In more recent times, information communication technology (ICT) has become an integral part of everyday life for many people. ICT encompasses a large scope of technological resources “that are used to create, communicate, store, disseminate and manage information” (EDTK2030: Unit 1, p. 3). Examples of such include computers, computer programs, mobile phones, and televisions. Over the years ICT has become more prominent within the educational system; such technology is used for administrative and managerial work, and now more frequently for teaching and learning practices and opportunities within classrooms (Kamau, 2012). One of the ICT tools utilized for learning is electronic mail (e-mail). E-mails are electronic messages distributed from one person to another via the use of a computer and network system. ICT tools, such as e-mails, offer both affordances and constraints, as well as require knowledge of how learning occurs in order to be incorporated into teaching and learning practices; however, there are solutions to the constraints associated with such tools.
Affordances, as indicated by Norman (As cited in Hammond, 2010, p. 208), are the “perceived and actual properties” and functions of a mechanism, that define its possible uses in certain situations. However, affordances typically coexist with constraints (EDTK2030: Unit 1), which are certain boundaries that limit the way in which an object or mechanism can be manipulated. Despite the affordances, ICT tools used for education purposes require appropriate knowledge of how learning takes place in order to be able to “facilitate learning” (EDTK2030: Unit 2, p. 35).
Learning theories in education, provide a framework for understanding how people learn, as well as helps teachers and instructors to utilize and incorporate different learning and teaching methods in order to support such learning. The