A Study On How Information And Communication Technology Affect The Learning Of Biology In Some Selected Senior Secondary Schools
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background To The Study
    Information Communication Technologies (ICT) are information handling tools that are used to produce, store and process, distribute and exchange information. Ogunsola (2005) defines ICT as “an electronic based system of information transmission, reception, processing and retrieval which has drastically changed the way we live and the environment in which we live”. It can be used to access global knowledge and communication with other people. Information and communications technology (ICT) has become a key tool and has a revolutionary impact on how we see the world and how we live in it. Today, the place of ICT in education and the World in general cannot be undermined. Modern day businesses are conducted and facilitated through the use of telephones, fax machines and computer communication networks through the internet. This phenomenon has given birth to the contemporary e-commerce, e-government, e-medicine, e-banking and e-education among others.
    The field of education has certainly been affected by the penetrating influence of ICT worldwide and in particular developed countries: ICT has made a very profound and remarkable impact on the quality and quantity of teaching, learning, research in the educational institutions. Information and community technology has the potentials to accelerate, enrich and deepen skill; to motivate and engage students in learning to help relate school experiences to work practices; to help create economic viability for tomorrow’s workers, contribute to radical changes, provide opportunities for connection between the school and the world.
    A cursory look at the secondary schools in Nigeria has shown that many teachers in the system still rely much on the traditional “chalk and talk” method of teaching rather than embracing the use of ICT in science subjects; looking at the role of education in nation building and the population explosion in the secondary school these days, the use of ICT in the teaching and learning process becomes imperative. This is true because its adoption by the teachers will enhance effective teaching such as subject organization, effective class management, content creation, self assessment, self-study, collaborative learning, process and research activities will be enhance by the use of ICT based technology.
Teaching and learning has gone beyond the teacher standing in front of a group of students and disseminating information to them without the student’s adequate participation (Ajayi. 2008), the author posited that with the aid of ICT, teachers can take students beyond traditional limit, ensure that adequate participation in teaching and learning process and create vital environments to experiments and explore. This new development is a strong indication that the era of teachers without the ICT Skills are gone. Any classroom teacher with adequate and professional skills in ICT utilization will definitely have his students perform better in classroom learning.
    The potential benefits of using ICT in teaching and learning are immense. It has greatly transformed the outcome of teaching and learning experience in classrooms. It does not only supplement and/or complement teacher instructional processes but offers unlimited access to knowledge and information that is readily available through the internet.
Statement Of The Problem
    It has been observed that chalkboard and textbooks continue to dominate classrooms activities in most Nigeria secondary schools even with the high demand of computer literacy and the need of ICT. It can be seen that Nigeria has many challenges preventing the full usage of ICT in Secondary Schools, they still use the traditional methods of chalkboard and textbooks as the only instrument for teaching and learning.
Biology on its own requires observation and knowledge to solve natural problems (Oshodi. 1991) states that awareness towards the use of communication technology is increasing in the classroom in the developing world such that more verbalization or more verbalization of words alone in the room of communication would communicate ideas, skills and altitudes to educate learners is futile. Busari (2006) also asserted that he is of the view that poor teaching skills of science and technology students, the state of laboratory facilities, death of science textbooks affect effective teaching and learning of science subjects. If biology teachers and senior secondary school students are well exposed to video and computer usages in classroom teachings, would it not bring about an effectiveness in learning of Biology?
Research Questions
    The following research questions were formulated to aid the research study:
-    How exposed are Biology students to ICT facilities?
-    Does ICT affect student’s performance in Biology?
-    Does the use of ICT affect the learning of Biology positively?
-    What problems tend to affect the use of ICT?
Significance Of The Study
    The study seeks to enlighten science teachers particularly Biology teachers on the need. Importance and relevance of ICT on Biology Education. How to use the knowledge acquired via ICT to make the teaching and learning more interesting and motivating.
    It will also promote further research on the variables with most potential for predicting the outcome of biology lessons which will assist in the development and implementation of effective methodology toward Biology education.
    Thirdly, this study is constituted for educating students on the effective usage of ICT, The positive effect it has on the learning process.
    Finally, it is also hoped that the findings of this work will be of major help to educationist, educational bodies, government to provide these facilities to concretize Science subjects and make it student centered.
Purpose Of The Study
    To find out how Information and Communication technology affect the learning of Biology in senior secondary schools. To determine availability of ICT facilities, positive effect and exposure of students to ICT facilities.
    To determine the problems of ICT affecting the effective use in Biology lessons with a view of finding out lasting solutions to them which will be of great help to the government, educationist and teachers as well.
Scope Of Study
    The study of how ICT affect the learning of Biology is carried out in some selected senior secondary schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. These public schools include:
-Edokpolor Grammar School
-Idia College
-Emotan College
-Akenzua Secondary School
-Ihogbe Secondary School
Limitation Of The Study
    Below are the factors that militated against this research work.
Low experience of the researcher in research studies as information’s are most based on mere assumptions.
Distance barrier.
Inadequate finance and limited time.
Definition Of Terms
Education:     A systematic training and instruction to bring about potentials, skills and permanent change in an individual.
Teaching:    To inculcate knowledge/impact knowledge to someone else in a systematic way or pattern.
Learning:    The process of gaining knowledge or skill by studying from experience, form being taught.
Influence:    The effect that somebody/something has on the way a person thinks or behaves or on the way that thing works or develops.
Information:     Crude data that are processed into meaningful form.
Communication:    Is a process of exchanging information from one place to another.
Technology:    This is a machinery or equipment designed for processing information.
Computer:    Is an electronic device used to accept data, store data and retrieve data.
ICT:     The study of the use of computers, the internet, video and other technology as a subject at school.
Internet:    Connection to a very large number of computers using communication network such as telephone links.