (Kirkwood and Price p. 10). The advancement in technology has transformed
learning from the traditional methods of delivery to the new ones where ICT has been integrated
and plays a crucial role in teaching and learning. ICT, too, has been used to improve service
delivery in schools, particularly in libraries, administrative works, finance, staffing, and more.
Therefore, in the absence of well-maintained ICT or lack of it, is likely to slow service delivery
and performance of the school.
Statement of Problem
Most public schools lack integrated computer systems or experience the current systems
delay the slow flow of activities in the store as the services to students and clients. It is majorly
contributed by a shared network that is outdated. Other problems include low storage and
retrieval of clients and students’ information, tracking students’ performance, placing orders,
tracking of texts, processing purchases, and absence of automation of shared activities. If there
are no measures to rectify these problems schools, there are likely to face stiff competition from

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private schools which have integrated computer systems in their daily learning. Also, they are
likely to lag in service deliveries and low performance in general. Therefore, a study to establish
the status of the public schools’ ICT systems and solutions those problems is essential.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this empirical and qualitative study is to identify the problem in public
schools’ ICT systems. The research will establish the status of most school computer systems
and whether there are gaps for updates and maintenance. Carrying out this research will be an
opportunity to strategically address the disconnect that exists between the ministry of education
goal of improving education and service delivery and public schools, which are the beneficiaries
of these projects. The study will identify the problem in schools and propose solutions to the
problem.
Methodology
The study will use a research survey design and observation to collect primary data on
the status of various school information systems. The research will focus on schools in the state
of California. The researcher will use stratified sampling techniques to select sample schools.
Thus, the study will target to have 1000 schools for evaluation. The school representatives will
be the respondents. A semi-structured interview will be conducted to get the opinion of the
respondent about the school information and communication system. The researcher will also
use observation while scrutinizing the available systems to determine the upgrade needs. The
results will be analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively to get the solution.
Literature Review
Teachers need to use technologies to teach. According to Çapuk, “teachers should teach
with education technology, not teach about education technology” (p. 1219). The use of

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technology in education enhances understanding, create innovation, increase interaction, and
participation of students. In the pedagogy of education, technology should be embedded as one
of the knowledge domain.
Information and communication technology began its application in the 20th century
when educational films were produced. According to Kaware, and Sain, “ICT increase access
through distance learning, enable a knowledge network for students, train teachers, and broaden
the availability of quality education materials” (p. 28). The rapid changes in education delivery
and people lifestyle have necessitated the integration of technology in learning. Implementation
of information systems in schools, reduce the distance between the teacher and learner even
when at home.
Moreover, there are paradigm shifts in education delivery and culture. Majumdar
observed that “The model, focus, role of the learner and technology has been changed drastically
from traditional instruction to virtual learning environment” (p. 2). The roles of the teacher have
changed from expert to collaborator and co-learner and from deductive to interactive. The role of
learners has changed from passive to active and from reproducer of knowledge to producer of
knowledge. While curricula and delivery have changed from memorizing to inquiry and from
single path progression to multi-path progression, these shifts have made education delivery easy
and productive.
Findings and Proposed Solution
The likely results are that most schools lack computers systems, while others have poor
system maintenance and upgrades. After a detailed analysis of various schools in the State of
California, it was identified that there is a need for Upgrade, Install, Secure, and Configure
Information and Data System. The ministry of education through its ICT department has a role of

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establishing mechanisms and strategies to solve the ICT problems in public schools. It will be
required to present public schools’ ICT upgrade proposal to the Congress for approval and
budgetary allocation. Therefore, the ministry of education should look for a qualified IT services
firm to perform the following tasks:
i. Automatically send a notification when a book is borrowed
ii. Automate the ordering and purchase of books
iii. Integrate the systems with accounting software for profit loss statement, salaries, tax
and GST in the school libraries
iv. The school would also need fax machines
v. Provide software upgrade
vi. Provide hardware upgrade
vii. Provide internet services
viii. Train the employees on the systems installed
The companies to be awarded tenders will offer services ranging from ICT consultation
and supplies to installation and maintenance. Their consultation services will identify the needs
of each school and provide a solution for ICT problems. The superior thing about each of the
contracted companies is the provision of standardized and customized services and products to
all school. For better services and sustainability of the project, the ministry will need to contact
the companies for at least three years. In that period, each of the identified schools will have
updated and working ICT system.
System Requirements and Specifications

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The schools’ ICT needs over-haul to replace old systems with modern ICT technologies.
The computer system requirement measures the compatibilities between various computer
systems. Below are the system requirements for the
Hardware
Processor - dual-core 2.4 GHz+ (i5 or i7 series Intel processor or equivalent AMD)
RAM - 8 GB
Hard Drive - 256 GB or larger solid-state hard drive
Graphics Card - any with DisplayPort/HDMI or DVI support - desktop only
Wireless (for laptops) - 802.11ac (WPA2 support required)
Monitor - 19" widescreen LCD with DisplayPort/HDMI or DVI support - desktop only
Operating System - Windows 10 Home or Professional editions, or Apple OS X 10.12.3
100mbps network card or faster, with RJ-45 cable (optional, for wired connections)
Printer
HP Officejet Pro 8660 e-All-in-One Printer
Photocopier
Canon iR2025 Office Photocopier
Modem
TG-789 Modem Hardware
Router
D-Link DI-624 router
2.4 GHz
128-bit WEP, 64-bit WEP, 152-bit WEP, WPA
328 ft (range indoor)
RIP-2, IGMP, static IP routing
Two antennae
Software
Accounting package software
Antivirus
Firewall
It is important to note that, some of the hardware like a modem (US Robotics 56K* V.92
External Faxmodem), a printer (HP DeskJet 990 Cxi), and switch (D-Link 8 Port Fast Ethernet
Switch – DES-1008D) can be used with the current upgrades. However, the current PC cannot be
compatible with the new upgrades. Therefore, new PCs will be needed. Other hardware needs to
be purchased together with the software required.

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Conclusion
Most schools are lagging in the adoption of modern computer systems. It has affected
their service delivery and quality of education compared to high-end private schools. The
ministry of education needs to come up with mechanism and strategies to bridge the gap. Most of
these schools only need system upgrades and maintenance to have an adaptive and responsive
system for their needs. The application of the above solution will improve education status in
public schools.

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Work Cited
Çapuk, Suat. "ICT Integration models into the middle and high school curriculum in the USA."
Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 191 (2015): pp. 1218-1224.
Kirkwood, Adrian, and Linda Price. "Technology-enhanced learning and teaching in higher
education: what is ‘enhanced’ and how do we know? A critical literature review."
Learning, media, and technology 39.1 (2014): pp. 6-36.
Kaware, Sudhir Sudam, and Sunil Kumar Sain. "ICT application in education: an overview."
International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach & Studies 2.1 (2015): pp. 25-32.
Majumdar, Shyamal. "Emerging trends in ICT for education & training." Gen. Asia Pacific Reg.
IVETA (2015): pp. 1-13.