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Role of Information & Communication Technology in Education
By Nicholas Delzotto
Technology plays a central role to both students and teachers searching for
information. Online reference material, such as Encyclopedia Britannica Online,
offer vast amounts of content supplemented by engaging multimedia and
interactive links. Ebook collections offer thousands of texts, and the sheer
amount of online articles and journals devoted to every imaginable topic make
research efficient and highly rewarding. Teachers looking to engage their
students have access to thousands of images, diagrams, videos, maps,
animation, games and a host of other options to appeal to the varied learning
styles of their individual students. Today's broad access to educational
resources encourages students to inquire more and follow pathways of
information according to their own interests. Information technology thus plays
a key role in the development of the autonomous learner.
Creativity and Self-Expression
Information and communication technology also plays a role in how
students express themselves and reflect on their learning. Aided by
the digital recording functions integrated into smartphones, tablets
and other electronic devices, students are able to index the world the
way they see it and add their own perspective to already existing
bodies of knowledge to create original work. With audio, photo and
video editing software and the various ways to post self-created
media on the Web, students not only access information but
contribute to its creation. The ability for students to be active
members of the learning community, whether on the small scale of a
school's social media site or on the larger canvas of the entire World
Wide Web, gives their work broader significance and affirmation.
Communication and Collaboration
Information and communication technology provides students and
teachers more opportunities to communicate and collaborate. With
Learning Management Systems such as Blackboard and Moodle,
many courses have an online space to participate in discussion
threads and forums, chats, and video conferences. Collaborative
functions in office applications allow students and teachers to view
revisions and add comments in real time, making the process of
relaying feedback more efficient. Technology further transcends
traditional brick-and-mortar settings by providing working adults
and parents taking care of children, geographically-isolated
students, and the underprivileged the opportunity to connect and
interact with learning communities through online schools and
educational networks.
Student Achievement and Learning Outcomes
•Learner Styles
A well-known concept to educators, Neil Fleming's multiple learning styles model
(See Reference 1) suggests that not all students learn the same way. Information
technology addresses individual learning preferences with its incorporation of
rich multimedia. With just a few clicks instructors have instant access to
thousands of articles, images, audio, and video that enhance their presentations
and engage students. For instance, if a student has difficulty picturing a "yurt" --
the portable dwelling of nomadic Mongols -- a quick Web search yields
informative articles, professional photographs, 3-D models, and videos about
how yurts are made, along with an interactive map showing where the structures
are found. Technology supports various approaches to visual learning, auditory
learning, reading, and writing through its interactive, kinesthetic nature.
Benefits of Information Technology in Education
•Classroom Management and Interaction
Information technology benefits the management of classrooms by its ability to create and
organize in a virtual space. Many schools have adopted Learning Management Systems (LMS)
that centralize aspects of courses in such a virtual space (See Reference 2). Teachers can post
documents, ebooks, media, and quizzes that are automatically graded. Assignments can be
posted and submitted online and grades can be viewed in a single virtual space. Students can
access the LMS anytime and never have to worry about losing a paper or carrying a textbook.
LMS also facilitates communication, interaction, and collaboration between students and
teachers, providing opportunities to send messages, chat, create wikis, compose documents,
blog, and share information much like social media sites.
•Information Technology and Assessment
As educational institutions move away from traditional grading and towards the assessment of
specific skills, information technology redefines how to judge whether students have reached
their objectives. For instance, by looking at broader collections of student work compiled in
student ePortfolios, institutions are able to monitor how students develop over time and whether
they have achieved their goals
Effect of Computer Technology in Education
•Videoconferencing
Before the Internet, students had access to professionals in all fields -- from visiting
authors to political officials giving talks at local campuses, there's no shortage of people
for students to meet. However, videoconferencing removes the variables of travel and
reduces issues with scheduling, and it increases student participation by reducing the
size of the audience. With videoconferencing students can meet professionals, arrange
lessons with other teachers and even meet their peers in other countries.
•Simulations
With computers students can be involved in more detailed and in-depth simulations
than in years past. As Sarah Kessler of Mashable says, "Digital simulations and models
can help teachers explain concepts that are too big or too small ... to demonstrate in a
physical classroom." These simulations can be used for sciences to better explain
anatomy, physics and engineering concepts in ways that students can observe and
interact with.
The Effects of Technology & the Internet on Students
•Distance Learning
Not all schools have access to the same curricular tools -- especially in small towns -- but
nearly every school has an Internet connection. With the Internet, students can take more
varied and advanced courses with teachers in different areas without ever leaving the
classroom. Distance learning programs can involve complex programs for submitting and
managing assignments, or they can be as informal as using email, webcams and chatrooms
for communication.
•Research
The Internet puts the sum of human knowledge just a click away -- it's added a lot of tools
for students to research information and learn more about the topics that interest them.
While students still have to be taught how to recognize biased and unreliable sources, they
also have access to scholarly databases and news articles, and they're able to search many
libraries with an online search function. Teachers in the report "How Teens Do Research in
the Digital World," by the Pew Research Center, suggest that students can be taught to
research better by being directed to specific sources (instead of just Google), as well as
requiring students to include both online and offline sources.