COMPUTER ASSIGNMENT

 Discuss the various selection criteria for educational technologies.

Educational Technology create changes in all aspects of human endeavour especially in training
and research as it provide resources for trainers and researchers leading to comprehensive
learning as well as extend the learning process. Some of the parameters that are used for selecting
appropriate educational technologies are highlighted and briefly discussed below;

Technical Criteria: those that are concerned with equipment requirements and specifications.
Variables related to the technology criteria include: ease of use, speed of access, level of graphical
realism, audio/video output and flexibility.

Instructional Criteria: those that are concerned with the delivery and access of instructional
materials and their outcomes on learners. Some variables on which instruction can be evaluated
include: interactivity, integrative capacity, learner control, learner/instructor attitudes and learner
achievement.

Organizational Criteria: those that are concerned with the day-to-day use of distance learning
technology along with the support mechanisms and in service necessary to sustain the use of the
technology. Some variables include: Technical maintenance, space and time feasibility, support
systems availability, staff development and community partnerships.

Equipment and/or Support Requirements: the degree to which special equipment or other
support systems are required for delivery of the instruction.

Ease of Use: comfort of the instructor and the student with the medium; degree to which time
must be spent familiarizing users with the technology.

 What are the various functions of teleconferencing?

Teleconferencing is essentially a means for communication and training. It can be used for
information dissemination, guidance in response to policy, consultations with experts, focused
group discussions, interviews, etc. As a technology, it has broad applications in education,
training and development, business/corporate communication, governance and professional and
medical courses/services.
In the academic area, teleconferencing is useful for the following activities: Delivery of full
courses, lessons, tutoring, project work and training can be provided to the students through
teleconferencing, Delivery of certificate level courses for professional development. These
courses can be modular and multi-media in nature comprising print, contact programmes, and
audio-video conferencing.

Training and Development: Teleconferencing is used to provide training and staff development
for capacity building in agriculture, health, nutrition, family welfare, etc. in remote rural areas. It
reaches out to a large number of groups such as community workers, farmers, functionaries, etc.
for extension activities, sharing of experiences, raising of issues, introducing government
schemes, projects, mobilizing for activities and conducting campaigns.

Business/Corporate Communication: In the business and corporate sector, teleconferencing has

been used for a variety of purposes such as organizing conferences, interviews for recruitment,
project supervision, problem solving, consultations, information dissemination and training of the
personnel. Education, training, instruction, information and counselling are merged resulting in an
overall improvement in staff performance.

Governance: Using teleconferencing facilities, planners, administrators and executives can

directly and simultaneously interact with people at all levels for speedy dissemination of policy,
execution and monitoring the implementation of projects, problem solving, and providing expert
consultations.

Professional and Medicinal Courses and Services: Medicine is an area in which

teleconferencing is being increasingly used. Hospitals can provide medical services to remote
areas with expert diagnosis and medical advice. Similarly, many professional training institutes
are using the teleconferencing mode to provide quality teaching support to widely dispersed
student community.

 Discuss the Importance and Uses of Teleconferencing

Remote Learning: One of the most apparent advantages of teleconferencing in education is

remote learning. Students no longer have to feel confined to their classrooms. With
teleconferencing, they can reap the benefits of knowledge from all over the globe. They can
interact with experts, students from other schools, and visit places they have never visited at the
push of a button.
No Need to Go on Field Trip: As teleconferencing can be conducted anywhere in the world
between different classrooms, no longer do students need to go on field trips as much. This will
save the schools the time and the energy. Cost reductions can also be significant. Being able to
teleconference with hundreds of students will certainly reduce expenses.

Attend Class from Home: Teleconferencing gives these students a real chance to attend classes
from their homes, meaning they won't fall behind in class. This also works perfect for educators
as staff meetings can be done through teleconferencing.

Strengthen Exchanges among Schools: Most schools are using the technology to connect with
students from other schools. This presents a great opportunity for students to connect with other
students that they would possibly never meet otherwise.

Invite Experts to the Class Wherever They Are: With teleconferencing in education, boring
classroom learning is a thing of the past. The technology gives educators new and exciting ways
to teach their students. For instance, the technology allows teachers to invite guest speakers into
the class to help illustrate important points in her lesson. This allows for an interactive experience
for students with experts that boast a wealth of skills in the field being discussed.

Connect Rural Schools to Outsides for Better Education: Limited resources remain the
common problem in most rural schools. Students in these areas have missed out on countless
opportunities that their urban counterparts continue to explore. Connecting students in these areas
via teleconferencing can greatly improve the quality of their education, ensuring that their rights
to education are ultimately met both in practice and in theory.

 Teleconferencing offers a number of advantages to organizers, administrators, educators

and learners. Discuss these advantages.

Teleconferencing offers a number of advantages to organizers, administrators, educators and

learners.

 It provides learning to large groups, which are geographically dispersed.

 For organizations, delivery costs are reduced with resultant cost benefit in terms of time,
travelling and spread of resources over large groups.

 It makes the best use of the available resources by expanding the learning opportunity and
taking the resources to the learners.
 It overcomes time or scheduling problems for the learners who can assemble at a learning center
for a limited period only because of their full time or part time work, and family and community
commitments.

 It can be designed to meet local specific requirements of training in terms of content, language
and conditions.

 Training is of high quality and consistent. There is exposure to multiple perspectives from the
primary sources, and therefore as the input from the resource persons is direct, there is little loss
of quality in transaction.