DEVELOPING A PACKAGE FOR INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY INTO THE PRIMARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEACHER- EDUCATION PROGRAMME

CHAPTER ONE
1.0                                                         INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Throughout the world, many countries have introduced Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into schools via different courses of action. The training of teachers in different subject areas as a discipline involves various methods of approach and operations and ICT integration in schools is needed in order to accomplish many objectives and improve the quality of lessons in all subject areas as well as Mathematics. ICT increasingly pervades various aspects of our daily lives like work, business, teaching, learning, leisure and health (Olaojo, 2010),
Thus, the discipline Mathematics, centres on systematic study of the principles and skills pertinent to all aspects of operations, resources and administration. As new concepts of learning have evolved, teachers are expected to facilitate learning and make it meaningful to individual learners rather than just to provide knowledge and skills (Peter and Rexwhite 2012). Our schools should help the students to acquire a philosophy of life, attitude, skills, concepts, understandings and knowledge that will prove useful to them for the next sixty or seventy years of their lives. These represent the broader goals of our education. And Mathematics as an independent fields of study, has assumed a special responsibility, towards the attainment of these goals (Olaojo, 2010).
According to Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary, information and communication technology is the study or use of electronic equipments especially computer for sorting analyzing and sending out information. According to UNESCO, “ICT is a scientific, technological and engineering discipline and management technique used in handling information, its application and association with social economics, and cultural matter”
               Information technology is the creative application of scientific and systematic knowledge, tools and techniques to the solution of problems of human communication and information system. Such problems may be found in industry, commerce, education or even health care. Rowntree (1991).  According to National Teacher Institute (2007). Information Communication Technology is “a generic term to cover acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of information- textual numerical, pictorial and vocal; The concept is restricted to systems dependent on microelectronics- based on combination of computing and telecommunications technology since the early 20th century.