As an often overlooked topic in the teaching profession, digital technologies in education are gaining recognition worldwide. Moreover, a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic has an intense effect on digital technology in education. Due to digital technology affordability and flexibility, the use of digital technology in developing countries in Africa has reportedly not been well implemented as a result of a lack of preparedness. Literature shows that many African educational institutions still use traditional and outdated teaching and learning practices. Grounded on the personal experiences of the authors as educators, this chapter seeks to challenge traditional teaching and learning approaches that promote gatekeeping and navigate barriers to effective learning. The chapter discusses various technological approaches such as learning management system (LMS), Canvas, Zoom Classroom, Google Classroom, Mentimeter, Seesaw, and Padlet. Conditions for digital tools, their pedagogical features, and how they work to ensure effective teaching in this fast-developing world have been included.
TopIntroduction
Technology is increasingly important in shaping the future (Dias & Victor (2022;Li, Kim, & Palkar, 2022). With the great need for knowledge in our society, technology is now being used in various industries and incorporated into our daily lives. One of the industries that is already transformed by the use of technology is the field of Education (Paschal & Mahama, 2023; Paschal & Ismael, 2023). The rapid advancement of technology has changed how people read, write, teach, communicate, and process information. In the school context, there is a saying, “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them tomorrow. This quote carries out the demand for an innovative approach, which is required to meet the challenges posed by digital innovation and globalization. Concerning challenges facing the world today, students in the 21st Century should not be taught like students in the past centuries. Educators need to attempt to find new techniques that can be utilized to equip learners with skills that will adequately address challenges existing in their communities.
It is evident that the process of teaching and learning changes from time to time. Thus, to deliver quality and equitable education for this generation, education technology should be encouraged to be integrated into education. Technology integration in the teaching and learning process is widely understood as Techno-pedagogy (Bansal, 2022). Techno-pedagogy has been coined from two primary rooted words: technology and pedagogy. Pedagogy refers to the methods, strategies, and practices employed in teaching and Education. Applying techno pedagogy in teaching and learning paves the way for more opportunities for students’ engagement, interaction, and independent learning experience (Paschal & Ismael, 2023). It is logical to think that using techno-pedagogy effectively in education provides a conducive learning environment for learners. Some salient examples that employ the use of technologies are online platforms, education software, social media, and multimedia content, all digital tools and resources that bring interaction and changes in learning (Collins & Halverson, 2009; Xie et al., 2019; ;). It is indispensable to acknowledge that digital literacy is more emphasized to teachers and students in this fast, ever-changing world.
Moreover, it should be understood that using technology is not enough to complete the actual concept of techno pedagogy, but how to critically analyze digital content, information, and resources gives a complete idea of techno pedagogy. With this reality, in order to facilitate effective teaching and learning in the present age, one must learn the use of technology in Education (Mahona & Pacho, 2021). Technology is a tool that can support individuals to do things better, faster, and cheaper (Paschal & Gougou, 2022). The Internet has become a great source of information for the global village. The Internet has allowed us to have international links within a minute or at a time planned by individuals. The world can be easily reached and converged by the use of the Internet. Using the Internet facilitates teaching and learning, enhances the realization of reality, and updates our teaching and learning skills (Garrison, 2017; Jiang & Rafeeq, 2019).