Republic of the Philippines

Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION AND TEACHER TRAINING
Guang-guang, Dahican, City of Mati, Davao Oriental, 8200

Name: Myeshaena C. Marcial Section: BSED-English 1

ICT: The Feat of History

Looking back on the state of the educational system pre-21st century, we can safely say that
the teaching-learning process has evolved significantly. Transitioning from papyrus, to paper, and at
last, to digital screen, is a manifestation of this immense development. When technology is
integrated into education, learning and teaching becomes more efficient.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is an assistive tool that promotes effective
learning for students by providing their teachers with access to a wide variety of new pedagogy.
However, some traditionalists still claim that these technologies are “dumbing down” students by
making learning too easy, and that these technologies will soon replace teachers. This claim is
rejecting of constructivist values, in which it is stated that students learn best when they have control
over their learning. Moreover, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, author of The Connected Educator, once
said, “Teachers will not be replaced by technology but teachers who don’t know how to use
technology will be replaced by those who do. “

ICT has transformed the teaching strategies and the learning environment in different useful ways
through different e-learning platforms. This innovation is manifested in the way lesson preparation
has been made easier for teachers. The software Classflow developed by Promethean is a great tool
for creating lessons, assessments, and assignments that are interactive and rich in multimedia that can
be accessed and used even outside the physical classroom. ICT also breaks down the barriers of the
four-walled classroom. Schools like the Malayan Colleges Mindanao in Davao City are now using
the application Blackboard which empowers students to take control of their learning experiences by
harnessing the full potential of virtually creating and accepting information through live-stream class
sessions, in-app access of learning resources, and online quizzes and viewing of grades. According to
the study conducted by Triantafyllidis and Mitropoulou in 2005 for the International Association for
the Development of the Information Society, the successful results of e-learning to education are
instigated by factors like enhanced comprehension due to improved graphic representations, learners
being able to learn at their own pace, greater relevance and digestibility of activities, and increased
convenience of time and cost.

Of course, none of these e-learning platforms would be useful without the tangible devices from
which to access them. According to the dissertation by James Francis from the University of New
England in 2015, 94 out of 95 students had responded that they owned devices such as mobile
phones and laptops. More importantly, 73 of these students had claimed that these technologies
motivated them in learning more than the traditional paper-and-ink.

The interplay between digital tools, devices, and learning pedagogies of today’s educational
environment is indeed a great feat. It allows the teacher to cater to the personal learning needs of
students in an interactive manner, and is efficient for both the releasing and receiving end of the
information. If not for these ICT tools, the exchange of information between student and teacher
would be as limiting and slow as it had been twenty years ago.