ICT Tools, Roles, and Applications

The first material is about the definition of ICT tools. Educational ICT tools can be divided into 3 categories: Input source, Output source and Others.

3 main advantages of ICT tools for education

1. Through ICT, images can easily be used in teaching and improving the retentive memory of students.
2. Through ICT, teachers can easily explain complex instructions and ensure students' comprehension.
3.  Through ICT, teachers are able to create interactive classes and make the lessons more enjoyable, which could improve student attendance and concentration.

3 main disadvantages of ICT tools for education

1. Setting up the devices can be very troublesome.
2. 2Too expensive to afford.
3. 3Hard for teachers to use with a lack of experience using ICT tools.

(http://www.elmoglobal.com/en/html/ict/01.aspx)

 

Use of specific ICT tools in education

There are some general spesific ICT tools used in education.

General

1. The Internet is not widely available in most LDCs; radio and TV are Broadcast technologies.
2. Radio and TV can have high start-up costs, and reinforce existing pedagogical styles.
3. Radio instruction has been used widely and is reasonably well studied.
4. TV has been used with success in a few places
5. In some cases, where markets have been liberalized, ICTs are used to distribute educational content regionally within a country.
6. CAI is not highly regarded by experts and in OECD countries, but still receives much interest in LDCs.
7. It is unclear where to place computers to make sure they are used most efficiently.
8. Multi-channel learning is a useful concept.
9. Satellite is much hyped, but under-studied.
10. New Internet technologies hold promise, but are not yet operational.
11. Mobile Internet centres (vans, etc.) are being deployed as a way to reach rural areas.
12. Community telecentres are a hot topic, but successful, replicable models have not yet emerged.
13. The use of handheld devices is just now receiving serious widespread attention.
14. ‘Free software’ holds promise, but costs and impact are still not well documented.

(http://www.infodev.org/articles/use-specific-ict-tools-education)

10 free online tools for teaching and learning

There are 10 free online tools which can be used for teaching and learning. They are Wallwisher, Prezi, Study Blue, Animoto, Wordle, Storybird, Popplet, Google Docs, Dipity, and Storify.

(http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/372979/10-free-online-tools-for-teaching-and-learning/page/0/4)

The Role of ICT is multi faceted

In the twelfth plan, The Planning Commission has stressed that ICT tools must be used for significantly improving the educational services and for streamlining the admission process. Says Dr Veera Gupta. Secretary, Central Board of Secondary Education, “ICT is integral to the teaching learning process. Inan age where massive expansion of education is required, we cannot do without the use of technology. ICT is vital for dissemination of knowledge, for evaluation and for keeping data and records. The role of ICT is multi faceted and it has to be exploited to the maximum potential.” The draft of 12th five year plan document states, “Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) should be harnessed to enrich teaching-learning experience, to extend and diversify delivery, improve research quality and collaboration by making knowledge and information widely available, and ensure effective governance both at the institutional and systemic level.”

(http://ictpost.com/role-of-ict-is-multi-faceted-in-education/)

ICT in English

To implement ICT successfully in their classrooms teachers also need to: 

1. Identify how ICT can be used to meet specific objectives within the English curriculum to improve pupils attainment (Moseley et al,1999)

2. Understand that successful use of ICT depends on other factors such as pupils’ work in the classroom away from the computer, discussions between pupils and between pupils and their teacher, and the ways in which pupils interact with each other at the computer (Mc Cormick and Scrimshaw, 2001 cited in Becta, 2005)

Because of its interactive and dynamic nature, ICT has the potential to meet the needs of individual students by providing opportunities to direct their learning and to pursue information, or complete tasks, in ways which meet their own interests and needs. (Computer based technologies in English KLA, 1997, p6)

The use of ICT in the English classroom extends beyond its motivational value to address key outcomes of the syllabus, and allow students to become competent users as well as consumers in English. Research suggests that incorporating ICT into the English curriculum can:

1.      Improve writing and reading skills

2.      Develop speaking and listening skills

3.      Support collaboration, creativity, independent learning and reflection (Becta,2003a, Becta,2003b, VTC,2003) (cited in Becta 2005)

As an interactive and collaborative medium, ICT allows responding, composing, and publication to be easily shared and offers students the opportunity to explore the language of texts more creatively and develop as speakers, writers and readers for an ever widening range of purposes and audiences. There can be no doubt as to the importance of ICT to English. However its integration into the curriculum raises serious questions concerning access and equity and the following issues must be addressed:

1.      Access to ICT within and among schools

2.      Access to ICT in students’ own homes

3.      Access to effective models of ICT teaching and learning

4.      Skilling teachers in ICT

 (http://www.englishteacher.com.au/AboutUs/OfficialStatements/ICTsinEnglish.aspx )