Beyond Y2K Compliance: The Impact of Multimedia Technology on Junior Secondary School Learners in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The need to be Y2K compliant took people by storm as the world entered the Third Millennium. Zimbabwe like the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa experienced the same grip of technological mystery, uncertainty and speculation. Educational multimedia technology is vital for a nation to be competitive in the globalized village. The various forms of multimedia systems shape the way learners communicate and learn. The paper focuses on the impact of multimedia technology on junior secondary school learners in Masvingo city, Zimbabwe. It does so by examining the use and abuse of the cell phone, satellite dish and the Internet. Although the Internet, in particular, was originally designed to survive the nuclear war, its use beyond Y2K poses an unprecedented moral time bomb in pedagogical contexts. Notwithstanding its merits, it will be further argued that the cyberspace through multimedia technology has undesirable consequences. However, it is our conviction that learners can be protected from the risks of using or abusing technologies. It is prudent that the knowledge of the Bible which says, ‘Wisdom is for a protection, the same as money is for a protection’ (Ecclesiates7:12 can be helpful if properly applied in education. Therefore, the paper ends by recommending for the need for schools and parents, as stakeholders, to collaboratively guide, control and manage the utility of the multimedia technology that promotes safety and effective learning. This insight is crucial in view of the need to inculcate moral and spiritual values that enhance citizenship education in Zimbabwe.