Information and communication technologies (ICT) are simply technologies arising fromscientific and technological progress in computer sciences, electronics andtelecommunications. They enable us to process, store, retrieve and disseminate valuableinformation in text, sound and video form. In an increasing interconnected world, brought about by the application of technological advances to all sectors of society, quality education necessitates active and innovative exploration to maximize the benefits of ICT and developand maintain the partnerships that use of ICT in education requires. This calls for re-conceptualising and restructuring the educational enterprise, so as to confront thetechnological challenges of this millennium. With rapid changes within society and radical transformations in the way people acquire knowledge, new teaching paradigms arerequired, ones that tune educational systems to modern times and ensure quality trainingfor large numbers of persons.
2. Course Outline
INTRODUCTION
ICT: Definition & meanings
Importance of ICT
ICT Architecture & Infrastructure
ICT in School
Educational ICT tools
Challenges using ICT at school
3. INTRODUCTION
Today's world is knowledge- based; it totally depends on
exchanging information rapidly.
Countries that are equipped with the technology and
knowledge to participate in the new electronic world are
major players in its socio- cultural and economic
developments.
Technology's ability and relevance can support the
teaching/ and learning.
ICTs can play a major part in face-to-face language
teaching, offering new ways of solving old problems
Also, they can bring also benefits on learner interaction
and motivation.
This is a type of technology- supported education/ and
learning where the medium of instruction is through
computer technology, and particularly involving digital
technologies.
UNESCO: "Education for All".
The World Education Forum (UNESCO, 2002): The
important role of information and communication
technologies.
4. ICT: Definition & meanings
ICT: Information and
Communication Technologies,
“Diverse set of technological tools
and resources used to
communicate, and to create,
disseminate, store, and manage
information.”
These technologies include
computers, the Internet,
broadcasting technologies (radio
and television), and telephony.
5. ICT are often associated with high-
tech devices: Computers and
software,
ICT: Forms of technologies that are
used to transmit, store, create,
share or exchange information
(radio, television, DVD, telephone
(both fixed and mobile), satellite
systems, computer and network
hardware and software,
videoconferencing, and electronic
mail).
6. The British Computer Society:
The scientific, technological and engineering
disciplines and the management techniques
used in information handling, processing,
and disseminating; their applications;
computers, networking and communication
and their integration with men and
machines; and associated social, economic
and cultural matter.
Turban et al . (2005) defined ICT as ‘Information
Technology is an organization's collection of
information resources, their users, and the
management that oversees them; includes the
IT infrastructure and all other information
systems in the organization’.
7. Information and communication technology
(ICT) prepares students to participate in a
rapidly changing world in which work and other
activities are increasingly transformed by access
to varied and developing technology. Students
use ICT tools to find, explore, analyze,
exchange and present information responsibly,
creatively and with discrimination. They learn
how to employ ICT to enable rapid access to
ideas and experiences from a wide range of
people, communities and cultures. Increased
capability in the use of ICT promotes initiative
and independent learning, with students being
able to make informed judgements about when
and where to use ICT to best effect, and to
consider its implications for home and work
both now and in the future.
8. 1980s: The term Information Technology
(IT) was first used to indicate the
convergence of computer technology and
communication technology.
1990s: Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) was more widely used to
replace IT- which is to give a greater
emphasis on communication aspect.
ICT represents Information and Content
Technology, to indicate the convergence of
Information Technology and Content
Technology.
9. Importance of ICT in School
ICT: The whole range of technologies
involved in information processing and
electronic communications, including the
Internet, electronic mail and video-
conferencing.
In recent years ICT has had, and is
continuing to have, an increasingly significant
impact on all aspects of society.
The development of ICT has introduced four
powerful worldwide changes that have
altered the business environment.
Organisations or societies that do not
respond to these changes will not be able to
survive and prosper in the new business
environment,
11. The widespread use of Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) has till now
influenced all fields in life, among which lies education.
Erdogan (2009) stated that:
Many countries consider ICT as a
potential tool for change and innovation
in the education field and thus, they
make large investments in the integration
of ICT in schools. For example, Europe
and Central Asia allocate 22% of their
budget to ICT.
Kozma and Anderson (2002) believed that for an
economy to be knowledgeable education should be its
primary necessity. Simultaneously, the teaching
strategies in schools are bending towards ICT. This
change towards ICT has been very dramatic.
Kozma and Wagner (2003) agreed that ICT will enhance
education and is a very challenging field of development
work nowadays, in both poor and wealthy nations.
13. Students 21st century: Students look for answers to their
questions on the internet.
Students who had followed ICT courses had more
possibilities of being employed as most of the jobs
nowadays require a good knowledge of ICT.
ICT as well as other teaching strategies have enabled
students to move to higher- order thinking.
Students develop constructive thinking skills. As a result
the students are learning in order to prepare themselves
for the future information age.
ICT can be used to enhance student understanding thus
increasing the quality of Education.
ICT can help students to become knowledgeable, reduce
the extent to which direct instructions are given to
them, and give educators a chance to help those
students with special educational needs needs
Teachers The classrooms where technology is being used have
their teachers often compared to that of a facilitator or
coach rather than a lecturer
As educators use ICT in classroom, their teachings are
proved to be very fruitful.
As a pedagogical tool ICT can provide a new framework
so as to improve teaching. Hence, learning will be done
in a collaborative, project-based as well as self-paced
way.
Administrators ICT is important because of the expansive use of
automated systems in all activities.
ICT has become important in research, library,
documentation, etc. Technologies have opened a new
door for human activities.
14. Making learning more interesting especially for
hard-to-understand issues
Bridging distances – e.g using e-mails, phone,
video conferencing etc.
Breaking literacy barriers in communication – e.g
using video and radio.
Research and useful Information sharing – e.g
using Internet
Access information on jobs/internships
Creation of new employment opportunities (via
ICTs/with ICTs)
Enhance interaction with peers over long distances
Create entertainment opportunities (games,
music,video)
Provide more realistic information on life elsewhere
Provide educational information (distance learning)
Provide health information, including on sensitive
issues
15. ICT Architecture & Infrastructure
‘Architecture’: the way people's current and
emerging requirements are combined with a
knowledge of the surrounding environment,
resource availability, various constraints and the
technologies available to provide a blue print for
construction of a building.
The concept of an ICT architecture is similar to the
building’s architecture.
An ICT architecture serves as a broad blue print for
acquiring, developing, implementing and
integrating ICT in order to support the business
functions and strategies of an organisation.
It integrates the information requirements of the
organisation and all users, the ICT infrastructure
and all ICT applications of the organisation.
16. ICT architecture of an organisation
should be properly documented. There
are many ways to describe, present and
document ICT architecture. Different
perspectives can focus on:
Services and processes to be supported.
Clusters of functionality required.
Information and data that must be
recorded and exchanged.
Specific technology products that are
deployed and integrated.
Technical standards for building systems
and for interoperability between
systems.
17. ICT Infrastructure
The main purpose of an ICT infrastructure is to
support and manage all ICT resources and ICT
services in the organisation. Thus, an
organisation’s ICT infrastructure consists of three
elements as shown below:
18.
19. Computer hardware, which is the
physical equipment used for input,
processing, storing and output activities;
Computer software. The first type of
computer software is called the system
software, which consists of computer
programs that control the computer
hardware. The second type of computer
software is the application software.
Communication Technology, consisting of
both physical devices and software, links
various computers located at various
locations; and
Data.
20. ICT in School
No one can deny the impact that technology continues to
have on almost every aspect of our daily lives, nor the speed
with which new developments are adopted by us.
The mobile phone is ubiquitous for voice communication.
Broadband data connectivity brings access to the internet
and our personal and business communications.
GPS can give us geographical guidance.
A camera gives us video as well as image and sound
recording capability, and local storage continues to get ever
larger and ever cheaper.
With the introduction of “apps” we now have almost untold
free or low cost support to use and manage the information
to which we have access. With the developments in “Cloud”
computing, and the expansion of the internet to “connected
things” as well as people our access to, and use of
information continues to evolve relentlessly.
With the widespread use of technology in the home and
workplace, it is important that children can grow with the
knowledge and skills to use it.
21. Via technology, much of knowledge is free and
readily available. There are seven survival skills
deliverable by 21st century learning. These are:
Critical thinking and problem solving
Collaboration across networks
Agility and adaptability
Initiative
Effective oral and written communication
Accessing and analyzing Information
Curiosity and imagination
The importance of ICT to education as a sector is
far greater than the consideration of ICT as a
discrete knowledge based subject, and it should be
seen as such.
23. Embedded technology schools: Schools
which demonstrate effective and
embedded use of ICT do transcend the
knowledge based learning agenda. Staff
and pupils are confident with skills and ICT
use,
Available technology schools:
Technological tools are available, but not
yet used and fully exploited for various
resons,
Although we live in the current “Knowledge
Society”, we need to think carefully about
what constitutes knowledge.
Four distinct types: “know what”, “know
why”, “know how” and “know who”.
24. Schools that are confident with technology
are moving away from knowledge based
curricula.
Some schools have adopted programmes
which focus on “Learning to learn” and
“Enquiry based learning” which move
learning away from simple subject
knowledge to higher level thinking skills in
all subjects.
This is key to delivering what society and
business want to see from our education
system in the 21st century.
It is not about excessive concentration on
ICT skills per se, but allowing those skills to
support the delivery of a much wider and
more relevant curriculum.
26. Educational ICT tools
The integration of ICT in teaching and learning is not a
method; rather it is a medium in which a variety of methods,
approaches and pedagogical philosophies may be
implemented.
This statement shows that the effectiveness of ICT depends
on how and why it is applied and integrated. In 1980, Taylor
stated that ICT usage is classified to tutor, tool and tutee.
Tutorial programmes lead learners step-by-step through a
programme such as drill and practice.
Using technology as a tool can help other types of problems,
for example, technology as a tool is frequently seen in
tutorial or explanatory programmes.
ICT acts as a tutee where students programme the
computers in order to gain more understanding.
A number of different ICT tools and applications may be
integrated in teaching and learning.
Some of these tools and applications may be designed
specifically for educational purposes and some others for
more general use.
27. The choices of resources, and the way they are
used, can be linked to different learning theories
which may be invoked to explain or predict
learning benefits from the use of ICT.
Roblyer and Edwards believe that the use of ICT in
education has evolved from two main approaches,
namely behaviorist and constructivist instructional
methods.
29. Barriers in using ICT at school
Teachers are faced with some barriers that prevent them to
employ information and communications technology (ICT) in the
classroom, or develop supporting materials through ICT.
The process of using ICT in everyday education is very
complicated.
The opportunities provided by ICT to support teaching and
learning are not problem-free.
There are a number of difficulties which act as barriers and
prevent teachers to integrate ICT into the classroom.
As Schoepp defines, a barrier is considered as any condition that
makes it difficult to make progress or to achieve an aim.
Barriers were grouped into two categories of teacher-level barriers
and school-level barriers.
Becta classified the barriers based on whether they refer to
individual (teacher-level barriers), such as lack of confidence,
shortage of time, and resistance to change, or to the institution
(school-level barriers), such as lack of effective training in solving
technical problems and lack of access to resources.
Balanskat et al. classified them into micro level barriers, such as
those related to teachers’ attitudes and approaches to ICT, and
meso level barriers, such as those related to the institutional
30. Barriers
Lack of
trained
teachers Unfavourable
organizational
culture and
poor attitude
and beliefs
Shortage
of time
Issues of
maintenance
and upgrading
of equipment
Insufficient
funds
Challenge of
language and
content
Shortage of
equipments
Unreliability
of equipment
Lack of
technical
support
Resource
related
issues and
internet
