Latest ICT Trends in Enhancing Education

C.J. Kruger
Department of Informatics University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa +2712 420 5322

Neels.kruger@up.ac.za
ABSTRACT Information and communication technology has a leading role in the way that information is distributed globally. There is an enormous potential in the use of ICT to provide information, accessibility to resources, enhance learning and research sources. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of latest ICT trends in education and to reflect on how these trends influence the economy of teaching. Categories and Subject Descriptors A.m [Miscellaneous] General Terms Management, Economics, Theory. Keywords Education, ICT, Social Networks

1. INTRODUCTION
In 2008 economies all around the world were plunged into a recession as a financial crisis raged across the globe after the fall of Lehman Brothers in September. Although some studies indicated that the root cause of the crisis was due to the overproduction of products as a result of globalization, most studies credited the financial crisis to reckless and unsustainable lending practises (Zuckerman, 2010) [1]. As countries attempt to save their economies from the burdens of recession, possible solutions to the crisis is sought after. One such a proposed solution lies in the transformation of educational systems. Although refuted at times (Wolf, 2002), education are often directly linked to a healthy economy (Nelson and Phelps, 1966) [2], [3]. Thus by improving the way we educate and the effectiveness thereof we can improve the probability of a healthier economy. The content we teach changes regularly as new innovations and knowledge shape the future but the ways we educate often

remains set in well known and outdated methods. This historical trend of a classroom and textbook based educational system is becoming more and more outdated as ICT are incorporated in education. The first ICT trends used in the educational system included, videos shown on televisions, text downloaded from the internet and animation and graphical presentations with tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint. Modern ICT trends in education include distance learning, open source, social networks, mobile devices and online learning among other trends. The educational system of the future will no longer be regarded as classroom and book bound but rather as interactive and fun through technology based mediums. These trends furthermore ensure that most information is readily available, education over vast distances is possible and the cost of education is reduced. The ideal educational environment would thus be that a person in rural Africa with the required ICT technology can receive the same education at the same cost as a person in a first world country. By far the most

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important drive behind globalization has been the explosion in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sectors (Laudon and Laudon, 2010) [4]. The purpose of this article is to identify different Information and Communication Technologies or trends that can be implemented and used in an education system. Possible advantages and disadvantages of each trend will be discussed and a conclusion will be drawn on the feasibility or possibility of success.

dissemination of research findings or any other scholarly contribution. According to Ngetich (2005), what makes Internet a fundamental aspect of academic research is that it has some bearing on almost all stages of the research process, from identification of research problem, through literature review to data analysis and dissemination [5]. In most instances, advantages of using the internet as a research tool include: Convenience (e.g. less travelling to libraries or research centres); Flexibility (searches can be done in the comfort of your home); Readily accessible (the internet is 24 hour a day available); Promotes research collaboration at individual and institutional level; Less costly (minimum purchase price of expensive international publications); Quicker research process (WWW works as a single source of information); Broader research information; Up to date and constant updating of information, and with Web 2.0, there is added benefits of user generation of content and collaboration.

2. ICT TRENDS EDUCATION

IN

Internet as an educational tool The internet (World Wide Web) has become one of the most powerful educational tools in the current educational environment. Traditional research information was centred mostly on physically accessing conventional libraries, documentation centres and archives for publications, print media books and newspapers. Although this method is still vastly used by many, it has become a secondary form of research method, for purposes of credibility and reliability, especially in medical research where accuracy of results is paramount. In education, the internet has become one of the primary research tools, primarily because of its convenience. In most cases tertiary institutions have linked through the internet (intranet) to facilitate access to secure library facilities for their registered students. These days, researchers and students use the internet for information networking, online journals, libraries and data. More and more learners are being frequently asked to use the internet for student projects. Does this new trend in ICT (internet as research tool) contribute positively or negatively towards education, and how does it impact the economy? Search engines such as Google, Lycos, Yahoo, Hotmail, Hotbot, etc make the search for a wide range of issues in the WWW possible. Researchers use the Internet for literature search, data collection, data processing and analyses as well as

Unfortunately, disadvantages of the Internet as an educational and research resource tool include reliability issues; quality and credibility information can be flawed (anyone can post on internet); it is prone to plagiarism; one is easily distracted (browsing irrelevant sites or links), it is easy to target wrong research audiences. In developing countries these problems are amplified by slow connection speed and cost. . Impact of Internet based research on economy and education According to Ngetich (2005), Most libraries in Africa are poorly stocked with current materials (journals and books) [5]. Even where books are available, they are often difficult to access due to poor records management systems, most of which are

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archaic and often not up to date. Thus, many African researchers still depend largely on conventional information sources, particularly in print form for research. In the globalised world order, Internet provides researchers with opportunity to access enormous Internet resources in the form of electronic journals (e-journals), electronic books (ebooks) and electronic newspapers (e-newspapers). Great strides can be made in education by maximizing the use of the internet as a research tool, (Green 1997) [6]. Ngetich (2005) therefore argues that: The Internet is no longer a luxury, but an absolutely necessary tool for researchers [5]. It provides a window of opportunity to leapfrog the book famine and accelerate research production and dissemination. Education and economy are intertwined, with improved educational systems (including the use of internet), economies have a potential to grow as there is access to knowledge generated around the world at a relatively low cost. The internet plays a vital and revolutionary role in taking the educational environment, particularly research, to more globally acceptable levels through information sharing and collaboration. However, the future trends of e-books and e-book readers such as the Amazon e-kindle might even challenge and change this paradigm.

without charge (Opensourse Software Encyclopaedia, 2009) [10]. Most of the commercial software developers do not allow the acquirer, other than the developers, to view the source code and hence these limit modification that it can be done on the software. Software (both operating and application) plays a major role in education, with most of the academic institutions offering on line courses to their local and remote students by means of new teaching methods. Open source software is the software that is distributed at no cost to the acquirer, with the acquire having the right to modify the source code (Brown, et al (2009); Hansen, Kohntopp and Pfitzmann (2002) [7], [8]. Camichael and Honour (2000) urged that open source software should be considered as an appropriate and affordable alternative to the currently prevailing dependency on large commercial organizations and proprietary products in the field of education as it offers an opportunity to all users to participate in the development of the resources to meet their own requirements [11]. Open source software offers one approach to addressing the technical problems in providing optimal delivery of online learning. A study conducted by Camichael and Honour (2000) in UK, South Africa and Southeast Asia regarding the impact of technology in education found that it is very difficult to expand computer capability through operating system upgrades and internet connections without also upgrading the hardware, with organizations struggling to raise funds for both IT developments and training needs of the staff [11]. Camichael and Honour (2000) found that access to internet and training is mediated by commercial concerns, often consortia, with little or no expertise in educational IT. Regarding developing countries, Camichael and Honour (2000) :propose the use of open source software to create on-line communities though which, for example, curriculum materials and teaching and learning methods, especially those concerned with the subject specific

2.1 Open Source

Open source software is the software that is distributed at no cost to the acquirer, with the acquire having the right to modify the source code (Brown, et al, 2009; Hansen, Kohntopp and Pfitzmann, 2002) [7] [8]. Software (both operating and application) plays a major role in education, with most of the academic institutions offering on line courses to their local and remote students by means of new teaching methods. According to Slim and Radloff (2008), Open source software offers one approach to addressing the technical problems in providing optimal delivery of online learning [9]. In the case where the product is not distributed with source code, there must be a well-publicized means of obtaining source code for no more than a reasonable reproduction cost, preferably, downloading via the internet

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applications of IT, could be created, tested, discussed and revised. [11]. A number of open source softwares are available in the market, namely Linux, Apache, Perl, and Sendmail, which can be customized to fulfill specific educational needs. Camichael and Honour (2000) therefore urged that: open source software should be considered as an appropriate and affordable alternative to the currently prevailing dependency on large commercial organizations and proprietary products in the field of education as it offers an opportunity to all users to participate in the development of the resources to meet their own requirements. [11]. According to Slim and Radloff (2008), elearning open source software has emerged as a viable solution, with many opted for open source learning management systems for the following advantages: Absence of a license fee (most of tertiary institutions spend a very huge amount purchasing commercial, but open source licenses are free. However, the provider of the software often provides fee-based products and services to extend the product with advanced features, maintenance and training. The cost of one copy is the same as any number of copies and therefore would be cheaper to make copies available through the entire organization. The ability to modify source code to add new features that the acquirer want, not those on the priority list developed by the marketing department of the software vendor. The software can be used for any purpose including direct use, distribution with software you write, and also for profit making activities. Flexibility Open source products are customizable and can involve third parties, with additional features easily imported from the open source community. Due to the fact that the source code for open source software can be easily acquired, it may be

easier to interface different open source packages with each other and the acquirer does not have to dependent on the software vendor to provide this service. Continuous improvement extensive collaboration ensures that software products keep improving. Open source is perceived to be more reliable since it typically has thousands of independent programmers testing and fixing bugs of the software. Tax benefits some governments have implemented tax-exemption policies to boost open source projects, although the governmental role in promoting open source software is controversial (Slim and Radloff, 2008) [12]

Even though open source software has an extremely positive impact on education, there are however numerous risks to consider: Some of the software vendors provide complete documentation on payment of the fee. Most of the open source softwares are designed to be used only for commodity application. There are different types of open source software licensing agreements and hence very important to chose license that suit your own needs. Low commitment in the development of open source as compared to commercial sources. Lack of security due as a result of hackers understanding the weaknesses or loopholes of the software more easily than closed-source software. It is also difficult to design a commercially sound business model around the open source paradigm (Opensourse Software Encyclopaedia, 2009). [10]. Lack of guarantees that a project will reach completion and deliver the desired results, with progress depending on the interest and time of the collaborative workforce, and lack of resources or funding having a

Latest ICT Trends in Enhancing Education

potential to derail a project (Slim and Radloff , 2008). [11]. Risk of being penalized for patent infringement rights - Intellectual property rights can make it difficult to ascertain whether a particular software solution has been patented. If a process used in an open source project has already been patented, the group can be charged with patent infringement (Slim and Radloff , 2008). [11].

has been highly recognised as a strategic tool that has the potential to enable global access to educational materials and improve the quality of education. According to Keegan (2002), studies conducted in various countries across the globe showed that increasing mobile penetration has a positive impact on the growth of the economy [13]. Keegan (2010) argues that this impact may be twice as large in developing countries as in developed ones. The total economic impact of wireless is made up by the direct impact from mobile operators, indirect impact from other companies in the wireless business system and by the end users. According to UNESCO (2005) a typical developing country an increase of 10 mobile phones per 100 people will boosts GDP growth by 0.6% [14]. Similarly, Deloitte estimated that with every 10% increase in mobile penetration, the GDP growth increases by 1.2% (Deloitte Tax Review, 2006-2007). Generally the quantum of economic impact does vary across various studies; however the consensus is that with every 10% increase in mobile penetration, the GDP growth increases by 1% (UNESCO, 2005) [14]. Mobile learning tools are expected to make a significant impact on education and learning and to provide interactive content in previously unreachable and remote locations. Amongst others, literature has shown that mobile phones have also been used as the subject of teaching e.g. teaching A-level Physics students about how mobiles work (Edwards, 2000) and as a way of encouraging the creativity of young pupils in art lessons, e.g. through designing phone fantasy sculptures [15]. Through palmtops, the Cooties game has been found to encourage collaborative and group working and increase the amount of writing produced (Shields and Poftak, 2002) [16]. Other uses of palmtops for learning have been: to increase the amount of childrens reading and writing (e.g. the Docklands Learning Acceleration Project (McTaggart, 1997); to help with the collection and analysis of data for science fieldwork (Graham and McNeil, 1999) [17], [18].

The lack of commercial incentives in the development of open source reduces some of the contributors' enthusiasm. Using the open source software to its full potential may prove challenging for beginners, and the availability of the source code is irrelevant for end users if they do not find the product useful (Slim and Radloff , 2008). [11]. Open source software allows academic institutions to have opportunity to add any features that allows them to adjust to the educational changes. However, there is a need for coordination between open source and digital education and learning for education to reach everyone. Slim and Radloff (2008) is therefore of the opinion that: A cohesive plan must bring together open source principles and technologies, educational institutions, and economic factors so that each component's role is clearly defined. [11].

2.2 Mobile Learning

Mobile learning tools are the result of two digital converging technologies: mobile phones and computers (Laudon and Laudon, 2010). [5]. The use of mobile devices for communication and information access to ICT applications has increased exponentially in the last decade (Laudon and Laudon 2010). [5]. Specifically, the rate of adoption of mobile technologies in Africas developing countries is amongst the highest in the world and there may be almost 300Million mobile users in Africa (Sutherland, 2010) [12]. From an economic perspective, mobile learning reduces costs of infrastructure since it does not require the facilities and physical materials that traditional classroom learning requires. It

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The main objectives of the development and implementation of M-learning in many countries was to ensure that learners can access local and global databases through variety of access mechanism and sources. As opposed to desktop PCs, users can perform this while in motion, anywhere and at anytime. This system reduces physical strain caused by school bags, change of scene and environment resulting in learners maintained physical and mental health. Learners are able to learn when and where they are, utilising the time more efficiently. Mobile learning reduces costs of infrastructure since it does not require the facilities and physical materials that traditional classroom learning requires. The accessibility of M-learning can give people greater awareness of new communication technology and prepare them for change (Lakhan, and Jhunjhunwala, 2008) [19]. The success of the implementation of this learning system relies on strategic educational goals, the needs of learners, the sort of technology required, practical application and the budget for peripherals, software and maintenance. The impact of mobility has also shown great economic growth in developing countries. The overall use of these mobile tools will assist the education sector in developing new business models that will increase its revenue and also improve the braking distance necessary to lower IT costs and align IT with changes in funding (Lakhan and Jhunjhunwala, 2008) [19].

the difference is that distance learning is usually paper-based and the learning material is normally organized, packaged and delivered to the dispersed learners by the teachers. Telelearning uses telecommunications to deliver the learning material to the students. It has also evolved from Computed Based Instruction (CBI) where the student did computerized tutorials and simulations to Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) with the interaction being between students and teachers in a virtual environment (Kearsley, 2000) [20]. Telelearning is very popular and easy accessible through the internet. Students can interact with each other and teachers via text, graphics, audio and video. Information from the Internet is readily available and can be shared among each other. Students work independently as individuals, or can work in a group with the teacher becoming the facilitator in the learning process. The responsibility that was previously with the teacher has moved to the student themselves as they decide where and how they want to study and for how long they want to study. This also gives the student the flexibility to manage the learning according to their preference. Salmon (2000) derived a model that is crucial for sufficient teacher/student interaction and can be used as a guide for telelearning with CMC: Access and Motivation. Setting up a system and accessing it. Student must have access to the Internet. The student must be motivated for participating in online learning, the more motivated a student is, and the more participation he/she will give. Online Socialization. Sending and receiving messages. Networking with the other students and teachers. Information Exchange. Searching and personalizing software. Exchanging information between students and getting information from the internet Knowledge Conferencing. Discussions of relevant topics and sharing of

2.3 Telelearning
Telelearning is a form of education where the student and the teacher is not situated in the same geographical location and communicates through digital forms such as email, telecommunications, audio and video streaming. The most common way of telelearning is by means of the Internet, but can also be used on a smaller basis where a few local computers are linked up to a Local Area Network (LAN). Telelearning can also be referered to as online education, eLearning, virtual learning or distributed learning. Even though Telelearning is a form of distance learning,

Latest ICT Trends in Enhancing Education

experience and knowledge should be collaborative. Development. Providing links outside conferences. Developing via interacting with teacher and other students to help them reach their learning goals. The teacher has a very important role to play in the learning of the student [21].

especially when you add information on the Internet.

personal

According to Kearsley (2000) there are a few focus areas that need to be taken note of for successful online teaching: Interactivity and participation. The teacher should conduct activities to ensure that there is enough interactivity in the group. Feedback. Feedback from the teacher and group feedback. Workload. Online teachers should manage their increased workload. Moderating and facilitating. Providing necessary information to students, suggesting ideas and facilitating them to get to a conclusion. Student evaluation. Evaluating the students on online tests and assessments. Some of the advantages to the telelearning system include: Accessible. Anyone with an internet connection can use it, one teacher can reach hundreds of students. Flexibility. Learning is possible in rural communities, specialist teachers are not restricted to one area anyone has access to them, comfort of own home, do not have to go to library for research. Cost. Cheaper than the normal way of learning; less travelling [20].

Students in rural communities always made use of distance learning where their study materials were sent to them through a distance education centre. The teacher gave the outline of the curriculum and the student was left alone to master the studies. The teachers were normally someone from the community with no background of the specific subject. The quality of education was very poor. In using Telelearning in the rural communities it means that the students can still stay in their environment and get the education through a telecommunication system. The student does not need the paperbased information delivered to the communities, as they can get all the information from the internet. The rural schools can be linked up to the internet and be linked to other schools in other rural communities to form part of a virtual school. The education can be given by professional teachers and the quality of learning is very good. Corporations and Government Agencies make use of telelearning in the form of educational and training applications that is integrated in other applications in the form of help, performance support, and knowledge management systems (Kearsley 2002) [20]. Non-profit Organizations includes professional and trade associations who conducts various educational activities for the members of the general public such as the Red Cross as well as other smaller organizations (Kearsley 2002) [20].

3. DISTANCE EDUCATION
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Distance Education is a process to create and provide access to learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time and distance, or both. (Honeyman and Miller, 1993) [22]. It is therefore the learning process of creating an educational experience of equal qualitative value for the learner to best suit their needs outside the classroom (Keegan, 2002) [13]. The reasons for this are typically geographical

The biggest drawback to telelearning is that; not everyone has access to a computer; insufficient computer Illiteracy of students; lack of face-to-face communication and ambiguity between teacher and student. The standard of the learning in most instances depends on the learner where self-control from the learner, and feedback from other students and teachers become paramount. Telelearning also raises privacy issues

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constraints or time constraints. These days distance learning is becoming more popular in schools and universities as they recognise the possibilities of creating a more individual learning experience for the learner. The reason why distance education is receiving such high focus is that many countries are striving for education for all. However they have a real problem in achieving Teacher quality for all. This is especially true for developing countries where there are many rural and remote areas (Robinson, 2008) [23]. Another problem is the fact that the teachers in rural and remote areas are usually less well qualified and thus the standard of teaching to the learners is not that as good as in developed countries. Distance education is therefore not only a for learner benefit, but also for teacher benefit. In this section I will discuss the benefits and disadvantages of ICT in distance education and what effect it can have on the economy. The problem of teachers not having access to networks of likeminded peers is a challenge that can be reduced to little if the effort and technology around us is used efficiently. ICT has a role to play as the world has effectively shrunk since the beginning of the twentieth century and we should use this knowledge and tools to our advantage. There are various benefits that have been investigated and researched regarding the benefits of ICT in distance education namely: The potential for use of distance learning and ICT for training adult educators working in literacy and informal education has been variously explored, including in a collection of papers and country studies. (Singh and McKay 2004) [24]. Expanding access: Distance education can reach underserved populations of students who cannot attend a school that offers the educational services they desire, perhaps because they live too far away.

Emerging market opportunities: Distance education fuels the public's need for lifelong learning in education by providing access to learners not in the traditional k-12 age group. Adapting to new technology and environments: Educational institutions may adopt distance education as a means to adapt to the rapid changes in technology being used in education today. (Oblinger, 2000) [25].

The biggest problem facing ICT in distance education is the access rural and remote areas in developing countries have towards new technologies. This can possibly be addressed by the Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI). Cost of this technology is relatively cheap compared to other telelearning technologies. However the fact that there is no face-to-face interaction between teacher and learner still has a potential area for inadequate quality of teaching. Usage of ICT in distance education has the possibility of reducing the gaps between the haves and the have nots. As distance education has the potential of reaching rural and remote areas in developing countries it assists these areas in skills developing and proper education giving the people the opportunity to be educated and exposed to world class standards and trends. Development of proper IRI technology usage can further enhance the distance education standards. A major advantage of IRI in rural and remote areas is the fact that increasing the number of learners increases the cost very little. In contrast, most other interventions with high variable costs will require a proportional number of new school facilities, textbooks or teachers as additional learners are added (Bosch 1997) [22]. From the above we can see that there is not a clear distinction between Telelearning discussed earlier in this report and distance education. According to Robinson (2008), The use of distance education and ICT has the potential to distribute opportunities for learning more widely and equitably across the teaching force. It can also improve the quality and

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variety of the resources and support available to teachers, opening up new avenues to professional development [23]. By developing the quality of the teachers and the information available for their preparation we can conclude that the quality of the education will improve. However, it can be seen that the use of ICT in distance education has potential for large changes in the level of education of the people around the globe. However the biggest problem is the fact that the typical rural and remote areas where distance learning can make the biggest difference are the areas where the technology is too expensive to incorporate and effectively develop. However, mentioned above we can see that IRI is a possible means of overcoming this hurdle. According to Singh and McKay (2004) many ICT-based distance learning projects have been seen not to be sustainable or have not been expanded to large scale after initial developmental piloting because they have lacked adequate government support [24]. Due to this it is clear that government support for the proper implementation of new technologies is a critical success factor for implementation of ICT in distance education.

offer immersion in a foreign language environment. In addition educational social networking sites allow students to find and share educational resources, allows one to create study groups, to communicate with classmates about course-related topics, encourages learner-centered activities, provides collaborative learning opportunities and gives one a sense of belonging. While social networking sites are valid resources for students, educators and administrators, it must be acknowledged that social networking, as is the case with most technology, comes as a mixed blessing. Facebook, the archetypal social networking website, is now open to anyone with an email address and draws people of every age, ethnicity, income level, and academic background. According to the company's website, as of 2009, there are over 200 million individuals with Facebook accounts, and half log in to the site at least once a day. With so many users, it is no surprise that the primary concerns of many users relate to privacy issues. In a January 2008 interview with Barbara Walters, Mark Zuckerberg (one of the creators of Facebook) stated, the money to pay the four hundred Facebook employees has to come from somewhere. On personal profiles, Facebook users voluntarily list personal details from the more mundane (favorite TV shows) to the more (address, phone number, etc.). Whose role is itparent, student, educator, website developerto ensure an individual understands his right to privacy and exercises it accordingly? Although much of the information individuals supply on social networking sites is voluntary, users (especially younger students) are increasingly more comfortable with revealing a great deal of personal information online. There is little question that as more opportunities to connect (more applications, more niche sites) increase, social networking is taking up more of our time. Logging on daily is not compulsory, but some studies suggest that these sites may be addictive. Issues of honesty aside, when individuals cannot communicate in person,

4. SOCIAL NETWORKS
Social network is an online service for communities of people who share an interest with one another to collaborate. (Yuen, 2008) [26]. While most social network services are web based, providing a variety of ways for users to interact, most service focus on building online communities of people who share similar interests and activities (Yuen, 2008). Popular Social Networks are Face book, Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace and Ning. According to Brown, et al (2009), students are spending almost as much time using social networking services and Web sites as they spend watching TV [7]. Social Networks in Education, provide a casual place of learning, encourage students to express their own thoughts, provide effective collaboration and communication, enhance students learning experiences, build an online learning community and

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misunderstandings can occur much more frequently. Whereas interacting face-to-face allows individuals to perceive physical clues like tone, inflection, body language, in an online environment, these are lacking. Communicating across cultures and language barriers can prove next to impossible without physical interaction and important messages may be improperly relayed. The disparity in communication styles can exacerbate relationship tensions between parents and young adults, the latter being so attuned to virtual communication that reaching them in-person proves difficult. Gross domestic product (GDP) is a basic measure of an economys economic performance. GDP is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a nation in a year measured in Rands or some currency. Globally, GDP is equal to the total monetary income generated by production of goods and services in a country. Gross Domestic Product does not take into account many important variables accelerated by Social Media and growing exponentially in economic influence. Industrial output is becoming increasingly dependent on social networks and social innovation. GDP does not take into account such non-market transactions such as open source development, crowd sourced innovation, conversational currency, social capital, creative capital, or intellectual capital exchanged between people in diverse social networks. Social networking adds value, they store value, they create value, they distribute value, and they exchange value. If we called it a financial instrument that is highly convertible, extremely liquid, and easily transported it would describe a currency by any definition of the word. Social networks offer a tremendously valuable yet relatively simple system to bring likeminded audiences together in a manageable environment. With your own social network, people of your likeminded

group are able to share, communicate, and collaborate in a safe environment that you can easily manage and market to. There is increasing interest in the use of social networking in education. Students welcome the opportunity to experience and explore the use of social network in teaching and learning. Students find the class social networking site to be user friendly and give them a sense of belonging. As these technologies become more widespread, the boundaries of social networking continue to expand. Indeed, social networking sites such as MySpace and FaceBook have redefined the traditional definition of what it means to be someones friend. Social networking continues to fuel globalization through the interconnectedness's that it creates. While online forums pose challenges for communicating, so do traditional methods of communication. The challenges posed by online social networking, and the potential benefits to informal and formal education, are still emerging. While social networking is not a new phenomenon, it is something that is slowly and newly starting to be embraced in the educational world. The technology that enables this new level of connection is a vehicle, one that has the potential to open up information to more people than has ever been possible at any point throughout human history.

5. CONCLUSION
Taking the trends discussed in this paper into account it can clearly be seen that the education system should change to adapt to modern requirements and to incorporate new technologies. By incorporating these technological trends into the educational system a higher quality education can be provided at a cheaper cost and spread over a larger segment of the population. However, the initial cost of incorporating these technologies into any school, yet alone a school in rural Africa, will be extremely high.

Latest ICT Trends in Enhancing Education

The implementation of some of these trends can furthermore be hampered by the fact that the entire way our educational system work would need to be restructured to allow for new ICT technologies. Maintenance on the ICT technologies and communication mediums would need specialist and trained workers with the correct equipment and parts readily available. This would pose no big problem for any first world country but the third world countries, set to mostly benefit in a reform of their educational systems, would be hard pressed to deliver such a service. For the time being the deciding tradeoffs seem to rest between benefits derived versus cost of implementation and maintenance. The trade off should however be made with possible successes in the long run in mind as well as the following quote from Charles Darwin: Survival is ultimately dependent on the ability to change and evolve.

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Acknowledgement
I would like to thank the following Masters students for their support in this paper: Mavhaire, M; Mtshali, T.N; Mukwevho, T; Sefanyetso, O.S; van den Berg, G.P.J; van der Linde, E; Willemse, C.

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