Information and Communication Technologies in Education - Sample

Question: Discuss about the Information and Communication Technologies in Education. Answer: Introduction Technology advancement and a decrease in the technology cost have resulted the school classrooms having the access to the internet and other technology resources. It has increased the educational programs, which include technology in syllabus. The major purpose of this literature is to understand attitude of people towards the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in classroom education. It reviews the studies, which have found use of these technologies in teaching, way of using these technologies in the classroom, examples of ICT and difficulties and challenges, which the teacher faces in using the ICT technologies. It includes the various aspects, which are related to the implementation of information and communication technologies in education. Literature Review According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, technology has become an important part of our lives and the people cannot complete their daily tasks without using cellphones, laptops, computer and GPS. ICT includes computers, internet and other online delivery systems. Lowther, Inan, Strahl Ross, 2008 stated that many previous studies have demonstrated that Information and communication technologies are helpful in teaching (Lowther, Inan, Strahl Ross, 2008). It is considered as a major tool for the educational reform. If there will be appropriate use of ICT, then it can increase the quality of education and teaching and it will link the learning process with the real life examples. Brush, Hew and Glazewski (2008) stated that ICT is used as a technique for the student to find the learning topics and solutions for the problems in learning. It provides the solutions to the problem in teaching process (Brush, Glazewski Hew, 2008). ICT is helpful in teaching as it makes knowledge gaining m ore accessible and theories in learning process are understood by engaging the students in implementation of Information and Communication Technologies. According to Lowther, Inan, Strahl Ross (2008), there are three major features, which are required to improve quality of learning and teaching with ICT. These are capability, autonomy and creativity. Autonomy indicates that students take the control of learning via use of ICT. Thus, they can be more able by themselves and with other people. Implementing group learning with ICT, the students may possess more opportunities to update their knowledge and they may become more confident to have risks and learn from their faults. In the sense of capability, when the students become more confident in the processes of teaching, then they can develop the ability to implement and transmit the knowledge by using the technology with more effectiveness and efficiency (Fu, 2013). ICTs can be used in the learning process by incorporating the systems in the course content. The teachers can use these technologies in promoting both education and computer literacy as well. In the classroom, computers a nd internet can be used in increasing the computer literacy. ICTs can improve the quality of education in different ways, like; by assisting in acquiring fundamental skills, by increasing the motivation and engagement of students and by facilitating the teacher training (Lowther, Inan, Strahl Ross, 2008). These tools should be used appropriately, so that they can promote the change to learner-centered atmosphere. It can be developed by installing various new technologies in the school or classrooms. The classrooms can use different types of technologies for improving the education like; laptops, computers, TV broadcasting, projector, teleconferencing, internet and other electronic systems. ICTs like television, videos and multimedia computer software, which combine the sound, text and colored and moving pictures, can be utilized to provide an understandable and authentic content, which will engage the students in learning and education process (Farrell Isaacs, 2007). Although, using ICT is helpful for the education, but it is more helpful, when it is developed appropriately. Reid (2002) stated that with the benefits of the ICTs in education, there are some concerns and problems, which the teachers face in using these technologies. The major problem, faced by the teachers is the maintenance of the tools and equipment, which are required to operate the technologically improved classrooms. The second difficulty is inequalities among students, who are using computers at their home and those who are not using. In the schools, there may be chances that the teachers are not familiar with the technology and equipment, so it can pose a challenge for the teachers. In this situation, there will be need of teacher training. Teachers have faced the hard time keeping up with the fast growing change in the school (Das Kumar, 2010). In a research, one of the teachers said that students are stressed, their families are stressed and this level of stress is harmful for the young students. Some teachers stated that ICTs are demanding their more time. They noted that they h ave to give more time to learn about new software and to create new and innovative things for teaching as more expectations are placed on the teachers. In Australia, the most important barriers, which are faced by the high school teachers, are inadequate number of computers, lack of time for teaching and lack of time in the classroom for students to operate the computers or other electronic devices in the classrooms (Reid, 2002). According to Farrell Isaacs (2007), teacher training may play an important role in implementing the ICTs in the classrooms, because many teachers are reluctant to use the ICTs. It requires different skills, which are not included in the formal teacher training. So, ICT training should be used as compulsory element of teacher training. In-service training should be provided to the teachers to provide technical support and gain the knowledge about the use of ICTs in the education (Chen, 2008). The training program should include a specific subject on how the computers and internet can be used to teach the curriculum. From all the tools, computer is considered as an effective learning tool. It is useful as the students can find various information and resources to solve their problems. Use of computer enhances the overall technology literacy of students and it helps in understanding, how they can integrate their technological skills with their curriculum (Chai, Koh Tsai, 2010). Comput er with internet can be used for different kind of research. It is true that students can score good marks by using ICT in education, because the students find it more interesting to study with the computers and other electronic devices, so they keep themselves more motivated and engaged in the study. It helps them in scoring good grades in classroom. Thus, the literature reviews that implementation of ICTs in education is beneficial for the students in learning and teaching process. References Brush, T., Glazewski, K. D. Hew, K. F., (2008). Development of an instrument to measure preservice teachers technology skills, technology beliefs, and technology barriers. Computers in the Schools, vol. 25, pp.112-125. Chai, C. S., Koh, J. H. L. Tsai, C.-C., (2010). Facilitating preservice teachers development of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK). Educational Technology and Society, vol. 13, pp.63-73. Chen, C. H., (2008). Why do teachers not practice what they believe regarding technology integration? Journal of Educational Research, vol. 102, pp.65-75. Das, V.V. Kumar, R.V. (2010). Information and Communication Technologies:International Conference, ICT 2010, Kochi, Kerala, India, September 7-9, 2010, Proceedings. Springer Science Business Media. Farrell, G., Isaacs, S. (2007). Survey of ICT and Education in Africa. A Summary Report, Based on 53 Country Surveys. Washington, DC: infoDev/ World Bank. Fu, J.S. (2013). ICT in Education: A Critical Literature Review and Its Implications. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, vol. 9, Issue 1, pp. 112-125. Lowther, D. L., Inan, F. A., Strahl, J. D. Ross, S. M., (2008). Does technology integration work when key barriers are removed?. Educational Media International, vol. 45, pp.195-213. Reid, S. (2002).The Integration of ICT into Classroom Teaching. 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