A thesis in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master in

Teachers and Computer Technology (ICT)

As computers are gradually being introduced into schools, teachers need to be prepared with the skills of using the ICT in all aspects. Teachers cannot be excluded from using the computers or the internet and other technology tools, as it has become a part of the new curriculum. Therefore, teachers have to equip themselves with computer literacy and the use of multimedia technology to enhance their teaching. Furthermore, some researchers (Johnassen, 2000, Teeler, 2000, Wilson, 2002) agreed that in order for technology to be a tool to promote engaged learning, the teachers need to be adequately equipped with sound pedagogy on how children learn language and how the language learning process is enhanced with the use of computers.

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As teachers understand more about the technologies and how they support the language learning processes, they can potentially increase the effectiveness of their use of ICT. Here the common question among teachers is „What should I learn?‟ In this regard, Warschauer (2002:254) proposed that:

…teachers and learners should master the new electronic literacy which include computer literacy (comfort and fluency in keyboarding and computer use), information literacy (the ability to find and critically evaluate online information), multimedia literacy (the ability to produce and interpret complex documents comprising texts, images, and sounds), and computer-mediated communication literacy (knowledge of the pragmatics of individual and group online interaction.
Although teachers are equipped with knowledge and skills in using the computers, the success of the implementation of the new curriculum of computer technology (IT) in education depends greatly on the attitudes of the teachers and their willingness to embrace the technology. That being the case, teachers should possess not only computer technology (IT) knowledge and skills, but they must also have the right attitude towards technology. This is important because it was found that teacher‟s attitudes toward technology have a marked influence on their readiness to utilize technology in their teaching strategies (Office of Technology Assessment, 1988). Thus, with the right attitude, the availability of ICT equipments, the necessary skills and expertise; it can be said that the teachers are ready to take on the task of teaching global English.

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