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Item Effect of Gender in ICT Literacy: A Case Study of Sri Lankan Trainee Teachers(Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Amarathunga, P.A.B.H.; Pathiratne, S.; Weerasinghe, D.The exordium of information and communication technology (ICT) into the scholastic sector engendered incipient gregarious typecasts and gender divergences. Since the invention of a computer, ICT-cognate activities have been viewed as a male domain (Brosnan& Davidson, 1996) or something for boys Reinen&Plomp, 1996). As several research reviews and meta analyses summarized, boys were more fascinated with ICT than girls, they were heavier users of computers, had more positive postures about computers and consequently outperformed girls in their ICT literacy (Reinen&Plomp, 1996; Volman& Eck, 2001). However, a number of recent studies evidenced that ICT-cognate distinctions between females and males abated mainly in the access to ICT and rudimental computer skills (Busch, 1995; Rainer, Laosethakul, &Astone, 2003). Meanwhile, gender inequalities now emerged in incipient areas of ICT use (Rainer et al., 2003). In Sri Lankan Context this study is the first one.This study aims to get an insight into gender differences of aspiring edifiers. Gender differences in self-reported ICT experience and ICT literacy among trainee edifiers are investigated. Dynamic model of ICT literacy is employed. Three main components of aspiring teacher’s ICT literacy are covered: (1) present general quandary-solving and technical ICT capabilities; (2) circumstantial and longitudinal sustainability; and (3) transferability of ICT capabilities into future professional domain. The study was predicated on self-assessment research methodology. The questionnaire coalesced multiple quantification implements and included seven components. The participants were the first year students at one of the Colleges of Edification in Western Province of Sri Lanka. Two hundred and seventeen students were enrolled in the program: Male and Female occupation was 66 (30.4%) and 151 (69.6%) respectively.Findings denote that no consequential differences were found between females and males’ precedent experience with ICT. Male respondents on mediocre operated computers considerably more hours per week than females. Consequential distinctions between males and female’s technical ICT capabilities and circumstantial and longitudinal sustainability were observed. Male marks were greater. In the regression analysis, when the influence of the contextual and ICT experience variables was controlled, gender failed to be a consequential presager of the sustainability scores. However, it remained a consequential prognosticator of some trainee edifier’s scores, cognate to their technical ICT capabilities.Item Teacher Skills required Facilitating ICT Driven Learning(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Ekanayake, M.B.Education is shaping with the advances of new information and communication technologies (ICT). Most countries all over the world have accepted the need of incorporating ICT to promote the quality of learning. Sri Lanka also invests a large amount of funds to provide ICT education and ICT based education. Each of 200,000 teachers are to be equipped with a personal computer by 2009. The purpose of this is to make all teachers use computers in their everyday academic work i.e,. in instructional process and classroom management. The benefit comes to all 2,000,000 students when the plan becomes a reality. Ministry of Education spends a large portion of the total expenditure of the ADB funded Secondary Education Modernization Project on purchasing computers, establishing computer centres, multimedia centres, computer resource centres, laboratories, and training of teachers. In addition, various other activities are also being carried out to modernize the general education system. Purchasing equipment and training teachers in ICT are important to achieve such targets, but is it sufficient for effective learning with advances of new ICT? Past experience about early attempts to incorporate technologies in implementation of the school curriculum proved a failure. Some examples are introducing motion films, educational radio and educational TV. It was forecasted that teacher, black board, and textbooks will be substituted by those technologies. Consequently, spending millions of public money a large number of projects had been designed and implemented, but ended with disappointing results. How do we prepare our teachers in effective use of new ICTs to increase the quality of instructional practices. The results of documentary analysis of training programmes and interviews with eight trainers cum software developers show that the appropriate pedagogical aspects and essential awareness about recent learning theories are lacking in the curriculum used for training teachers. The author suggests that teachers need to be empowered with essential pedagogical skills to get the maximum advantage of the large-scale investment of foreign funds on ICT based education.