TEACHERS AND STUDENTS PERCEPTION FOR THE INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING AND LEARNING BIOLOGY IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

Biology has moved from a bench-based discipline to a bio-informational science in modern times but application of computational and analytical methods of informatics in it is still a problem for many researchers and students of biology. We suggest to integrate cost effective and practical combination of the real and the virtual laboratories into the undergraduate biological science curriculum. This laboratory work illustrates passive and active electrical properties of plant cell membranes while introducing basic principles of electrophysiological recording, data acquisition and analysis. As the object for investigation in this laboratory work large cells of starry stonewort (Nitellopsisobnusa) were used. The simple program for experiment control and express visualization of recorded data was developed. Experiment proposed in this paper is easy implemented with a minimum of laboratory equipment, materials and gives an experience of computerized biological experiment. In this research, the population involved 10 secondary schools, 12 biology teachers, and 8,352 biology students in Tarauni local government area of Kano state, Nigeria. In gathering the data, a questionnaire was administered. A casual visit to the study area was made to the study area so as to established a report between the researchers and the school organization in which the purpose of the study were made known to the school authority. The questionnaires were then distributed to the sample population of the study with the help of some assigned staff by the school authority of each school. Then the questionnaire were retrieved after responding for data analysis, in which most of the items were agreed by the responses gathered on the perceptions of teacher's utilization of ICT facilities in biology in senior secondary schools in Tarauni local government, Kano state. From the data analyzed, it was found out that the ICT are available in abundance and the perception of both teachers and students towards the utilization of ICT facilities in senior secondary schools were excellent. The senior secondary biology teachers have required competency in utilizing ICT facilities in teaching biology in senior secondary school. This is due to the fact that some among the biology teachers believe. It was recommended that government should employ qualified Biology Teachers and provides adequate biology equipment to schools for the improvement of the academic achievement of biology students.