CHAPTER TWO
2.0 Literature Review
This chapter presents the reviews of previous work done by different authors related to the study.
2.1 Information Technology (IT)
IT is defined by ANCET (2010), as the handling and processing of information using electronic devices. Whereas in the option of Abolade and Yusuf (2015); Information and Communication Technology are essential tools of individual student. They have ability to meet the requirement of individual students. They also enhance educational opportunities, and they offer quality teaching and learning instructional materials. They enhance self-sufficiency and promote independent learning. ITs are learning resources that are available, recognized and accepted globally. It has come as a global technology which nations depend on to empower development in their educational system. IT is used in the educational set up to teach all subjects, which in my option does not leave out social studies.
Over the last few years, there has been a rapid growth in the range and sophistication of new Information Technology (such as radio, video, television, and so on) in teaching and learning Geography within the developing countries. In particular, computer technology has been used to improve the quality of Geography in schools because of its robust nature in displaying graphics and simulations (Castleford, 2009). Positive outcomes of using technology in education have led many governments to initiate programs for the integration of technology into schools. In the US, around $8 billion was spent by school districts in the 2003-2004 school year alone to equip schools with necessary technology, primarily in the form of computers. Similarly, in the US, the computer-to-student ratio was 1:3.8 and the internet-connected computer-to-student ratio was 1:4:1 in 2004. The computer-to-student ratio in schools was around 1:7 in Canada and the UK in 1999 and the same ratio in those countries is close to that of the US (Demirci, 2009). The situation in Nigerian schools has been established.
There are already a wide range of computer uses in educational endeavors especially in the developed economies such as the UK,Canada, and the USA, and more uses are being explored. Dix and Anderson (2011) see World Wide Web (www) as a major component of E-learning and Virtual education, which is emerging as a new research tool. There must be awareness that computer is one of the tools used in Information Technology therefore, computer cannot be seen as Information Technology should the whole concept of IT be limited only to the computer. The internet can be used by staff to support efficient course administration and to assist students to manage their learning. It can assist in achieving many features of flexible delivery, including student choice in the time, place and pace of study. The internet, particularly, can be used to support a variety of teaching and learning tasks, including distribution of information that could be conveyed in other ways; e.g., a course syllabus is available electronically instead of on paper, or photos appear on a website instead of being shown around in class; giving access to information storehouses and so on.
CD-ROMs are used for storing and distributing large data sets of numerical, graphic or cartographic information. It can also be used for giving students active, hands-on, interactive experience in analyzing information or solving problems. For instance, a student can acquire data, process it, make a map and develop a presentation. An example of such software available on CD-ROM, is exploring the Nardoo (University of Wollngong, 2011), a virtual inland river environment where research questions can be explored and environmental management strategies simulated, allowing students to work collaboratively.
Akinyemi (2017) says Information Technology is a field of knowledge that deals with application of computers to store, study, retrieve, transmit, manipulate, process and distribute information. It also made up of electronic and telecommunication. Telecommunication aspect refers importantly to electronic materials such as radio, television, fax and computer communication, in general, IT is the aggregate of the potentials inherent in computing, micro-electronics, telecommunication, audio, video, cameras, digital cameras, and other to communicate in a digital form (Vincent and Ojo, 2009).
2.2 The Place of Geography in the School Curriculum
The Nigerian educational system has consistently under-gone far reaching changes since 1960’s. These changes manifest in the introduction of the 6-3-3-4, the new 9-3-4 system of Education, the National Council on Education (NCE), the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), and the Universal Basic Education (UBE). The recent restructuring and the development of the social studies Curriculum at junior secondary levels are very significant parts of these changes. The adoption of the new 9-3-4 system of education brought with it some provisions for geography whose secondary school education terminates at the end of the first three years. Provision was also made for students whose programs will continue for the next three years at the senior secondary school level.
