Transforming Teachers’ Professional Development with Technology Innovation Integration in Essuekyir, Ghana

This article provides an evaluation of teachers’ technological skills enhancement, after adapting teacher professional development training, while integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) innovations into teaching methodologies in Essuekyir, a rural community in Ghana. The availability of training for teachers in Essuekyir was made feasible by deploying the Internet Backpack, a secure mobile broadband Internet connectivity tool which can be used to connect to the Internet with or without Wi-Fi or cellular network access. The Internet Backpack provides an immediate connectivity solution that allows users to be able to communicate from almost any location. The online learning resources provided by the Ghanaian Ministry of Education, at no cost, now accessible in rural Essuekyir, previously were mainly accessible by schools and teachers in urban areas. Our research finds that in Essuekyir, as an Internet connectivity device, the Internet Backpack effectively facilitates community Internet access for teachers as they learn how to adapt and use online learning systems for their, and their students, digital inclusion.